Tuesday, June 22, 2010

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?

4 comments:

Mike said...

Similar to my 'general' goals for 'middle' distance tri's ... 2:00/100m for 2k, 30km/hr for 90k (flat, not Rotorua jst yet!) but 5:00/km for running is just for stand alone 10k and halfM. Don't think I'd be able to do that as part of a tri. Still like to do a Sub20 5k and a Sub4 Marathon though.

Jen said...

I hope you meet your goals! I bet you will. You're so hardcore!

For every race, I have a different goal. For example, I'd love to run a 3:40 marathon (b/c I'd qualify for Boston) and I just want to finish a 1/2 Ironman :)

Lisa (bakebikeblog) said...

I normally set goals - as it gives me something to aim for during the race. I try to not get too hard on myself if I dont beat them though!

Runner Leana said...

Thanks for finding my blog! I've got you in my google reader so I can follow your journey now too!