IRONMAN 70.3 (Half Distance) Triathlon Pacing Strategies
Learn how to structure your race pace strategy to optimise your potential in your IRONMAN 70.3.
A Half Distance Triathlon can take anything from four to eight hours. So let’s say, for example, it takes you six hours. That’s a LONG time to swim, cycle, and run, and you’ll need a pacing strategy that reflects that.
IRONMAN 70.3 Swim
During the first 300 metres of the swim, you'll swim hard, without even trying. As soon as you can, settle down, find your place in the group, and hopefully get in the draft zone of similar-level (or slightly faster) swimmers, then ease down to your target intensity. If you're a nervous swimmer, start off steady and stay out of harm's way.
There are several ways to pace yourself, including heart rate, pace and Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE). However, from a practical point of view, using RPE (feel) works well - it saves you trying to look at your watch.
Check our Triathlon Race Pace Calculator to help guide your pacing strategy.
IRONMAN 70.3 Bike
The bike section is where pace judgement is most vital. Riding too hard will make your run much tougher than it should be (it will already be tough enough!). Try to avoid these three common mistakes.
- Attempting to ride at a constant power output that is slightly too high.
- Riding in bursts, ranging from easy to hard - without realising.
- Riding too hard on the hills without realising, due to inappropriate gearing.
Use a power meter (if you have one) to pace yourself on the bike, with heart rate and RPE (feel) as backup measures. If you don’t have a power meter, just use heart rate and RPE instead.
Check our Triathlon Race Pace Calculator to help guide your pacing strategy.
Riding at the right intensity takes discipline and courage, especially when other people overtake you. But it really works. Get it right, and later, on the bike and then on the run, you'll pass those who passed you. You'll also find that you can better digest your nutrition, which will help you maintain your energy levels going into the run. Pacing yourself properly on the bike will help you run faster, and you'll feel fresher and more energised.
IRONMAN 70.3 Run
If you paced the swim and bike sensibly, you have a fighting chance of running to par. Either way, you’ll still be tired when you hit the run course. After all, you’ll have been racing for 3 to 6 hours already. So don’t expect to run like it’s an individual half marathon. Realistically, you should aim for an intensity that’s similar to or slightly slower than your full-marathon pace.
Check our Triathlon Race Pace Calculator to help guide your pacing strategy.
Using all three methods (RPE (feel), HR and pace) is best as none are reliable in isolation. Many variables can affect them, such as wind direction, gradient and cardiac drift (an increased heart rate due to heat stress). The downsides of starting too fast are far greater than the downsides of starting too slow.
Fitness Tests
Ensure you base your Half Distance Triathlon pacing strategy on real results from fitness tests done in the last eight weeks. DO NOT GUESS!!!
Fitness Tests To Determine Your Thresholds
Your run success will be determined by how hard you worked in the bike and swim sections and your nutritional strategy. If you cycle too fast, you will struggle on the run. If you pace the bike section intelligently and get your nutrition right, you’ll likely run well.
Further Reading
This article is based on Phil's blog post: How to Pace Your Next Half IRONMAN 70.3
Good Luck for your IRONMAN 70.3!
Copyright MyProCoach™ Ltd © May 2018. All rights reserved.
Comments
0 comments
Please sign in to leave a comment.