How to Set the Right Pace for your Bike and Run

How hard should I push it on the bike?  I can run an X:XX marathon, how fast should I start the run section of my Ironman?  If you have ever asked yourself these questions then you, like me, may find Mark Allen's recent article very useful.  Mark shares some step by step tips for pacing sprint, olympic, half, and full Iron distance races.  Enjoy!  

Chris Lieto at the 2010 Ford Ironman World Championship in Kona

 
By Mark Allen USA Triathlon
One of the most interesting elements of a triathlon is the run. It is the final leg of the race, and because of that is always going to be when an athlete is the most tired.
You don't get to run on fresh legs like you do in a 5K or 10K running race. And with that fatigue comes the potential for big differences between well-paced runs and poorly paced ones.
In a 10K running race, the difference between a good run and one where you went out too fast may be 30 to 60 seconds. However, in an Olympic-distance triathlon, the difference can be three to five minutes. If you look at the variance in Ironman run times, a well-paced run can be 30 minutes faster than the athlete who went too fast too early.
The first tip for pacing your runs correctly is (read entire article here)