My First Duathlon

I did my first Duathlon this weekend, the Duathlon at Brunswick Forest, a 5k run – 12 mile bike – 2 mile run. The short version is I had a blast and accomplished what I set out to do. If you are interested in the rest….

I got to the race site about 6:45 and was about the 10th person there. The race had around 180 person/teams signed up so transition was pretty small. I got really lucky in that my bike rack was in the first rack coming in from the run – no looking for which lane I was in – the bike was right in front of me. I got set up, found the bathroom (that was really nice in that the club house was open for us to use) and generally milled around until 7:20 or so. I did a 10 min warm up run and my dynamic stretches to get ready. I hit the bathroom one last time and went out to the start. I did a couple of strides to get my mind focused and then got in line. I saw several people I knew, said Hi and then we were off.

I had a very specific plan for the race. This was supposed to be a “C” race in that I was going to have fun while experimenting with how the bike ride would go since my bike fit. This was not to be an all out race. The 5K pace was to be 9:00 (my threshold pace at practice is 8:40/mile). I could hold this pace easily and be able to hit the bike hard. I really enjoyed the 5K. I kept my pace even, was breathing easily, and pushed a little the last half mile. I finished in 28:12 or a 8:48 pace. Yah – right on target.

Transition went fine – less than 1 min and I was out on the bike. The bike was where I wanted to see what would happen. Since I had the bike fit, I have not really had a chance to open things up and see how I felt (most of my training has been indoors on the trainer). I wanted to keep my cadence up around 95 and just keep moving. I also wanted to see how aero position was going to feel on the open road. My legs are a work in progress so I started on the small ring and had planned to keep it there for at least the first loop (3 loops total). My computer said I was riding about 17.5 to 18 mph for most of the first loop. This was better than I expected so I just left things as they were. I was riding well, staying in aero as much as possible and doing my best not to let the cadence slow down. I stayed on the small ring for the entire bike portion. I only had one weak moment coming into the last turn at mile 10.5. I slowed down but quickly dug in and got my speed back up to 18 and finished hard. Coming off the bike at transition is always tough for me and I almost fell. The volunteer had to jump out of the way as I stumbled. I saved it and started into T2. My bike time was 43:48 (16.4 mph but my garmin says I averaged 17.4 – it think it’s the to the mount point and stuff that makes the difference)

T2 went fine – just over 1 min. I need to figure out how to deal with my shoes. I ended up just shoving them on and doing the wiggle thing to get my heal in straight. I grabbed a quick drink and out I went on the 2 mile run. I knew from experience that my legs would feel like poo for a while but I was pleasantly surprised on how I felt. I shortened my stride, stayed light and glared at the person in front of me. She had on black shorts and a pink top – I wanted her – I wanted to crush her (OK I know its not an A race but the bike was over now – I can race now). My legs were feeling better and I really felt my stride come back by about 0.5 miles. I caught the lady in pink and began to pick of other runners one by one. I had a couple of people pass me but not many. There was water at the turnaround point and I grabbed a cup. I have learned the crush the top of the cup and drink out of the corner trick. I got in a quick drink and poured the rest on my head. The last mile was fine. I began to try and pick up my pace. I got passed by a couple with 0.5 miles to go. They were side by side and running in sink with each other. I tried to hold on to them but could not. I made the turn for the last 800 m and I did my best to really go hard to the end. I felt like I had a strong finish with a total time of 1:34:52.

The good, the bad, and the ugly: I had a great time with this race. I believe it is important not to race for a pr every time. Sometimes you just need to go out and have a good time. I was totally stoked about how my bike is coming. I have work to do but am beginning to see some progress. The bad – I was last in my age group. Not the worst thing in the world but I don’t like to be the last one listed. The ugly – not a thing. I had a great first Du, and am looking forward to another one soon.