Wildflower

O.K. for those of you who ran this race last year, how hard was the bike course.
I want to start training for those hills now.  I remember the stories of people walking the hills faster than they could ride them.

Any technical info about the climbs that you can share would be great.

Thanks

Scott

Scott I unfortunately don't have any technical info on climbing as living in Louisiana we don't really have any hills short of the occasional overpass.    The 70.3 bike course is one of the toughest in the country.   I struggled my ass off but I never got off the bike but I saw PLENTY of people walking up the 5 mile stretch of "Nasty Grade".   The thing you don't really hear too much about is the run course.  It was killer as well.  Neither the bike or run isn't anything you can't handle though. 

My new quote I made up today for my ole lady...

"Chin up.  Chest out.  No regrets.  Handle it!"  -- Chad Soileau

something different from Sticking with the plan?

I was watching some videos of the ride on youtube today.
It certainly does look nasty.

I'll have to hit some of the hills around here.

Scott

Are you doing the Long or the Olympic? The Olympic had 3 big hills. They were tough. But the toughest thing is that you go up Lynch Hill, which is 1 mile and straight up, *immediately* after transition. Many people were already walking on that one.

I think a lot of it is mental though. I figured out I was spending as much energy pushing my bike up the one hill I walked as I would have riding it. I'm sure, training around here, you've done hills like Wildflower before and will be fine.

The run is killer too though. The first 4 miles are all basically up hill. Then, you go downhill for 2 miles but there are some rollers in there too. The last mile is *down* Lynch Hill and you can really fly on that one.

For the Long Course, I've heard it's as hard as some Ironmans.

I will be doing the Olympic distance.

Thanks for the info

Scott

I think you'll be fine for the Olympic. Just do a lot of hill training between now and then.

If you join our tri club, you can come to the Wildflower training weekend in April. It's only $65 and you get discounts at lots of places so that would pay for the membership.

I'll be back next year for the 70.3 fo sho!   Gonna make the trek to Wildflower an annual thing as long as my body can support me and I can afford it.   Of my 27 triathlons I've participated in Wildflower was hands down the coolest race I've done.   It was the most difficult as well which made it all the more special to cross the finish line. 

I'm in for Escape from Alcatraz too as long as my coach will let me do it.   It's 28 days before IMCDA so he may get a little grumpy if that race is on my schedule.

Chad 

I'm still trying to work up the guts to swim in the ocean around here.
1. I have an irrational fear of white sharks.  well any shark, but  I live near one of their breeding grounds so white sharks are high on my list.
2. The water here is freaking cold.
3.  Sharks
4.  I'm not a great swimmer and the tides can be brutal for escape from Alcatraz
5.  Did I mention my fear of sharks.
6.  sharks
7.  sharks
8.  sharks
9.  sharks
10. sharks

Freaking Jaws movie ruined it for me.  I can't get that out of my head.

So right now, basically the only way you would get me swimming in the ocean would be if I won a lottery slot in Kona.  And even then I'm not sure I could do it.

Scott

I want to do Escape too. It sounds fun and scary and I know I'm a bit afraid to do the swim so that means I have to!

But I'll probably only do it once just to have the experience.