Planning My Season 

For those of you who don't know, I'm an amateur triathlete. I'm not great by any stretch of the imagination, but I generally finish about halfway in my age group, and usually a little above half. I do it for fun, and have really enjoyed the experience. I do try to plan out my season ahead of time, just so I have an idea of how I need to train. I may not have them all set in stone and registered right away, but I like to at least have an idea of what I want to do. Here is what I'm thinking for this year.

Lake Mills Triathlon: This is the first week in June, and is a great warm up race. It has a cold swim, but a very nice bike course, and a perfectly flat run. It's also incredibly well organized, even though its not USAT Sanctioned.

Pewaukee Lake Triathlon: I'm not sure I want to do this one again. This race has gotten very large very quick, which has made it kind of a drag. Not only that, but they setup the transition area very unfairly every year which bugs me. I'd like to do a race in July, but don't know which one I'd do instead. If I do Santa Barabara though, it might be nice to take a month off before to really concentrate on preparing for the longer distance. Lots to think about.

Santa Barbara Triathlon: This one is the last weekend in August, and is purely a whimsical idea of mine. It would be the longest race I've done so far (somewhere between an Olympic distance and Half Ironman). I'm thinking about doing this because I think it would be cool do a race where my sisters could come and watch if they wanted. The distance really doesn't scare me, as I've wanted to do a longer race. The only kink is shipping my bike. Either that, or I'd have to find a loaner, and I have no clue how to go about doing that.

Oshkosh Triathlon: If I don't do Santa Barbara, then I'll do this one instead. Last year I did the sprint distance, but this year I'd do the Olympic distance. This is run by the same outfit that does Pewaukee, but its a smaller race, and they actually know how to properly set up a transition area.

Devil's Challenge: I do this one every year, and I want do to it again. The only problem with it this year is that it comes only a few weeks after Santa Barbara. So if I do that long one, I wouldn't have a lot of recovery time before Devil's Lake. This is run by the same folks that do Lake Mills, and is just as well organized.

Green Bay Duathlon: I did this race as a last minute add on last year, and it was pretty fun. I'd never done a duathlon before, and it was interesting. If I'm feeling good by season's end, then I think I'll do this one again. The only issue with this is that the weather can be much more of a risk. Last year's was great, but as I understand it, the year before was extremely cold. They do the same screwed up unfair transitions as Pewaukee though, which sucks.

So there you have it. Not overly aggressive, but also trying to improve myself. About a race a month I think is a good schedule to have, and it worked pretty well for me last year. Now I just need to get my butt going and really start training again.