The race was a 10K - followed by 38K Bike - then a 5 K run
This was the USAT Duathlon Nationals. If you made the top 12 in your age group you would qualify for the "Worlds" at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Sept.
I have never done a duathlon. I fractured my foot at the end of Jan and I just started running 2 weeks before Oceanside. As of this race, I have spent 1 run doing speed work so I was not sure how I was going to do.
Starting out with a 10K was interesting. I got smoked by most of the woman I started with.......The first 2 waves were men over 55 and woman over 55.
I was OK with that - I just needed to find my pace and run my race. At about mile 3, I passed a bunch of ladies that went out a little too fast................................ oops.
About a 1/2 mile from the end of the 10K, one of the girls that I had passed at mile 3 and had been using me for a pacing partner, decides she is now going to pass me. Y-E-A-H, that did not go over well with me and I used my cadence drills Strauss trained me on to pick up the pace and then a slight down hill to really pick up the pace -- I could hear her fall back - then I passed one other lady in my AG about 500 feet from the finish.
There was 1 turn around and I counted the women ahead of me -- there was 16 - so when I came in - I was 15th of the group.
Got on the bike. Legs felt like lead. That was LESS than pleasant!
About mile 2 - the girl that was pacing me - passed me.............UGH! But then she made a wrong turn and went off the course to who knows where ...............S W E E T !
About 4 miles into the ride - I am thinking - how am I going to finish this race??? I was dead.......!
OK - what has my coach, Rich Strauss, taught me? I need to do something because "dead" is just not what I wanted to deal with.
Rich has a video called 4 Keys - plus he gave a talk on these in Oceanside. One of the keys is race "in the box" -- don't deal with anything else than what is happening. This puts the race in a compartment and you deal with what needs to be fixed NOW and do not worry about mile 10 or 20 or the end of the race.
That worked --- took some Gu - took some endurolytes and within about 10 minutes I was good to go for the rest of the bike. I really paid attention to taking some Gu and drink every 25 minutes. Before I got off the bike I took half an Espresso Gu. The bike course was a little hilly in some spots --- but that was fine with me!
I was told that the 2nd run was a bit----! Especially after you have already run a 10K.
Got off the bike - got on to the run - did not feel that bad until about mile 2. I walked the aid station and then finished the race! It was an up hill finish -- that hurt!
I came in 9th out of 21 in my age group - total Time 2:49:40
10K 54:52 38K bike 1:24:54 3 K Run 27:05
This was a fun race. It was tough.
Yes I would do a duathlon again -- they are good training for Triathlons.
Lynda
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