Ironman St. George: Danielle Kehoe’s Bike Split Analysis

By Lee Gardner | Published: June 14, 2012

 

On Saturday, May 5, 2012, Trismarter triathlete, Danielle Kehoe toed the line at Ironman St. George. Much has been written about the 2012 edition of Ironman St. George, including the wild winds of biblical proportions that appeared seemingly out of nowhere during the swim portion of the race, forcing literally hundreds of athletes to drop out less than an hour after starting the race. Those who made it through the swim had 45 mile per hour gusts to contend with on the bike, making this Ironman one of the toughest on record. Ten hours, 45 minutes, and 33 seconds after starting this race, Danielle found herself crossing the finish line, not only as the fastest female amateur, but also the third fastest overall female athlete of the day.

The St. George bike course is notorious for its hills, including two solid climbs per loop and over 7000 feet of elevation to tackle. The 112 mile (180k) course began at Sand Hollow Reservoir, looped through the surrounding canyons, and ended in downtown St. George, UT. For Danielle, this was a 6:00:15 chunk of her race day. By no means was this a record setting bike split for an Ironmen competition; however, Danielle was the third fastest female on the bike for the day, with only pro triathletes Jessie Donavan (1st fastest bike split at 5:55:24) and Meredith Kessler (2nd fastest bike split at 5:57:14) finishing the bike faster.

While the bike splits were not amazing simply based on duration, every athlete in this race will tell you that finishing the bike in this race in six hours was nothing short of stellar! With the usage of power meters in training and racing, it becomes much more clear when race conditions play such a huge role in the outcome, showing just how much work the athletes are actually doing. The following is an analysis of Danielle’s bike split, which shows the high effort she was producing to be able to finish with the third fastest time on the bike.
General analysis shows that Danielle averaged 171 watts, a little more than 78% of her functional threshold power (FTP), and 3.14 w/kg, for 6 hours. She had an average speed of 18.46 mph. Because the bike portion of an Ironman is essentially an individual time trial (non-drafting) event, it’s not unusual to see normalized power (NP) fairly close to average power. In the case of Danielle during IMStG, this holds true, as her NP is 180 watts. Her total Training Stress Score (TSS) was 405.7 – a measurement of total fatigue and effort during the race. To put this figure in perspective, a TSS score of 100 means the rider spent 1 hour of riding at his or her functional threshold.

Danielle Kehoe's Bike Profile from IMStG

One general statistic that some may find interesting is her average cadence: 78 rpm. In triathlon, we generally practice a higher cadence of 85+ rpm. The reason for this is that a lower cadence has a larger impact on the muscles in our legs, and because triathlon is swim-bike-run, keeping a higher cadence during the bike portion of the event helps to save our legs for executing a fast run off of the bike. In Danielle’s case, a lower cadence seems to have had only a minor impact on her leg muscles, if at all. She ran the fourth fastest marathon on the day for all female athletes. As Danielle’s coach, I can tell you that her natural tendency is to “grind big gears” for long periods of time. While she and I are working to improve her efficiency on the bike in order to save strength for the run, in the case of this race specifically (and maybe in general as well), an argument can certainly be made that when an athlete is conditioned properly, there is no reason to obsess over molding that athlete into what is considered current standard practices, such as keeping a high cadence. The proof is in pudding!

Danielle Kehoe's IMStG Bike Data

Further analysis shows that Danielle’s power in the first loop of the course was at 180 watts (NP of 186 watts), while her power in the second loop was 160 watts (NP of 168 watts). Note again that average power and normalized power are not very different. A drop in average power of slightly more 11% in the second loop was not ideal, however, in an ironman bike split, it’s quite common to see, especially when weather plays a factor, as it did on this day. Based on the split times of the female athletes ahead of Danielle, it’s very likely that nearly everyone was performing in a similar manner. Additionally, the extreme windy conditions during the first half of the bike died down substantially, which likely altered the athletes’ perception of pacing. Proof of this is shown by the fact that Danielle’s speed was only slightly slower (.14 mph) in the second loop.

Bike Split Summary By The Numbers:
Danielle Kehoe
5’2”, 120 pounds (54.43 kg)
Threshold power: 218 W, 4.0 w/kg
Training Stress Score: 405.7 TSS
Energy: 3660 kj
Average Cadence: 78 rpm
Max Cadence: 170 rpm
Average Watts: 171 W
Normalized Power: 180 W
Max Watts: 617 W
Peak 20 min: 193 W
Peak 60 min: 188 W
Peak 3 hrs: 185 W

Trismarter Run Analysis Part 1: Body Position

By Lee Gardner | Published: May 2, 2012

 

For athletes seeking to make improvements in their running form, Trismarter offers a run analysis service. The basis of our running form philosophy is that all movement while running is focused towards a common goal of forward propulsion. This simply means we take into account the entire body position and its movement at every stage within a single stride, analyze and correct the position and movement as needed to positively effect the runner’s efficiency, and thus effect the runner’s ability to travel faster and further. For purposes of this series of articles, I’m going to touch on common inefficiencies that we see regularly in triathletes and runners that can easily be fixed by simply being aware of them, making minor adjustments, and putting into practice the changes suggested to positively impact running. In Part 1, I address body position during the “drive” and “stance” phases of a single stride.

Body position angles of the drive and stance phases of a runner's stride

 

 

Running efficiently means that not a single movement within a stride negatively effects forward propulsion. Using the gravitational pull of this great planet we live on, we can place our bodies in a position to utilize gravity as much as possible to affect movement forward in space. With this in mind, I consider body position the single most important factor in increasing efficiency in running, specifically: a forward lean beginning at the ankles. By leaning forward from the ankles, we can take advantage of gravity and the momentum created, allowing our bodies to fall forward in a controlled manor. In a sense, running is just that: a controlled fall forward.

When analyzing a runner’s forward lean, we look for several key factors at varying moments within a stride. Measuring the body’s vertical angle from the insertion point of the femur up to the ear, we are able to see how effectively a runner is taking advantage of gravity, and thus how efficient the runner’s lean is at various moments within a stride. Typically, we measure the “drive” and the “stance” phases, first looking for the degree of angle in both moments during the stride. Most elite runners lean forward at a ten degree angle. An angle less than ten degrees indicates that the runner is “sitting up” as they run. As you can see in the photo to the right, showing a runner in both drive and stances phases, the angle of her drive phase is right at ten degrees, exactly where we want it. Looking at the stance phase, however, we can see that her body position has become slightly upright and the vertical angle of lean has lessened to eight degrees. Although not desirable, it is fairly common that runners will change the degree of forward lean as they move from drive to stance and back drive phases. In the case of this runner, her shoulders and head are moving slightly higher and back in the moments during the stance phase, in an attempt to generate additional power. She is at this moment in her stride under utilizing gravitational pull while simultaneously expending more energy to maintain speed.

 

 

 

Tire Pulling Exercises Help Encourage an Effective Forward Lean in Runners

There are two very effective exercises that a runner can engage in on a regular basis that will positively effect forward lean. The first, and simplest, is hill sprints or hill strides. By sprinting up a 5-8% grade at near maximum effort, focusing on a high cadence and a forward lean, the runner is forced to place his or her body in the correct leaning position. The second exercise is to have the runner drag a car tire behind themselves using a harness and a rope connected to the tire (I prefer compact car tires). Starting with short sets and gradually building in number of repetitions and duration, the athlete simply runs at varying degrees intensity from moderate hard to sprinting efforts. The weight of the tire forces the runner to lean at the ankles, assuming an effective forward lean.

Finally, there are also several unwanted effects of not having an effective forward leaning body position, which include (but are not limited to) over striding and a severe heel strike, both of which can lead to injuries of various types in runners. Additionally, by the very definition of an efficient running form, efficiency improvements will allow you to run faster for greater distances with less effort.

Trismarter Athlete, Danielle Kehoe, Places Third in Ironman St. George

By Trismarter.com | Published: May 8, 2012

PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Trismarter Athlete, Danielle Kehoe, Places Third in Ironman St. George


Trismarter Triathlon Coaching & Nutrition is proud to announce that sponsored triathlete Danielle Kehoe finished 3rd overall in Ironman St. George, in St. George, Utah on Saturday, May 5, 2012. Kehoe, age 25 from Colorado Springs, CO, competed among more than 1400 athletes who raced the Ironman event.

Kehoe raced in the Female 25-29 Age Group Division, however, by mile 40 of the bike, she led the entire amateur female field and was beginning to overtake the professional athletes who started 15 minutes prior to the amateurs. “I was confident in my training and felt really good going into this race. I gave everything I had, and I am very pleased with the results,” said Kehoe.

Danielle Kehoe biking the Ironman St. George course

As the day progressed, she found herself running down the pro women, with the closest amateur female nearly 50 minutes behind her. Kehoe finished the day with the third fastest overall female time of 10:45:33, including the third fastest bike split, and the fourth fastest run split for all female competitors, including professionals.“We came to St. George to make a statement,” said Trismarter Coach Lee Gardner. “Danielle and I have been working hard all winter for today, and I think it shows. I knew from our training results that she would be competitive on a high level, and I’m glad that we were able to prove it today.”

Kehoe’s performance at Ironman St. George has qualified her for the Ironman World Championships in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii in October.
Founded in 2006, Trismarter is on the cutting edge of current advances in triathlon training and sports nutrition. Trismarter’s leadership in the industry is proof of our commitment to providing athletes with personalized triathlon coaching that incorporates both the art and science of performance.

Contact: Lee Gardner, President, Trismarter.com LLC
917-825-1451
lee@trismarter.com