Last night I did one of the Computrainer 40km courses for Triple T that I pulled off the race website.
Than was a mean little bitch, there must have been six 15% grades, I am down grading my expectations to survivalist from finish with style.
Are the bike courses really that nasty?
Andrew
Are the bike courses really that nasty?
Nope, they’re worse. 
Actually, none of the individual courses are super tough (difficult yes, but certainly doable by a BOP’er like me), but the accumulation of them over the weekend is what makes it so incredibly difficult. I was worried about the Thompson Rd hill in the first race of day 2, but that was nothing compared to what I had to deal with the rest of the weekend. In the second race of day 2, I almost cried when I saw the hills I had to get up. During the 1/2 IM on day 3, everyone is truly just in survival mode. It reminds me of the 2nd loop of the ironman run where you’re just grunting it out.
As Dawn said, it’s the accumulation of things that gets to you. Have you done any IM’s yet? That is the kind of fitness you want going in to Triple T, or at least the fitness you have about 8 weeks out from an IM. The next most important thing for the weekend is proper fueling during and between races. Your body literally turns into a furnace. For me, as much liquid nutrition as I could tolerate was the ticket.
Sure there’s climbing on the bike, but the descents are an absolute blast (except for the one really sharp left at the bottom of a hill where people like to crash).
Oh and Triple T is absolutely GREAT prep for IMLP.
IMLP is my first ever so I thought Triple T would be a nice appetizer based on peoples reports from last year…I am really looking at it as a big training weekend so I will be trying to pace myself and not blow up.
That ride last night was motivating though…I’m about 85% of where I was hoping to be at this point so I have some time to get more hours on the bike…finally the weather is turning around here.
Thanks for the tips,
Andrew
Just pace it like you will IMUSA. Take it easy on the first and last races. If you plan on going 9 or 13 hours in lake Placid, break down the TTT and race at that effort.
It worked for me last year to a point that I was still able to have a nice race at the Rockman just two weeks after the TTT.
Dude, what were you doing on the CT? Are you some kind of masochist?
The weather has been great - nothing like real roads and wind in your face to get you ready!
See you in a little over a month at the TTT.
By the way - anyone else having trouble with the TTT website?
I know, I have problems Ian but I have been swamped with work and can’t get out in daylight often enough to get a good ride in…the CT may be the only thing that saves my ass this season.
This weekend may be my first ride outside…hopefully!
Andrew
Yeah that pesky “work” thing gets in the way doesn’t it.
Wouldn’t you know it, this weekend looks like cold and rain…no more shiny white P2K!
Stop it :-0…I will have to take out my dirty blue road bike…I am afraid of crappy weather…the CT doesn’t sound so bad now…climate controlled…TV, maybe a movie…maybe Sunday will give me a break…I am becoming a training weather pansy…what’s this HTFU?
Andrew
As others have said, not that bad. For a tri? Yeah, pretty awful. For a bike course - doable, but they do add up over the weekend. Don’t forget that the run is just as nasty IMHO. At least the swims are flat 
Were you a victim of the imfamous moving bouy in '06?
That’s the only thing that could make that weekend harder
jaretj
Yes, actually I was! Along with chasing that final buoy down (my swim times need NO help in that direction), the lovely gas taste/smell of jetski racing out to fix it as well …
Just hope the heat isn’t as bad as the last 2 years years (2 years ago was REALLY nasty - ask efernando about that)
to reinforce what rroof said: don’t focus on the bike course to the exclusion of the run course. i do trail races fairly often, and while the TTT run course would be a very, very easy trail run, as a triathlon course its hard for me to imagine that there a more than maybe 1 or 2 races in the USA with a harder run. very little of it is flat, portions of it are quite rough, and i was just blown away by how much it took out of me last year. do not underestimate this run.
i’m still praying i can show up. i’ve given myself one last chance. any more calf blowouts between now and memorial day weekend, and i’m stuck here in PA for that weekend. odds are maybe 50/50.
If anyone is close enough to come out and train on the course, I am heading to Shawnee on April 20 for some course training. PM me if interested.
Brian
Take Gordo’s advice and take it easy on Friday and Saturday and save yourslf for that run on Sunday. I did just that and it paid off big time on Sunday. I was passing people I never should have been passing on Sunday on that second loop. The more you have for Sunday the better you will be.
Man oh man, I can’t wait!!!
Great advice. I will have trouble controlling my urge to go hard in the shorter races, but advice like this will echo in my head.
Last year I watched people ride away from me on sunday and it was so hard not to follow.
I stuck to my wattage goals and had a good run (for me). I saw a lot of them again on the second loop.
I don’t want to give anyone a complex or anything but there are only 7 training weeks to go untill all of the fun
jaretj
Take Gordo’s advice and take it easy on Friday and Saturday and save yourslf for that run on Sunday. I did just that and it paid off big time on Sunday. I was passing people I never should have been passing on Sunday on that second loop. The more you have for Sunday the better you will be.
Man oh man, I can’t wait!!!
This really worked well for my wife & I in 2006. I’m a poor runner, but we paced such that we were able to run the final run and that kept us nicely in the race. In fact, the first run on Saturday was quite literally the easiest triathlon run I’ve ever done because of pacing. A 10k run at IM pace when you are fresh is really quite pleasant! I pushed a little too much Saturday afternoon and suffered on the 2nd run that day, but we were conservative again on Sunday and had a good 1/2IM for us on that course.
Keep in mind people rarely go under 5 hours for the 1/2IM on Sunday (those doing the Triple T) including folks that can knock out a 4 hour 1/2IM on a flat course. I was 70 minutes slower than my 1/2IM PR on Sunday and I had a respectable finish.
I have said it before. I don’t think that last year I finished any individual race faster than 20th place, maybe 19th. Yet when the times were added up I was 10th OA.
Take it easy and put otgether a good final day run.
Actually, what am I saying…all of you should go as hard as possible. Especially on Friday. If you aren’t going 30km/h+ going up that first hill you aren’t going fast enough.