you should be fine if you take it easy...

You could always do it as a training event. Use it for tweaking any little things you think need it.

I had planned an OLY 2 weeks before an IM but have changed that plan, as I will be RD'ing the event again.

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Proud member of the Guru Cartel, EH!

Doesn't sound crazy...

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Don't hold back

Good question, I am in the same exact position, doing Eagleman and would love to use Columbia as a tune-up. However, not sure that I want to "go easy." I am actually not sure what that means in terms of racing anyway. Thanks for asking the question, I am going to pay attetion to what people have to say.

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Portside Athletics Blog

Do it. Then go out and do the course again after the race.

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Some are born to move the world to live their fantasies...

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Excellent idea. Race it hard.

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"Yeah, no one likes a smartass, but we all like stars" - Thom Yorke


smartasscoach.tri-oeiras.com

Columbia is the perfect tune-up for Eagleman, but if you're not going to race it, why bother? If you enter a race - RACE!!! I can't think of a single possible negative of racing an Olympic-distance race 3 weeks before a HIM. Go for it!

It baffles me why people are so scared of racing. Race it and hammer all out. 1 week is lots of time to recover from Olympic distance. 3 weeks is an eternity. You only get good at RACING by RACING. Don't dilly dally and "hold back" this will make you mentally soft. Race hard so you are in pain for the whole thing and stay there for the whole race. Regardless of the race, you have only 2 hours of glycogen burning in you (whether it is Ironman, marathon, half Ironman, olympic), so for Olympic distance, you can pretty well push hard for the whole thing. Every 5 seconds ask yourself if you are going hard enough. If you can actually maintain a conversation, you are going too easy.

Years ago, we got faster by racing often and racing hard. Like cyclists, we were "race hardened". The times 15 to 20 years ago were way faster than they are now. Most of you dudes need to get out of "training mode" and actually race more.

Dev

Alright, I am in Vapor Trail, how about you?

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Portside Athletics Blog

Have you raced at Oly distance before ? If so how long did you take to recover afterwards ?

If you recover reasonably quickly then blast the Oly and you will be fine - it will be a good sharpener for the half. If you recover more slowly then treat the Oly as a training brick and take it relatively easy.

Race hard so you are in pain for the whole thing and stay there for the whole race.

Yeah! Let's hear it for the pain threshhold training. Maybe this is why people turn to Ironman. It may take forever but the "self-enforced pain" is not there. I can't speak for the "enforced pain" that comes from a silly event that most people shouldn't do, but Olympic distance always feels hard.

That said, I would race and O-Distance on Saturday and then resume normal training on Monday. It's not a big deal. Doug race Armed Forces tri and went two hours flat the week before the inaugural IM Utah. Obviously the race was shortened, but he finished 19th overall at Utah with something like the 6th fastest bike split.

Racing often would be nice if we could all sleep in our own bed and drive to the event on race morning.

Chad

I have to agree with Dev. Go hard and enjoy the racing!

You can recover from anything in three weeks and it will be good race practice for the HIM. The stress on your body might even have a positive effect in terms of adaption leading into your last weeks of training/taper before the big event.

Have fun and good luck!

Its a really good idea and I would normally plan this in my own program. Make sure you look after your feet as this is one area that most people don't think about with close races and end up regretting it. Blisters that are bad enough will stop you from running for along time and with close races thats not good. Make sure you are training for the half and not the olympic!

Thanks for the input!

Done deal. I'm in.

I did an OLY 1 week before a full IM. Pace



dave

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

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Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

Chad, I agree with you that it helps if you can sleep in your own bed. Check out my options for next year. I can pick from 13 races in 14 weekends all within a short drive:

http://forum.slowtwitch.com/...;;page=unread#unread

I did Columbia before Eagleman on '04 as my first half. Race your heart out at Columbia and do the same at Eagleman, you'll do great.

Good luck...see you there at both in '06

Dev is completely right here.... if you show up to a race...frickin race. And 3 weeks before a HIM?? I thought this thread was a joke.... like sarcasm or something, I was expecting a funny diatribe.

An Olympic ONE week before an HIM is perfect. If you are thinking about having to recover for 3 weeks, you are doing something terribly wrong my friend.

Trev

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Trev Williams
http://www.thedoctrine.ca

Do it! Go hard. 3 weeks is plenty of time, and racing makes you TOUGH ;-)

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"How bad could it be?" - SimpleS

That's great. Sounds like you speak from experience. Having never completed a HIM distance event I thought it wise to seek advice from those that had, so my post was no joke. I never implied I'd do anything but race if I did the Columbia tri--don't know where you or Dev got the impression I was looking to go easy.

We didn't get that impression from your post, but from some of the board's responses.



Hammer it !!



Trev

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Trev Williams
http://www.thedoctrine.ca

I agree. Give it a full race effort. Just limit your "taper" to a couple easy days; don't take a week to rest up for Columbia. Rest one day after and get back into your training for the half.

yep. race it. i know a few ironman pros who do olys 3 weeks out from ims and have had great races doing so.