Benchmarks

Some time between 2004 and today, I developed a little set of mental benchmarks for triathlon achievement. Basically, somewhere deep inside, my little head decided that in order to be a *respectable* triathlete, I had to be able to:

• Swim faster than 2:00/100m
• Bike faster than 30km/h and
• Run faster than 5:00/km

What's interesting about these benchmarks is that they haven't changed with time. They don't really depend on distance. They just ARE. They're the same from sprint to ironman (if I ever do one). In fact, they're quite inconsistent with the race goals I set- if I could do all of these things at once, Id be a damn sight faster than I am!

I don't get (too) disappointed if I don't meet them- I've never run a 10k in an Olympic tri at 5:00/km, and I think my best bike split is STILL, frustratingly, 29.9km/h! Actually- if anything, they make me feel better (apart from the bike...) 39:50 for a half IM swim?? Nevermind, still below the benchmark. A 24:50 in a sprint tri? At least it's still under 5:00/km!

Anyway, I'm interested. Do these benchmarks make sense to you? Is a 30 minute Olympic distance swim equivalent to a 1:20 ride? A 50 minute run? Do you have your own benchmarks? How do they compare with these?