FEATURE
52 / / June 2019
STRAIGHT OUT OF T2
Most triathletes can relate to that feeling
of jelly legs and feeling a bit spaced out
when starting the run leg. I know I’ll feel
rubbish for a good 90-120secs. The key is
to concentrate on leg turnover. If I feel I
might be building up lactic acid then I’m
going too hard, too soon – I shouldn’t be
that stressed yet. At this point I want to
feel relaxed and in control. If I’m flowing
nicely here, it’s a determining factor for
later in the run.LEARNING TO GO ON FEEL
I don’t wear my Polar during the race, but
I’m used to k nowing what my pace feels
like from training. Over 10km, if I don’t
reach 6km feeling within myself it’s going
to be a long way home. I know when I’m
pushing too hard. If I relate back to the
Grand Final in Gold Coast [where Vicky
won the world title], I knew the first lap
was out of control. I dropped off the pace
on lap two, but didn’t go so far into the
red that I couldn’t regroup. I could then
sustain my pace and pick it up again
towards the end.EFFORT, NOT PACE
On a hilly course, undulations will change
your speed, but don’t panic. Instead,
concern yourself with gauging effort
not pace. Also understand that you’ll go
slightly higher into your heart rate zones
when running up a hill, but accept that
it’s okay because there’ll be a downhill
coming where you can recover and use
the free energy of the descent.TA RG ET TH E N EG ATIV E SPLIT
Always try to negative split a 10km
[r u n n i n g t h e s e c on d 5k m f a st e r t h a n t h e
first] as that way you’ll have more chance
of at least even-splitting. Inevitably,
especially in elite racing, triathletes go out
hell for leather on lap one and gradually
deteriorate. I much prefer 10km because
you can overtake so many people at the
end of the race if you’ve paced yourself
well in the first half. But even over 5km
in Abu Dhabi, I ran way better in the
final 1,500m and picked off four people.
It makes a massive difference in both
points and prize money.MASTER YOUR PACING
“You can overtake so many people at the end of the
race if you’ve paced yourself well in the first half”