READER RESCUE
LONG- DISTANCE LEG ISSUES
q It was my first tri season this year. I’m an okay cyclist and runner, but on longer distances my legs seem to die after 2-3 miles of the run. I do a weekly brick session and don’t kill it on the bike. Help! Rob Tweddle
a The feeling of dead legs is sometimes referred to as jelly legs. Although you mention it’s 2-3 miles into the run when it occurs, it’s possible this is still the issue. The key part of your question is that it’s your first triathlon season. Running off the bike is quite stressful at first because you wonder where your fitness has gone. But once you get used to it you’ll be able to run through it – some even run better off the bike than fresh. However, ‘just get used to it’ isn’t the best advice, so here are a couple of tips to benefit your bike-to-run:
Pacing. You mention you’re not killing it on the bike, but you could still be working too hard. Do you use any tools to monitor intensity levels in training? Heart rate and power are great ways to ensure you’re staying within the correct zone, even if it feels like you’re going easy. Learn the different times that you should be able to hold each zone for and pick the appropriate zone for your event. This also applies to your run pace when you get off the bike. Use your run training to pick a goal pace or heart rate that you can manage for the entire run, and don’t worry if it’s slower than you can run in a standalone run event.
Frequency. While the answer is rarely as simple as ‘just do more’, you may be able to increase your speed off the bike by running more often. You could include double run days, which can be better than one long run as it’s two separate workouts. During the second, your legs are working under fatigue from the first (as they do during a triathlon).
You could also add extra brick runs. Try a few weeks where you run easy for 5mins off every bike session. Scott Findlay
q My cycling cadence is high 80s/ low 90s but my run cadence is quite low. What’s the best way to increase run cadence? RT a Running cadence is generally accepted to be optimal for everyone at around 85-95 strides per minute (spm). If you want to increase your cadence to be in this range you need to be careful and do it slowly across a few weeks. Using a metronome can help you run at your target cadence.
To adapt faster you can complete some sessions with short intervals in the 85-95spm range. For example, during an aerobic run you could break it up into 3-5min sections where you run at different cadences for each. Try to maintain the same pace throughout these intervals. This will help you to maintain the optimal cadence at different speeds. SF
“A metronome can help you to run at your target cadence”