Am I crazy?? Should I do IM 70.3 Buffalo Springs
Ok I need someone to tell me this is crazy (or not) or I may just go do it. There is the IM 70.3 Buffalo Springs June 24th. I've never done a triathlon, but according to last years results the bike and run (50 mile bike, 14 mile run) I had this weekend would put me 1st in my age group and this after my highest volume week ever. The question is should I do the race?
A little about me, my training ride was only my 5th time riding a bicycle, since the age of 12 and I'm seeing big gains quickly. I consider myself a runner, I need to play around more with running off the bike, but the run time of the 1st in AG last year is about 16 min slower than my training run, which I figure I will slow down more after the first two legs, but 16 min is a lot of time. The swim is really my weakness. Overall I've been trianing with a 70.3 in mind the last 2.5 months (before I got my bike a lot of time on the stationary)
Is 70.3 completely crazy as my first triathlon? I think the big pull for me is its my last year in the 18-24 age group and there is not much competition in that range, and the big one there is a Kona & Vegas qualifying spot.
*Edit* Buffalo springs 70.3 is June 24th
Comments
In my opinion, if you have both the time and the disposable income, why not? Buffalo Springs is a tough race, but you sound like you like a challenge. Be aware, though, that there are some big hills on the bike, so make sure your bike handling is up to par. You have plenty of time to keep training for this one, and I would suggest you enter at least one shorter triathlon closer to home for practice, just so you are familiar with the flow of transition, etc. Have fun!
I say for for it...IF you are physically ready. If you are wondering, "can I finish?", you probably aren't ready. If you are wondering, "can I place in my age group?", then I would guess you would be just fine (unless you are the world's most unrealistic optimist!).
The cool thing about being under 25 is that you can get away with all sorts of crazy stuff in the name of having fun. I don't think any of us old(er) folks should even consider trying to dissuade you from taking a leap - that's what being young is for! We've learned over the decades to be practical, and look where it got us.
Just don't permanently hurt yourself by bikiing to fast downhill or trying to go too hard, too fast, too soon.
You my friend are the man.
Hey Jenna,
Cool! Nice to see another young person around here (I'm M20-24)
. I think fitness-wise, you should be okay. In other words, you'll probably be able to finish and do reasonably well. I do agree that it's a good idea to do a shorter race as preparation. There are things you'll learn from doing your first tri that you just won't learn any other way. Having mental confidence on race day makes a huge difference in how you feel and how well your day goes. Good luck!
Jenna, will be nice to meet you there. This will be my second time at Buffalo Springs and my 9th/10th?? HIM.
Behind St. Croix, Buffalo Springs is arguably one of the most difficult HIMs and definitely something I think you should go after. Loads of experience/learnings to be gained from a race like this.
If possible, practice riding hills both up and down and incorporating your Power strategy per the guidance set forth in "Racing with Power" found in the EN Wiki.
Additionally, practice your fueling strategy and be prepared to fuel on the high end of sodium requirements. I find I need about 900-1,000 mg of sodium/hour at Buffalo Springs on a day when temps are typically 90-95 degrees F.........
I also find I can only handle about 100-120 cal / hr during the run leg of that race due to the intensity/heat at that time.......
I also am careful to walk the aid stations to make sure I get as much water in my body as possible as I go through because I am sweating buckets normally......
The lake is spring fed and holds the same water temp all year round. So far, every year has been a wetsuit legal year.....
If needed, I have reserved a block of rooms for others as well.............
Follow the guidance in the haus and you can race Buffalo Springs in confidence.
Welcome,
SS
I would like to do a sprint before it, but I'm kind of in the middle of nowhere and there is nothing around here between then and now.
It sounds crazy to me when I say it, but I feel like my body is saying I could do it
Go for it! What's the worst that could happen? You probably won't die and with the right attitude you might even have fun
.
Most importantly, we have the skillz, as a team, to bring you several races up the learning curve before you even start the race, especially long course triathlon. Just ask questions, crawl through all the resources of Race Central, and learn.
I have just enough time to build and do some race simulations, I'm confident I can finish it, but more than that I think I can be competitive in my AG.
Thanks everyone, you rock!
What you have going for you is that guys and gals in you AG are notorious for executing very, very poorly the longer and harder the race is. Old guys like me smoke many, many younger guys.
"Old age and trechery beats youth and exuberence every time."
Girls generally get smarter faster than boys so I expect 25yo girls are marginally smarter than 24yo but 25-29yo boys are still pretty stupid. For you, that boys vs girls delta could be a good or bad thing, depending on your "goals" but I imagine as a 24yo you've been in the trenches for a while already.
But what do I know, I become invisible ~14yrs ago when I turned 30...