TriUtah Women of Steel Triathlon - DuathlonOther

It was pretty chilly when we started this run, but thankfully the rain had pretty much stopped. I think they did this run primarily to get all of the racers spread out a bit before the bike started. But then again, they started 100 people at a time, 30 seconds apart!

Not much. I took it easy--tried to keep some in reserve for the bike, which is the portion of the event I was most worried about.

Ugh, two shoe changes in this race!! At least my feet weren't wet, though. Didn't run with the bike. I was actually tring to get my garmin reset for the bike segment. Plus, it was a bit of a bottleneck getting out of transition.

Get the velcro strap for my garmin so I can take it off and play with it while I run with my bike...or maybe get it reset before I get to my bike in transition.

I KILLED that hill this year!!! Both times! I passed soooo many people, especially on the first loop. The most fun was passibg people while I was going up the hill! Yay!
While I LOVED the ego boost, it was almost annoying. I don't see how the USAT officials could have given out penalties on the bike, but looking at the results, it looks like some were given penalties. There was NO way to avoid being less than 3 bike lengths behind the bike in front of you...and often we were tire to tire, 3 or 4 bikers wide across the road, especially on the first loop. They really should have spaced the runners out by a minute or more, that would have helped immensely on the run. I didn't quite have the fast downhills I wanted, both because of the congestion and the wet roads. It had stopped raining completely before I started the first loop, and didn't rain again while I was still biking. By the second loop, the roads were drier, and the "traffic" thinned out a bit. I managed to hit 30 mph briefly on the last little bit of the second loop.

I was still a bit undertrained for this. MUCH better than last year (when I had to walk the uphill on the 2nd bike loop), but still room for improvement.

Beter than previous races, but still not very quick.

Hurry. More.

By this time I was pretty pooped. My tib anterior muscle was cramping and my shins were burning, so I walked a fair amount of the first mile or so...including the hill. I was REALLY glad to have my garmin. I loved knowing how fast I was actually going. I felt like I could have used some more energy, though. I had a gel in my pocket, but no water, and by the time I got to the aid stations my tummy was feeling a little funky. Plus, by that time, it wouldn't have helped until after the race was over, anyway. I did get a second wind just about the last half mile or so. And true to form, I made a friend while I was running. :) I don't know why, but it seems to help me to be able to run with someone. And it helps that I'm the chatty social type, too. :) Max pace was about a 9 min mile, at the finish line of course!

Run the uphill, only walk at the aid stations. Take a second gel while on the bike. Practice more bricks before my next race.

Stood in line to get my shirt and finisher's necklace and chocolate, downed some water, a banana, and an oatmeal raisin cookie. Talked with other racers (of course!!) Chatted about the race, my tri club, etc. Meandered around, packed up transition, and hit a local greasy spoon for some post-race grub with Heather and Kelly.


I was a little undertrained. Again.


I put in just the right amount of effort in this race. I finished strong, felt good afterwards, felt a little ill as the day went on (lactic acid buildup, maybe?), hydration was spot-on, hours after the race I felt like I was going to be super sore the next day, but in reality I wasn't. I felt really good! I saw an improvement in my times, by 5and a half minutes on the bike, and about 30 seconds on the run. If I can do that when I'm not completely ready for the race, I'm excited to see what else I've got in me for the rest of the season, after I get the training volume up to par. :) LOOK OUT, HERE SHE COMES!!!