Subject: RE: 2nd Triathlon Completed- Advice for What to Work On Ride more. Do some group rides with folks faster than you, but don't neglect the slow, easy recovery rides after hard efforts. Do at least one workout a week with intervals. If you're not riding at least 3 times a week for at least an hour to an hour and a half, you won't see much in terms of gains.
Run more. If you're new to triathlon and from a sedentary background, don't worry too much about speed work and hill training. Get some mileage in. You need a base and you need to get your body used to the pounding that running puts on your legs/joints. Plus, running more (and riding more ) will help you lose weight, which will make you faster.
Lose weight. I don't say that to be mean. You'd be surprised how much faster you will be running (and riding ) when you lose weight. I dropped 35 pounds between Sept. 2005 (my first sprint tri ) and June 2006 (my third sprint tri ). Both had relatively flat runs, and I went from 9:30 per mile to 7:15 per mile. Undoubtedly some of that was due to better/more run training, but no doubt some was due to the fact that I was hauling around less weight.
Don't neglect the occasional brick. Running off the bike is different than running with no preceding bike leg. Doing bricks won't make you faster, but it will help you with the mental aspects of getting used to running off the bike.
Most importantly, find a plan that you're comfortable with and stick to it. If you can't ride 4 times a week, don't choose a plan requiring you to ride 4 times a week.
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