How to pace a half iron bike with a bum hip?
History - Last long run was back in Feb. with a half Mary, where I developed severe tendonitis in my left hip. I did not run until beginning of May and still had severe pain. Swimming and biking are not a problem. Apparently I have lazy gluts, especially on my left side. I had a cortisone shot back in May and a few weeks later was able to start running 5 minutes at a time with a 2 minute rest and gradually worked up to 15-20 minutes on, 2 minutes off. I had a run analysis about 2 weeks ago and found that my cadence is really slow (80) and I am crossing over my midline. I am working on increasing my cadence with a metronome but am becoming frustrated by my slow speed " onmousedown="return false;" src="http://members.endurancenation.ushttp://members.endurancenation.us/DesktopModules/ActiveForums/themes/_default/emoticons/crying.gif" />(about 10:30). Right now I am running about 20 minutes with 1 minute off to reset my form and cadence. Yesterday I did a sprint tri, pounded the bike and ran without any walk breaks. Last night had a few hip twinges but nothing Advil couldn't take care of.
In 2 weeks I will be racing Racine; my question is: Should I pound the bike, knowing that my run will be sub-par anyway or follow the EN protocol on racing a half iron and stay in my watts?
All advise is appreciated.
Comments
Mary - sorry to hear that you've been suffering with your hip. OUCH!!
Given that you haven't been running the mileage needed to race a HIM, I think you will have to run/walk the run portion of Racine regardless of how hard you go on the bike. If it were me, I'd go hard on the bike (maybe 10-15 watts above what you'd normally ride for a HIM), and be very conservative on the run. My goal would be to finish the race without re-injuring myself, not try to set a PR. I'd follow the EN protocol of walking thru every aid station, but I would add a little extra to the walk at each station....maybe walking 100 yards before & after each station. This would give you a couple of minutes off each mile and hopefully allow you to finish without re-injury. It will also help you recover if you do over-cook the bike.
I'd also really focus on my form & cadence while running. To help me keep my cadence at 90, I will look at the seconds on my watch...when it hits :00 I begin counting my footfalls (each foot striking the ground) to 45. When it gets to 45 I look at my watch and see if it is @ :15. Often I have to swing my arms slightly faster to get to 45 steps in :15. By counting to only 45, I can measure & adjust my cadence frequently, like twice per minute.
Hope this helps. We can about this when I see you in Racine.