As for my race strategy tomorrow, I've been giving it a lot of thought. I'm a little bit worried about how my recent job and the weather has forced me to have a minor cut-back in training. But, I KNOW I'm significantly stronger than last year and that 10 hours of training a week is still much more than really necessary for a Half Ironman.
So, here is my race strategy breakdown:
The Swim: I've had to cut back a little bit on my yardage the last 2 weeks because of TERRIBLE weather. But, I know that I'm just as strong, if not stronger than last year. I've been feeling incredibly comfortable in the pool and since this is a lake swim, I know that my pool training will translate well. Last year I was the 5th or 6th girl in my age group out of the water with a 1:41 pace. This year, I hope to hold closer to a 1:25 pace (I held 1:17 in the pool a few weeks back in the 1000) and be in the top 3 in my age group out of the water. Granted, I can't control how fast other people swim, but swimming is my forte and I know I can push it in the water without really wearing myself out.
Transition #1: I haven't really gotten around to practicing my transitions like I had hoped. But, I'm planning on not sitting down to get my shoes this time. My transitions are never really too fast or too slow, so as long as I don't sit down I think I'll be okay. A lot of my speed here also depends on where my bike is racked.
The Bike: I am going to really push myself on the bike this year. Before this race last year I had maxed out at about 35/40 miles. This year, I've been biking over 50 consistently for 3 months and have now maxed out at 76miles. My 30 mile rides have now become my short workouts and I'm confident that my body is fully ready to tackle the 56mi course. I'm a little bit worried about maintaining a high speed but I'm going to turn up the gear and really push it since I now know that I can fully handle the distance. I'm also far more comfortable in aero position this year and my new Rudy Project Wingspan helmet is incredibly light and comfortable which seems to help with neck and shoulder cramping. Last year I held a 17.73 bike pace but this year I hope to hold between 19 and 20. I know that my body can handle this pace but it requires actual mental concentration to keep it up. My goal is just to not let my mind wander on the bike this year and to stay focused on the race and pace.
Transition #2: I don't have quick zip laces on my sneaks and for some reason they seem a bit more difficult to get on than other brands I've previously used. But, it's really too late to do anything about that now. So if I lose a few seconds, so be it. I'll work on fixing this situation before my next shorter race where time will be far more of an issue.
The Run: Ugh, the dreaded run. This is the only discipline I'm a bit worried about. I've ran (no pun intended) into a bit of shin pain in the last week or two so I've been trying to stay off my legs as much as possible. Additionally, because of my shin pain I haven't really been able to get my run mileage up. However, after talking to some of my other Triathlete friends, I've come to believe that by putting in more mileage on the bike, my legs will be less tired for the run. Let's hope so! I know that I can make the distance but I'm hoping that I can hold a strong enough pace to not let myself get passed. Granted, if a girl is running a 7min pace...she's going to pass me. But, last year a held a miserable 10min run pace. This year, I'm hoping to hold a 8:30 pace not taking into account any bathroom breaks or problems getting to the water stations (last year the water stations were so crowded I HAD to walk through some of them just to get a cup).
I did the math AND...
if I hold 1:25 on the swim, 19mph on the bike, 8:30 on the run, and 2min per transition, I'll finish in a time of 5:18.37
(would be FAR Better than my time last year of 6hrs).
So....Let's see what happens!!!!
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