YOUR DTI TIMETRIAL
Your Timetrial Test
Why?
- Confirm your improving fitness and running talent
- Drive ongoing motivation
- Highlight training and health troubleshooting
- Results dictate future training plans
What!
An outside testing course;
- Design a flattish, uniteruppted course over even and safe terrain.
- An out and back course often works best.
- Define the exact start & finish of your course.
- Your course must be repeatable, week to week.
- The distance is irrelevant, so a GPS is not required but can offer useful data (changes in pace; namely, are you finishing the second half as strongly as you went out).
- Your course should have you finish your first test between 30-50 minutes. (E.g 35.45).
- You are racing your course, HOWEVER, you are never allowed to exceed your DTI limit (E.g 141 bpm).
- Remember, whether walking or running, you are racing (yourself).
E.g. An inside testing choice;
- Treadmill – Fix the gradient on 1%, hold your DTI, and stop the stopwatch when you reach e.g. 5km, or, alternatively, record your distance after 35 minutes e.g. 4.7km.
- Remember your ‘improving’ goal will be to either complete 5km faster or cover a greater distance in 35 minutes.
How
- Turn on your heart rate monitor – chest straps are the most accurate and reliable.
- Ideally, program your HRM to alarm (beep or vibrate) should you exceed your DTI.
- Warm-up for 2-5 minutes.
- Start your stopwatch at the designated starting area.
- Rev up your effort to your HR ceiling as soon as possible.
- Back off your speed if you exceed your DTI.
- Stop your stopwatch at the designated finish line.
- Record your result.