Getting ready for my last three weeks of training before Rhode Island 70.3, and I keep thinking more and more about the bike portion. I know that the bike portion really makes or brakes the race (the run is important too, but if you’re too far behind to start, what good is it). I have done several long rides from 75-100 miles averaging upwards of 21 mph average, and lots of speed work throughout the week. I would say that I am a decent runner, I can do a 1:30:00 open 1/2, nothing great, but I would still say a solid run. But I am wondering since this is my first 1/2, how hard should I be pushing it on the bike? If conditions are right should I be going for a faster pace then my long rides, or should I really focus on holding back and having it feel easy? Any advice from all you veterans out there would be great.
The truly sinsiter thing about the 70.3/half iron distance is that it’s a long race, but one that can be raced flat out by most fit age groupers. On some courses, the average speed of a fit guy at 56 miles isn’t much different that 24.8 miles (40K). There are likely some physiological reasons for this that a real expert can chime in on, but the best bet at 70.3 distance seems to be an aggresive pace on the bike.
IN training verify that you can run well after that kind of ride.
Another thing nice about 70.3 is that you can actually train the full race distance. That generally is neither practical nor advisable with Ironman (140.6) distance.
Good luck Man.
80-85% of threshold…that’s what the books and some coaches say. Like Tom said, if you are fit you can push it harder.
Google quotes made by Steve Prefontaine and follow advice accordingly.
if youve been regularly doing 75-100 mile rides, you should be able to hammer the bike for a half. basically 2 rules on this.
- high bike fitness- hold back a little on the bike, but will prob run strong or
- push the pace on the bike and hang on for the run
either way with the distance rides youve done, you should do well…a lot of strong cyclist do well at half/fulls because there not as tired for the run…whats your longest run?
c
If you want to run or rather walk a very painful 13.1 miles then hammer those 56 miles and see what happens. The first 20-30 miles of a half IM ride take a great deal of dicipline or a very solid plan to keep from blowing your whole race. You should feel super and will feel like you are not pushing at all early on, when in fact, you are probably only a few watts below your OLY distance power. A power meter or heart rate monitor is a good tool at half IM until you are really confident in judging perceived effort.
I’ve used both to ride a good pace to leave enough for a solid run. My best half IM 13.1 is about 10 minutes slower than my open half, but most of time it is about 15-20 minutes slower. You bike pace should be in the upper end of aerobic throughout most of the ride with occasional spikes for hills. Heart rate drift will push this up by the end of the ride.
Chad
My longest run is a little over 14 miles. I would say that I am decent on the bike, but not a super strong one. I am hoping to go under 5 hours for this race, with my PR for an Olympic distance being a 2:17:00, hoping this is not going to be too much of a stretch, but that time is from last year (my first), and this year I am much stronger and faster. I just want to make sure that I’m not slowed to a death march three miles into the run!
Ha now that’s a plan!
I was in your boat last year, except it wasn’t my first half. Pacing was previously an issue for me. I usually tried to ride slow to save the legs. I usually finished in the 5:teens.
Last year I signed for Lake Steven’s 70.3, and decided…enh, i’m doing all the wrong stuff. New bike, new wheelcover, no taper, new shorts (zoot), new nutrition system (infinit). New as in bought the shorts the afternoon before, and put the cover on 2 days before. I figured: go have fun, see what happens. Plus this was a test for other races, so I figured it would be good to try it in an actual race. I really didn’t care about the consequences too much. I mean, this is a hobby, and I wasn’t trying for Clearwater.
So how’d it pan out?
i came out of the water like always…slow. And had a bunch of bikes on the road in front of me. Rather than ride my own pace, which kept me creeping up on packs, I kept my pace up to keep passing them. After 7 miles of this higher-than-planned speed, I just maintained it the whole way, figuring…well, if the legs are shot, i can always walk and jog 13 miles.
So I get to T2, and was shocked how few bikes were there. That was cool. Started the first mile quickly, but had quad cramps hit. I could continue running awkwardly with them, though, so i just planned on a tough 13.1. They only lasted a mile or so, and i ended up with a low 1:30’s split in the end. Felt alright, just very tired around mile 9 of the run.
So my point? I went harder than i thought i should on the bike, thought i was burning too many matches, but the legs were still there for me in the end (about 4 mins slower than my open 1/2 mary time), and I broke 5 hrs on the course. My long runs were 12-13 miles up to that point, and my longest bike was 62 miles, with plenty of short rides with intervals and hill repeats on them. Of course, your experience will vary, but you were asking for others’ experiences, right?
I did Providence 70.3 last year…
I just know that there is a bitch of a hill on mile 45 and as you come in to town, the roads were so sketchy…also, for some parts there are sharp 90degree turns as you are coming down hill…
for this race I would advise to maybe hold back a little, because that run is way hard. You have such a steep hill on mile 2 and you do it twice. I remember it was hot and crazy windy on the run.
One last note,
Have fun and
I went 4:57 this past weekend, with a previous Olympic best of 2:15 (I think I’d be able to do better now). My coach says “Always be able to push one gear harder” on the bike. The difference between going all-you’ve-got, balls-to-the-wall and “pretty hard” is probably 5 minutes. I think that is easily made up on the run.
Google quotes made by Steve Prefontaine and follow advice accordingly.
Worked well for him at the Olympics 
.
You can only push yourself as hard as you have trained…I’d say somewhere between your weekly long ride pace and your current speed work pace. Like the post above, 80-85% of your threshold is about right for most fit athletes.
I wish I would have read this thread on Friday instead of today–did the High Cliff yesterday, set a PR at 5:00:12, but could have done better had I not pushed quite so hard on the bike. My mistake was racing for the first time on a tri-bike (my new Trek TTX), took great pleasure in passing hoards of people on it, but paid for it on the run.
Then again, I think to myself, what if I had a better day–what if it wasn’t so hot (89 degrees by noon) during the run? Then I could have had a better over-all time on the bike and run.
I’m glad I pushed too hard on the bike. I want to learn how to bike harder on a 70.1, and I figure that doing it is the best way to learn.
If you want to run or rather walk a very painful 13.1 miles then hammer those 56 miles and see what happens. The first 20-30 miles of a half IM ride take a great deal of dicipline or a very solid plan to keep from blowing your whole race. You should feel super and will feel like you are not pushing at all early on, when in fact, you are probably only a few watts below your OLY distance power. A power meter or heart rate monitor is a good tool at half IM until you are really confident in judging perceived effort.
I’ve used both to ride a good pace to leave enough for a solid run. My best half IM 13.1 is about 10 minutes slower than my open half, but most of time it is about 15-20 minutes slower.
Doode - 10 min slower HIM run vs. open half mary is f’n TERRIBLE. Seriously. Really really bad.
Ideally, you want to be about ~3-5 mins slower for a HIM than for open 13.1.
My open half mary PB is 1:20:xx, and I’ve run 1:24 in a HIM (plus some 1:27’s and 1:28’s, which were a bit disappointing to me).
kdw has a pretty similar recent open PB (f’er ‘beat’ me by a lousy :08 seconds! :-), and he ran 1:23 off the bike at Moosey.
THAT is solid HIM running.
Doode - 10 min slower HIM run vs. open half mary is TERRIBLE. Seriously. Really really bad.
Well, I never claimed to be a very good long course racer. Adequate, at best.
My open half mary PB is 1:20:xx,
**
I suppose if my open half time was only a 1:20 then I would not be so far off for my Half IM time. 
Chad
I knew that was coming. Served it up big and fat and right down the middle for ya.
The overriding goal of LC racing is to run as close to your potential (as compared to open run fitness) as you can, having still done the other stuff prior at a decent clip. I may not be very fast - but I don’t slow down much off the bike.
+10min is probably in the upper limit of an ok HIM run. it’s not terrible per se, but definitely can be improved.
You’re too kind. +10 mins is mediocre, moving rapidly towards quite lousy.
Here’s my favorite chart on the subject (not that this is the end-all, be-all, but a pretty damn good ballpark IMHO), courtesy again of Ale Martinez:
The modified table:
- HIM-High is predicted marathon pace (just double the time to see it)
- HIM-Low is 95% HIM-High
- IM-High/Low are modified in the same way (averaging 75%/80% FT-Pace anyway)
My V.dot is ~58. My ideal HIM run split should be 1:24 (if I nail it) to 1:28-ish (good, but definitely not great).
Much slower than that, and it’s clear I “outbiked my bike fitness” (aka - f’d up the bike pacing, rode too hot), not leaving enuff in the tank to run well.
This chart works nicely for me.
YMMV.
That chart is very interesting. It says I should be running between 1:17 and 1:21ish, which is what I always think I should be running, but never have. Of course, my opportunities for the Half distance are slim here in SoCal so I don’t really race it more than once a year.
Chad