Realistic Goal Setting

kimmydct

So I'm starting to look at my race schedule for 2011 and I will be repeating a couple of races that I did in 2010.  My question is.... How do you set realistic goals as a first time EN member?  So for example, if I did Oly Race X in 2010, after doing the OS and OS short course plan this year vs. wingin' it last year, what kind of improvement can I see in repeating that race this year?  (I know there are tons of variables and it depends on the individual.... I'm just trying to manage my sometimes unrealistic goals)  Also, I just plugged my Oly times into a formula to predict a HIM finish time, and it ain't perty!  (OVER 8.5hr.)  Thanks!

tuckerm

Kim, I'm not sure there is any magic formula here. You should be much faster than last year for sure. I can give you an example of my improvement from one year to next in my first EN year. I repeated a longish sprint. .6mi swim, 29mi bike, 4.2mi run. I can't recall the swim but picked up something like 2.5mph on the bike. And this was on really tired legs since I had done a HIM race rehearsal the day before. I never hit my true wattage goals due to the fatigue so no telling what I could have done fresh. I also jogged the run home at a 8' pace. I'm sad that they are not doing the race this year as I'd like to see where I am at this year.
That's my n=1. I think if you do the work in the OS you should destroy your old self. Your training buddies will not recognize you either.
What are you thinking for goals?

jwpicciotto

It is a little hard to predict. One of the issues is that even at the same level of fitness, the race execution guidance for HIM and IM will often result in a faster time. To give a personal example. The first year that I did Gulf Coast HIM (4 years ago), I was in siginificantly better bike and run shape than I was last year. But last year I was able to PR the race by 10 minutes. By decreasing the intensity on the bike, I was able to maintain much better on the run. Based on your FTP and VDOT, you should be able to get an idea of what you can expect on a HIM using the race execution pacing guidance in the WIKI.

Coach Patrick

Kim, it's probably better to use the paces you can hold in training as a guideline for what you can do on race day. So if you now ride an avg of 17mph vs 14.5, use that to calculate how long it will take you to cover X miles, etc. As John pointed out though, it's not ALL about fitness. Being able to execute and pace well can = even more speed...regardless, you should get faster!

Michael Byerts

Using training paces is probably a little deceptive on the bike because many people train with different equipment (wheels, helmet etc.) than they race with, and there are usually no stoplights or stop signs during races. Even when I include the auto-pause feature, I still go slower in training because of the slowing down and speeding up into and out of lights/ stop signs.