Triathlon Strategy

I read an article in Runners World a few days ago that highlighted "pace groups" in marathons, and one of pacers presented a great strategy to her group - "We're going to run the first 10 miles with our heads, the next 10 miles with our heads and the last 10K with our hearts"

I really liked that quote and I think it applies to triathlons too (with a little adaptation) - "Swim with your head, bike with your legs, run with your heart".

Swim: Nobody wins a tri with the swim.  It's the shortest of the three parts of the race - for my half-Iron I'll (hopefully) do the swim in about 45 minutes, but the bike is 3 hours and the run is 2 hours.  But by going out too fast, getting nervous in the open water, and host of other things, an early meltdown is possible.  We need to think about our training, get a good rhythm and finish the swim strongly to be ready for the (bigger) last two legs of the race.  As legendary Ironman Dave Scott puts it, "swimming is the most inefficient way to get to your bike" :-)

Bike: The longest part of the event, but the one that can be trained for most easily.  So here the amount of spin classes and long bike rides pre-event will really pay off as we use our legs to power to T2.

Run: Unless a triathlete has done the event distance in the past, it is likely they are entering a new "zone" of their fitness training.  Very few people doing an Ironman normally swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles, and run a marathon in a single day (except for perhaps a past Ironman race).  Similarly I hadn't swum/biked/run for 6 hours at "close to max speed/intensity" before the Lone Star Half-Iron in Galveston.  In addition to having the run at the end of the longest workout effort of a racer to date, running is the most stressful on your joints and usually falls at the hottest part of the day (unless the sun has already set at the 14th+ hour of an Ironman!)

These issues "run" doubly true for me since running is my weakest sport of the three triathlon disciplines.  Training definitely helped improve my running ability but in the end there is something "inside" - whether it is completing the race in support of a charity, dedicating it to loved ones, or just personal achievement - that is what gets you across the finish line (or at least get across it with a smile on your face).

Took it easy this week.  Wanted to go harder but still feeling linger effects from the tough weekend.

• Tuesday - 45 min, 153 bpm avg hr + 500 yd swim in 10:38
• Wednesday - 55 min, 148 bpm avg hr + 20 minutes of fast-walking on treadmill (some inclines)
• Thursday - 45 min, 153 bpm avg hr + 500 yd swim in 10:18.5

Taking tomorrow off ... planning to ride 100 miles on Saturday at the Waco Wild West Century bike ride