Triple-T

I mentioned in a previous post that Team LPC will toeing the line in these races in 2009. However, I have yet to hint at what races will be on my menu. Over the next couple of days, CoachCT and are going to put together a tentative schedule for this season. We already have a pretty good idea on what the year of racing will look like. The Canadian Elite Champs will be a given, and might be my only draft-legal triathlon this year. If that is the case, then this will be the first year of my career that will not be focused on training for draft-legal racing. I will post again as to what races will be tentatively penciled in stone. The challenge of course will be to find the time to train so that I can toe the line with reasonable fitness. I thought I raced well last year despite training much less than in previous years. However, I know I had a solid program under CoachCT where every workout always had a purpose. This year will have more races, and I will be trying to find a way to train more, even with my priority focused on being a full-time coach, and full-time daddy/husband. That makes for a heck of a lot of overtime!

One race that I will be taking part in is the American Triple-T triathlon. I am excited by the sheer challenge of this race:

4 triathlons in 3 days over crazy hilly terrain. Course info is here. It starts with a super-sprint in Friday, May 22nd. The next day features two Oly Tri's (one first thing in the morning, and then another in the afternoon), and then finally a HIM on the Sunday. Yikes! I totalled up the distances for each discipline and this what my calculator spat back:

Swim=5170m
Bike=176.8k
Run=43.66k

Although it adds up to about an ironman, only a small handful have ever broken 10 hours, which I suppose is a testament to the difficulty of the course. 4 strong athletes broke 10 hours last year, with Gordo Byrn taking the overall win in 9h18min.

There has been much talk on Slowtwitch, the war stories are endless about the challenge of the terrain. To be honest, I am just looking to have a fun weekend, and would not advise anyone to place any bets I will be breaking 10 hours. But I do hope to finish!

Four athletes (Dennis, Jane, Shelley, and Keith) that I am coaching are also taking part. In fact, they are my inspiration for registering. I originally planned on coming out to watch them, as they are using this as an ironman simulation training weekend. But then I decided that joining them on the field for some misery was a sane idea. So I am now committed. I signed up, and made it vocal on this blog. Crap, there is no backing out now. It will certainly be the biggest training weekend of my life. I look forward to the event, and cheering on all of the participants.

The format of the Triple-T consists of:

Race #1: Prologue
Friday, May 22nd, 2009 at 5:00 P.M.
SWIM: The 250 meter swim is a counter clockwise loop course in Turkey Creek Lake with participants starting in a time trial start every 3-5 seconds. Swim start is a dry land running start. Wetsuits allowed.
BIKE: The 5 mile bike course is a challenging loop course to the top of the resort and back. Bring your climbing gears.
RUN: The 1 mile run course is an out and back course on Lamp Black Run trail.

Race #2: Oly Tri
Saturday, May 23rd, 2009 7:30 A.M.
SWIM: The 1500 meter swim is a counter clockwise loop course in Turkey Creek Lake with participants starting in a time trial start every 3-5 seconds. Swim start is a dry land running start. Wetsuits allowed.
BIKE: The 24.8 mile bike course is a challenging loop course on park fire roads within the park and state routes outside the park. Bring your climbing gears.
RUN:The 6.55 mile run course is an out and back course on Lamp Black Run trail.

Race #3: Oly Tri
Saturday, May 23rd, 2009 3:00 P.M.
BIKE: The 24.8 mile bike course is a challenging out and back course on the infamous route 125. Bring your climbing gears or pay!
SWIM: The 1500 meter swim is a counter clockwise loop course in Turkey Creek Lake with participants starting after the completion of the bike. Swim start is a running start from the transition area. Wetsuits allowed.
RUN: The 6.55 mile run course is an and back course on park fire on Lamp Black Run trail. This is a tough course. Same as morning run course.

Race #4: HIM
Sunday, May 4th, 2009 at 7:00 A.M.
SWIM: The 1.2 mile swim is a counter clockwise 2 lap course in Turkey Creek Lake. Swim start is a dry land running start. Wetsuits allowed.
BIKE: The 55.5 mile 2 lap bike course is a VERY challenging loop course on paved fire roads within the park. Bring your climbing gears. This course is awesome - you won’t forget it!
RUN: The 13.1 mile run course is a double out and back course on Lamp Black Run trail. This is same course you’ve run on all weekend. You love it or hate it by now!