Practical Triathlon

One of the numbers that can be valuable when evaluating your Ironman race performance is the Run/Bike ratio, or the total run time divided by the total bike time.  The ratio is course specific so you won’t want to put emphasis on the absolute value, but rather the comparison of your ratio to the top finishers in the race.

For example, a hilly bike course and flat run course may mean that you have a low Run/Bike ratio but you’ll likely see a tighter range in the ratio at the front end of the field.

Here’s a look at some data from the 2010 Ironman World Championship:

Run/Bike for Top 10 finishers
Average: .611
Range: .579 to .644

Run/Bike for All finishers
Average: .710
Range: .293 to 1.519

This number can be valuable because it can help you to identify poor pacing strategy or strength/weakness in your run or bike performance.  One of the keys to optimal Ironman performance is pacing on the bike to allow for a strong marathon finish.  An over aggressive pace on the bike will be paid for by a slower marathon performance (a higher Run/Bike ratio).  While an over conservative bike pace may result in a maxed out marathon performance but time left on the table on the bike course (a lower Run/Bike ratio).

An assumption here is that the fastest finishers (typically the pros) are the most dialed in on optimal pacing for maximum bike and run performance.  If your Run/Bike ratio is in the range of the top finishers and you performed near the best of your ability then you likely finished near your best time for your ability and preparation.

I’ll evaluate some other races and post some data on Run/Bike ratio at a later date.  If anyone else has data or opinions on this metric please comment with links, data, etc.

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We’re currently at the apex of triathlon activity in the U.S. for 2011.  Here’s a look at the distribution of triathlon events (races, camps, etc.) in the United States by month.

Data Source: TriFind.com

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Here’s a list of a few useful websites for triathletes:

• SlowTwitch.com
• TriFind.com
• Triathlon Race Pace Calculator
• Active.com
• Cycling Speed, Distance & Time Calculators
• Running Pace Predictor / Calculator
• SwimSmooth.com
• MapMyRide.com & MapMyRun.com
• BeginnerTriathlete.com
• TriFuel.com
• Calorie Burn Calculator (Training & Racing)
• Nutri-Facts.com
• Heart Rate Zone Calculator
• Competitor.com
• International Triathlon Union
• Ironman.com

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I can’t say enough about specificity in training.  Maik Twelsiek’s course record performance on the bike at Ironman Coeur D’Alene (4:29:10) came in part due to course specific training.  Don’t just put in the miles.  Try to closely match the conditions of your highest priority event during your training.  If you can get out on the course several times before a race then do it.  The course knowledge and training experience can pay off big.

Slowtwitch interview with Maik Twelsiek:

ST: Your 4:29:10 bike split was very impressive especially on that course.

Maik: I am very happy about it. My Scott Plasma 3 is an awesome machine and was working perfect on Sunday. I also knew the bike course pretty well as I had been in Coeur D‘Alene for 3 weeks before the race to train on the course and in the conditions. I live in Tucson, AZ, but in the summer it is too HOT to train so I took the opportunity with a great homestay to go out early. I did almost every ride on the bike course, rode my intervals on them and knew where and when a pothole was coming.

ST: Most people can’t recon a course as you did in CDA, but how much of an advantage would you say it is to know a course well?

Maik: I think it is always a big advantage when you know the course. So at least check it out in the car, but I think it is way better to have ridden it on the bike. It just looks and feels different and you know what to expect on race day. When there is a part through the city with lot of traffic, stop signs, lights I usually check it out in car and maybe once on bike, but in CDA for example I trained almost all of my rides on the north part of the bike course which in my eyes is the more technical and also less traffic busy part.

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Last weekend, Chrissie Wellington set a new womens’ iron-distance triathlon world record.  That wasn’t the only mark she surpassed:

[Overall,] Wellington was beaten by just four men while her marathon time of 2:44:35 was second only to mens’ winner An[d]reas Raelert.

Wellington has become the first woman ever to finish an Ironman-distance race with a sub-two hours and 45 minutes marathon, and said that the final leg is one she has been determined to improve.

Chrissie still has several good years of racing left.  If she continues to find ways to improve performance,  I’m not sure what her limits may be.  Sub 8:15? 8:10?…umm…8 hrs?

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Here’s a great interview with Craig Alexander on SlowTwitch.com.

Craig’s words of wisdom on Ironman pacing:

Craig: That you don’t just win races with your run. You win because you are the freshest during the run. In Coeur d’Alene I could have ridden 6 or 7 minutes quicker. Say instead of 4:38, I ride a 4:32 – six minutes quicker. Do I then only run six minutes slower so the net result is the same?

ST: I doubt it.

Craig: That is exactly right. Triathlon is about the total time. That is the sport. So you have to calculate that foremost in a long distance race. Ironman Hawaii now is very competitive and very strategic and deep with the talent. But it is still an individual time trial. You want to stay as close as you can to threshold the whole day. If you look at the best marathons period, or the best marathons in an Ironman, or the best time trials in the Tour de France or the best time trials in any triathlon. they are even splits. They are not crazy fast in the first half and then a lot slower. That is a silly way to race.

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Watching the Tour de France always reminds me of the importance of goal & training specificity for success in endurance sports. Through specialization, pro cyclists exploit their greatest strengths to become world-class competitors. Some riders are pure sprinters or pure climbers, high wattage time trial specialists or hybrid GC contenders. Attempting to be dominant in every type of race, on any course, every day of the year is a failure in the making. Triathletes can learn from the precise specificity seen in pro cycling.

I’m not sure that triathletes are as good at this level of specificity in their training and racing goals. Should you be doing all of those hill workouts if you’ll never be competitive racing on courses with hills or climbs? If you’re in the sport to win, you’ll want to identify the race formats and courses that best suit your strengths and then train, almost exclusively, to develop those strengths. Sometimes being a “well rounded triathlete” means less of an opportunity to win.
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