Race1 wrote:
Ajax Bay wrote:
B_Doughtie wrote:
Yes and I'm asking you what strategy are you actually suggesting other than complaining about the current strategy not working? Like it's easy to say "do something different", but when you actually look at what to do differently, your plan likely would be worse....IE which is why I actually suggested go full blown "suicide pace" just 1 time. Like go for it and win or end up in the medics at mile 8.
That would be about the only "strategy" difference I could actually see working out. Your suggesting of "sitting in" more on the S and B imo would likely cause her worse results because you bring in more runners in the fold imo.
Not mentioned, I think, is the excellent exposure she gives to her partners by being (lazily) in the tv frame for a disproportionate amount of time: leading out of the swim and leading at least the first half of the bike.
LCB puts pressure on her competitors by an 'off the front' swim that none of the top twenty can come near and the ability to ride as fast (near enough) as those chasing. I offered the example of Kona last year, where Haug's final 'sting' had been emasculated because LCB (with Langridge) had hammered the bike, Haug had been forced into a combination of overbiking and/or allowing to large a gap (to LCB).
Sodaro won because she had a better than typical swim, stayed in the wheel for nearly all the 180km, and had the best run of the front six. Job jobbed.
Ok, so both of your opinions are that my idea of slowing down and getting to the run even fresher isn't going to make the difference. (Which was my alternate strategy. And its funny because thats EXACTLY what we would tell an Age Grouper. But seemingly at the top end its not good advice anymore...)
Its suggested that the volume she's doing run wise is probably optimal in terms of her resistance to injury/general bio-mechanical make up. So its no good just saying "run more 120km weeks" as you suspect it will just lead to more injury concerns. Though I am slightly in awe that 80km a week can net you a 3hr marathon! I have run that and get nowhere near that on a standalone!
Doing the Suicide race would be a good experiment, but I doubt she'll do it. Sponsors want their person at the finish line at the biggest events against the best opposition. Even if it's 2nd-6th. They don't want them in the medical tent DNF-ing
So what next? I see a lot of people telling me I don't know shit (quite possible) but I don't see anything other than "go all in suicide race" being proposed....
I think what makes your criticism of LCB so off the mark is that you fail to appreciate just how remarkable her record is. True, she hasn't won Kona, but she has certainly won some big races (e.g., 70.3 WC in 2021) and she almost never misses the podium. Look at her results and how many 1s, 2s, and 3s there are. I don't think there is anyone in the last five years that is close to her in that regard. This is despite the fact that her weakest leg is arguably the most important of the three and that she had a significant injury that kept her on crutches for a chunk of last year. She hasn't won Kona in part because she's overlapped with Ryf, the greatest of her generation, and because some outstanding athletes have put together brilliant races (e.g., Sodaro last year). I think it is also worth pointing out that she has beaten every athlete that has snatched a trophy from her. Haug couldn't catch her last year at Kona. So it's not like she can't beat each of her competitors on any given day. LCB keeps putting herself in position to win and she'll end up with a career with plenty of big victories.