It is not official yet, but I have found my first Half-Ironman event. The Pacific Crest Long Course Triathlon. It takes place in Central Oregon, just a few miles from where I raised my sons, my old stompin' grounds. I had heard of this event in passing a month or two ago, but just received my email invite from AASports. My first thought was to register for the Olympic distance, which I know I could easily be ready to complete with just a few months of training at my current level. But a Half? That will require a definite bump in my workout regimen. I have 7 months to prepare myself to swim 1.2 miles in the frigid waters of Wickiup Reservoir, bike 56.3 miles on The Cascade Lakes Highway, and a 13.1 mile run around Sunriver. I can do this, I know I can. It will be a matter of maintaining my focus, adding strength and stamina slowly and carefully, continuing to eat right and train right.
I lay awake last night, my brain racing around planning and scheming, mulling over details and options. First off, of course, is training. One vital aspect will be to train at altitude. This event starts at about 4000 feet elevation, and the cycling leg climbs even higher. Those who don't get in some serious training at higher elevations will be sucking wind and drained of energy. My plan is to trail run twice a week up on Mount Hood during May and June. Yes, this will be kind of a pain in the ass, but it is a necessary step.
Another point I pondered is my bicycle Joshua. I think he is up for the adventure, but will need a little modification. I still need to get a shorter gooseneck so I am not feeling a little overextended. I am debating his gear ratio, but I think that it will be fine, as long as I get my legs and lungs up to par. I think I will need to purchase cycling shoes that will clip into his original pedals. Clip-in shoes allow you to power all the way through each rotation of the pedals, increasing energy efficiency and reducing fatigue. But they are not cheap. I am also debating Aerobars, or an Aerobar extension for the handle bars. These let you rest your weight on your forearms, greatly reducing back and shoulder strain. But they make control a bit wonky, so this is something to add early on in training so I can adapt to them. For now, besides spending miles in the saddle, those are the salient bike points.
Running. This will be a bit tougher to train for. My knees are not as happy about this as the rest of my body. Training for and running a half-marathon has the potential to leave my knees aching and protesting. I think I will need to research running shoes to find a zero rise that has a little more cushion than either my ZemTeks or my Merrell Trail Glove. I think I will start with the Merrell Dash with its 4mm cushion and zero drop sole. Also on the shopping list are performance socks, I don't want to be running on badly blistered feet.
The swim I have less concern about. Yes, I still have the face-in-murky-water phobia. But as my strength, speed and stamina in the water increases, so does my confidence. I think this confidence will go a long ways towards quelling the underwater boogie-monster panic attacks. Also, I will be doing regular open water swims at The Cove. I plan on purchasing a swim mask, so a little more of my face is covered than just the eye socket coverage provided by my Speedo goggles. I am going to get myself a snorkel as well, so I can swim face down in the water, breathing fairly easily, to force myself to relax with my face in the water. Even if I have to swim with my eyes closed, I will make this freakout, panic mode dissipate.
So much of just the physical to ponder this early in the game. I will start thinking of the psychological and material aspects later. I have several months to save my sheckels for the entrance fee, which is not cheap. Maybe I can find myself a few sponsors by then. There is always so much to do. My life has a way of feeling just on the edge of being completely out of control, and yet I thrill at the potential, the possibilty of tearing along pell-mell, hanging on for dear life. True, it does get exhausting to the point where I worry a melt down is imminent, but it is never boring.
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