In which I contemplate doing something dumb
1778 days ago
My final prep for the Lone Star half ironman is under way. It’s usualy a bit weird for me, at the beginning of racing season, to remember that after all that hard work and dedication over the winter and spring there’s still the important part (you know, the actual racing) left to do.
I’m having a tiny freak-out at the moment, too. One of the things I really need to make sure I do this year is requalify for my pro license. I didn’t have the best luck last year, and between injuries and the occasional not-so-good tactical decision I didn’t put up the results I needed. So this year I’ll need three finishes that meet the following criteria:
- Top 8 overall.
- Within 8% of the winners time.
- Race must have at least 500 participants.
That last one is the real sticking point. It’s not that easy to get 500 people in one place for a triathlon, especially out here in the Rockies. You tend to get either 200 or 2000, and naturally the 2000 person ones are a fair bit tougher to win. My race this weekend currently has 450 people registered.
Now I don’t intend to fly all the way to Galveston, TX for no chance at some requalification points. Fortunately this story has a new twist: there’s another, much shorter race the day before. It has 750 people entered. Racing a sprint triathlon the day before a half-ironman might not be the smartest thing anybody ever did. I’d even wager that it’s right up there on the list of Things Not To Do. But I’m ready to take drastic measures here, if I have to. And who knows? Two races is twice as many chances to perform well.
