I just committed to a crazy week-long mountain biking trip from Colorado to Utah with a couple of friends in August. The transaction is complete.
But before making travel arrangements, I can't help being tempted by the two Toughman half iron events (Utah and New Mexico) within a reasonable distance from where we'll be a day or two after we finish.
My judgment is totally warped right now... signing up for one of these half iron events seems like a pretty awesome thing to do, but it could easily be an incredibly dumb, expensive and logistically challenging idea (e.g. shipping two bikes back and forth from Boston).
I've never done anything remotely close to the daily 30-40 miles of mountain biking we're planning to do for a whole week. I have no idea how exhausted or banged up I'm going to get. I could get bitten by a rattlesnake, contract the hanta virus and/or get roasted alive from the heat. On the other hand, I could end up in amazing shape when I'm through, and I'll have that week to acclimate to the altitude and the heat before the race. It's probably worth mentioning that I'm also training for IM Maryland in October and was looking to add a half iron that gives me enough time to recover (my goal for the IM is modest: to complete without too much walking on the run). My friend who organized the trip is open to the idea of adding the Toughman too. Timing wise, it seems to make perfect sense.
Has anyone attempted anything like this? Great idea or instant regret?
But before making travel arrangements, I can't help being tempted by the two Toughman half iron events (Utah and New Mexico) within a reasonable distance from where we'll be a day or two after we finish.
My judgment is totally warped right now... signing up for one of these half iron events seems like a pretty awesome thing to do, but it could easily be an incredibly dumb, expensive and logistically challenging idea (e.g. shipping two bikes back and forth from Boston).
I've never done anything remotely close to the daily 30-40 miles of mountain biking we're planning to do for a whole week. I have no idea how exhausted or banged up I'm going to get. I could get bitten by a rattlesnake, contract the hanta virus and/or get roasted alive from the heat. On the other hand, I could end up in amazing shape when I'm through, and I'll have that week to acclimate to the altitude and the heat before the race. It's probably worth mentioning that I'm also training for IM Maryland in October and was looking to add a half iron that gives me enough time to recover (my goal for the IM is modest: to complete without too much walking on the run). My friend who organized the trip is open to the idea of adding the Toughman too. Timing wise, it seems to make perfect sense.
Has anyone attempted anything like this? Great idea or instant regret?