Login required to started new threads

Login required to post replies

Benchmark for Fitness to complete a Half in about 6hrs
Quote | Reply
Thinking of doing a half next year. So what kind of bike speed over say 30 miles should I be able to hold, what about run fitness what kind of speed over what distance would be a good benchmark to say ya your physically fit enough to complete a half in around 6 hrs.

Ya I know vague question.

Just Triing
Triathlete since 9:56:39 AM EST Aug 20, 2006.
Be kind English is my 2nd language. My primary language is Dave it's a unique evolution of English.
Quote Reply
Re: Benchmark for Fitness to complete a Half in about 6hrs [DavHamm] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Benchmark fitness RIGHT NOW? I'd say you can pretty much start at nothing and get in shape to do a 6hr Half just fine as long as you can run any distance -- and if you can bike 30 miles right now, at any speed, you'll be fine.

As you get closer to the race like 2-4 months out? I'd say 17-18mph over thirty miles - keeping yourself in zone 2 or a relatively easy/comfortable/conversational pace.

I'd say if you can run 6-10 miles at 9 minutes or less per mile, then you'll be fine.
Last edited by: JohninMadisonWI: Oct 9, 07 16:45
Quote Reply
Re: Benchmark for Fitness to complete a Half in about 6hrs [JohninMadisonWI] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Thanks John, Ya I was looking for the 2-3 months out thing.

The bike numbers are what I was thinking, and I think is achievable. The run numbers Yowser, well we shall see what a winter of running does for me.

Just Triing
Triathlete since 9:56:39 AM EST Aug 20, 2006.
Be kind English is my 2nd language. My primary language is Dave it's a unique evolution of English.
Quote Reply
Re: Benchmark for Fitness to complete a Half in about 6hrs [DavHamm] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Get your oly time down below 2:40 ... Build up to several 3-4 hour bike rides (17-18 mph with just 1-2 short stops) ... Get to where you can run a 2-hour stand alone half (then you can/should do 2:15 in the race). And swim closer to 35 min. than 45 :-) Its pretty doable, with consistent training.
Quote Reply
Re: Benchmark for Fitness to complete a Half in about 6hrs [DavHamm] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
You could...
Swim-40 min
Bike 3hrs
Run-2:20

With transitions you would be around 6hrs so..
What are you best at? What are you worst at?
Focus on the worst and bring it up.

For me I am still trying to improve my running after I made good gains this year. I have found that regular running is better for me so I do the 4-5 short runs with one long run thing.

If you can get good enough on the bike to treat it as a warm up for the run that will help. 3 months out I would hope to have a couple 70-80 mile rides so your legs have a big base and can handle the day.

To simplify...more is more :-)

Andrew

C'mon legs run faster!
Being fast on a crappy bike is cool
Fueled by Guinness, Tuborg, Anchor Steam and Creemore Springs
Quote Reply
Re: Benchmark for Fitness to complete a Half in about 6hrs [DavHamm] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
i did a half last year, a month after my first triathlon. i had only biked over 30 miles one time the week before the race, and that was 38 miles. never run over 8, and my weekly totals were around 12mpw.

swimming was also low, around 3000yrds a week.

made it through pretty well in 5:19.

____________________________________________________________
Link to my photography
http://davidsavoiephotography.blogspot.com/
http://davidsavoiesports.blogspot.com/
Quote Reply
Re: Benchmark for Fitness to complete a Half in about 6hrs [DavHamm] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
I have a couple of 5:30-6 hour halfs under my belt. They usually look like this:

35-40 minute swim (1:50-2:00 per 100 yds. is my usual pace for IM or 1/2 IM)
3 hour bike (18 mph avg.)
2 hour run (9 min. miles avg.)

plus transitions.

Good luck!
Quote Reply
Re: Benchmark for Fitness to complete a Half in about 6hrs [DavHamm] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
I have done two HIMs around 6 hours (one a bit under, one a bit over). The best benchmark is your Oly time. I am not sure you have to get to 2:40 -- depends on the courses, of course. I did a 3:00 Oly on a somewhat hard course and then did a 5:48 HIM on a flatter course with roughly the same fitness. The swim does not change much from an Oly to a HIM, but the bike and run are dramatically longer and there is much greater room for screwing up nutrition in a HIM.

You should get to where biking for 2-3 hours @ 18 mph feels pretty easy and running about two hours @ 9 min/mile also feels relatively easy. It is ok to be working the last several miles of that run, just not suffering.

One more thing -- another big difference between most HIMs and most Olys is that the HIM run is in the heat of the day if you're a 6 hour person. Most people in that range do some walking in the HIM and I suspect heat often plays a role in that. So, it's important to be able to do the 9 min/mile easy paced run in the heat.

Good luck.
Quote Reply
Re: Benchmark for Fitness to complete a Half in about 6hrs [DavHamm] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Which Half are you doing? Tim
Quote Reply
Re: Benchmark for Fitness to complete a Half in about 6hrs [DavHamm] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
One thing nobody has mentioned is nutrition. IMO, a HIM is the first race in the sequence (distance-wise) where you need to handle nutrition properly or you'll get killed. I can get by in an Olympic on one bottle and a gel or two, but the HIM will require that you're dialed-in. I used my HIM's this year as training for the IM.

The 2:40 in an Olympic is unnecessary. If you can swim a 2:00/100m pace in training, have your long rides be 3-4 hours at 18mph (as previously said), and run your stand-alone half close to 2:00, you'll break 6hrs easily. These numbers are EXACTLY what I did and I PR'ed this year with a 5:45. I also PR'ed in an olympic this year @ 2:49 3 months AFTER the HIM.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Quote Reply
Re: Benchmark for Fitness to complete a Half in about 6hrs [DavHamm] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
it's simple, the gayness of your bike is holding you back...you'll never break 6 on a Titanflex

;)



blood, sweat...and big gears

I hated every minute of training, but I said, ''Don't quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.''
- Muhammad Ali
Quote Reply
Re: Benchmark for Fitness to complete a Half in about 6hrs [NamssoB] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
I strongly agree with this advice, I have 2 OLY's this year, one very hilly the other flat and 1 HIM.

First OLY 2:54 (Very hilly)
Second OLY 2:34 (Fairly flat)
HIM - 5:57 (Hilly and windy, but slightly short course), I expected to be around 5:40 and really struggled the back half of the bike and the run and I think it had everything to do with poor nutrition.

For that reason alone, I would recommend doing some 4 to 4.5 hour overdistance rides just to work on nutrition.

Best of luck. You have plenty of time to get to the desired fitness level.
Quote Reply