There's no such thing in endurance training as a secret or "special" workout that can give you a leg up on your competition. Success rides on the coattails of consistent, hard work over a long period of time. However, there are some workouts that are better than others, provided that they are utilized in conjunction with a properly designed training plan. If you find this workout useful, please let us know by posting on social media with the hashtag:
Sport: Transitions
Purpose: Transition is the 4th discipline. It's the "free speed, no pain" zone as Mark Allen called it. You should practice transitions as you would the other disciplines in a triathlon to improve your performance on race day.
Duration: 90 minutes
Warm Up
10-15 minutes of easy cycling
5-10 minutes of easy running + a few drills and strides
Instructions
Go to a parking lot or quiet neighborhood street where you can set up your bike as you would in an actual transition area. Bring all items of your race day kit and nutrition. This is also an excellent chance to test out your race helmet, wheel set, and other items you don't normally utilize in daily training.
Main Set
3 rounds of:
8 minute bike ride at Olympic distance race power
5 minute run at Olympic distance run pace
5 minutes rest between sets
Start each repeat by running to your bike, putting on your helmet, shoes, and sunglasses as you would in a race, and running to a mount line before hopping on your bike. Dismount in the same manner (before the line!) and run to re-rack your bike before changing into your run gear.
Cool Down
10 minutes of easy spinning at 90+ rpm.
Notes: Time yourself for each round you do and see if you can get faster in the actual transition part of the workout.
These workouts are examples of actual sets we do with our training programs under the watchful supervision of a coach. Please check with your doctor to verify that you are physically fit before you attempting any sort of exercise program of your own.