Thanks for the compliments. There was a time when I really enjoyed writing, my profession is very technical, so as a result I often fear that I am losing my "writing chops."

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Way to represent NOLA. Good to see we had some KQ from here.
I too worry that never getting consistent climbing practice limits the races I am capable of competing in, but at least we have heat acclimation checked.

PM me Zilla, do we know each other?

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Don't limit your mind....you can get plenty of climbing practice anywhere. Just get on a trainer and crank up the wattage. Meanwhile get your weight low. That's 98% of climbing preparation. The final part is gearing. If need be do the climbing training on the trainer at 75-80 RPM if you won't have enough gearing in real life and stick a telephone book under the front wheel to simulate the front of your saddle higher than the rear. That gets you to 99.5%. The final 0.5% is the fact that your bike rocks outdoors and won't on the trainer. Climbing is simply about watts per kilo. Nothing else matters that much. You don't need any climbing specificity to climb well if your watts per kilo are taken care of. You can do that, anywhere in the world....the cabbage and water Macca approved diet can be helpful. In extreme cases the Eganski approved tapeworm diet to drop the denominator some more before race day :-)

I am with you 100% on the bike, the running however is where it would help to actually have a bit of topography somewhere with 50 miles.

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Yes, on the run you need downhills somewhere. Your best bet is the Precor Treadmills that have a 3% downhill at some gyms. One year training for Boston marathon, I did a weekly 39 min 10K run on a minus 4% decline on my treadmill by jacking up the back end of the treadmill with some books. I did not have any hills that were were long or gradual enough, just shorter steeper hills and I wanted to get used to running with high foot speed for a long time....2:59.52 was my final time :-). So if you have no downhills, this is your best option. Make sure your treadmill motor can handle it as it has to lift your entire body weight up the treadmill on every stride. I had a fan running on my motor to keep it cool.

Awesome idea. If I BQ as planned, I will keep that one in mind for sure.

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Great read Jim! As you know, I competed in my first tri this year. But what you didn't know is that my motivation came after I was called "too old" to be considered a top flight rugby referee. Nevermind that I was 37 at the time and had passed the required fitness tests, this really irked me. Thanks to my sister and your words of encouragement, I jumped head first into this crazy world of triathlons. I finished that sprint race and did ok: 2nd for first timers (30-39) and 4th best novice male (35-39). My wife and two kids were there cheering me on as if I, too, were at Kona. In fact, my kids ran with me to the finish line. Needless to say, I'm hooked and want to thank you for what you have done for me. Cheers bud!

Enjoy the ride Tev, it is a fun lifestyle, especially when the family is right there with you. I hope to toe the line with you at Nola 70.3.

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