Disheartening

Well, I have been training for almost ten years, including two world championships, and I am still getting passed by "bigger people", especially on the bike (I am about 115 pounds)! Triathlon is unusual in that you see people do well with a range of body types, because the demands of each sport are somewhat different. You tend to see swimmer/ bikers who are bigger and more powerfully built (having a very lean, runner-type build is not really an advantage on the bike, at least on a fairly flat course, because heavier riders will have higher absolute power), and then people from a run background (or at least that kind of physique) who tend to be leaner/smaller. Look at a pro start or at Kona age-groupers and you will see that even there (where, clearly, no one is carrying too many extra pounds), there is a wider range of body types than with, say, elite swimmers or marathoners.

In addition, even lean runner-types may end up getting passed on the run by people who look chunky, if their bike fitness is not up to snuff. There is a big difference between having the physique/training to run fast, and being able to pull off a strong run after a hard bike. This has been one of the hardest things for me to learn in triathlon!

Edited by Hot Runner 2018-04-08 8:37 PM

Yeah, it can be. Just had my first race of the year this weekend, coming off what I felt was a great off season and build up. Barely held on to the front group and had nothing left for the final sprint. Just keep working hard and keep faith. . . that's the one thing you can control.

What Lisa said ^^^^^. It can take time to build up the fitness for multi sport and the mental part. Some of the people who “a lot bigger” then you may well have been doing this for years and have the engine and know how to get through an entire race.

When I started Triathlon (after 20 years of being a decent AG marathoner and multiple Boston qualifier) I continued to see steady improvement in multi-sport performance for 3+ years. You've been at it for three months. With a solid running background I was fast on the run, but my swimming was middle of the pack and on the bike folks zoomed by me like I was standing still. That slowly changed with every race as both my swim and bike fitness/technique improved.

Have patience and keep training. Fitness and aerobic capacity in a new sport come slowly. With consistency and time, you'll be the one doing the passing.

Good luck.

Steve

Edited by lutzman 2018-04-09 4:14 PM

I would consider myself a larger athlete. Larger than I'd like to be. The nice thing about the bike is unless there are significant hills and or lots of technical turns that require acceleration, there is little negative consequence for being heavier. For me this also applies to the swim. The run is a different story.