Performing in ITTs: The Virtual Race
Having done 10+ indoor time trials (ITTs) in the past three years, and three this year alone, I feel confident saying that too many athletes under perform in this setting. (And I was one of them) The fact is that ITTs are the same as any other TT, and should be approached in the same manner.
There are four common strategies for TTs. The first is the “all-out” mentality. In this strategy the athlete 100% of the time starts out too quickly; decreasing wattage is paired with an increasing heart rate throughout the effort, leading to a sub-par average power/normalized power.
The second is the J-shaped strategy. In this method the athlete starts at a higher intensity, settles into a consistent effort, and then maxes out nearing the finish. This is the method most commonly used, and if done to a lesser degree, can be effective. The third and fourth strategies are even and negative splitting, which are self-explanatory. (If it isn’t self-explanatory, even splitting is keeping the same pace/power the entire duration, and negative splitting is increasing pace/power the entire duration)
This is no scientific study, but based on my observations at the numerous races that I have attended, there is a clear difference between the top performing athletes and the remainder of the field. The main variable is of course ability, the second is race strategy. In all the races I have attended, the top performing athletes are choosing one of the three following strategies: shallow J-shaped, negative split, even split with pickup near finish. The majority of the remainder of the field is choosing the all-out or deep J-shaped strategy. Sometimes it can be hard to tell if the athlete is purposely doing a J-shaped strategy, or is forced into it because they went out too hard. HR and wattage diagrams such as the one below would clear that up. It is also obvious when you compare their other results to their ITT result.
Either way, athletes are going out too hard. It can be more difficult to judge intensity/effort when you are not outside, but knowing your HR and power values can help mitigate this risk. Below is a profile in Training Peaks from my most recent ITT. As you can see I followed a shallow J-shaped strategy. The race was 6.03 miles. The first 30 seconds or so I used to get up to speed, and then you can see the power settle in. (Power is pink, HR is red) The biggest takeaway from this chart is the near perfectly flat line of HR. (A barely legible increase throughout) The wattage goes up and down a bit as this was a Central Park course and required constant shifting. This is the trick of ITTs. Unlike outdoor TTs, you cannot see the hills. The green and red lines on the CompuTrainer screen, and your position on the course is clearly shown and important to follow throughout. (You can see there was one section I clearly miss-timed my gear change) Then nearing the finish of the race is paired with spiked wattage. This is the J-shaped curve you should be looking for in your ITTs.
Even and negative splitting is a realistic and reasonable approach; however there are a few downsides. First off, you are losing major ground by not quickly getting up to your desired speed in the first 10-15 seconds of the race. With negative splitting pacing is critical. Going out too slow may leave you with too much left in the tank, and be difficult to make up for in the end. In order to perform a negative split you should be experienced enough to know precisely what power you can hold for that duration, and possibly practiced that type of pacing in training. Also, because so many athletes go out too hard, you are faced with the mental risk of seeing your competitors gain an enormous amount of distance on you. Of course they will almost always fade later, but it can be a mental roadblock if you are not prepared for it. With this said, if you are inexperienced, your attempt to negative split will probably come out more even then you think.
Even going out at the pace I did below, I was in near last after the first mile, and by the end moved up to 3rd out of 16. The two that beat me ended up winning the entire ITT. (all the heats) This goes to show the degree to which athletes poorly pace themselves in this setting. Know your ability, pace to that ability, and maintain a healthy mental state.
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