Many of you in the New England area have heard of QT2 systems. They are a local Triathlon coaching company that has taken off in many years. I am not a member but do follow alot of their athletes via social media. To say they are successful is an understatement. They have some great pro triathletes on their roster and some seriously talented amateurs as well.
The reason I mention them is that although I am not coached by them I have used some of their services in the past. They have a really neat triathlon calculator on their website that can help you come up with a realistic determination of your race times.
http://www.qt2systems.com/calculator-overview/
It is accurate. Scary accurate and those that have used it can vouch for it's accuracy. I recently used it to plug in some of my run times and to predict what I can and should be able to do for a half marathon. It was DEAD ON. The result of the calculations said I should, with the amount of training and experience level, should be able to run 6:48/mi for 13.1 miles. Well true to form this Sunday I went out and ran 6:48/mi for 13.1 miles setting a huge PR and giving a huge boost heading into this race season.
So the reason I bring this up is I wonder how much of our performances can be predicted and how much are we mentally locked into what we believe? I truly don't think I could have run any harder and finished the race in a upright and non-heaving position. But how much did knowing what I could run determine what I did run? So many people rely on Heart rate monitors and Garmin numbers these days that I wonder if it is hurting us or helping us.
Think about it in terms of this....Bill Rodgers won the 1975 Boston marathon in a time of 2:09, and 30 years later the winning time was actually two minutes slower in 2:11. Bill Rodgers did not have compression socks, foam rollers, Garmin files, Gels and sports drinks. He had heart and ability and he used them to run as fast as he possibly could for 26.2 miles. So at the end of the day are we better or worse for having these calculators that tell us what we can and should do? I say a little bit of both. The calculator gave me the confidence to believe that my body was capable of holding that pace for a half marathon. I did not panic when I ran a 6:17 first mile, or when I ran a 7:07 seventh mile. I just settled in knowing that I had some time to give and some time to get back. Not to mention that knowing my splits was made possible by my Garmin 310xt watch. So at the end of the day try not to get too reliant on data and gadgets and use them when they are appropriate. Too many athletes now a days have made themselves into "runbots" in that they are fearful of the unknown and not having the latest greatest device to guide them along the way. Bill Rodgers is quoted as saying "My whole feeling in terms of racing is that you have to be very bold. You sometimes have to be aggressive and gamble." It is OK to have the data and the gear to back you up and give you the confidence (much like a coach would) that you are capable of great things. However when the watch dies, or conditions aren't exactly as you have planned out, don't throw in the towel and give up. Tighten up your shoelaces, readjust your hat and have confidence in yourself and what you are capable of.
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