Race Schedule Intensity/Frequency

Hello!

P.S. I copy/pasted this from a Word file, probably why the formatting is off.  My apologies.

This is my fourth year racing, second of which is competitive (or at least as I see it).  I really see myself vying for top overall finishes in local and/or regional Olympic races (Nebraska) within the next few years.  Without making this post too terribly long, here are a few pieces of pertinent information. 

1)      The past three years I have competed in over a dozen or so Sprint Duathlons and Triathlons (rough avg’s: Swim/ 1:45, Bike/23.00mph, Run 7:00).

2)      During those first three years I always trained hard but never trained smart.  As in, I always just pushed myself to the limit every day (other than days I rested/recovered) rather than committing to a 12-20 week formal training plan.

3)      While I have individually trained/done the distances of an Olympic triathlon, I have never actually done all three of them together or in a race.

4)      I am extremely driven to train smarter so I can compete at a high, if not elite, level in the Olympic distance.

Having said, my question revolves around the frequency and distances of the races I have scheduled this year.  To begin, my “Target Race” is the Hy-Vee Triathlon 9/2/12 in Des Moines, IA.  It is Olympic distance.  My goal is to place, if not win, my age group (M 25-29).    This would be a great way to increase my presence and to hopefully meet some high caliber triathletes.  So, I am already scheduled for that.  Prior to this race I have already registered for the following races:

1)      April 28, 2012 (Race Omaha Duathlon: Sprint Distance)

2)      May 20, 2012 (Kansas City Hy-Vee Triathlon: Sprint distance)

3)      June 17, 2012 (Papillion Days Duathlon: Sprint Distance)

4)      September 2, 2012 (Hy-vee Triathlon: Olympic Distance)

Finally, here is my question.  To fill the time between the 6/17 and 9/2 race, which one of the following options do I choose?

1)      Register for two additional races on 7/15/12 and 7/28/12, both Sprint Distance?

2)      Skip Option 1 and instead register solely for a race on 8/5/12, Olympic Distance?

3)      Register for nothing in between those two dates so I can continue to stay focused on smart, consistent training for my Target Race on 9/2/12 (even though, note, I have never competed the Olympic Distance despite having done the respective distances in my own training?)

4)      Some other recommendation you have that I have not thought of.

All thoughts and input are greatly appreciated!  Thank you!

Shaun