Triathlon Run Pacing with Coach Hague
How do you use Stryd in triathlon?
I use power to pace brick workouts.
When you get off the bike, you really need to dial in. What percentage of my critical power can I hold for the run? For example, strong runners can do 80% of their FTP and really strong runners can do 95%. Yet, what percentage works for a specific athlete?
I like to do one of the following workouts to find the right percentage.
Half Ironman Triathlon Run Pacing
- Select a power target for the run
- 2 hour bike ride at your race intensity
- 15 minute run at your selected critical power & walk for 2 minutes
- Do Step 3 for a total of 4 repetitions
Olympic Distance Triathlon Run Pacing
- Select a power target for the run
- 1 hour bike ride at your race intensity
- 1 kilometer run at your selected critical power & walk for 2 minutes
- Do Step 3 for a total of 5 repetitions
You want to keep a very steady power for both of these workouts. If the repetitions feel too easy, you need to take your power level up. If you fail on the last repetition, you need to take your power level down. The first interval will always be difficult until you get your running legs, so do not be afraid to push the first interval to get your legs ready. This should give you a great idea of what power you can hold on race day!
This also works in duathlon (run-bike-run). You can select your goal wattage, bike, and then see if you can push harder on the second run leg. You should take notice how that first run influences the bike and the second run. In the ideal duathlon, the second run is faster than the first run.
What about power appealed to you?
I like to use TrainingPeaks’s Annual Training Plan (ATP) to map out my own and my athlete’s plans building up to key races. Learn how to use ATP. The Annual Training Plan helps me keep all of my athletes in shape year round. We can properly build up to peak fitness and taper for race day with the ATP. It is easy for cyclists to get an accurate Annual Training Plan because they have power on their bikes. Now, it is easy for runners to get an accurate Annual Training Plan too with Stryd. Stryd’s Running Stress Score takes everything into account. It gauges all the stress on the body to allow for proper recovery. Overall, Stryd takes a lot of the guess work out of training.
Why is power important to use in every workout?
I like to use the following analogy. Training without power is like lifting weights in a weight room where all the machines and dumbbells are not labeled with their weight. Then, you head to another gym and do another workout and these are not labeled either. You have no idea how much you are lifting and how much you are stressing your body. Running without power is similar. If you run on a hilly course in hot conditions then your heart rate and pace are going to be drastically different than if you run on flat course in cool conditions. With power, a Watt is a Watt, so if I do a run on one course in the morning at a normalized power of 260 watts and run that afternoon on a different course but still hold 260 watts, I can compare the workouts better. Once again, I also use the Run Stress Score to compare the total stress of every workout.
Please describe your general approach to coaching, including your methods of motivation.
My coaching focuses on physiology, nutrition and psychology. All three are interconnected and influence each other, and to be a successful, I need to help athletes optimize all three.
I honestly do not like the word “motivated.” I feel it is a little superficial. I much prefer “drive” because it strikes at the reason why an athlete goes outs and trains every day. My job as a coach is to help athletes discover that “why” and then help them reconnect with it when workouts get tough. I also make an effort to emphasize the process of training rather than race day goals, which are just waypoints on the larger journey.
What is your running spirit animal?
I would say that I connect with Coyote the most. Coyote has a bad reputation as a trickster, which is true, but Coyote is also traditionally a teacher of balance through humor. Coyote, like coaches, helps people drop all the masks so that they can see reality.
Want to learn more? Visit STRYD.com and watch the video at the top of the page.
Want to discuss? Visit the Stryd Community to learn from fellow Stryders.
Want more triathlon tips from Coach Hague? Check out his website at Braveheart Canada!
