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?
Maybe I’m getting old but I reckon safety first.
I’ve come to grips that I’m getting old. I figure its better than the alternative… Lots of guys love that stuff, but count me out.
I reckon if you have doubts up front about the safety rather than the pain, you’ve made the right choice.