Some people race a lot during the season, some race little. My body seems to respond best and give me my best results when I have lots of races on my schedule. Given this, I typically race 25+ time trials, ranging 10K to 40K, from April through September. This is a far cry from doing multiple LC events.
There’s been much discussion on this board about the demands of long distance triathlon vs short vs other sports. So, how does your body respond to the demands of racing. Who like lots of events vs one or two per year. What are the opinions out there on this? What’s the science?
I found that I am drawn to the longer, harder races. I have a tendency to get my best ideas while tapering or recovering. For example, I signed up for a 50 mile trail run 3 weeks after my first ironman, not my best idea. I did American Zofingen 4 weeks after a 24 hour Adventure Race. etc. etc…Oh and I should mention that I get pissy with myself when I do a race and I do crappy. So, through injuries and disappointments, I have learned to be selective about my long races. I need to allow adequate recovery and training ramp up time to enjoy my long races.
Then I did cyclocross this fall. OMG. I raced 1-3 times per weekend (after AmZof). I love the short fast stuff and I had some really good races. (Except for hitting the pole and separating my shoulder).
So, I picked two long races, Triple T and Moo, that were spaced far apart. I plan on bike racing in the spring and sprinking a few ARs in the mix. Maybe a 1/2 iron in the middle of the summer.
I like to race about once every three weeks or so, but if I had unlimited funds, I’d probably race every weekend!
I prefer long course stuff. I do only triathlons, and do about 16 races per season.
During the summer I race just about every weekend. My favorite distance is Oly. Last year I did 2 HIM’s and one sprint in 2 weeks, meaning 3 weekends. I would much rather do the shorter stuff so I dont beat my body up as much. Yep, not cheap. :o(