After training hard in the high altitude and mountains of Colorado, Bermuda triathlete Tyler Butterfield will now take on the flat and hot conditions of Mexico when he competes in the Monterrey ITU Triathlon World Cup tomorrow.

This will be the second race of what looks to be a very busy year for Butterfield who left Colorado for Mexico on Thursday.

Butterfield will be hoping for a performance similar to his first race of the season at the end of March when he had a superb second-place finish at the Waikoloa Triathlon in Hawaii.

"I do have a pretty busy schedule this year," admitted Butterfield. "There will not be much training but a lot of racing which will bring out my fitness and strength."

While tomorrow's World Cup race will be at the Olympic distance – a 1.5K swim, 40K bike and 10K run – Butterfield will be competing in a number of half Ironmans this year.

Among the triathlons he will tackle before July's Central and Caribbean Games in Puerto Rico, will be events in Texas, St. Croix, New Hampshire, Idaho, Philadelphia as well as two events in Bermuda – the Tokio Sprint Triathlon in May and also the traditional May 24 Half Marathon Derby.

"Your body gets used to becoming a one-day performer. You perform one day at 100 percent and the rest of the time you are tired and you shut down. It is like saying that you only have to work one day a week but you have to go all out for 24 hours. Your body will adjust."

But up until now Butterfield has been training hard before he gets right into his main schedule starting tomorrow.

"I have been training really good. I did a huge block in Hawaii before and after the race. Then it was back to Boulder which is at 5,400 feet. I took a few easy days and then got right back into it. I did another big block of training and then I went to Avon (in Colorado) which is at 8,000 feet."

Avon is near Vail but Butterfield said he prefers to train at Avon rather than at Vail. "They have a nice pool there and it is a lot cheaper. I have to watch my money – I am not a rich golfer or basketball player! Even with the sponsorship I get I just about break even every year."

Training at 8,000 feet does take getting used to, said Butterfield.

"You really notice it swimming and that is my weakest (part of the triathlon). Initially for most people who come up to 8,000 feet from sea level it is too much for them – it is too hard on your body.

"You have to be very careful because if you don't you can have negative performances. Some people underestimate it – they train too hard when they first get up there and they think they are going backwards. You also have to be very confident at high altitude. I have done it enough times and have had good results but I am also very confident (at high altitude). But I have had bad days."

Butterfield said that he has learned to take it easy at 8,000 feet. "You are better off under doing it than overdoing it. You may want to walk and jog instead of trying to go all out."

Look ahead to tomorrow's race in Mexico, he said: "I have never done this race before but I have done other races in Mexico. It is generally pretty hot there and that is how I like it. I also prefer the hilly bike courses but this course will be flat so you can't get everything you want."

The swim portion of the event is in a canal and Butterfield said: "Canal swims are a bit hit or miss. Sometimes they are with the current which suits slow swimmers like myself. Sometimes they are against the current and the swim for me takes an extra two or three minutes."

And he approaches an ITU or Olympic distance triathlon differently than he approaches a half or full Ironman.

"The Olympic distance for me is maximum effort. I am sprinting – 100 percent all the way. At the half Ironman distance I do the swim at 100 percent but don't go all out on the bike and the run is near max as well. I do not usually go all out on the bike but I may change that this year. My run times may slow down but my overall time may be better and so I may chance that. I used to hold back a bit.

"And then at the full Ironman distance you have to have patience. I have seen some go out fast and then they slow down – their body starts to shut down with cramping and spasms and some have gone to hospital.

"I would say that the Olympic distance is no patience, the half Ironman semi patience and the full Ironman is a game of patience – they should call it the patience triathlon!"