RYKA Iron Girl Bloomington Women's Duathlon

how cool that you were there last year volunteering...and this year you'll be racing!? awesome.

i have two friends who i ride with who are probably doing this one, for one it would be her first duathln. trigirlkris is also doing it, i believe (sign up, kris!!!). i did it last year and it was a great event ('cept for the no passing zone on the bike...which they say is fixed this year).

at the moment, i'm not training at all! nasty cold this week. i'll be racing this one for fun, since my main season is over and my body needs a bit of a rest.

I was planning on it, but have backed out - I'm doing my first half marathon a few weeks after the du and should probably stick to training for the half during Sept...good luck!

I'm planning on it...so far.. probably won;t train much for it beyond what I already do. I am getting psyched for my next obsession to be: cyclocross, so I guess they are kinda compatible...

Yes, I still need to sign up for it, but I'm planning on doing Irongirl again.  It was a fun race, despite the no-passing zone!

That's what I hear. I heard that everyone loved it except the no passing zone. You know, the watching the race brougth such inspiration to my life especially watching everyone cross that finishline. Last year it was on my birthday and I decided that would be what I wanted to do before my next birthday. The only problem is they moved the race day a week later so oh well, I'll be 21 instead of 20. But I am soooo excited about this. The other Iron Girl races across the country have been looking good and you can see picks online. The finishers' medals are so awesome this year. I can't wait to get mine. But hey, the race is only like 6 weeks away right!!!! Well, I better go hit the roads, the run is going to kill me. I am not a runner

bill does cyclocross. in fact, there might be a cyclocross race on saturday, the day before irongirl.

Okay, this might sound like a stupid question but what is cyclocross?

Hi Ladies. I'm new to the competitive sport thing and am starting to train for a sprint tri for next year. But I am interested in duathlons too, especially since I like biking so much. In your opinions, would this duathlon be one that a newbie would be okay at? Or is it very competitive? Not that I expect to win But I also don't want to get in in the way. But I would love to try a race this year before the snow flies. Any thoughts? Thanks!

Hi there!!!!
A duathlon is sometimes a hard one to enter the racing world on, but I am going to reccommend this one. Irongirl is a woman's only race that started last year. I volunteered last year and the spirit and energy that existed at this race I have not felt at any other race. The distances are long for someone who hasn't been training long but if you can do it, this would be a WONDERFUL race to start out with!! Good luck and let us know what you decide!

you're going to do great, pam!

and no telling yourself you're not a runner! i did that for the first 30 years of my life. in the last 3 years, i've learned to BE a runner, 5 1/2 marathons, a marathon next year (maybe), started at 12 min miles, then 11, then 10, then 9, and have even squezed out some sub 9 and sub 8 runs. the key is to be a runner, believe that your body can do this. when you are running, if 'this sucks, i'm not a runner' creeps into your head, try and change gears and think 'my body was made to do this, my legs are strong, my lungs and heart are strong, this is fun, i'm gliding, i'm flying, i am a runner.' after a while, your brain will believe you...as will the rest of your body!

see you at irongirl!

imagine a mountain bike race....on road bikes...and with obstacles. its fun to watch

(really, i would love to try it, but since my husband supports me at my tris and runs all year long, i am his support at cyclocros races)

http://www.usacycling.org/cx/

duathlons are great. this one in particular is fantastic.

Thank you so much for your kind words!!!!!! You know as I keep doing this I am getting better and better. I still have work to go but now I am up to the point that I can almost run a solid 5K. I hope we can meet up and talk at Irongirl. But thanks again! And good luck with your training till the race!

Hi all. I decided to sign up. What the heck.

Bikergrrrl,
I don't think you will be disappointed. This is an awesome race to start out with. I would reccomend it to anyone especially first timers. Good luck and train hard. I guess there are some hills on the bike course. Better get my butt in gear!

Have fun training and good luck!

Oh my gosh. I drove the course yesterday and to say "some hills" is quite an understatement. I am going to ride it next weekend and it will be a challenge due to the traffic on Normandale Boulevard. That is where most of the hills are, although it's all very hilly. Yikes! At least we can be thankfull for the downs.

Okay, so when you say hills you are talking full blown monster hills? Wow, maybe I need to go drive the course too. Hills scare me!!!!!!!!!!! And to think, there is less than 4 weeks till race day! AHHHHHHHHHHH!

I would suggest driving it, if not riding it, at least once. The terrain is a little sketchy at points too (some gravely parts, sharp curves, etc.). I mapped the route on runstoppable.com and found the elevation ranges from 800 ft to the largest at 940 ft. The segment on Normandale Blvd is the hilliest. I am going to attempt posting a picture of the elevation changes.

Edited to say that the elevation gain is 550 ft. Wowzers! yes, 4 weeks is not nearly far enough away. Oh my gosh, and we have to do that TWICE.

Edited by BikerGrrrl 2006-08-28 3:45 PM






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There are lots of downhills at least! It is hard for those of us used to the plains

OMG, I forgot that the loop was twice!!!!! That is going to be killer. I did a race back in WI a week ago and the hills were okay, not really bad but bad enough and I thought I was going to die! Does anyone know of any hilly paths around the Minneapolis area? I am actually closer to the downtown area, maybe I should bike East and West River Road!! Now I am scared. But hey at least we have to go downhill for every foot we go up!

Good luck training!

Pam

Could you actually practice on the course a few times? I am going out this Sunday and meeting a few people. If you want to join us, let me know and we'll watch for you (this goes for anyone!). We're meeting in the parking lot on Chalet Road at 8:00. Otherwise I would suggest East River Road. If you start in Minneapolis near the U and go as far as crossing over Highway 5 (in St. Paul, by Buca) there's a very steep hill that goes down to a little park on the river. Do that a few times and you'll be beat And then the ride back towards Minneapolis has some gentle hills and curves, similar to part of the Iron Girl ride. Just be aware that the road is pretty jarring if you're on a road bike. I was worried I might crack my frame at times, and my hands tingled for hours afterwards. West River Road is worse for potholes and it leaves the river pretty quickly, which is why I suggest East River Road.

I wish I could come along but I don't have transportation outside of the buses . I'll try East River Road. Guess I am just going to have to do the best I can and maybe work on my running to kill that. Have fun with riding that!

I just check the Iron Girl website and bib numbers are up! I am sooo psyched!!!! I am number 2!!!!!!! I have never had that low of a number! Now I just have to work my butt off so I look good!

Where do you find that?