Posting again, and it’s only been a little over a week! I’m trying to post a bit more frequently now before the season really heats up and gets going, at which point my blog could be reduced to nothing more than a litany of race reports. I have some fun topics I want to cover before that happens.
Also, I realized after my last post that I really didn’t keep you in suspended anticipation at all, because my race schedule is displayed on the right side of my blog. You could have just looked over there. You probably already did and ruined the surprise. At any rate, here is part II of my racing schedule post, the where and why behind those selections.
First, the Spring Classic Duathlon. This one was a no-brainer. Everyone loves a spring tune-up event. A chance to test the legs coming out of the winter training block and see how your fitness is progressing. And this one is here in Portland! No travel necessary, I love that. Because with gas the way it is these days, I have a feeling travel expenses are going to be a bit of an issue this year. Plus, smaller local races always draw a fun crowd, foster a great environment, and promote local businesses. So I’m looking forward to testing the waters of the Portland multisport scene in less than two short weeks. Although that may not be the most apt expression, as I’m sure you all have noticed, it is a duathlon. Meaning run – bike – run. Never done one of these before, but it bypasses my weakest event (swimming), so I think it should be a hoot. And last but not least, I got an aero helmet last year for Christmas and I need to try it out! Booyah! I refuse to use it in training, because that would be simply ridiculous (huge poseur alert). So this is my chance to try out my new aero lid before my first “official” race, which will be…
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| Pro start at Wildflower |
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| Wildflower transition zone. It's a big boy. |
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Lance then |
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| Lance now |
Next will be 70.3 Florida, without question the farthest I am going to travel for a race this year. And this one actually comes with a funny story. Some of you may have heard, but the legendary Lance Armstrong recently announced his return to triathlon. Believe it or not, he started out as a triathlete in high school before concentrating on cycling full-time, and we all know how that worked out for him. Bad move, right? Anyway, I’ve been a big fan of his since watching the epic tour of 2003, when I first “discovered” cycling. He earned his pro card last year and this winter announced a partnership between his LIVESTRONG foundation and WTC. I’ll spare you the details, but it’s a great arrangement where everyone wins. You can read about it here. He made his race schedule public, and none of them are anywhere near Portland. But then it occurred to me: I have a free flight on Southwest. I’d tried to use it several times but kept running into restrictions. Haven’t been feeling the luv, or however that cute little airline spells it. Maybe, just maybe, I could use it to fly to Orlando. I plugged in the dates and BOOM! Ticket confirmed. So while I am slightly embarrassed to admit it, yes, I did sign up for this race largely because Lance is in it. But I will get to tow the line with a living legend on May 20. That’s probably all I will see of him though, because turns out he is a damn fast swimmer. But that’s not the only reason. The stars aligned with the flight, the timing of the race is good and fits in well with my season goals, it’s fun to go out on a limb and see a new place, and my cousin Danman and I are going to make a great weekend out of it. So pretty pumped for this one!
Fourth will be 70.3 Boise. Another no-brainer: it’s in Boise, land of my youth, and the city I will always call home. I have done this event the past couple years and there is just nothing like racing on your home roads, with your home crowd cheering, and your own bed to sleep in after you go to your home pizzeria (FLYING PIE!) and home brewery (SOCKEYE!) after the race. Tough course too, usually windy, and it’s been gaining in popularity since its inception 4 years ago, which promises a tough field.Since I’ve already mentioned “70.3” and "WTC" a few times, I should take this time to explain that “70.3” is the official name given to a series of half-iron distance races put on by WTC (World Triathlon Corp.), the same people who bring you all the Ironman races. So anything named “70.3” or “Ironman” is owned and operated by these folks. They have literally hundreds of events all around the world at this point, making them the undisputed king of triathlon race management and unofficial stewards of the sport. And fortunately, they put on a great race. Pros are a bit divided on their opinions concerning WTC, and I don’t want to get into that right now. I will say that their races always run smoothly. I will also say that I am happy to see more and more alternatives to WTC events popping up.
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| Mt. Hood towering over the Rev3 Portland race venue |
Speaking of one such alternative, for my fifth event, I’m excited to be returning to Rev3 Portland for its second year. Rev3 is a newish series of races that has been hugely successful. They present themselves as a more family-friendly and athlete-focused race organizer, both of which I can speak to after my participation last summer. These guys are awesome, and I only wish they had more races out west. Plus, this is where I earned my pro card last summer. And also it’s in Portland! Of course I’m going to do it again. I hear the course is going to be a doozy this year, zigging and zagging all over the Mt. Hood and Columbia River Gorge Recreation Areas. This is a great one to put on your list. And another free entry for me, so that’s nice.
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| Vineman territory |
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| Everybody's most lovable task force. I hear they protect the run course. |
The remainder of the season gets a little fuzzy. I’ve penciled in two more 70.3 races I’m looking at: Vineman down in the wine country of California, and Calgary up where all those crazy Canadians live. Both would be excellent. Vineman because that is such a beautiful area, and always brings in a good field. It’s also the week after Rev3 Portland, and I’d like to push my body through back-to-back weekends to see how it responds. Calgary because I’ve never been up there, and the timing would work out nicely with another trip I'm taking to Montana. But I’m going to have to evaluate those down the road a little bit. See how the body and the finances are holding up.
Actually, I’m really hoping to do Calgary, because that is when a few things are coming to a head for me. My job will be winding down at that point, and my family will be gearing up for a big trip to Europe August 4-22. Our first time going over there together! We’ve been waiting and planning for this trip for years, can’t tell you how excited we all are for it. So anyway, bringing that back to relevant, my season needs to be pretty much over by the end of July. I would consider a few races in the fall after we get back, but that depends on a lot of unknowns (work, school, no idea!) So for now, I’m going to have to leave it at that.
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| Calgary framed by the Canadian Rockies, pretty stunning really, who wouldn't want to race there? |
So there you have it, a pretty decent outline. You’ll get more details – probably more than you could ever want or need – in my post-race reports. But for now, it is very exciting to look at that list and think about the upcoming season. Seriously, 90% of the fun for me is planning and preparing for these things. Then the remaining 10% is split between the race itself and looking back on the experience. Now those aren’t exact figures, so don’t get all nit-picky with me. But yeah, I’m pumped.
Up next, a preview of my race-ready minivan: a primer on how to travel to these tris in style.
Best to all,
Andrew
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