Philadelphia Triathlon in Fairmount Park - DuathlonStandard

Felt pretty good on most of this run and believe it was well-paced. Drank a few swigs of water and a few of Gatorade Endurance at the stops. Sun & heat weren't going to be major problems today, but humidity was hovering near 100%.

During the run I met the guy from my town who I beat by 1sec at Columbia. He told me his wife gave him his 5yo daughter to carry about 1/4mi from the finish line (he was definately running me down) so figure I'm going to really have to work to beat him this time. He became my "mark" from that point. We were essentially even for the 5k and he was just ahead of me out of T1.

Saw my family cheering me on as I entered T1 and gave them all high-fives--was feeling good now and had forgotten all about the lost swim.

Nothing. I think it was just the right pace for me for this type of race.

Missed my rack at first and had to double back. Then it was a bit crowded coming out of transition with people crowding the mount line, so it didn't go as smoothly as usual for me. My "mark" got out ahead due to that.

Pay attention to the rack numbers.

I really like this course because it gives you a few short climbs and descents for variety along with a flat sections where you can just crank. And despite the rains we had, the roads were largely dry and in decent condition. Though a few areas, especially in corners, were still wet so you had to be a little careful (and apparently a few people went down because of this).


Had a little trouble getting my shoes tightened after clipping-in, but didn't slow me too much. Our wave was in the middle so there were plenty of riders out on the course right from the start. I rode in the "passing" lane for much of the ride. Had to take a few turns more cautiously due to the congestion (and some wetness), but most of the time it didn't have an influence on my speed or pacing.

My mark was in view right from the start and I was slowly making up ground. Passed him about half-way through lap one and felt like I was working at a good steady level. Figured I'd need to open up a couple minute gap to hold him off on the run.

Finishing the first loop, I saw my family again (barely, as we were moving pretty fast from a downhill and the crowd was pretty big there) and sat up and waved. Checked my clock and saw it took about 33min--ahead of goal, yet feeling good.

On the first hill of lap 2, I was surprised to see my mark pass me again. Damn! Passed him back a few miles later and after that stayed very focused on keeping the effort level from sagging.

Through the ride, I also focused on drinking since I've had problems with mild dehydration in races. Drank 24oz of Gu2O, most of a 20oz bottle of water, @16oz of Gartoade Endurance and ate 1 Gu gel.



Guess that this ride was just about right, but not entirely sure. Could have pushed harder but that might have started impacting my run more. Or perhaps backing off a bit might have helped on the run. I'll have to see if the power data gives me any clues later.

Could have been a little quicker here. After having a shoe fall off at Columbia (and having to run back up a hill to get it there), I was worried about running with my bike and having the shoes hit the ground. Basically carried my bike from the dismount line into the rack.

Figure out how to run without having to carry my bike.

Felt good at the start, and pushed the pace a little harder than I should have. Just a bit slower in the first couple miles and I think I could have had a more even-paced run (and maybe left something in the tank at the end).

At the first turn-around I quickly spotted my mark. I had maybe a couple hundred yards on him but there was a long way to go still. Just focused on keeping my legs spinning. Once I passed the finish line (on the way out) the miles seemed to take MUCH longer. I knew I was tiring. At the second/last turn-around I began to look for my mark, but didn't see him for maybe 1/4mi. I was sure I could hold him off now. Unfortunately, this made it easier for me to give into the fatigue--even walked for about 20 yards or so at one point.

Tried to keep my legs turning over quickly, but nothing left for any kind of finish line sprint. A couple people passed me in the final 100 yards or so.

Start out at a bit slower pace and try to hold that pace more evenly through the run. Also, the game with my new mark was fun and helped keep me focused for most of the race. But once I had him beat, I needed to have something else to stay focused on. Instead I became too focused on the pain & fatigue I was feeling and gave into it.

Walked back to see my family and watched others come in (my sister, friend Brian, dontracy, etc.). Got some food and kept drinking.


I keep thinking I can run a 45:00 10k at the end of one of these, but maybe I'm just not there yet. Just have to keep plugging away at the training.

As usual, I have to brag on my sister who took 6th place in her AG. As we were walking together after the race, some guy stops her out of the blue. Says he was riding behind her and complimented her biking being "really solid". :-)


The swim here is a risk you know about going in. I was disappointed, but it was probably a good call on the RD's part. And they did a good job in having the course ready for the duathlon--still getting everthing off on time. Hopefully next year I'll actually finish a full Philly Triathlon!