Metroplex Du-2-Du Duathlon - Long Course - Duathlon

2 waves for the long course. 40+ started first, then 39 and under. I started at about 8 pace, but slowed to around 8:30s after a couple of miles. I was way back of the pack with only 2 guys behind me and then they past me around mile 3 and I was DFL of the 2nd wave!. This was a shock to me and something completely new. I'm normally MOP, not BOP! I had to deal with this mentally, telling myself that I'll probably pass some people on the bike. I kept tell myself that this was just a training race, not an A or B priority and that I did 3+ hours on the bike yesterday afternoon!

Saw Aaron (JeepFleeb) starting his bike at about mile 4 of my run. He yelled at me to go faster, and I thought "easy for him to say; he's only doing the short course!" :)

I finished this leg feeling pretty good physically.

Uhhh... Go Faster!

Slow, primarily due to having to put on my CamelBak, but hey it's only a 15-20 seconds extra. Not too big a deal when we're talking about a 3+ hour race!

I have to really work against the wind. I don't want to go dead slow, and I can't get any lower in the front (more aero) because of my limited flexibility so I'm stuck suffering in the wind. Oh well, most people do. I was surprised that it took me a while to start passing people and they were mainly older athletes and few women. I passed very few men under 40. I started to realize that there were alot of very strong athletes in this race as it was the National Championship for long course duathlon!

I was glad I took my CamelBak and I took frequent sips from it. I took 3 salt tablets at about 45 minutes (probably too late), 1:15, and 1:40. I think that was adequate, but I want to experiment with more because my CB straps are always so crusty with sweat salt! So I think I lose of lot of sodium in my sweat!

Tailwinds are a blast and they always last much shorter than the headwinds
I hate my tri-shorts with a passion. No padding what-so-ever! I might need to get a new pair.

I saw Jack Weiss (the RD) running as I was coming into the park on my bike. I've never seen him race before and he can really move!

Throughout the ride, I was really worried that my HR was too high, but overall I was happy with bike peformance and in the end I was still able to run pretty good off the bike, so my HR couldn't have been THAT bad.

Maybe take a couple more salt pills, and carry some water to wash them and my gel shots down.

Nothing special.

First mile went by good at close to 8 pace, but I slowed somewhat after that and my HR continued to rise! I also started to develop a weird cramp in my lower abs/lower stomach area. I normally get side stiches on the side of my abdomen, not right in the middle. So this was a first, but thankfully the pain was mild and it never really limited my ability to run. This cramp/distress could have been due to taking in too many calories on the run because this was my first race with Carbo-Pro mixed into my Gatorade.

I only got passed by one person the whole second run, while I passed probably 10-12 people. After mile 4, I picked up my pace to close to 7 and my HR was 192! Overall, I'm very happy I was able to run this 2nd run leg faster than the first!

Changed out of my sweaty clothes pretty quickly, and ate some pizza. It was still from CiCi's and it was still HOT! YUMMMM!! Made my double dose of Endurox and drank it.

Chatted with Aaron and few other racers.

Bought 3 big bags of ice, and poured them into a cold water in my bath tub. There's nothing more shocking than getting into an ice bath. It always takes my breath away, but I really think it helps my recovery.


My first BOP experience, being DFL in my AG. Not too bad overall though. I defintely could tell my legs were still fatiqued from my late-afternoon 3 hour ride yesterday. But I need to learn to perform on tired legs for an Ironman, so today was good experience for that.