Which Race to Do - Part 4 (The Run)

This is part 4 of a yet-to-be-determined number of parts detailing race selection for my 2015 "ultra" distance triathlon debut.  In case you missed it, here are the intro, part 1, part 2, and part 3.

In golf they say you drive for show and putt for dough.  The same works in triathlon... you bike for show and run for dough.  Dough, for me, is to finish the race relatively strong, with my chin up, and not in a death march at midnight.

I'm not a fast runner, but I'm a solid middle-of-the-pack runner (go figure).  I like to think that my ability to suffer on the run is decent, and as long as I've done my training I can generally keep my feet moving forward.  I live near a National Park and do a fair amount of trail running... it's hilly but not mountainous.  On road courses I tend to favor flatter courses but also prefer scenic courses - these two normally conflict.  

So, on to the breakdown...

Which Race to Do - Part 3 (The Bike)

This is part 3 of a yet-to-be-determined number of parts detailing race selection for my 2015 "ultra" distance triathlon debut.  In case you missed it, here are the intro, part 1, and part 2.

In part 2 I talked about the differences among the swim courses, so here in part 3 let's talk about the bike.  "Full" or "ultra" distance bike courses are the longest of the three events by distance - 112 miles, and should take the most time of the three events as well.  It's fairly common for folks to overcook the bike segment and end up walking, crawling, shuffling, or otherwise working their way back to the finish line during what's supposed to be the run.  


The bike for me is a difficult event.  I want to be the strongest at it. It's my favorite event to do.  But I often find myself a better runner than cyclist.  I won't dive into all the potential reasons, but suffice to say when I'm looking at bike courses nothing scares me, and that's probably not a good thing.  

With that, lets dive in, shall we?