Training help

[PCR]

So I did my first duathlon today; run 2.6 mi, ride 14.75 mi, run 2.6 mi. I have been a runner for the past 15 years, from 5K to 50K. Today's runs were fine, piece of cake, trails with rolling hills. The ride however, whoo hoo did I suck! Again, rolling hills with a few hundred feet of gain and loss, some flats spots. Can any of you who race or train (better than I do :) ) point me to some training information/help? Thanks for your input.

[Ti Designs]

Can any of you who race or train (better than I do :) ) point me to some training information/help?

Of the people who are about to respond, how do you know who races or trains better than you do?

[PCR]

Hmmm... good point Ti. I know my distance running, interval & tempo training just fine but as far as training for cycling I guess I'm asking for help on what kind of training I should do to get a higher aerobic/VO2 threshold. I know riding a lot is the first thing to do but what's next?

Of the people who are about to respond, how do you know who races or trains better than you do?

[Ti Designs]

Hmmm... good point Ti. I know my distance running, interval & tempo training just fine but as far as training for cycling I guess I'm asking for help on what kind of training I should do to get a higher aerobic/VO2 threshold. I know riding a lot is the first thing to do but what's next?

Fitting is the first thing. Be it on an aero bike or a traditional road bike, the fit is the first thing to look at. Aero bike fit needs to be spot on or things go wrong quickly, road bike fit has a little more room before you start generating injury, but it's still on the top of the list.

Riding technique is the next thing I work on. That old saying "practice make perfect" only holds true if you're practicing the right things. With pedal stroke work you nail down the timing of the pedal stroke so that each muscle group only fires when it has mechanical advantage over the gearing system. The rest of the pedal stroke the muscles need to be shut down and getting blood flow and recovery. Think of this as the timing order, if you took all the spark plug wires off the engine in your car and put them back in the wrong order, it wouldn't run well. That's where most people are on their pedal stroke...

If you're looking to increase your recovery speed or oxegen uptake, it's interval time. Think of your training as giving the body instructions, if you train at 20 MPH, that's what you can do. If your intervals see spurts of 30 MPH, your body is going to find it's cardiovascular system falls short, and it will adapt in time.

[Fixed]

brick
imho
cheers

[Chris]

I would defer to Ti on all things coaching, but to me it sounds, from your post, that you are new to cycling. If that is the case, then a lot of improvement will just come naturally from more time on the bike. It's an efficiency thing and that only comes by adding up the revolutions.

[PCR]

Ti, Fixed & Chris,

Thank you. I am new to real cycling, I like Ti's info:Riding technique is the next thing I work on. That old saying "practice make perfect" only holds true if you're practicing the right things. With pedal stroke work you nail down the timing of the pedal stroke so that each muscle group only fires when it has mechanical advantage over the gearing system. The rest of the pedal stroke the muscles need to be shut down and getting blood flow and recovery. Think of this as the timing order, if you took all the spark plug wires off the engine in your car and put them back in the wrong order, it wouldn't run well. That's where most people are on their pedal stroke...
My [road] bike fit is right on, I'll work on technique & timing. It's different than running for sure but I sure do like (love) it. :D