the ideal racing season

Start in April with local races (sprint, oly) build to June for a 1/2 (Macon, Eagleman, Kansas, Bosie) Start second build after 10 days recovery, Build to IM Lou in Aug, adding in a few more local races for up tempo training day, After IM Lou in Aug, finish off the season at 70.3 Miami in Oct around Holloween.
There, you can copy me for next year, would LOVE to race with ya Slayer!!

FM
The "Cube"

I'm also trying to consider whether the ideal season culminates or even includes an IM. I guess it's not necessary even though I kind of thought it might be. Maybe not?

Crikey, are we thinking about 2011 already?

To me, the ideal season won't involve doing an IM. It would be more like a season bookended by a spring half(GCT) as an A race and then another half(B2B) in the fall, also as an A. Race low priority sprints/olys all summer long and consider doing St. George in '12.

All in good, clean fun...


edit - Funny, I wrote my comments before I'd seen your post above. Now I know it's the one true path of righteousness.



Edited by alltom1 2010-06-15 3:49 PM

Ideal season is to race nothing longer than a half with tune-up races chosen for (a) being out-of-the-way, lower profile events and/or (b) events you never get to do but have always thought would be fun ... such as riding the Silver Come from the trail head in Cobb County to the end in Anniston, Alabama in order to watch the Sunny King Crit and then do the Cheaha Challenge the next day.

Sprinkle in a full week of BRAG, a 5k swim, a 40k trail run and other odds and ends.

You probably wont PR a single traditional race ... but you'll have a blast.

The ideal season culminates with you trying to reach your season goal.  For some that is an Ironman.  For others it might be a time goal.  Or even a mileage, power, pace goal.   The season should be designed around that 1 or 2 specific goals.  Everything else, then, are minor targets/tests toward meeting your goal. 

therein lies my problem. I can't decide on goals. I think this is the hardest part, largely because it requires you to step out of the "IM is the creme de la creme" mentality that many of us are sold on. Is it really? I know Dollar's answer. What is yours?

Me personally the ideal racing season is month to month target races but since I am not a long distance guy like a bunch of you, I can work my way through it without having to do major building blocks and not worry too much about tapers, periodization, etc.

That is what keeps me motivated, racing as frequently as allowed.  Being it sprints and oly's, trail runs, warrior dash type stuff.

My personal goals are to maintain fitness, have fun, get faster, and delay death as long as possible.  I do not have a checklist of distances to reach, like HIM or IM.  While I may possibly do a HIM at some point, I currently have no burning desire to do that. 

So for me, I am not sold on IM as the creme de la creme.