Subject: RE: Rev3 in Branson Actually I didn't "kill" myself on this course because I managed my energy well. My first HIM was Kansas in 2011, where I killed myself on that one. Went too hard on the bike, then bonked on the run which took me 2:03 to complete. So for Branson I was able to hold back a little on the bike and not try and hammer up the hills. That allowed me to run a 1:55 which I was happy with due to the hilly bike course. I think I averaged 17.6 on the bike where at Kansas I probably could have averaged 20 mph with the same effort (assuming little or no wind). My nutrition was good at Branson as well which played a role also. I recommend you incorporate some good hills now in your training. It will translate to good flat speed in your upcoming race schedule. Seek out those hills and make them part of your routine. A workout that's boring but pays dividends is to do repeats out at SM Park. Either that or run through there as part of your long rides etc. I want to try Ogg Rd just north of SM Park, I've heard it's a doozy. Do not go into that race with a time in mind, especially if you haven't done a hilly bike course. I weight 195 lbs so those hills were no joke. The descents happy too quickly so recovery from climbing doesn't last long. The event was great, talk about a great run atmosphere, and flat to boot! It should be even better this year as a Rev3 event. I'd take the bike course seriously though. Make it a priority to get hill work in as well as long rides on the weekends. Because of the hills, plan on a much longer bike time so if a training schedule has 3 hours of biking on it, add at least 30 minutes. Honestly if your goal is simply to finish and you don't mind walking a lot of the run, then I think you'll be fine. If you goal is to run the entire 13.1 then I'd get to those hills and long rides. And to answer your opening question, no I don't think you're crazy for considering this as your first HIM. It's just much more challenging than most HIM races. Some people like a challenge..... My $ 0.02 worth. |