I remember watching some IM events where top contenders were penalized and had to sit out several minutes in the transition area before beginning the run. They went on to finish strong and there was speculation that they had actually benefited from the rest period. Is anyone aware of studies, or have any personal experiences, as to whether intentionally taking breaks in longer races like half IM or IM can actually improve performance over a non-stop effort?
I broke a spoke and had a slightly wobbly wheel at IMFL that caused me to take it real easy the last 12 miles. My legs felt good at the beginning of the run. No rubbery lead laden feeling. I believe that it saved me more time on the run than I lost during the ride.