Robin sarner. Add cozumel 2013 ???
don't show my wife this discussion. 
signed up for texas and tremblant 2014. I think both good kona chances. perhaps especially tremblant based on my finish in 2012. and the times from this year. but I will give texas by best. despite my size, I feel I have a good relative hot run in me.
(by the by. I mind talking about it too openly, but kona is the goal. thought Canada was going to be it but it wasn't. I think I have a realistic chance. apparently I am a slow learner though because I still seem to have a problem getting the maximum from my brain and body in both the bike and the run. up to nine irons. Dave Tallo, did you say 15 was the charm for you? as many of you have heard from me, I am from Maui originally. just have this strong drive to race up to Hawi, look over to Haleakala (mountain) on Maui (on whose slopes I lived), and say I have come home. as for all of us, there is life outside of iron training. I try to balance the goal with having a non-iron life (middling successful). it is hard. how long to keep chasing the goal. etc. so I don't mean to sound elitist or anything when talking about the kona thing. just where I am at and what I am trying to do. thanks for listening. now back to the show.)
three irons last year. two this year. had planned for a good long rest and then bring it for texas in 2014. but you turkeys have me thinking about Cozumel for this coming December 2013.
cons::: my brain and body probably needs a rest. then some bike building until the iron build with OS and bike commuting. maybe some cyclocross and mountain bike racing. am I overtrained from these last two seasons? body needs some serious downtime? Need to get a good solid OS under my belt to get the ftp back up. damage my 2014 season.
pros:::: but I like to iron race and don't like to be waiting so long for the next race. Cozumel 2013 and the brief build would be good foundation for the future. I feel pretty good one week from Canada. apparently I undercooked it in Canada despite the run gi issues. if I raced Cozumel, I could do three weeks down after, OS for around 8 weeks, two weeks down, then 10 week build to texas. with race tapers and race recovery, almost get more rest racing then doing the long race training thing. kona chance::: as for texas, if I bring my A possible bike (my good absolute power) and do a good hot run relative to the rest of the field, perhaps a chance in Cozumel.
thanks for reading and your thoughts.
Comments
My thoughts for you...Coz doesn't sell out early. I registered in June for this year. So do Texas and sign up for Coz only if you don't KQ and feel that you were able to handle the heat well.
Sorry Paul and all. Meant to be asking should I be doing Cozumel this year.
already done two irons this year. I have the two for next year. Should I be doing Cozumel in three months from now???
So the other option is iron florida 2013. There is the race company through which i can enter.
http://www.endurancesportstravel.com/race.asp?content=13-IM-FLORIDA
I say go for it!
Pro's... 3 months to recover and prepare. Another shot at KONA. More experience in a hot race can only help in IMTX. Oh and you get to go to Cozumel.
Con's... training for IMCOZ and IMTX in cold weather (I know you do mostly trainer but still) not much down time for mental and physical recovery or your OS.
I did something very similar last year. IMMT, IMCOZ, and IMTX...... It worked very well from a training perspective and I felt 100% or better at each race.... Since I was mostly outside for IMMT training was less structured but was very happy with fitness and race at IMMT... IMCOZ was very structured with a lot of inside work and felt great, big fat DNF due to things I dont understand but that happens... Quick recovery due to the DNF... then some downtime with lots of swimming... Very short OS of around 6 weeks bumped my FTP just a couple above the previous year... IMTX was extremely structured with an 18week build and worked very well.....
I feel somewhat FTP limited at this point and you may feel the same since you have been at this for a while. I'm happy with just a couple points bump per year and parlaying that fitness into longer sustainable power. I like your plan of 8 week OS. I will say I'm looking forward to ending my season early Nov this year instead of early Dec like last year. So it does add up and take its toll mentally. After IMFL I'm planning 6 weeks total of down unstructured training, 12 weeks OS , 10 week build to IMTX.
If you decide to race Coz....
Swim- Work your swim- I think the swim here is needed to win or place- add 5 minutes to whatever you think your capable of with no wetsuit for the current.... 1:10?
Bike- work aero position for 5hrs- it will be windy and fast and need to stay aero- need to be very close to 5hrs here to be in the money.
Run- survive the heat and go sub 3:30 like we know you can and you should end up top 3.
Nutrition and prep--- last year there was a GI bug that went around the island race week , do everything in your power to avoid raw foods with skins or possibly washed with unclean water like salsa's , salad's etc , unbottled water, ice cubes . Stick with packaged, cooked ,stuff you can control to avoid possible sickness... From what I understand the water is good and usually not an issue, I ate everything and I do not believe it was an issue for me but why take the chance.
1. Do you have both the physical and mental energy to keep training right now and make a go of it at Coz?
2. Do you have both the physical and mental energy to race Coz then TX only a few months afterwards? At that point you're looking at a year of unbroken race builds, right?
3. If you really blow it at Coz (e.g. Cronk), will you have the mental fortitude to get right back on the horse for TX?
4. Is it worth whatever capital you'd be building in your non-iron life at this time of year (if you care about that...sounds like you may care less than most)?
and, perhaps critically,
5. Are you putting so much pressure on yourself to perform at this point in your KQ quest that you are sub-optimizing your races? The Ancona example comes to mind here. He turned in a set of disappointing performances (for him) and so did a total reset including a year of no IM before coming back to win M3034 at IMAZ last year.
I don't remember how close you were to KQ at IMMT last year but if you think that is your best chance then you'll probably want to make sure you peak for that. It might mean skipping TX if you do Coz. You may want to consider focusing on 1-2 key areas where you want/need to improve vs. being in a race build mode all the time.
All that said, this can certainly be done. Cronk appears to be the poster boy for racing IM nonstop and managed to do what you are trying to do with the exact same combination of races.
matt and tim and paul. thanks much for the thoughtful responses.
by the by, florida is accessible with a different travel company Paul H. turned me on to. regardless, too short a turn around for that one. and less qual chance as you say tim.
i'll think more the next 1-2 weeks. leaning towards standing down and concentrating on texas, then tremblant if need be. jumping into Cozumel would be more of the same. just waiting for the races next year would be a change and a chance to relax and slowly get back into it.