Running for Triathlon

Remember: to be a good triathlete, do the training you NEED to do, not just the training you LIKE to do.

Running in a triathlon means running after cycling hard for 20k or 40k and staying strong right through. Arguably the toughest discpline to get right, triathlon running requires far more than just speed.

Producing a good run split rather than just hanging on is one of the hallmarks of a triathlete. It’s also worth bearing in mind that running is a skill, and if you do it well - practise the skills - you will run easier.

How do you know if your run split is doing you justice? If you run regularly, and you know your currrent 10k time - say you can generally run 40 minutes for 10k - then anything more than 10% slower in a race means you need to pay attention to your run. More than 44 minutes for your triathlon 10k, in this example, would mean you need to work on your running.

Triathlon running is, for many athletes, not a question of fast you can run, but how little you slow down. For this reason, conditioning and skill are key. The basics are:

• running off the bike
• staying strong on the run
• running with maximum efficiency

Running off the bike
Without getting too technical, cycling is quadriceps dominant, running is hamstring dominant. So your body uses one set of muscles for 80 minutes or so, then is required to use the OPPOSITE set of muscles at the drop of a hat. This requires a lot of specific practice. Over time, your body will get used to making that switch, but the more often you practise running after riding, the easier it becomes. Be creative. Do turbo-run sets - they don’t have to be intense. Warm up for a long run on the turbo or by riding round the block a couple of times.

Staying strong on the run
This requires both run-specific training and also dealing with whatever weaknesses that conspire to slow you down. In the first case, improving muscular endurance. In the second, strengthening your body in the most relevant way. Here, it is often necessary to find out what your weaknesses are, then taking action. A strong core is absolutely vital to improve resilience, stop your stride from shortening and your head and shoulders from drooping. Even if you haven’t got tons of speed, you will still run faster - or slow down less - than ‘fast’ runners whose bodies start to collapse under fatigue, while you stay strong and steady.

Maximum efficiency
Developing a good stride underneath a perfectly balanced body will gain you seconds every mile and cause you to fatigue less. This requires mental focus in training rather than physical hard work, and an awareness of what drills to do and how to build them into your running. And good core stability!