Delaware Valley Duathlon - Duathlon


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Quakertown, Pennsylvania
United States
t wiley sports
50F / 10C
Sunny
Total Time = 2h 07m 47s
Overall Rank = 155/191
Age Group = Clydes
Age Group Rank = 9/12
Pre-race routine:

Up at 6...nice to be up "late" for an event. Half a bagel with PB along with a tart cherry/banana/peach smoothie for breakfast. TSW up shortly afterward, we got up to the lake in plenty of time, no rushing around at all. Went to the BR before we left, good to go. Pretty easy, stress-free morning.
Event warmup:

My warm-up consisted of walking uphill from the parking lot to the transition area, cutting through the woods to pick up my packet and t-shirt, setting up, and standing in line for a porta-pottie. Did a bit of stretching, but nothing more...mostly trying to loosen up my right hip area, which has felt out of whack the last couple of days.
Run
  • 30m 33s
  • 3.1 miles
  • 09m 51s  min/mile
Comments:

I went out in the Clyde group, which went last, consisted of maybe 7-8 people, including two ladies on relay teams.. That's a recipe for disaster. I know I'm supposed to run generally easy on the first run, but when you're going out and trying to avoid embarrassment, it's tough to stick to that plan; keeping people in sight becomes a bit more important. I passed one guy in the group in the first mile, maybe 3-4 slower runners from earlier groups. Somewhere after two miles I looked at the Garmin and noticed I was on pace for what would've been a 5K personal record, under 29 minutes. Exactly the wrong thing to do, and seeing that, just the numbers, made me tired. So I slowed down, even walked a little through the water stop. In the end, I probably should've just gone for the personal record since I was likely already done for the second run at that point. At least I didn't go off course this time.
What would you do differently?:

Legitimate answer would be to just go out slower but I'm pretty sure, with that few in my group, that I'd do the same thing if we raced again tomorrow.
Transition 1
  • 01m 31s
Comments:

About 200y mostly uphill coming off the run into transition, so I just kind of walked in and took my time. Jogged easy in the bike shoes coming out.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing.
Bike
  • 1h 00m 2s
  • 15.5 miles
  • 15.49 mile/hr
Comments:

Little further back in the pack than I normally am on the bike. I passed a whole bunch of people, and my legs were right on that soreness edge, particularly on the climbs, not quite screaming but making their displeasure with me evident enough. Power meter acted up, throwing off all kinds of weird readings, then settling in on a scale that appeared to be 75w-100w off what I'd expect, essentially useless data. Seems like a tough ride to me, which doesn't say much for my cycling ability.
What would you do differently?:

Don't know that I could've done anything differently. I felt like I pushed it pretty good on the ride; stayed in the best gear possible on the downhill portions, rode the small ring on the climbs. And given my performance on the second run, it seems safe to suggest that I shouldn't have gone any harder than I actually did..
Transition 2
  • 01m 37s
Comments:

Got my feet out of the shoes early enough it wasn't a problem, but the Velcro did want to stick my socks. I was hurting by the time I got off the bike. Tried to jog to my rack - positioned all the way at the back (but very close to the run out) - but eventually resorted to a walk. Even with that, time came in about where T2 normally does. Running shoes went on pretty easy with the lock laces.
What would you do differently?:

Given current conditioning...nothing.
Run
  • 34m 6s
  • 3.1 miles
  • 11m  min/mile
Comments:

Given the rubbery sensation in my legs, along with the lactic acid flowing through the muscles, I suspect I was a comical sight exiting T2, taking mincing little steps just to try and get some momentum. Out on the park road, which was a long climb - not steep, but certainly noticeable - I took the first of several walks on the second run, 20-30 seconds. Thereafter, they came at roughly 3-5 minute intervals. I'd say 5-6 people I picked off on the bike caught me again on this run. I'd originally planned to make this run a time trial, a basis for future training. As it turned out, it ended up as a faster than normal training run. I mean, I walked for 20 or so seconds going into the last .15 miles or so, and that just so I could look in control as I came up that last little hill before the finish. Some chick and her boyfriend behind me decided to sprint after coming off the hill; i heard the finish line guy with the microphone talking about her - and me too: "That guy just said, let her go, man, let her go." I waved her on. Totally blown at the end.
What would you do differently?:

I think the answer to this has nothing to do with the actual race, and everything to do with training. On the drive over, TSW asked if I felt good, if I was ready to go. I told her I felt like I hadn't really done enough, at least not for a duathlon, and certainly not enough to expect super results. That turned out to be prescient. Now, this was never expected to be more than just a good solid training weekend for the first tri of the year in about a month, and it definitely served that purpose. All I can say - and I've thought it before - is that dus are hard, especially so if the first and second runs are the same distance, they're harder than tris with comparable bike and run legs. Even as poorly as I swim, that first run is tougher even than my lousy swims. So, the answer to the question of what I'd do differently is, train specifically for a duathlon.
Post race
Warm down:

My typical finish: grab a water bottle and walk around until I feel like a human again, one with a normal heart rate.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

My conditioning level at this point in the season.

Event comments:

Great early season race at a great location. Very competitive too; the local multi-sport superstars all seem to show up for this one, and it is a good early season tune-up. Heck, it's worth entering just to see all the awesome new tri-bikes. Cervelo seemed to be the favorite this year.




Last updated: 2014-04-19 12:00 AM
Running
00:30:33 | 03.1 miles | 09m 51s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/12
Overall: 173/191
Performance: Good
Course: Followed park roads and multi-use paths through the park...doubt I'd be able to recreate it on my own, but the course was well-marked with orange arrows. Nothing really steep hill-wise (save for a cruel rise of maybe 50 yards right before the finish), but what inclines there were tended to be long.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
T1
Time: 01:31
Overall: Average
Run with bike? Average
Jump on bike?
Getting up to speed and into shoes:
Biking
01:00:02 | 15.5 miles | 15.49 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/12
Overall: 133/191
Performance: Average
Wind: Some with gusts
Course: Uphill ride out of the park - always guaranteed to tire out the legs even before you can get up to speed - north towards 611, turn around, back past the entrance and south toward 313, turn around again, and back into the park. What I'd call a rolling course, long, fast descents followed by long, gradual (and debilitating to one's, or mine anyway, speed) climbs. Riding into cross and headwinds for at least half the ride didn't make it any easier.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Good Hills: Below average
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:37
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes Average
Jumping off bike Average
Running with bike Below average
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
00:34:06 | 03.1 miles | 11m  min/mile
Age Group: 0/12
Overall: 167/191
Performance: Bad
Course: Same course, only with a short, steep, gravel climb right out of transition.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Below average
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
Good race? Ok
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities:
Race evaluation [1-5] 4