Should I Stand or Should I Sit?

You are coming up onto Mile 10 of a 20K bike portion of the race. You know, from reading the race map, that within Mile 10, there is a .5 mile climb. Should you stay seated for the climb or should you stand for the climb?

The answer here depends both on your physical makeup and also the type of run that follows this bike. Because standing recruits more muscle and also places more stress on your physiological system, it will more than likely raise your Heart Rate faster than staying seated.

However, this may not mean that standing is less efficient than sitting. What if you can summit the climb 15 seconds faster than you could if you stayed seated. Then, depending on how much you have increased your Heart Rate, you may actually be more efficient standing.

The run following also plays a key in this question. If you have a shorter, faster type run following the bike and have trained well, then it may be wise to sacrifice a bit of efficiency for the faster climb - go ahead and stand. If you have a disproportionate race and have a 8 mile run following the bike, save your legs and stay seated for a little longer.

This is a very intriguing subject. Check out this article detailing more pluses and minuses for climbing and seating. For more information, feel free to email Jamie at coach@triyourbest.com.