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Looking for recommendations on where I should stay the week leading up to IRONMAN Texas.
I'm from New Jersey so I'm flying into Houston on the 20th to get my last couple rides and runs in down there.
I don't know anything about the area and don't particularly need to be near the woodlands until race weekend, any advice from locals would be appreciated.
Looking to keep costs down as much as I possibly can so I was thinking about even camping at Sam Houston national forest to start then upgrading to an airbnb. That is unless some super kindly soul on here wants to put up a fellow triathlete for a few days.
Any knowledgeable input would be greatly appreciated
Any hotel in The Woodlands is probably going to be pricey during that week. I've actually looked into renting my place in the past when I saw some places going for 300 - 400 a night. This year I'll be participating and have family in, so that's a no-go. But, you can really stay in quite a few places and have relatively easy access to The Woodlands. Plenty of hotels around within 20 minute commute. Just be careful going south as you get closer to Beltway 8/Sam Houston Toll road, it gets to be a dangerous part of town. Conroe is probably a decent area to stay with a relatively short drive in.
In terms of rides and runs, I think you can probably get most of your taper stuff done inside The Woodlands community if you are going to be hanging around for check in, expo, etc.. Runs are easy as there are jogging paths everywhere. You could park at the Whole Foods or Northshore park on Lake Woodlands Drive and run from there. Or ride your bike down Lake Woodlands Drive to Sterling Ridge Drive then do the Branch Crossing/Terramont Loop. That's probably 18-20 miles and it's going to be low traffic and/or have a huge shoulder. Some stoplights that are annoying, but you are never too far away or venturing out into unknown territory. You always see people riding bikes in areas they probably shouldn't in the week leading up to the race (for example do not attempt to ride Woodlands Pkwy). That's a pretty safe little route I usually add on to shorter group rides that I used to take part in.
How far away from the woodlands would you consider? Houston is a big city
the world's still turning? >>>>>>> the world's still turning
I'd say an hour or so tops, probably going to get an airbnb close to the woodlands the night before the race but the week leading up I can be anywhere people recommend
Unless you've got some reason for being up to an hour away there's no real reason to do so. You should be able to a get a decently priced hotel or AirBNB reasonably close. Now, if you want to be close to the Sam Houston forest/trails, you should probably stay up in the Huntsville area which is about 30 mins north. However, I'm not sure what kind of pool availability there is up that direction.
As for training, look into some of the area's unfinished housing development communities. They have wide newly paved roads with no traffic and you can bike for hours uninterrupted. Until six weeks ago my neighborhood had miles of uninhabited roads but now the houses are starting to be built so construction vehicles are more prevalent, but there are plenty of areas around.
If you want something close to the woodlands but a bit cheaper, I'd advise that you find something in Conroe, Tx. It's about a 30 minute drive to the north. It keeps you out of Houston proper and there are a lot of good riding routes in the area.