If you want a guaranteed place it's always best to get in early. However, if you know a race isn't going to sell out too quick, sometimes it's better to hold off for a while make to sure you are prepared before you commit.
I know that 2014 is going to be the year for me to complete my first half Ironman, for me it has to be the Monster Middle. I have helped monster racing out with the Middle Distance race for the past 3 years, I have seen behind the scenes and I know it is well organised and the routes are well thought out, it has great reviews from those who have raced and it is on my doorstep.
I like to have a fairly laid back approach to my races, my initial school of thought was to build throughout the season. 1. Sprint distance triathlon, 2. Olympic distance triathlon then of course 3. Monster Middle. Easy I just have find some local races. I usually start with the Triathlon England website, then I can chuck in some extra races for good measure of course.
Monster racing have just announced that there are going to be some new races this year great.
So why not take on the whole lot? Sounds like a good idea to me. (my initial thoughts)......
The Monster Duathlon. I have done before a great start to the season, and it will help me understand how my fitness is. I do not need to be peaking at this time for sure, otherwise it will certainly be down hill.
The Monster Mojito. This will only be my second Olympic distance triathlon, I will focus on a more structured fuelling strategy. I will also aim to have a better run fitness.
The Monster Sprint. A new race but still nice to keep it short at this point of the season. But in the village that Chrissie Wellington grew up? Why not? It's only up the road.
The Monster Middle. My training for each discipline at the moment is pretty much at these distances, but I haven't put all the disciplines together before. I also have the option of the Olympic distance race. I have raced this distance last year and was not disappointed. The swim and the bike went perfectly, I could have prepared a lot better for the run.
The Monster Marathon. Well were do I begin? It will be my first Marathon and of the back of my first Half Ironman this will take some meticulous planning. At the point that I should be tapering my running training for my Marathon, I will have to be completely resting from the Monster Middle. I will certainly have to run the Marathon conservatively.
The Monster Intrepid. After just completing my first Half Ironman and Marathon, I will complete this race quite late in the season. Extending my race season longer than normal. It will be a tough slog to the finish.
I will be posting pre-race thoughts and race reports, so if you are interested in the local races you might find the blogs useful.
