Yet another 2011 season thread. How do you decide what's a SMART choice?

William Jenks

Hey all-

I joined in April 2010, so no real out-season in prep for this year. Nonetheless, I had a super result for my A-triathlon, which was Steelhead 70.3.  I set a 20 min PR and placed higher than I've ever done in a big race (9/149 in 45-49 AG).  Fair to say, it was a breakthrough race for me.

I am looking forward to a real out-season and another good season in 2011.

But what I am trying to figure out is whether I ought to spend a year or two still trying to get faster at the 70.3 distance, or whether to jump in for another IM (my first having been IM WI in 2009).  In other words, am I better off consolidating and still trying to get faster at the same 70.3 distance?  Emotionally, the IM sounds like more fun, but it's a big commitment obviously, and I plan on racing for a number of more years - it will still be there.  So I want to do the smart thing, and an IM every year is probably not in the cards...or at least it wasn't as of when I did it the "old fashioned way" in 2009.  It's probably a pipe dream, but boy would it be cool to be competitive for a Kona slot the year I turn 50.... (2014)  i feel very lucky to still be setting actual lifetime bests both in running and tri at my age.  (Probably says more about my 20s than anything else, but that's another subject...)

If I do  an IM, it will almost certainly be WI again.  The time of year and location make it work for me much better than almost anything else.  (No obvious reason to drive so far to go to Louisville, which is similar time of year.)  And maybe I could redeem myself from a slightly disappointing performance there.  If I do IM WI, I would probably pair it with an early season 70.3 like KS.

If I don't do an IM, KS 70.3 (or similar time/location) and another half later in the season would probably be the A-race agenda for the year.  

Any thoughts from the wise?

Thanks!

 

mattsull

I think you should do IMWI in 2012 because I'm probably doing it next year and we're in the same age group. Just sayin'.

Seriously, I don't think there is a SMART answer to this. You will be ready to crush either a HIM or full IM next year after an OS and training program. I think it boils down to what is going to work better with your personal life. I don't think there is a huge difference in training time between the half and full programs but IM is such a big endeavor, in general. IM will always be there like you said.

Nemo Brauch

What Matt said. Your body will respond to the work, the question is if your head is going to be able to stay in the game for a second year in a row AND if your personal life can balance it. For some folks, it's just easy to keep doing IM after IM. For others (raising my hand here), my married life, work life, and relationship with friends all need a break from IM. So every-other-year is what I've been able to do to keep the balance.

jetskr

The Cowgirls will be in pink bikini's on the IMWI 2011 course.  Just sayin... 

mancona

This is a game, which would you prefer to do? Which sounds more fun to you? If you have the ironman itch, do it, if not stick to HIM or something else. Either option is just as "smart" as you will be following the EN traning that will have you properly trained for either.

I really believe with the EN plans you are not giving anything up by doing either an IM or HIM. Both will have you do similiar work and continue to improve your fitness. To me the reasons to take a year off from an IM is personal/family (as Nemo said) or to focues on one thing.

The actual event cost for an IM is not that much more for you as you are driving anyway. The difference will be 4.5 hour long rides and 2.5 hour long runs in the IM plan, instead of 3:00 and <2:00 in the HIM plan. I just don't see a "ton" of difference in preparing to RACE a HIM vs Race a IM, however you can go out and wing a HIM on mimimal training, but that usually wont work with a IM.

William Jenks

Thanks. I guess I hadn't looked closely enough at the IM plans to see that they weren't more different than that. I knew that was about what the long stuff was, but didn't know the rest of it didn't go up a fair amount too.

And, yes, this was definitely a year off of IM for the same reasons as Nemo mentioned. Just thinking about whether to jump back in.

Last year, I got sucked into $200+ per night accommodations for IM WI. THAT was a major expense! :-) If I do it again, I'll have to figure out how to stay a bit further away and get myself in (and out of) the neighborhood on race day.

Coach Rich

WJ, good advice from everyone else. Bottomline, if it's fun, do it. If its not fun, don't do it.

A solid OS season followed by a season of 2-3 HIM's with sprints and olympics, as they come up, would be a blast and probably easier mentally as well. But it looks like EN will  have another solid crew at IMWI next year so there is that.

William Jenks

Yeah, and there's a local club that influences things too. Something like 20 of us drove the 7 hours to Steelhead this year. At least a dozen did WI in 2009.

I guess the interesting take I'm getting here (and really what I was looking for) is that no one seems to think there's a particular REASON to choose one way or another outside of what I want to do. Thanks for the feedback.