What's next?

Good luck with that....I'm totally random and can offer very little help. I have a fitness club membership and do spin classes twice a week when it gets cold because I hate riding in the cold. I work on the run usually, last year sucked because I got a bad case of PF two weeks before a November Marathon. To help your running stay on course, sign up for running events. The Topeka to Auburn run is a good one. It's in January when it's nice a and warm, it's nice and hilly too. Probably 2nd hilliest in the area next to Hospital Hill.

I've wanting to try Jorge's winter cycling program (it's somewhere here on BT, there's always a discussion about it starting on Oct/Nov maybe before).

I need to work on my swimming, I've been getting by on just 2 swims a week.

Another goal would be to sign up for the new years day 100x100's in Gladstone. That's 100 yards, 100 times on 100 seconds. So you need to swim lots to get to where you can complete that. They also have 75's as well.

Maybe you can set some distance goals from now until your first training program, like swim X yards, bike XX miles and run XXX miles etc.

I differ from Reece. Throughout the year, I follow a pretty specific plan focused on one or two races (and improving in each discipline). This includes everything from consistent HR training and VO2Max tests in an Exercise Physiology lab. This is my background, and I looove the data... oh data...

But now I'm just running with a bit of biking for crosstraining, doing the HM training, but nothing crazy focused. After late November, I follow no plans and keep the intensity down. I usually mountain bike a lot, trail run some, start back up with strength training (heavy weight), and forget how to swim. Then in January, I start back up on the periodized block training.

I hope to keep all the disciplines going this winter. I did the bike training plan Reece referred to a few winters ago and saw some good gains. I hope to do some Trainer Road things this winter to stay motivated on the trainer, as well as keep going in the gym with the weights. I think they helped a lot this year.

What are the races everyone is planning for next year? I'm assuming IMKS will be a big one, along with other locals, but anything different? And no Honu for me, Pete. I'll have to find something in St. Lucia.
mark

I'm planning on doing IMKS 70.3 next year, will be going for sub 5 so that means I've got to get my run game on, hopefully stay injury free. Bike will have to be a notch up and need to swim more than twice per week. If I get my miles up and improve my nutrition, I think I can follow my random training plan and achieve the sub 5 hour barrier. Going for a Vegas spot would require much more structure and I'm probably not ready for that.

I'd like to do a destination race, Savageman or that Leadman 250K Tri in Bend, OR

Maybe I'll volunteer for IMChooChoo, see how that goes then sign up for 2015.

I'll probably do the 5150 again next year along with Shawnee Mission.

I don't go into full-blown off-season mode until late November through the new year. Right now I'm focusing on a fall marathon/HM. I use the off-season time as a mental break from the previous 11 months of trying to get some sort of workout in every day. My workouts move away from the daily "I should" or "have to" stress of working out to a more relaxed approach. Aside from that I still try to maintain a balanced approach to all three disciplines. I've done some of the same things Patrick and Mark mentioned. I also up my strength training - mostly out of enjoyment not for specific tri related reasons. Last fall I took advantage of some down time and took my mountain bike out and did some actual mountain biking with it (I subsequently learned that I do not belong or have no business on anything rougher than a katy trail).

This got me thinking (sorry for the side track): why the lack of triathlons in the area after August? I always thought you could move a race like Meltdown and Mayhem/Lawrence Tri to September and get more participation than what they currently have since there are some races that are on back to back to back weekends. The possibility for cold/warm/rainy weather can't be any worse than some of the mid-May races (as those who've raced Branson before will attest to).



Edited by Barkeep 2013-09-11 11:59 AM

Me too Reece. I think it might be stretch for me, but I'd like to get close.

I'm contemplating a very early season 70.3 as my first foray into the distance. Either the 70.3 in New Orleans, Galveston or Florida in mid April. My thinking is that this will help focus my winter training as I would start a 20 wk plan in early December. Problem I'm running into is that it takes my "off season" / base season to almost nothing. Still tinkering with that. I want to do this distance just as a "bucket list" thing and mainly work toward focusing on the Olympic distance improvements. I have some 2-3 year goals on that distance I'm working toward.

As of right now, I have no "A" race determined. I'm signed up for ITU Chicago in late June. I tentatively plan to do the KC Tri (as a lighting team member I'm sure I'll have tons of benefits), I would also like to do a 5150 to try to see if I can somehow/someday qualify by being top 15 in my AG (still a ways away). I'm guessing that KS 5150 will conflict with KC and Saint Louis 5150 will conflict with ITU Chicago.

Wondering this myself....I skipped the Jackson County and Paola completely because I was focused on my #1 race. Now that it's over, I feel like I've still got some gas in the tank but other than Branson there's nothing I know of anywhere close. Would have been nice to have the Lawrence, or one of the Elite Cycling events in September or even into early October.

Agree with you guys, we should have a Mid-September race around here!

I still have a few items left for 2013.... 9/21 Tough Mudder, 9/29 Sedalia Duathlon, and 11/9 Pilgrim Pacer half marathon.

After the half-marathon I plan on taking it easy until December. I will continue with the BarryP running plan and hopefully continue to stay injury free while slowly building the mileage up. My main focus over the winter will be improving my bike. This will be my 2nd winter using an indoor trainer, this past winter I really didn't have much of a plan and it was hard to stay motivated cycling in the garage listening to 810. My itty bitty living room will now be my cycling pain cave. I am hoping the Netflix and using a HRM will keep me a more focused.

As far as 2014 goes, I plan on hitting most of the local duathlon races again and improving in my 3rd year of multi-sport. Just made the jump from an entry level roadie to a tri bike yesterday. The plan is next fall to "dive" into the world of TRIATHLON. I really can't swim.... I'm talking thrashing freestyle with head out of the water for maybe 50m to save my life.... can't tread water.... or float...

Sept 21st Redman Full and 1/2 Iron in Oklahoma City.

Did the half last year and doing the half again this year. Probably one of the best put on races besides Hy-Vee.

Oh, and there is no such thing as offseason! However, I do like picking 1 sport and working on that a little extra. Grab a CX bike and go outside all winter, plus some brutal trainer sessions! Not to mention, my favorite time to run, bar none, is during snow, especially an early evening snow. Magical!!

What'd you get? We need pictures!!!!

Trainer Road is the best $120 (per year) I've spent in triathlon without a doubt. I takes out all of the guess work and "focus". You're either hitting your power target (virtual power target, that is) or you're not. Your improvements are real and measurable. Couple that with Sufferfest videos (not essential but help make it fun) and I've had no problem finding motivation to ride in my pain cave ever.

If you are between the two, you MUST do Wisconsin. I mean - hands down.
You'll pay more and drive more (but it's totally drive-able at ~12 hours - oops, for me in Wichita. More like 9 for KCers) and just does not compare.  

Plus the roads at Redman are awful. People get past that, sure, but for 112 miles I'd rather have the Tour de France like atmosphere! 

Here's a video a BTer took on one of the hills at IMWI. It's almost exactly how I remember it.

Edited by lisac957 2013-09-11 3:43 PM

Still got the Redman Half to go this year too. Then a few cyclocross races where I'll try not to tear the tires off the rims every race, a few 5ks and maybe a half marathon, next season might even be the year I get in the pool more than an hour per week.

Regarding the Redman full, that's a four lap run...out and back...four times...past the same stuff...8 times, no thanks.

I got a new mountain bike and plan to hit some.trails this fall. SIgned up for KC half marathon and will run with a group on the weekends and I'm sure do some toad rides as weather permits. I swim with reece at the gym and try to do some spin classes too. Really, I try to enjoy my fall before I vet back to a training session in January. Doing Hawaii 70.3 at the end of May. I'm sure I'll throw in some.spring half marathons and maybe the KS.5150 too prior to Honu

KC Half Marathon, and then two weeks later (Nov 2) my unicorn...Florida IM!

I took this season off due to a new addition to the family. I'm doing KC Full marathon next month then I'm gonna purchase a indoor trainer and hit it hard on all aspects. Mostly do local events next year sprint and oly. Might try a 5150 next year. But I missed tri's this year and can't wait to get back to the grind.

Let me know if you do this... I might be up for the challenge. With all of my swimming, I've never done that before.

Do you ever do any of the century rides around here? I think I might do the one next week up in Leavenworth.

I'm interested in this too. Reece, do you have a link ? I couldn't find any info on it.

I'm racing RiverRoux 70.3 in Louisiana on 11/9 (12 hour drive from Wichita), then Ironman Texas in May, so I'm hoping that will be enough motivation to keep me training during the winter. Lots of trainer time, lots of swimming, and I'll run outside whenever it's not icy. I actually love running during the winter when it's cold outside.

Well, a bit late on the followup....but..... Redman was pretty darn nice this year I thought.

Couple of major positives:
1. Water level was way way up. Weather was perfect.
2. A bunch of the roads were fixed up from last year. Several long stretches of very nice roads.
3. Aid stations were much better stocked than last year (also wasn't as crazy hot). The volunteers were awesome.

Couple of negatives:
1. The roads still kinda suck. Some part really really suck. Like I would not ever ride that road if it wasn't a race suck.
2. They put up cones to mark lanes on the 4 lane roads. Tons of cones, great, right? Well, they also put a cone up in the center of the "bike" lane to keep cars out. Being up near the front on the bike it was clear for me and they were manageable to avoid, but as it was more congested farther back, there were some very bad crashes. Completely unnecessary ER visits and ruined races. This was an inexcusable mistake and a major failure on their part.
3. They didn't list shirt sizes would be sex specific. That was fine for me, but bunches of the womens had shirts that were nowhere close to a size they could wear, and wouldn't allow exchanges until every single person had finished....

Honestly, I still like the race, they try so darn hard, but they messed up big this year with the cones. They honestly need to work on a new bike route. I hope they get their act together...I want to want to do this race again, but I think I'll look try and find something else before going at it a 3rd time...