MASTER YOUR PACING
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 knowing 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.
TARGET THE NEGATIVE SPLIT
Always try to negative split a 10km [running the second 5km faster than the 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.
“You can overtake so many people at the end of the race if you’ve paced yourself well in the first half”