I think I might have another one of my crazy
plans in my head. I might be going a little bit stir crazy because I have
to do most of my workouts indoors right now. I am
excited for the upcoming triathlon season and all things related to exercising
outside. I'm so excited about this I spent a majority of my lunch time
typing this up.
I wrote a couple weeks ago about the overnight towns on RAGBRAI this year. Click here I looked up the Omaha Triathlon this morning. This race was just starting the last year I was living there. It is always near or on one of the RAGBRAI weekends, so I was never much interested in it. It goes right by my house (by the way everything is still on track for the house sale 6 days from now).
This year might be the year that I do it. It depends on the logistics and if I'll have the training and stamina to do a bunch of activity that day.
The race is on Sunday, July 21st. That is also the first biking day of RAGBRAI.
How I envision the complicated logistics:
I wrote a couple weeks ago about the overnight towns on RAGBRAI this year. Click here I looked up the Omaha Triathlon this morning. This race was just starting the last year I was living there. It is always near or on one of the RAGBRAI weekends, so I was never much interested in it. It goes right by my house (by the way everything is still on track for the house sale 6 days from now).
This year might be the year that I do it. It depends on the logistics and if I'll have the training and stamina to do a bunch of activity that day.
The race is on Sunday, July 21st. That is also the first biking day of RAGBRAI.
How I envision the complicated logistics:
1.
I'll get into Council Bluffs on Saturday, the 20th. My charter group will
have an area reserved for tent camping that night. I don't know how close
I'll be allowed to get the car in order to drop off my camping gear.
2. I'll leave all of my triathlon specific gear in the car. The bike will stay in my car for this part.
3. Then I'll go and drop off the car at the shopping mall where my charter group always parks our cars for the week.
4. The bike will then come out of the car and will serve as my transportation back to the campsite. The triathlon specific stuff remains in the car for the night.
5. This will be followed by regular RAGBRAI activities for the rest of the day on Saturday. Getting to know the new people in the group this year, reconnecting with the regulars, going to the bike expo, etc.
6. Really early on Sunday morning I'll have to get up and pack up my tent and sleeping gear. This stuff will get loaded onto the team truck.
7. Next I will have to bike out to my car. It will serve as a warm-up that I never do before a triathlon, but oh well. It looks like the ride would be about 5 miles, no problem.
8. Once I get to my car, the bike gets loaded up and I drive out the triathlon site. Thankfully it is not too far, 18 miles or so on the interstates.
9. Unload my triathlon stuff and bike at the event.
10. Participate in the triathlon. It should take about 3 hours of racing time, plus another 1.5 hours of post-race activities, recovery, load up time etc.
11. Stop at a full service restaurant and eat a good meal since I'll need it that day.
12. Drive back to the shopping mall to drop off the car.
13. Unload the bike and any items that I will have on the bike at all times for me for RAGBRAI. Triathlon specific stuff gets stashed in the trunk.
14. Hopefully by this time it is no later than 12:30 or 1:00.
15. From here, take off on the first biking day of RAGBRAI.
16. The Sunday route looks to be about 60 miles or so. The crowds should be really thin at this point. Most days I enjoy riding in the large crowds, but this one will be different. I probably won't be going very fast since I'll be very tired. RAGBRAI isn't a race, so no issue.
17. I should arrive in Harlan somewhere in the neighborhood of 7 to 8 PM.
18. Set up camp, find some dinner, hang out with people, etc. until I crash.
19. Get up on Monday the 22nd and get ready for the century day.
So, on that Sunday, I'll have swum 0.93 miles, ran 6.2 miles, and biked about 90 miles.
The very next day I'll have biked another 100 miles because I always do the optional century loop.
There are a few potentially complicating issues:
1. Triathlons sometimes insist that you check in the day before. Sometimes at the bigger ones you have to attend a safety meeting or some other thing. A lot will allow you to do the check in the day of the event. If they require the day before and I can't get an exception, I'll likely do this before step 1 or during step 3 if the timing works out.
2. Some triathlons insist that you leave the bike in the transition area the night before the event. The Hy-Vee Triathlon in Des Moines is notorious for this as well as many of the larger ones. The smaller triathlons aren't as picky and people appreciate that more. I absolutely must get an exception to this rule. The logistical issues I face absolutely dictate that I NEED my bike for transportation and not just fun on Saturday and Sunday morning.
So what do you think? Am I going nuts?
2. I'll leave all of my triathlon specific gear in the car. The bike will stay in my car for this part.
3. Then I'll go and drop off the car at the shopping mall where my charter group always parks our cars for the week.
4. The bike will then come out of the car and will serve as my transportation back to the campsite. The triathlon specific stuff remains in the car for the night.
5. This will be followed by regular RAGBRAI activities for the rest of the day on Saturday. Getting to know the new people in the group this year, reconnecting with the regulars, going to the bike expo, etc.
6. Really early on Sunday morning I'll have to get up and pack up my tent and sleeping gear. This stuff will get loaded onto the team truck.
7. Next I will have to bike out to my car. It will serve as a warm-up that I never do before a triathlon, but oh well. It looks like the ride would be about 5 miles, no problem.
8. Once I get to my car, the bike gets loaded up and I drive out the triathlon site. Thankfully it is not too far, 18 miles or so on the interstates.
9. Unload my triathlon stuff and bike at the event.
10. Participate in the triathlon. It should take about 3 hours of racing time, plus another 1.5 hours of post-race activities, recovery, load up time etc.
11. Stop at a full service restaurant and eat a good meal since I'll need it that day.
12. Drive back to the shopping mall to drop off the car.
13. Unload the bike and any items that I will have on the bike at all times for me for RAGBRAI. Triathlon specific stuff gets stashed in the trunk.
14. Hopefully by this time it is no later than 12:30 or 1:00.
15. From here, take off on the first biking day of RAGBRAI.
16. The Sunday route looks to be about 60 miles or so. The crowds should be really thin at this point. Most days I enjoy riding in the large crowds, but this one will be different. I probably won't be going very fast since I'll be very tired. RAGBRAI isn't a race, so no issue.
17. I should arrive in Harlan somewhere in the neighborhood of 7 to 8 PM.
18. Set up camp, find some dinner, hang out with people, etc. until I crash.
19. Get up on Monday the 22nd and get ready for the century day.
So, on that Sunday, I'll have swum 0.93 miles, ran 6.2 miles, and biked about 90 miles.
The very next day I'll have biked another 100 miles because I always do the optional century loop.
There are a few potentially complicating issues:
1. Triathlons sometimes insist that you check in the day before. Sometimes at the bigger ones you have to attend a safety meeting or some other thing. A lot will allow you to do the check in the day of the event. If they require the day before and I can't get an exception, I'll likely do this before step 1 or during step 3 if the timing works out.
2. Some triathlons insist that you leave the bike in the transition area the night before the event. The Hy-Vee Triathlon in Des Moines is notorious for this as well as many of the larger ones. The smaller triathlons aren't as picky and people appreciate that more. I absolutely must get an exception to this rule. The logistical issues I face absolutely dictate that I NEED my bike for transportation and not just fun on Saturday and Sunday morning.
So what do you think? Am I going nuts?
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