Too many races for a newbie?
Congrats on becoming one of us! Your plan for next season doesn't seem overly aggresive at all. Just be sure to traing appropriately over the winter and have a solid building spring and you should be good to go come June. Enjoy!
Weary is the path that does not challenge.
NO! not too many!
I started racing last year- I did 2 sprints got totally hooked on racing. This year I have a triathlon/road race scheduled once every month...It's great motivation to keep moving and training
enjoy!
Not IMO. At Sprint and Olympic level I see it a bit hard to over do it. Sure it can be done if you're racing 2-3 races a month but that is extreme.
I think when planning your race season you want consider your training in pyramid (base, speed/power, endurance), peaking, tapering and which will be your A race vs your B & C fun training races.
NO! not too many!
I started racing last year- I did 2 sprints got totally hooked on racing. This year I have a triathlon/road race scheduled once every month...It's great motivation to keep moving and training
enjoy!
That's my plan for next year! 1 per month April - Sept... culminating w/ IMWI. I'm tempted to do Silverman next year but 1 IM a year is probly enough.
Weary is the path that does not challenge.
No that's not too many. Doing Olympics and Sprints you could race a couple of times a month or more. Here's how my first couple of years went:
Year 1: Wow this is a lot of fun!
- May Sprint Tri
- August Mini Tri
- August Sprint Tri
- September Offroad Tri
Year 2: I want to race as much as I can!
- May Sprint Tri
- June Olympic Tri
- July Olympic Tri
- July Sprint Tri
- August Olympic Tri
- September Offroad Tri
- October Olympic Tri
- October Half Marathon
Year 3: More!
- Repeat Year 2 plus a June HIM and two additional Half Marathons...
Not at all. I was thinking you were going to say you wanted to go from a sprint to an IM in one season. Three or four races in one season is totally doable, especially considering they are sprints and Olympics spread out from June to September. So roughly one race a month. No prob.
I'm glad to hear that. Thanks everyone! Now to write down my goals!
One interesting point that KitKat made - which one will be my A race vs my B & C fun training races. Can I assume that the Olympic race (the last one scheduled) will be my A race and that the 3 prior sprints will be 'training' races? Heck, they all should be fun. :-)
I really have a lot to learn about pyramid training, peaking, tapering, etc...
Sure, do the last one as your A race. Though some race distances are funny even if they're called 'sprints'. I'd identify what your strengths are (mine are bike/run like everyone) and find the race with the shortest swim/longest bike.... that's be MY A race because I could really capitalize on my weakness in the water and strength on the bike.
Though this is only my second season and I've learned so much it's insane! Last year I did 3 sprints, this year 1 HIM and 2 Oly. Next year, 2 HIM, 1 IM, and probly 3-4 Olys. AND I'm going to Japan right in the middle if it!
Weary is the path that does not challenge.
Do what you are comfortable with. I started running and training for my first marathon and was doing at least a 5k or 10k every weekend if not 2 in a weekend. Then I did my first sprint triathlon, and I was hooked. I did 7 sprint tris and an olympic by the end of the summer. On the weekends I was not doing a tri I was doing a running event.
By the end of that first year I did about 40 events including the 8 tris and a marathon.
I became more active the next year working my way up to a 1/2 IM.
There are worse things to do with your time.
Just don't burn yourself out. ;-)
Nothing to it, but to do it
"A" race is really up to you. If you like killing yourself on speed you might want your "A" race to be your second or third sprint distance. If you want to try to increase your endurance and see what you're capable of shoot for the Oly.
Jhudalla made a good point in picking out a race that works for you. Some things to consider are water temps, weather conditions hot/cold/wet/humid, bike course (flat and fast or hilly or windy or a combination), run course (same as the bike).
You could also make the 1st sprint an A and the Oly an A, the others can be things to work on from your experience in the first one...thus B and/or C races.
This is my first year and my original plan was for 5 or 6! By the end of the season I may have done 5, but it'll be 4 as of now (1 Olyish, 3 Sprints).
+1 to azmojo804's plan. Ah, to have unlimited funds for races... ;)
i would think of the sprints as training for the olympic.
Welcome to the club! This is my first year and I've already done 3, I have another one in a little over a week (which I'm going to call my A Race...since its the first time I've really been worried about speed) and am planning on doing as many more as I can fit into this season. :)
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"No Pain, No Gain!" ;)









As I reported at the beginning of the week, I completed my first triathlon this past Sunday. I am now hooked - as you all said I would be. :-)
There is another race at the end of August that I might do, but I thinking about next year. Yes, I know that seems so far away, but I am a planner. Is this plan (my goals) too much?
I would like to compete in an Olympic triathlon. The one that I'm thinking about is a yearly race, generally held in the middle of September. Prior to that, starting in June of 2009 I would like to race in 3 races. The first would be in June, the next would be in July, and the next would be in August. All sprints, each one approx. 1 month between each race. Including the Olympic one that I want to compete in in September 2009, that would be 4 total races. Is that too many?
Thanks everyone?