Not racing during a race

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Would it really hurt to "go all out"?

See if a friend who's slower than you wants do do the race and be their pacer, if that would work out.  That's always the easiest way to not "race" a race.  And...that way since they're slower and you promised to pace them, you're more apt to stick by them the entire race and not go too fast.  And it's also fun to help someone meet their goal!

I also ask, why not go all out for the time? If it is a shorter distance race, then your recovery will not take long and you can use it as a reference for the rest of the season to chart your progress.

If it is a long distance event, then using it as a training excercise is not a bad idea if you have another more important event coming up that you want to peak for. This way you don't sacrifice the training time that a long recovery would require.

Edited by Daremo 2006-02-01 9:09 AM

I say go all out...It would be a good test to see where you're at....

Not sure why going all out would hurt your base if you're ready for the distance?

I would go all OUT! IN particular if it is not my A race. If not how would you know what your limits are?

Not really. I don't have another race until April or May and I am starting my new training plan next week, so I guess it wouldn't hurt.

Maybe I am thinking about not going "all out" to have an excuse for my lack of time that I spent on the bike (read SLOW BIKE TIME). I signed up for the race so that I would get back out there on the bike.

If I go "all out" and suck as much as I think I will, it will just give me more motivation to train better and see how far I progress by August and September.

Thanks Bear for telling me what I need to hear.


Edited by mnewton 2006-02-01 9:23 AM

A friend of mine started working with a tri coach last fall. I know that in some of her races, my friend was instructed to keep certain aspects under control. Beyond 'not all out', sometimes she was supposed to keep her heartrate down at the 'easy training ride/run' level.

If you're really worried about overdoing it on this first race (and maybe impacting your training plan?), you might find it more palatable to try controlling just one portion of the race. Set a goal HR for the bike and try to keep yourself under that through the bike leg. Then let yourself go all out for the run. I know this approach was less frustrating for my friend than those races where she had to 'go slow' the entire time.

There is a difference between all out and pushing yourself.

Also, I've always wondered why yearly plans say not to hit your limits too often, yet have LT tests on a regular basis.