Okay, my two A races for 2007 are Eagleman (1/2 IM) in June and the NYC Triathlon (Olympic) in July. Eagleman will be my first 1/2 IM, although I did the bike & run as part of a relay team this year (my third team mate dropped out at the last second forcing me to do the bike and run segments). I’m shooting for sub-5hr at Eagleman and 2:16 at NYC.
I’m already signed up for the Columbia Triathlon (Olympic dist) in May as a prep race. The swim is my weakest leg, so I want to get more race experience heading into my priority races. I’d like to add another prep race to my calendar. Right now, I see three choices:
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Saint Anthony’s on 4/27. As I see it, the biggest pro in doing St. Anthony’s is that it will give me more experience in a choppy swim with lots of bodies everywhere. Also, great chance to practice my transitions in race conditions. Downside: Cost associated with travel (I’m local to NYC).
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Bassman Triathlon. This is a short Olympic distance race (1/2 mile swin, 29 mi bike, 4 mi run). It would be less crowded and the swim would be in a lake which isn’t as practical since my priority races are in rivers with chop/current. Pro: close and cheap.
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Devilman on 5/7. This is a local 1/2 IM, although I wouldn’t do the full race. I’d only do the swim and bike and perhaps 1 mile of the run to get a feel for the transition. As I see it, the upside is the length of the workout, especially the swim and the bike. Downsides: The swim is in a lake. Also, I wouldn’t get the full “triathlon” experience since my plan would be only to do a short transition run. I figure running anything more than a mile would take too much out of me heading into my peak races.
Any thoughts?