Closely spaced HIMs

[Deleted User]

 I'm planning to sign up for Vineman 70.3 (my first HIM), but I'm also tempted to do Calgary 70.3. Unfortunately, these two are spaced 14 days apart, and my gut intuition says that signing up for both might be a bad idea. For all you long course racers, what is the "minimum" time you'd suggest between HIM races? I suppose that I could use Vineman as a RR for Calgary, but I understand that the recovery cost between an actual RR and a full race is probably not the same.

Beth_S

A few years ago, Matt Sullivan did two halfs (Racine, Steelhead) two weeks apart. If I remember correctly the first was fantastic, the second was a little painful, and two halfs that close together take the equivalent toll of a full ironman on your body.

talltim

I agree with what Beth said.

FWIW, you might not want to consider this for your first HIM experience. If you have done several 70.3 events, then it might be a more interesting experiment.

Last, I'd say that (as RnP or other WSMs also might) that this is probably not the recepie for optimal race performance. If you want to do the races just to do them and see how your body reacts, that is one thing -- but I would definitiely not go into the races expecting top notch performance, esp. the second one.

In my N=1 experience, at least 4 to preferably 6 or so weeks between HIM events to get good/decent performances at each. Shorter than that and you end up making compromises on one or both.

[Deleted User]

Thanks for the input everyone. That's pretty much what I'd expected to hear, and makes me a lot less likely to sign up for a race on a whim.

GMAN 19030

I'm doing Texas 70.3 and NOLA 70.3 with three weeks in between. Two weeks might be a stretch. Not sure I'd do another on that short of a turnaround.

Wiseman

I did NOLA and Charleston HIMs 13 days apart, better race on second one. 2 weeks is plenty of recovery if you manage it properly.

jhbinsc

Doable but you really need to focus on recovery in the 2 weeks in between. I recommend an ice bath at the finish line! I used to do this a few years back when I'd race both White Lake, NC half Saturday and then the sprint Sunday to get points for the series and managed to even place in AG at sprint despite the fatigue. I went to big box hardware store and bought a tub large enough to crouch in then bought bags of ice on way to race and would fill tub half with lake water and keep ice in cooler besides tub until I finished then put ice in tub and voila! I was the envy of half the finishers! Probably could have charged admission when I was done. REALLY makes a huge difference in stiffness/soreness in legs.

Good luck!

Dave Tallo

Is Calgary during Stampede? If yes, treat Vineman as your A race, recover like a madman, and treat Calgary as a fun destination race with greatly diminished expectations.

david ware

No reason you can not hold a peak for 2 weeks. Rest and recover after the first for a few days, do some short, quick intervals to keep the speed the following weekend and retaper into the 2d race as per the plan. You will do great!