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How do you select race distances for your "season"?
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 2008-08-11 10:09 AM |
Extreme Veteran  1234    West Michigan |  Subject: How do you select race distances for your "season"?Just like the subject line says, how do you decide the distances you'll race in a season? For example do you simply not do sprints because you prefer long course or do you sprinkle some in just for the pure joy of maximum output during the event? Or do you plan to do various length races to build up to a long course event at the end or select races based on schedules etc? This season I'm registered for four events (completed three so far) and will schedule a fifth race for the end of the season. One event was a 70.3 the rest were based on my schedule and also the location of the race. This season it worked out that I did the Steelhead 70.3 on 8/2 then a sprint this past Saturday 8/9 and I absolutely had a blast in the sprint. I'm just wondering what different logic other people use to select events. I'd like to make triathlon vacations so I can see areas outside of "home" but with four kids the logistics are tough (and expensive). |
| 2008-08-11 11:05 AM in reply to: #1594062 |
Cycling Guru 15134 Fulton, MD | Subject: RE: How do you select race distances for your "season"? The last three years I've focused on long distance stuff, HIM's, IM's, marathons, etc. But I'm tired and want to try something else, so next year it will be all about short course stuff other than Eagleman which I've participated in for the last 3 years so is becoming sort of a tradition. Mine is more a case of available training time. I can train for the shorter distance stuff a lot easier than the long stuff. And I seem to be able to push the pace harder in the short stuff and not blow up like I do in the longer stuff as a result of that. |
| 2008-08-11 3:31 PM in reply to: #1594062 |
Regular 102 Calgary, Alberta | Subject: RE: How do you select race distances for your "season"? This is only my first season so take for what it's worth. I decided to ramp up during the year as my fitness and abilities improved. My schedule was(is) as follows: 1. Mini Sprint with pool swim (withdrew due to family obligations) 2. Mini Sprint with pool swim (completed) 3. Sprint with lake swim (completed) 4. Oly with lake swim (Aug 17th) 5. Half Marathon (Sept 27th) It has worked well for me. I feel extremely prepared for the Oly this weekend! Next year will probably be the same but with maybe a HIM and Marathon finish. Still thinking it over. I'll also be looking at some out of town races for some variety. But I've only got 3 kids....... CC |
| 2008-08-11 3:36 PM in reply to: #1594062 |
| Veteran 217 Beaumont, TX | Subject: RE: How do you select race distances for your "season"? This is also my first season. With 2 young kids (5 & 3) training is limited. I like to feel prepared for a race so this year I am competing in 2 sprints, a 5k and a 10k. |
| 2008-08-11 3:45 PM in reply to: #1594062 |
Master 2491 | Subject: RE: How do you select race distances for your "season"? This year, I started with an Oly and the races got shorter until my fourth and final race the other day, a classic sprint. My original goal throughout the winter's training was to be doing Olys this year, but I've decided to keep the Oly training schedule and build speed to race sprints. My metabolism and psychology seem built for speed more than endurance. I like to push myself, pass people, and race hard. The longer the distance, the more pacing, nutrition, etc. come into play. A friend I train with said, "I'd rather just red-line it for an hour and be done." That has stuck with me. The other MAJOR factor is scheduling. With family and other obligations, there are only a few weekends open to fit races into, and three of the four races I did this year only had one distance. Like you, distance is a factor. You're close to me, and I did Lake Macatawa, Seahorse (Kalamazoo), Tri des Sol (Middleville), and Millennium (GR). |
| 2008-08-11 4:02 PM in reply to: #1595287 |
Extreme Veteran 1234 West Michigan | Subject: RE: How do you select race distances for your "season"? monkeyboy64 - 2008-08-11 4:45 PM This year, I started with an Oly and the races got shorter until my fourth and final race the other day, a classic sprint. My original goal throughout the winter's training was to be doing Olys this year, but I've decided to keep the Oly training schedule and build speed to race sprints. My metabolism and psychology seem built for speed more than endurance. I like to push myself, pass people, and race hard. The longer the distance, the more pacing, nutrition, etc. come into play. A friend I train with said, "I'd rather just red-line it for an hour and be done." That has stuck with me. The other MAJOR factor is scheduling. With family and other obligations, there are only a few weekends open to fit races into, and three of the four races I did this year only had one distance. Like you, distance is a factor. You're close to me, and I did Lake Macatawa, Seahorse (Kalamazoo), Tri des Sol (Middleville), and Millennium (GR). Wasn't Millennium awesome? Although I went off in the 2nd wave and think they screwed up my time somehow. My final time was 1:15 yet that was what the clock read when I crossed the finish line. If I was in the 2nd wave, my chip time s/b 3 minutes less than the clock time right? I wanted to do Tri Del Sol but I had a schedule conflict. Gazelle was the title sponsor and may have even put the event on I believe. |
| 2008-08-11 6:07 PM in reply to: #1594062 |
Master 2491 | Subject: RE: How do you select race distances for your "season"? I also loved the Millennium race. The bike course was a perfect mix of easy rollers with some long, flat stretches, and it was amazing how they got us through the city without too many bumps and potholes. They did a great job for a first-time event. I was in the second wave also, and my official time was 3:00 less than the clock read when I crossed the line. If that didn't happen for you, maybe you should contact the race director. Gazelle did sponsor the Tri del Sol, and that course is really nice, too. It's a bit longer, and the hills are a bit more pronounced, but I really love it. As for the mix of racing and family, I like to do races close to home, where I can be back with the family for the afternoon. I don't want to schedule a vacation around a race. My 9 year-old son did the kids race at Millenium, so that was really cool. Next year, my daughter will be old enough to do the kids races, and it seems like she wants to. They came and cheered at Macatawa, because that's 10 minutes from home, but, other than that, I'm a lone wolf trying to race and be dad/husband for the afternoon. Next year, though, I'm hoping to have to stick around to collect an AG award, or two. One other consideration I neglected to mention was that I avoid races like Grand Haven and Ludington, as they are in the big lake, which can be quite cold, and there is the possibility of having the swim cut short, or having it changed to a duathlon. |
| 2008-08-11 7:45 PM in reply to: #1595674 |
Champion 7233 | Subject: RE: How do you select race distances for your "season"? i focus mainly on short course racing because thats what i am best at. i sprinkle 2 or 3 longer races in per seasonthis year 3 halfs and a full, along with 10 sprints. |
| 2008-08-12 1:37 AM in reply to: #1594062 |
Master 1741 Chapel Hill, NC | Subject: RE: How do you select race distances for your "season"? I like the training volume of an olympic plan best - 10-15 hours a week. That gives me the calorie burning and endorphin fix I need. So, I pick an oly at the end of the season as my A race. But, I am best at sprints with an extra long bike leg, so I do one or two of those for fun. |
| 2008-08-12 5:50 AM in reply to: #1594062 |
Extreme Veteran 576 Wayne, NJ | Subject: RE: How do you select race distances for your "season"? This is my 1st year, I have finished 4 sprints and plan to complete the season with a oly. |
| 2008-08-12 5:58 AM in reply to: #1594062 |
Extreme Veteran 461 Minnesota | Subject: RE: How do you select race distances for your "season"? I decide based upon what races are near me, how much they cost, and the distance. This year, I did two sprints and one long course. That seemed to be the perfect amount. It kept me training all summer. Now I am looking to do some running races for the fall. |
| 2008-08-12 6:00 AM in reply to: #1594062 |
Extreme Veteran 461 Minnesota | Subject: RE: How do you select race distances for your "season"? TriMike - 2008-08-11 10:09 AM I'd like to make triathlon vacations so I can see areas outside of "home" but with four kids the logistics are tough (and expensive). I did a vacation surrounding a triathlon that I wanted to do and it worked out great! We had so much fun on vacation, took a morning so that I could go do the triathlon, and then continued being tourists afterwards. I would definitely do it again. |
| 2008-08-12 6:16 AM in reply to: #1596264 |
Cycling Guru 15134 Fulton, MD | Subject: RE: How do you select race distances for your "season"? keyone - 2008-08-12 2:37 AM I like the training volume of an olympic plan best - 10-15 hours a week. That gives me the calorie burning and endorphin fix I need. So, I pick an oly at the end of the season as my A race. But, I am best at sprints with an extra long bike leg, so I do one or two of those for fun. Some people on here do IM's on only 10-15 hours a week .... |
| 2008-08-12 6:31 AM in reply to: #1594062 |
Elite 3683 Whispering Pines, North Carolina | Subject: RE: How do you select race distances for your "season"? This is my first year and I'm primarily doing sprints. I plan on adding distance next year, in the form of an early season Oly and late season HIM. If all goes well, will complete first (and probably only) IM in 2010. But, I think I will stick to 3-4 sprints and maybe one Oly or HIM per year... I don't think I'll do more than one IM. Too much commitment when you have a family! I like the training...makes me feel good! |
| 2008-08-12 6:51 AM in reply to: #1594062 |
Master 2946 Centennial, CO | Subject: RE: How do you select race distances for your "season"? I really like the short races. This year I did add an Oly to the schedule. Not suprising, it really did help my sprint times. Next year i will probably do a similar schedule and maybe look at a late season 1/2. |
| 2008-08-12 8:09 AM in reply to: #1596312 |
Master 1741 Chapel Hill, NC | Subject: RE: How do you select race distances for your "season"? Daremo - 2008-08-12 7:16 AM keyone - 2008-08-12 2:37 AM I like the training volume of an olympic plan best - 10-15 hours a week. That gives me the calorie burning and endorphin fix I need. So, I pick an oly at the end of the season as my A race. But, I am best at sprints with an extra long bike leg, so I do one or two of those for fun. Some people on here do IM's on only 10-15 hours a week .... That just makes me SICK! |
| 2008-08-12 9:21 AM in reply to: #1594062 |
Expert 735 Chatham, Ontario | Subject: RE: How do you select race distances for your "season"? It's easy for me......I love Sprints and that is what I see myself doing for the next couple of years. Then I will re-assess. |
| 2008-08-12 10:11 AM in reply to: #1594062 |
| Subject: RE: How do you select race distances for your "season"? First year after being a couch potato for 9 years. I was in the Army before that so I had a decent base to get back to when lose the last of this flab I allowed to accumulate. I'm 42 and a desk jockey now so I have nothing at work to keep my moving and I've decided this is how I'm going to get back into and stay in shape. This year, sprints, super sprints and one of the training wheel tri things. I'm having a blast. Next year Mooseman International distance as my A race at beginning of season and the Augusta HIM as my A race end of season. I'm looking for an OLY in July and Aug as well. I'll throw local sprints in as I find them but only if I really feel up to it. I want to do decently in Augusta no matter what. I'm looking to do an IM within 3 years and that may very well be the only one I ever do. I like the schedule of the HIM's workouts so I'll look for a couple of those a year to keep me busy |
| 2008-08-12 10:40 AM in reply to: #1594062 |
Master 2073 The Redlands, FL | Subject: RE: How do you select race distances for your "season"? We (My Buddy and me) enjoy Racing...and...We usually like to race at least 1 per month...Sprints and Olympics and 1 HIM sometimes if the time is with us...We usually register at the beginning of the Year for all the Series with www.MultiRace.com and other Races here in South Florida.... |
| 2008-08-12 12:52 PM in reply to: #1594062 |
Master 1325 Lake Oswego, OR | Subject: RE: How do you select race distances for your "season"? I did a couple of races 2 years ago. The first was a sprint with an indoor swim. I didn't get off on that. I also did an oly but due to an injury it was a struggle and painful to finish the run. This year I have primarily focused on sprint distances because I love to race and at that distance I really feel I am racing and not just surviving. (My first race of the year was purely survival because of my training being interrupted in the spring for 2 months). However, I do hope to be fit enough to race olys next year. |
| 2008-08-12 1:01 PM in reply to: #1594062 |
Lethbridge, Alberta Bronze member | Subject: RE: How do you select race distances for your "season"? So far I've done some shorter races because they are reasonably local and convenient. Since I discovered I like the longer triathlons, I've also traveled a bit for them. Those have still all been within driving distance though. Efforts to start running had left me with an injured foot but lead me to originally consider triathlons. For my first tri season, I did sprint distances just to see if I could even do them. I also couldn't do the swim yet when I signed up for the first "super-sprint" tri. I made it through, and was hooked. Running was my biggest limiter so in the off season I trained for a local half marathon. I figured that if I was going to build up to a half marathon run, then I would also be able to handle a half ironman distance triathlon. I did that in my second season, with my first olympic distance tri added in to the schedule as training. In spite of weak performance, I liked the challenge of the HIM. I also went to watch IM Canada that year but decided I wasn't ready to sign up for it. I signed up for 2 HIM triathlons in my third season. More run work lead to the local full marathon and oly tri at the start of the season too. That season at IM Canada, last year, I signed up to do it in '08. For this fourth season, everything is preparation for IMC. I've done the local oly tri and the half marathon again early in the season. I also drove to one of last year's HIM tri's again. I'll be able to say better in a couple of weeks how I like the full IM distance. I'm thinking now that I might concentrate on shorter triathlons next year, and maybe a HIM or two, to see if I can build any speed. As you suggest, I may start looking for 'destination events' to fit into vacation trips. No kids to worry about here though, just my wife and I. |
| 2008-08-12 2:50 PM in reply to: #1594062 |
Champion 10668 Tacoma, Washington | Subject: RE: How do you select race distances for your "season"? I just prefer the shorter, faster races (where speed is the factor, not so much "can I make it" But if, for some wierd reason, I want to go longer (I'm toying with the idea of doing a half-IM distance in the next 1-2 years), I'll train for THAT distance (in pretty much the same philosophy). And even if I'm training myself for the longer distance, I'll still race the shorter events. So I guess the answer after all this is that I train my distance (endurance) based on the longest race of the season, and the intensity to the shortest. |
| 2008-08-12 3:44 PM in reply to: #1594062 |
Veteran 197 Circle Pines, MN | Subject: RE: How do you select race distances for your "season"? I just pick races that make sense for my family schedule. This year my A race was the Chisago Half Iron. I started the season with an Olympic, then I did a sprint a month later (because my sisters signed up, and it was my third year of doing the race(shaved 4:30 off last year)). Then I did the Chisago half (First one). Then I decided to do an Olympic this weekend to finish the Tri season. After this it will be alot of running as I gear up for the Twin Cities Marathon. I picked my A race, and then filled in what I thought would be good workouts, or tests of conditioning. Now I need a fourth race to get my race reimbursement from the bike shop that sponsors our team. Lance |
| 2008-08-12 3:49 PM in reply to: #1598078 |
Extreme Veteran 1234 West Michigan | Subject: RE: How do you select race distances for your "season"? briderdt - 2008-08-12 3:50 PM I just prefer the shorter, faster races (where speed is the factor, not so much "can I make it"). So I race Oly and less, but I do it pretty often (back-to-back weeks are common). And that's what I train for -- enough endurance that the distance isn't a challenge, enough intensity that I can "race" it. But if, for some wierd reason, I want to go longer (I'm toying with the idea of doing a half-IM distance in the next 1-2 years), I'll train for THAT distance (in pretty much the same philosophy). And even if I'm training myself for the longer distance, I'll still race the shorter events. So I guess the answer after all this is that I train my distance (endurance) based on the longest race of the season, and the intensity to the shortest. After doing a HIM and then the following weekend doing a sprint, I tend to agree with you that the racing in the short events is more fun at the moment. However if I ever get myself to the point of "racing" a HIM instead of enduring it for survival (only for the run, the bike rocks) then maybe I'll do more long course stuff. Next year I may plan to double the number of events and alternate more between oly and sprints. It would sure free up a lot of time on the weekend not doing 50-60 mile bike rides and 2-3 hour runs......Although I enjoyed my HIM training so I'll have the winter to reassess. |
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