What have I done? What possessed me to sign up for a half-iron in my first season of multisport training. . . in Lubbock of all places?I guess my psyche is a wee bit less cocky given the last 24 hours. I mean, we find training partners, join clubs, and go to meetings to get encouragement, right? On every occasion, however, in the last 24 hours, that I have revealed my racing plans, the reaction has not been encouragement. At best, it was, "wow, that one's hard." The worst was during my introduction at the club meeting last night. There was an audible gasp when I stated my intention to complete the Buffalo Springs Lake 70.3.
Gee, thanks for that.
To be fair, they might have thought I was coming straight from sedentary middle-age to half-iron rather than from three marathons and two double century bike tours. Still, "that one's hard" is not what I wanted to hear.
Or is it? The new greyhound likes a challenge. I just need to find that fat old dog that inhabits my self-image so that I can bind him, gag him, lock him up and throw away the key.
Coach T thinks I can do it, and the best way to get a middle-aged guy to run pel mel through his perceived limitations is to tell him a girl just might be watching. (We are, after all, unbelievably simple schmucks).
OK, I can do this, . . . probably . . . perhaps . . . I mean yes, I can.
P.S. If anyone in the blogosphere has done Buffalo Springs Lake, pointers and race reports would be greatly appreciated.
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6 comments:
I think anyone who says "this is my first tri season and I'm training for a half IM" gets the gasp. I'm doing Steelhead (a flat course) and I get the gasp all the time. You can DEFINITELY do this if you've done marathons and double centuries. Look at it this way: there's no way it's harder than Wildflower.
I agree with habeela, double centuries and marathons? you should kill! just take training seriously and you'll be fine, by the way wildlfower was my first half ironman and my second triathlon ever and I am no grey hound:) good luck and congratualtions on going for the 70.3!!!
I did a half my first season too -- if I can do it, so can you! No worries... you'll be fine, train the distance, and guard yourself those last five miles.
Hey Greyhound,
I've done Buffalo Springs 3 times. Here are a couple tips. It's hilly, both the bike and the run. There are 3-4 tough hills on the bike and one monster on the run. It's also hot so drink a lot. I know, sounds like a blast...but all that being said it's my favorite race of all time. Good luck and have fun, I'll be out there with you for my 4th year in a row.
Thanks, Dan. That is exactly what I've heard. I hate hills and heat. Nothing like playing to your strenghts, huh?
I was going to post on some bulletin boards, but I'll just ask you since you've been there. What's the best arrangement for accomodations to get the full race experience/ Do folks tend to stay at hotels, or is there camping at or near the race site, sort of like Wildflower? If both, which do you think is best.
To tell the truth, my brother in law lives in Lubbock so my wife and I have always stayed with him. We have friends coming with us this year so as not to overload him were probably going to stay at the host hotel. I can't say how many people camp but I can tell you that you see a lot of suspicously "tri geek" looking people around Lubbock the days before hand so I think most people stay in hotels. It's only about a 15 min drive to the lake from town. If you have any other questions email me dantrott at hotmail dot com
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