Race Simulation Day

kens1964

So as of next week I will be starting my 12 weeks of training for Ironman Cozumel, jumping in on week 9 of the EN Ironman Training Plan.  Question: I was one of the athletes participating in this year's IM Muncie 70.3 that got shorted to olympic distance because of the heat.  As a result I have a voucher to put toward next year's IM Muncie, but I can also use it toward IM Branson 70.3, a race that is just down the road from where I live (about 40 miles to the south).  IM Branson is September 23rd and Cozumel is November 25th.  I am an experienced triathlte--have done 5 halfs and one full, lots of sprints and olys, but would consider my fitness and abilities at intermediate level.  The race simulation day is 1 hour swim, 4 hour bike, 1 hour run--pretty close to my half-ironman time that ranges from 5 1/2 to 6 1/2 hours depending on the course (Branson would be on the harder side).  Should I use my voucher toward the Branson race?  I don't mind holding back on the intensity to keep it closer to Ironman rather than half-ironman simulation.  Or, here is another option: Branson has an Aqua-Bike 70.3 (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike only), and I could sign up for that race, then run one hour on my own (since a half-marathon is probably about 2 1/4 hours running in a 70.3 race for me, longer than the recommended 1 hour simulation).  Then, I could use the voucher toward next year's Muncie race.

 

Thanks for your opinion

mgraffeo

Ken, it's all just a game, so there's no right or wrong answer here. That said, the race sim will be a lot more specific than Branson, and running 60 min vs. 135 min is a BIG difference in terms of recovery cost (ie. doing Branson is likely to affect 3-7 workouts the following week). If you are indifferent, I'd say skip it entirely and just do the race sim.

That said, I did an HIM-aquabike about a month out from IMLP a few years ago, and found it a nice change of pace. No holding back, IM-style ride, it was just 2.5 hrs of hard work! Much less recovery cost than a HIM.

Peter Greagg

x2 what Mike said.
It's the running that has by far the biggest recovery cost.