The triathlon season is winding to a close. So naturally, I’m getting excited about triathlon again!!
I trained longer and harder than ever for Wildflower and I definitely burnt out a bit. It didn’t help that my big race for the fall was cancelled. I learned that I am an emotionally fragile athlete. Losing that race from my calendar threw me into such a tailspin that I shut down and sort of hibernated.
I came out of that thinking I would go for a fall marathon – but I totally overtrained and did in my knee. Yay.
I was starting to look at 2017 this week and I was pencilling in Wildflower, perhaps even Wildflower Long Course as my first ~70 mile triathlon. Then the news came that Wildflower was cancelled, along with the entire Tri-Cal season.
Bizarrely enough, that got me kind of fired up. I started poking around, seeing what races were going to be where.
Next year’s tentative race calendar
November 2016 – January 2017 – get back into the flow of training.
Early February – test 5k – I really, really want to break 30 minutes for a 5k. At Monte Rio this year, as the run leg of a triathlon, I ran 30:01. I should be able to break 30 with sufficient training.
April 2 – Oakland Running Festival – I will be doing something – probably just volunteering, but potentially running a relay leg.
April 8-9 HITS Napa – I am committed to supporting local races. I will probably volunteer or even just cheer at this one.
April 22 – Discovery Bay Triathlon – Some teammates from OTC have gone out to this race the past two years. It’s tiny (71 finishers last year), it’s local. I looked up the results and if I had race there this year, I could very conceivably have podiumed in my age group. I am a firm believer in picking your ground. I am totally targeting this race to try and get an AG award.
Third Sunday in May – Tilden Tough Ten – I like this race. It’s as hard as you want it to be. I went into in this year with no specific training and I had a great time.
June 4 – Monte Rio Sprint – Another race I like. I have had two very good years in a row at this race. It’s well run on a fast course.
Sometime around Father’s Day – Woodmonster – Even though the course was changed this year, I still like this race. It’s unapologetically hard. I feel great when I finish it.
August 27 – Oakland Triathlon – I will be involved in this somehow. Depending on how I feel I will either 1) Volunteer 2) Cheer 3) Train moderately 4)Train hella hard.
Early November – Morro Bay – I might do this race next year, it’s on the radar. Or maybe I’ll do that fall marathon I keep thinking about.