Using MCL for Triathlon Race Pacing

[scottwhitten]

FaCT Pacing For a Triathlon

With the knowledge of MCL gained by a FACT Assesment for the bike and run, would it make more sense to pace the bike portion (or first half of an event) of a triathlon based upon the biomarker of the Limiter and the run (second half of an event) off of the biomarker of
the compensator assuming the MCL is the same (ex. Limiter = Resp and Compensator = Cardio) for each sport?

[Andrew]

GREAT question Scott.

The answer may not be as simple, but I like the concept you suggest. The brilliance in your comment shows that by taking into consideration the limiter during the pacing strategy on the bike, you might avoid overreaching, and thus suffering as much on the run.

Now, the complexity comes when the limiter on the bike, is not the same as the limiter on the run. For example, the bike limiter may be strength, while the run limiter could be coordination. To avoid challenging the muscle component on the bike, if the athlete chooses to ride at higher cadence, they may in fact make the run limitation even worse.

So, I would caution making a complex idea of pacing into a simple plan, but your thoughts are valid, and the approach is worth looking at in more detail with each athlete you work with, who has had a chance to be tested in both sports.