How I Wimped Out…

I’ve had it on my list of goals for 2009 to complete a triathlon this year.  Nothing too fancy, just gut my way through one.  I’ve done a few sprint triathlons, so this was intended to be mainly a maintenance goal.  Something to keep me honest in my training.

It’s been a busy year, and I missed some of the early events in the area.  This past weekend was the Bowling Green Triathlon.  I’ve been struggling with whether I should do this race.  Why?  Because I ran this race two years ago, and the bike route made a serious impression on me.  The bike portion of the race is 13.5 miles, and features a hard climb with a 3% uphill grade over a half mile.  But the downhill side includes a 4-5% negative grade, and I was going faster on that portion of the race than I would ever care to travel on a bicycle again.  Seriously.  I wasn’t carrying a computer, but another of the cyclists topped out at over 45 mph.  I don’t think I was going that fast, I was very uncomfortable.  This is a copy of the elevation change over the course, and you can see the decline between miles 7 and 8.

Now I’m regretting having missed the event, and trying to figure out how to fit in my triathlon for the year.  My wife seems relieved that I passed on it though.  She and I drove the route, and she wasn’t real happy about the route either.  Having suffered through on bike wreck at much lower speed, I don’t relish the thought of another.

There are still a few events left within driving distance, but many of my weekends are already booked.  If I don’t hit this, its not the end of the world, but I’d sure hate to miss out on this goal.  What do you guys think, should I have gutted it out and done the race, or did I make the right choice?

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2. How does it feel to run a half marathon?
3. Preparing For A Half Marathon
4. Fitness Update – Work In Progress
5. What Is A "Good Run" Exactly?