Training Duration vs Race Duration?

My theories on workout duration(s):

* Be able to swim the race distance hard and not be totally wrecked at the end.

* Be able to run 1.5x the race distance at moderate pace.

* Biking is a different animal to me -- less traumatic (as long as you don't crash). I have a progression of readiness (depending on how you want to "race"). First is being able to ride the race distance and be able to run after, speed irrelevant. Second is to be able ride the race distance hard and be able to run after. Third is to be able to ride the time duration that you'd expect the entire event to take, speed somewhat irrelevant. Fourth is to be able to ride the time duration that you expect for the entire event, but hard.

So it seems your ride is in that "third" region, so I don't think it's so much your training as your nutrition on race day. Bonking is about running out of available energy, not developed endurance. What did you eat before and during the event?

3Mar - what are your goals in triathlon?  I'm curious because it seems, from reading your posts, that you want to be a competitive AG'er........you have done a sprint, an Oly that didn't go well, and your next race is a HIM in a few months....is that right?  If your goal is to finish each distance then no problem, have a blast....you can do it easily.  If your goal is to be competitive, you may be going about this backwards by my way of thinking.

I think it can be both.....but it takes quite a bit of work at the sprint/oly distance to make that happen.   That being said, "finish and have fun" is a great goal!

A truly fast triathlon is built with a lot of time, hard work, and PATIENCE.

I wouldn't blame it all on nutrition. Yes, you could have done better, but this was a HOT race, at a distance you've never done before. You likely outraced your fitness for the given conditions.

My first Oly definitely saw me walking a bit on the run, and then not on the next one. Learned a bit about pacing!

Now, pushing towards being mroe competitive, my long rides are 2.5ish hours (done weekly through many weeks leading up to the race, sometimes with a 2-3 mile run afterwards), and my long runs got up to 10 miles w/ 6 @ tempo. Those started shorter, but always contained a section at a faster pace. I swam with my masters team, so most swims were 3000-3500 yds. I finished in a 2:33 (super happy!) but I did walk a few times on the run -> partially a physical problem, partly mental. Build toughness, move on to the next one!

I really do not think you can expect to go to your first race and be "competitive" or it would be rare. I know in my triathlon journey (from indoor to sprint to Olympic to HIM to IM) I have learned something at each first race of that distance that really helped me get faster the next time I raced that distance. My 1st OLY ever was a 3:55, the next year, I was able to cut it to 2:57, and I really think it was because I knew what to expect and learned what I need to focus on during training, the same can be said for HIM. I am doing my second IM in 2015, I am really expecting a better time because I have the experience under my belt and I know more of what to expect. 

So I say all of that to say this, don't let one race be the gauge of your success at a new distance. Learn from it and make the adjustments in your training and go from there

Those theories on workout duration get thrown out the window if training for a HIM or IM or we would be running up to 40 miles at a time or biking for 10+ hours.

I'm fine your thought process for short course racing though.

Actually, for competitive HIM, I'd maintain the above distances apply. For IM, though, all bets are off.

So you'd do 20 mile training runs or ride for 5-6 hours in HIM training?  Yes, that's a very loaded question.

For top level amateur competition -- Undoubtedly yes on the ride, and look at any national caliber at that distance runner's schedule. You do realize that's not an every day schedule, right?