My 2013 season plan draft...input is welcome!!
Ok, my season plan has had some delay in coming together…reason being that my wife is expecting our third child at the end of June! Very happy news but it certainly makes the season plan quite complicated since my target race – Racine 70.3 – is no longer part of the plan.
Originally I was going to do Kansas 70.3 to try for another trip to Vegas then Racine for a PB. This no longer works. Racine with a 3-week old and two other kids (ages 5 and 8) running wild around the house is a nonstarter…I'd need to rob an SAU bank to fund that sort of move. Going to Vegas to race for a weekend is actually okay but training for it with all the weekend biking is probably impossible as well.
I am a very goal-oriented person so my next best option was to set my sights on setting a half-iron PB sometime in the late-May or June timeframe. The course for that is Eagleman. But Eagleman sold out before I registered. So I'm on the waiting list but not too hopeful that it will clear. One thing I can do is something "epic and cool that I'll remember for years to come"…the American Triple T in Ohio.
So my season as it now stands is as follows:
Part A – before end of June
- 3/16 Rock ' Roll Half Marathon (DC), "C race" but I've never raced an open half since I got serious about training so I'd like to do well.
- 4/7 Shamrock Shuffle 8k (Chicago), "C race"
- 5/17-5/19 American Triple T (Ohio), "B race"…for the experience and use as a volume injection ahead of a June half iron
- 6/9 either Eagleman 70.3 (MD) as an "A race" for the PB or Kansas 70.3 as a "B race" because I don't want to waste all my training!!
- 6/23 Pleasant Prairie Olympic-distance, as a "B race" with the goal of setting a PB and matching my 40:30 10k run from last year. Also to cheer on my dad as he tries to defend his AG title at that event!!
If I do Kansas I will make my goal a course PB since I did it last year in record-high temperatures and can improve for sure. But that goal isn't too aggressive. If I get a Vegas slot I'll know by then if my travel schedule at work is light enough to make weekend training feasible given my homefront situation. Overall making Kansas the "big half-iron race of the year" for me is a bit disappointing and I'd love to hear other ideas for options.
Part B – After the end of June…that will all depend on how much chaos actually happens at home and how much work travel I have. If I'm on the road a lot for work then tri training all morning on Saturday and early on Sunday will be impossible and I will consider going into run training for my first-ever marathon, targeting Chicago and also targeting a half-marathon PB along the way either at the Chicago R'nR Half or the Chicago Half Marathon in September. On the other hand if things are manageable at home I might try to stick with tri training and do Steelhead for a PB and/or Vegas.
Many of you know me and the sorts of races I do. If you have suggestions for other events or cool goals I can set and train for I'd love to hear them!
Cheers,
Matt
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That's an awesome season you have planned.
I'd love to do the American Triple T in Ohio, too. One day.
Have fun training!
Matt - don't have any more kids and then you can race your butt off when you are my age. Seriously though, congratulations! One option you might consider is the USAT National Duathlon Championship in Tuscon on 26 Oct. The standard race is only 5K-35K-5K. If my shoulder bothers me through IM Sweden, I'm going to head to Tuscon to qualify for ITU Worlds the following year ... and probably spend a year as a duathlete. That would reduce some of your time pressure and give you a goal.
@ Paul, you are a racing machine...your schedule last year was impressive not only based on the number of events, but also on the destination races...something to aspire to for sure...once there are no more kids in the house...!!
Matt - looks like a good plan especially with your growing family. One other suggestion for a fall marathon. Consider the Prairie State marathon in Libertyville, IL. It is the Saturday on the same weekend as the Chicago marathon, flat slightly rolling course, 500-600 racers and you can sign up almost right up to day of the race (with Chicago marathon you will have to sign up this winter since it sells out in a few weeks). So it gives you lots more flexibility about race selection if family life takes priority over marathon training. It is probably 40 minute drive from your house to the race start so not too far.
I ran again tonite and no problem with the heel. So I'm much more optimistic about the TTT than I was a few days ago. Still waiting for a reply from TTT race director if it is possible to switch races later this spring if I sign up for the TTT now.
Congrats on the upcoming addition to your family. I really was looking forward to hanging out with you for the hour or so before our heats started again this year at Racine, after everything that happened at that race last year, that was probably the highlight of my day!
I too am looking for a race at the beginning of June and had been looking at the weekends of the 1/2nd and the 8/9th.
Here is the list of half ironman's that I have come up with:
"Local" to the chicago area / driving
1st - Toughman half in Richmond IN ~ 4 hrs
9th - Cutting edge Effingham IL ~ 3:15
9th - Grand Rapids Tri in Grand Rapids MI ~ 2:45
Flights:
1st - Rock N Rollman Half - Macon GA
2nd- REV3 quassy - CT
2nd - Raleigh NC - sold out
8th - Boise
9th - Kansas
9th- Eagleman - Sold out
I am starting to seriously think about the rev3 in quassy...i've done the whole travel to a race thing, just trying to decide if that is going to be my first race back. It is starting to look like the 1st or 2nd of june might be the better weekend to race based on potential travel for work
-david
David S -- Nice to see you back on the forums... I'll take that it means your collar bone has healed up, and you are ready to work & race again. Are you doing the Jan OS? Thanks again for the great pics of IMWI 2012.
Some other "local events" (although not HIM) are the Galena duathlon on May 18, the Soldier Field 10 mile run on Memorial weekend, the Udder Century ride (100 mile ride from Union IL up to Wisconsin & back) on 6/2 and Leon's Oly in Hammond IN on 6/9. Also, Matt is signed up for & I'm 90% sure I'm signing up for the American Triple T on May 16-18 in southern OH. It is 4 races in 3 days (super sprint Fri evening, Sat am an Oly, Sat pm another Oly, Sun am HIM). Both of us would do it as a B event to build volume while doing something "cool & totally crazy".