Race tactics evaluated by relative rankings

Extreme Veteran

1030

West Windsor, NJ

Subject: RE: Race tactics evaluated by relative rankings

I think the best use of relative rankings is that it shows you your relative weaknesses/strengths (or where you could have pushed it harder, if you prefer). I dont think its necessary to focus on getting a perfect 9th in swim, 9th in bike, 9th in run, etc. But, I guess on some level its a goal, as it shows thart you were relatively strong in all three legs. Most likely you will never get there, or you are just lucky. Use it to hone your focus and training, outside of that...I wouldnt pay much attention to it.

Edited by JohnAgs3 2010-08-15 9:48 AM

Veteran

258

Subject: RE: Race tactics evaluated by relative rankings

If you put more effort into your bike, your run would of suffered. I would say work on the bike and be able to increase mph at the same effort you just did in this race. That way your run won't suffer.

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Expert

2555

Colorado Springs, Colorado

Subject: RE: Race tactics evaluated by relative rankings

The rankings from one race may not necessarily be meaningful. Sometimes sprint races attract lots of newbies who just don't run well. What was the average run time and how would it compare with the times in a highly competitive race? There are people who run a sub 15 minute 5K in a sprint and the average time could be about 19-20 minutes - but other races the average time could be 25-26 minutes. If you were in the top percentiles in the faster race it might indicate how strong a runner you are, whereas in the slower race it may just show a lack of ability of the competition. You would really need to do several races in order to get a meaningful reading of the rankings.

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Champion

19812

MA

Subject: RE: Race tactics evaluated by relative rankings

Donskiman - 2010-08-15 11:40 AM

The rankings from one race may not necessarily be meaningful. Sometimes sprint races attract lots of newbies who just don't run well. What was the average run time and how would it compare with the times in a highly competitive race? There are people who run a sub 15 minute 5K in a sprint and the average time could be about 19-20 minutes - but other races the average time could be 25-26 minutes. If you were in the top percentiles in the faster race it might indicate how strong a runner you are, whereas in the slower race it may just show a lack of ability of the competition. You would really need to do several races in order to get a meaningful reading of the rankings.

^^^Very true

Plus you can't expect to place in the same % in all s/b/r. I would read the results after a few tris as what my strength and weaknesses are and work on my weakness in the off season. Not say I need to push more on the bike as I place worse. Use it to learn not to pace from.

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Member

11

Copenhagen

Subject: RE: Race tactics evaluated by relative rankings

Donskiman - 2010-08-15 5:40 PM

The rankings from one race may not necessarily be meaningful. Sometimes sprint races attract lots of newbies who just don't run well. What was the average run time and how would it compare with the times in a highly competitive race? There are people who run a sub 15 minute 5K in a sprint and the average time could be about 19-20 minutes - but other races the average time could be 25-26 minutes. If you were in the top percentiles in the faster race it might indicate how strong a runner you are, whereas in the slower race it may just show a lack of ability of the competition. You would really need to do several races in order to get a meaningful reading of the rankings.

My runnin rankin sounds much better than it is - lots of new people and not very competitive race. One thought would be that the lack of competitiveness should have the same influence on the bikeleg as on th run leg, but that is not the case as I understand you.

Clearly the difference in ranings is a hint as to where the largest gains from increased training effort will be, but I still find that it might also be a hint that the energydistribution is wrong. I could have done a better bikeleg but was nervous that I would go dead during the runleg if I did. Increased biking effort would of c. mean cutting back on running effort but how is that trade off? Perhaps I would save more time on the bike than I would loose on the run?

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Pro

6011

Camp Hill, Pennsylvania

Subject: RE: Race tactics evaluated by relative rankings

KimTri - 2010-08-15 1:54 PM

Donskiman - 2010-08-15 5:40 PM

The rankings from one race may not necessarily be meaningful. Sometimes sprint races attract lots of newbies who just don't run well. What was the average run time and how would it compare with the times in a highly competitive race? There are people who run a sub 15 minute 5K in a sprint and the average time could be about 19-20 minutes - but other races the average time could be 25-26 minutes. If you were in the top percentiles in the faster race it might indicate how strong a runner you are, whereas in the slower race it may just show a lack of ability of the competition. You would really need to do several races in order to get a meaningful reading of the rankings.

My runnin rankin sounds much better than it is - lots of new people and not very competitive race. One thought would be that the lack of competitiveness should have the same influence on the bikeleg as on th run leg, but that is not the case as I understand you.

Clearly the difference in ranings is a hint as to where the largest gains from increased training effort will be, but I still find that it might also be a hint that the energydistribution is wrong. I could have done a better bikeleg but was nervous that I would go dead during the runleg if I did. Increased biking effort would of c. mean cutting back on running effort but how is that trade off? Perhaps I would save more time on the bike than I would loose on the run?

IMO, one of the hardest things to learn in this sport is what is the best pacing for you. More newcomers seem to pace too fast rather than too slow. This usually means the hard effort they put out on the bike is at the expense of their run. If you did hold back more on the run than others, it could allow you to have a faster relative run split than bike split.

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Race tactics evaluated by relative rankings

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