Ok so when I do a running race I usually do sprint at the end just because it is ingrained in us that we need to finish strong. But when I do a triathlon/duathlon and the swim or bike is at the finish sometimes I don't feel like I sprint to the finish. Especially on the bike, I push as hard as possible throughout the whole course and the slowest I go is usually at the finish. This is due to my clumsiness with clips. It is embarrassing when you are so exhausted when you cross the finish line, forget to unclip, and just fall over. YES this has happened to me. :-)
I do remember one triathlon where I didn't do a full out sprint at the end and this one girl in my age group stayed behind me until the last shoot and passed just as we crossed the finish line. Now I didn't react a la Lance when it happened to him :-) but I also wasn't a contender for this race. If it had cost me a place on the podium I would have been a little irked. So I guess my conclusion is I will try to always leave it all out there on the course no matter what and if I still have enough in me to sprint at the end I will do that also. But if I have enough in me at the end to sprint and don't collapse after the finish then it probably means I could have pushed harder throughout.
Thoughts? Do you always sprint at the finish no matter what? Would you pass someone at the very last second during a race? Is that part of your race strategy?
3 comments:
I normally dont, unless it is close to a PR or a chance on the poduim
I wanted to sprint to the finish at the Eugene 1/2 marathon this year but apparently I left it all on the road, 'cause I had nothing left to push with. It was a little frustrating, but in the end, I look at it as a great race where I gave it my all from beginning to end.
I generally have nothing in the tank at the end of a race - especially shorter ones - to sprint. I lost that sprinting thing around the time I turned 40 I think....sucks, cuz I was a sprinter in high school and college.
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