Key areas and skills of a race

Key areas and skills of a race

by Emma Carney (AUS) -
Number of replies: 0

Dear Athletes,

As we approach race season I thought it would be useful to discuss certain key areas of a triathlon race. To mix things up a little, rather than the usual focus on the swim, I’m going to look at the end of the race and look at why the last half – particularly the last 2km - of the run may be the most important in having an impact on the race outcome.

We have discussed many times in my emails the overriding emphasis on the importance of the swim often overshadows the importance of the bike and run. This tends to lead to overlooking the importance of the back end of the race.

A quick recap of some rules to racing - and these are covered in previous emails –

  • RULE - You can ruin your race with a poor swim, but you do not need to exit the water in the front pack to win. What you must do is minimise the damage of the swim for the swim is not your strength.
  • RULE - remaining focussed on the task at hand. If you are an athlete who will be chasing after the swim, focus on what you can do and do not waste time worrying about whether you can or not. Chase, race smart and remember to race to your advantage….
  • RULE - When the key skill of racing fast is speed, never stray too far away from speed in training. Prepare yourself for racing scenarios. Take a look at my email which explains why middle distance run training is key and why less is more when it comes to interval distances.
  • RULE - Know your pace, and make sure if you are exceeding your pace you are maximising your ability to do this. What I mean by this is make sure you are using the course to your advantage. Important skills like sheltering from the wind, making the most of momentum through corners and working off competitors who may be moving better than you at any point in time.
  • RULE - A triathlete who is fit on the bike will run better off it. The ‘save your legs’ mentality is not for those who want to destroy a field in a triathlon, unless of course that athlete ‘saving their legs’ is far superior and the field is all together on the bike. For everyone else, use the bike to make an impact when you can. Usually, the fastest runner in a triathlon is also the athlete who rode one of the fastest times. This is all true, but can come undone if you do not understand how to select the correct and the most effective gears in a race. Personally, I found that smaller gears will tire your legs quicker, while we all know massive gears will crush them. You need to practice what suits you in training and you must know how to use all your gears, when to overgear and when to back off and ride a lighter gear. Running well off the bike relies heavily on you selecting the correct gears at every point in the race.
  • RULE - Know the importance of the negative split. Importantly this negative split can be perceived, actual or just in comparison with the pace everyone else is racing. Here’s why –

A negative split is running the second half faster than the first. The obvious benefit in a race scenario is when you negatively split you finish faster than your competitors. The most important thing to understand when it comes to negative splitting, is that you only need to be faster than your competitors over the back end of the race. You don’t necessarily have to hold yourself back over the first half so you can run faster over the second half (because if you do this you are likely to be dropped by your competitors before the latter stages and therefore out of contention). You just need to out-perform those around you. This is why the back end of any discipline – particularly the run being the final leg – is so important. This also must be practised in training - ride over the top of hills hard on the bike, finish with the fastest split on the final rep of a run session...make your training specific.

To ensure you are maximising your ability to outperform your competitors, you must know what the approach is to the finish line. You need to know which side of the course you should be running for the shortest and straightest run into the finish. Don’t wait for the blue carpet for a finish sprint. Everyone expects that – try a run from further out and really test your competitors.

Mix it up and don’t be predictable when you mix things up…always a great tactic to racing successfully.

Enjoy the return of racing and race well!

Emma


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