I wanted to make a "how to" checklist for executing a blistering bike pace at the Musselman Half Iron to help others achieve a very fast bike split on race day. However, I soon recalled that the word "triathlon" is derived from the latin word "tri" or more loosely translated: "Thou hast to run and swim too, dorkus".
Therefore, I thought it most appropriate to entitle this post
"How to blow yourself up on the bike at the Musselman Half Iron".
Personally, I enjoy biking. My greatest pleasure is to ride for long distances and leave my legs pumped with lactic acid and tingling with fatigue! However, my achilles heel seems to be executing a strong run effort after a fast bike split.
In other words, these are the things that usually get athletes (like me) a blistering fast bike split, and a run split that is best timed with an hourglass. These are things you should avoid if you would like to set a PR on the course, not just on the bike.
Riding over your threshold - "C'mon! It's race day! Everyone is cheering for me at the transition area! If I can just average 26mph on the bike, I may just (*gasp, wheeze, cough...*)".
Obviously, we're referring to pacing strategy in this example. There's an important number to remember when executing a fast bike split, and that's your Functional Threshold Power (or FTP). At a Half Ironman distance event, you should ride at approximately 80-85% of FTP. Every time you go over this number, you are very likely adding seconds and even minutes to your run time. There are several exceptions to this rule, and those would be:
1. Passing a competitor to get out of the draft zone
2. Climbing a hill.
However, my personal rule of thumb for these two contingencies is to never do it for more than 3 minutes, and never above my FTP.
Rule #1 is the most difficult for me to follow. Seeing another rider up the road triggers an attack response in my brain that is hard to control. However, by following your pacing strategy and paying attention to your power output (or heart rate), you can suppress the urge to chase down other riders and sabotaging your run effort.
If you don't have a power meter to assist you in your pacing effort, make sure to stay within your predetermined Heart Rate zones. For most athletes, it is best to stay below approximately 84% of maximum heart rate (which is the high end of zone 3 - the Threshold Zone).
If you don't have a heart rate monitor, you should be able to say about half of a full sentence. If you're gasping for air and completely out of breath, you're going too hard and need to slow down. If you can recite the entire Pledge of Allegiance, you could probably stand to pedal a little harder.
Forgetting to eat - The bike split is a great time to ensure the proper intake of nutrition. It's much easier to eat while riding as opposed to running, so make sure to follow your nutrition regimen that you developed in training. Personally, if I go longer than 45 minutes without eating I am asking for trouble. There is also a critical PLACE on the course to take in your nutrition. I've developed a brief quiz to help illustrate the point.
Question: In which example would it be most easy for Timmy the Triathlete to retrieve, open and ingest his nutrition?
A. While climbing up a very steep hill and pedaling very hard.
B. While pedaling very hard on a flat portion of the course.
C. While coasting down a hill and not pedaling at all.
In my experience, it's easiest and fastest to take in your nutrition during a downhill portion of the course. I prefer to let the bike coast so that I can regain my breath, and focus on opening and ingesting the nutrition. I've tried to eat while climbing a hill at a high power output, and it seems like a good way to coat the inside of your lungs with Hammer Gel. However, I see this quite often in events - athletes swerving and coughing while eating, climbing the largest hill on the course at 4 mph.
Getting out of your position - Your fastest position on the bike is in the aero position. The only time to come out of the aero position would be for safety reasons (such as reaching your brakes) or climbing a hill.
That's it.
Practice staying in the aero position for your entire ride. If you can't do it, you should consider a professional bike fitter like Geneva Bikes. They have a state of the art Retul fitting system that will ensure you have the correct hip angle, back angle, etc. It is money wisely spent!
Traditionally, athletes come out of the aero position and stand on the pedals to pick up their speed. All too often, this merely raises the athlete's heart rate and wastes valuable energy. Try to stay aero for the entire ride.
In summary, pacing and nutrition are the two biggest mistakes that athletes make when trying to execute a good effort over the entire race course. Learn to stay consistent in your effort and on top of your nutrition strategy. Doing so will pay big dividends on the run portion of the Musselman and any other event you may enter!
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