What times to expect in first tri, based on individual event times
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General Discussion | Triathlon Talk » What times to expect in first tri, based on individual event times | Rss Feed |
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2008-07-09 12:30 PM |
Extreme Veteran 1942 In front of computer when typing this. | Subject: What times to expect in first tri, based on individual event times Hi, I've been reading some of the other posts and they have been really helpful as I prepare for my first tri (sprint - 750m swim, 15M bike, 5K run) in 17 days (but who's counting?). Course is apparently pretty forgiving- rolling hills but nothing major. I was curious what to expect in terms of a finish time (i.e., what time should I be happy with) given my times in the individual events: 5K run: PR 19.05 when I was younger, 19:45 more recently but I have been having knee problems and am probably closer to 21:00 now. 750 swim: About 11:30-12 mins in a pool. This swim will be in a lake. 15M bike: Around 45 mins Based on individual distances done alone I would expect something like this: 12 swim + 1.5 min T1 + 45 bike + 1.5 min T2 + 21 min run = 1hr21 What have your experiences been? Is that too ambitious? Part of me thinks the run will be more like 25 mins based on dead legs but not really sure how to set up my expectations. I set them too high on my first half marathon and was devastated by my finish time until I realized I was not THAT bad- I just had the wrong expectations going in. Any thoughts welcome. Thanks and happy training. |
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2008-07-09 12:51 PM in reply to: #1517852 |
Extreme Veteran 684 Racine, Wisconsin | Subject: RE: What times to expect in first tri, based on individual event times
I did the same thing last year and the advice I received was it's tough to calculate even if comparing apples to apples (ows training swim to ows race swim, etc) let alone pool time versus OWS on race day In my case I trained on a flat road for the run and then had to deal with a cross country run course which made my pace time 4 mins slower. My next sprint happens to be in the city I live in and I have access to the lake, run and bike course and have been training on them to point that I know where eveyr pothole and slight incline are. I'm sure you'll receive more qualified advice, just my .02 Good luck ! |
2008-07-09 12:53 PM in reply to: #1517852 |
Elite 3371 | Subject: RE: What times to expect in first tri, based on individual event times Swim: Your swim will be slower. Kicking people, getting kicked, not being able to see, more idfficult breathing, ect will slow you down. The first tri swim ever is smoething nobody forgets! I'll give you 14 minutes. Bike: I'm wondering where your 45 minutes is coming from. A race, or a training day. I'm going to assume its from a training day so I'll give you 44 minutes. Run: Hope you've been doing your bricks! This is where the most time is going to pile up on your previous bests. You're legs are likely going to be screaming at you. Based on the 21 minute PR, I'll give you 26 minutes. Just educated guesses of course. And the results are a very repectible: 14 + 1.5 + 44 + 1.5 + 26 = 1:27 |
2008-07-09 1:12 PM in reply to: #1517916 |
Extreme Veteran 1942 In front of computer when typing this. | Subject: RE: What times to expect in first tri, based on individual event times Thanks guys- I appreciate the input. Scuba Steve, you are correct with the assumption on the bike. I have never raced before on the bike so 45 mins is about what I do in training (pushing fairly hard). I'll take 44 mins though! :-) I've been doing bricks (only 3 so far) and you are right, my legs are pretty angry at the end of the bike. Thanks for the warning about the swim- I used to be a swimmer and was feeling very comfortable with the swim portion, but knowing that it will be tougher than expected is great to know. I'll be interested to see how close your estimates are. If you are within a minute and I ever see you at a race, post-race drinks are on me! |
2008-07-09 1:29 PM in reply to: #1517852 |
Iron Donkey 38643 , Wisconsin | Subject: RE: What times to expect in first tri, based on individual event times Fun times? Anything can happen, so prepare for just about anything and don't worry about the time. Enjoy the race and do your best. Good luck. |
2008-07-09 1:42 PM in reply to: #1517852 |
Veteran 377 Waukesha, WI | Subject: RE: What times to expect in first tri, based on individual event times I would set a "goal time" (for you, 1:25 might be accurate) and then shoot for it. After the race your real time will help you set your goal time for the next race. |
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2008-07-09 4:27 PM in reply to: #1517852 |
Member 74 | Subject: RE: What times to expect in first tri, based on individual event times I went through the same exercise when i did my first sprint time. I too was hoping for a finishing time of around 1:24:00. Problem was that the hills on the bike course were more challenging than I anticipated. A good goal would be 1:30 as most people don't have flawless Transition times for the first time. Best of luck. Train Safe, Train Hard and Have Fun Cheers
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2008-07-09 4:46 PM in reply to: #1517852 |
Extreme Veteran 684 Racine, Wisconsin | Subject: RE: What times to expect in first tri, based on individual event times
looking back now, here is what I thought I would do and what I did in first sprint: swim: 11:00 bike 46:00 Run 28:00 1:25 (thought I had a chance at top 3 clyde) swim: 12:19 bike 48:23 Run 33:48 1:34:29 (8th out of 20 clydes)
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2008-07-09 4:59 PM in reply to: #1517852 |
Extreme Veteran 664 Vancouver BC | Subject: RE: What times to expect in first tri, based on individual event times I did my first sprint a few weeks ago (next is on the 27th)....and this was my experience. swim - 750m lake - only my second OWS EVER (the first being the day before LOL)...and I only learned how to swim in February of this year - I expected to be about 16-22 min - actual: 17:11 bike - 20K - I expected to be about 40-45 min - actual 38:23 run - 5k - I expected to be about 28 min (I run about 26.5/27 min 5k's normally) - here's the kicker! actual: 30:33!!! (I actually walked about 1 minute 5 or 6 times during that 5K....I can run 10K non-stop so that is not normal for me) My first sprint overall time was 1:29:32 (I had expected to be about 1:40 or so - so faster than I had hoped overall for my first sprint....and that got me 7th in my AG). clearly I need to practice BRICKS more - and with another sprint in just over 2 weeks I am quite disappointed to say that I have not been (so I will likely have a similar experience next race!) - I actually have been running very little lately - lost the mostivation to run somehow - and my knees have not been happy the last 2 runs either.... |
2008-07-09 5:21 PM in reply to: #1517852 |
Subject: RE: What times to expect in first tri, based on individual event times I am always faster running in a sprint triathlon than running in a standalone event. All my 5K pr's were during triathlons (if the race distances are to be believed). So - anything is possible! |
2008-07-09 7:53 PM in reply to: #1517852 |
Master 2125 | Subject: RE: What times to expect in first tri, based on individual event times Stop thinking about it, Go do the race and find out! |
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2008-07-09 8:01 PM in reply to: #1517852 |
Master 2491 | Subject: RE: What times to expect in first tri, based on individual event times Every course is different. Each day's weather is different. I get geeked up about numbers when training and analyzing all of that, but on race day it's all about going hard and making the best of what happens. Rather than set a certain time as a goal, it may be helpful to think of effort, pushing, feeling strong at certain key points, etc. Swims are notoriously off for distance. Who's to say the buouy is placed exactly correctly or that swimmers go in a straight line? Not pushing off a wall 4 times every 100 yards will also slow your time. Hills, traffic, cornering on a bike course will be different from your training. And the run? Props to the woman who PR's her tri 5k's, but the triathlon run is the single most difficult, painful, and humbling effort in all of the sports I have ever tried. Do you have goals that are not numerical? I'd consider any first race succesful if you accomplish two things: 1. Finish (bonus points for feeling strong) 2. Still want to do another triathlon I knew a guy who always had specific number goals for each event and who was always disappointed with himself for falling short of this or that. Having one sucky leg and two strong ones may be a very good race...with room for improvement for next year. Sorry to be long winded. Have fun and go fast. |
2008-07-09 8:09 PM in reply to: #1517852 |
Extreme Veteran 1942 In front of computer when typing this. | Subject: RE: What times to expect in first tri, based on individual event times Thanks everyone for your input. I appreciate you taking the time to let me know what you think. Good luck and happy training. |
2008-07-09 8:18 PM in reply to: #1519014 |
Extreme Veteran 1942 In front of computer when typing this. | Subject: RE: What times to expect in first tri, based on individual event times Sorry, I hit submit on my last post before I saw Monkeyboy's post. Thanks fo your thoughts. I'm actually not too worried about the time (had enough "odd" race experiences - both good and bad - to be too concerned with the time. I was just curious how doing 3 events back-to-back has affected other people's times and performance. Its helpful to get a sense of how other people have fared in terms of their run PRs in a stand-alone race versus a tri. Based on my brick workouts my legs feel bad enough to go significantly slower than doing a stand-alone run, but its nice to know what kind of time, in general, that has translated to in the past for other people. 10% slower, 20%, etc. As for doing another tri...I'm having so much fun training for this as opposed to just running that I doubt a bad race experience would stop me from trying again. Anyway, I appreciate your comments. I'm getting a clear message though from most people- just have fun but be prepared for a tough run and some surprises. Sounds excellent. |
2008-07-28 10:31 AM in reply to: #1519060 |
Extreme Veteran 1942 In front of computer when typing this. | Subject: RE: What times to expect in first tri, based on individual event times Thanks to everyone for the input on this topic. So I did my first sprint on Sat (Buckner Mission Man). Here's my report- some of you were quite close in your guesses! 750m swim: In pool I can do 12 mins fairly easily. Took me 14:51 in the lake, but I swam all over the place and had trouble sighting. 15 mile bike: I thought I would get about 45 mins; actual time was 43:08, so thrilled about this! 5K run: 23.59. Haven't been able to train much on the run, so definite room for improvement, but getting the input from you guys about being aware of how hard this might feel was good prep. Overall time with transitions: 1:24:15 (goal was 1:25). Overall place: 62/217 men; 72/400+ competitors. 8/52 in age group. I'm quite happy with it, and know definite places where I can improve. Overall it was just a really nice event- beautiful setting and well organized, and other competitors were really helpful to me getting set up. Thanks to them!
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2008-07-28 11:48 AM in reply to: #1517852 |
Veteran 146 Norcross, Georgia | Subject: RE: What times to expect in first tri, based on individual event times 1hr25 is a good target to aim at...just remember to go out and do your best. |
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