I need to learn a killer instinct - and brief sprint RR
I finished up my season on Sunday with a good local Sprint race. In many ways, it was a great race for me, but I also feel like it pointed out some horrible shortcomings I have at this distance.
- Swim: 1:26 pace, best ever, 27th of 209, probably best percentile ever, but I'd have to check.
- Bike: 21.4 mph despite very big winds, but IF only 0.92 (FTP last measured a couple of months ago) 17th of 209
- Run: 20:29 (6:36 pace), best ever in a triathlon
- T1 and T2 both good
So, given that I had my fastest pace at every sub-event ever, why am I a little melancholy?
Because I know I came in 3rd (AG) because of lack of killer instinct. First place was less than a minute ahead of me. And, maybe, if I had raced it like a race, I could have won my AG, or at least given it a shot.
The swim is the swim. You do your best, and I'm not complaining - it's only 7-8 minutes or whatever! I ran into the transition area and saw the guy who won still in T1 (and I knew him to be one of the top contenders), so I knew I was doing fine.
On the bike, I was so focused on "racing my own race" that I failed to recognize the race was being settled. The 2nd place guy and I kept trading places. He'd pass me going uphill, and I'd catch up and pass back. But when he passed me with 1-2 mi left, I pretended this was a 70.3 or IM and I didn't chase as I should have. Between that, and some minor concentration lapses, and I should have entered t2 in 2nd instead of 20 seconds back of him and about 40 out of first. I'm a little disappointed in my overall watts, but I guess I'm recognizing that my FTP has passed its peak that was timed for my A-race as it should have been.
The run course had 2-3 points where you could see your competition. In mile 1, I got a MAJOR stitch, so I won't complain too much about barely holding my own at just short of a 7:00 pace (it went away about at the end of the mile). But as mile 2 started, I could still see the guys in front of me, and I didn't do what I should have - go for it in mile two to catch those guys. I was faster (obviously, given the overall pace), but I didn't attack. I just kept running "my race". I know that's what we need to do for IM and half IM, but there is a time when that's no longer true [and a sprint is one of them]. My last mile was clearly my fastest, though I had Garmin satellite reception issues, so I don't know exactly how fast. But by then, it was too late. If the race had ended with a 10k instead of a 5K, I'm sure I'd have won... but it didn't and I didn't.
So it's an odd way to conclude my season. On the one hand, a clear PR; on the other, a recognition that I still have lots to learn.
In any case, it has been a good season in 2010. PR in marathon. PR at 70.3 distance. PR at sprint distance (pace based). Can't complain. Now a little time off and then my first real EN Outseason. Here's to next year being just as good.
Comments
But you're right; sprints are more tactical than the longer distances. Sometimes you gotta ditch the "plan" and dig down deeeeep to make/break the connection with the competition. Sounds like this will just fuel the fire in your next sprint outing.
High expectations much? sounds like you went faster than you ever have and yet are not happy with the results?
Anything over .9 is really pretty good in a race. A race is not an interval. Over the short distance, traffic, turns, hills etc conspire against much better.
While there can be some tactical elements to racing [at any distance] the bottom line is that you can only go as fast as you can go. If you "run your race", make no mistakes and get to the line as fast as you possibly can, the only way you can lose is if someone faster than you is racing and decides to beat you. Now, you can do things to encourage others around you to be stupid thereby increasing the possibility that they will not get to the line as fast as they can, but you need to make sure that by doing so you are not also increasing the amount of time you are taking to get to the line as well.
Passing someone on the run with authority and a fake smile is a good example of how you can use tactics to your advantage. Chasing someone who is running faster than you have any hope of running for the distance is not and will likely lead to a greater overall time.
Also, 40 seconds is forever in a sprint. It is the difference between running 19:30 and 18:50. Those are not the same thing.
Regardless, CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR AWESOME BREAKTHROUGH RACE AND SEASON!!!
NOW BE HAPPY ABOUT IT ALREADY!!! YEASH
You already have a killer instinct. Half your report is talking about how you were thinking about winning! In a sprint, of course, it's balls out wall to wall - no other way to win. I've gotten beat twice in the last 50 yds of a sprint and an oly 'cause I had nothing left to answer with - there's no saving for the final miles at those distances.
How to take the next step? Read your last paragraph - success breeds confidence breeds even more success. Keep at it! (Except change that last sentence to: "Here's to next year being even better!")
I know it's said all the time, but a huge part of being part of this community are the prodding, accountability, and reality checks provided by guys like you.