I hear Lubbock is nice in June

So my 3 weekends of back to back to back events are over. It was actually pretty successful and means my training is working. Thank goodness! Because I don't have a coach, I've been trying to research and create a training plan on my own that works around my schedule. The miles have been building up and up and I think I've got a solid base for the next step. I've got Sunday, October 23rd circled on my calendar as my A-race this year (Ironman 70.3 Austin) and want to do well. I'm shooting for a sub 5:30 and know that if I can improve my cycling, I'll be able to get there.

October is a long way away. A little too long for my taste. So today I signed up for Ironman 70.3 Buffalo Springs Lake.

Buffalo Springs Lake is supposedly one of the harder 70.3 events with tough climbs on the bike and run, but it'll be my first one, so I won't know any better :D

I'm going to use it as a "practice" 70.3 race with the goal of understanding the difference between an endurance event and an Endurance event. For me, the gap between a sprint tri and an olympic tri isn't really that much from a time perspective. It's about 90 minutes. But the gap between an olympic triathlon and half IM is going to be at least 3 hours. That's a lot more biking and running in usually warmer temperatures, not to mention how much more important proper nutrition training will be.

All that being said, even though I'm treating this race like a "practice" run for my A-race, in 10 weeks I'm going to be a real half Ironman. And that makes it worth it.

How good are small town events?

In about 10 hours I'll be starting the 26th Annual Athens, TX triathlon. If you didn't know there was an Athens, TX you wouldn't be alone...and that's exactly why I picked this race.

Having moved to Dallas from Los Angeles last November, I haven't really explored much outside of Uptown, White Rock Lake, or Addison where I work. It took me a long time to branch out when I first moved to California, so I'm trying to do what I can to not repeat that.

Athens, TX is about 90 miles of rolling hills and farmland southeast of Dallas and has a population just shy of 12,000. From what I hear, there are about 250 total competitors in this sprint event (300yd pool swim, 13.8mi bike ride, and 5K run) with the majority being from the Dallas/Fort Worth area. For the time trial start with 10 second intervals, I'm seeded 44th. Seedings are based on an estimated swim time. I expect to swim about :30 faster than what I signed up for so I hope to be passing people as we snake through the 6 lane pool.

I'm looking forward to seeing how the event is run and how I do in a small(er) field. It's supposed to rain tonight and maybe continue into the morning. That should make things interesting.

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Post-Race Update

Tech shirts in the swag bag. Cervelo. Felt. Trek. Specialized. Quintana Roo. Cannondale. Pinnarello. Shimano. Gatorade. Nuun. Honey Stinger. Gu. Powerbar. Pearl Izumi. 2XU. DeSoto. Zoot. Brooks. K-Swiss. USAT officials. Timing chips. Volunteers. Police closing traffic. Medal ceremony. Veterans. First timers. Overly competitive athletes. People just out for a good workout.

They were all there. As was a place to swim, a course to bike, and a road to run. It was a triathlon. I sweat just as much in Athens as I have in Los Angeles or Dallas. I saw the results of my training. I joked with strangers. I learned some things to do next time. Big city, small town...it doesn't matter. A successful event is a successful event.

Truth be told, I think the race directors did a great job. Like the ratio of students to teachers, there is an optimal number of race volunteers to participants. Whatever it is, Ironhead Race Productions knows it and also ensured everyone's safety through bike/helmet inspections, clean roads, and excellent course markings.

As multisport events become more mainstream, small town races will continue to pop up across the country, and if you ever get tired of feeling like runner #429 out of 20,000, I suggest you check one out.