1st duathlon!

Yesterday I raced my first duathlon...it was hard, but a lot of fun!

Pre-race
I did not know what to expect from myself at all because my training since soccer and school started has been so inconsistent, so I set a very conservative goal of 1:50. We live near the race and I've actually ridden the bike course many times...but that was last year pre-baby! So Saturday afternoon I asked Drew to drive the bike course with me and I had forgotten how hilly it is!!!! My plan was to hammer down the hills, push it on the flats, and pray that the hills didn't get me. My plan for the run was to average 10 minute miles - in the 9's on the first 2 miles and in the low 10's the second 2 miles.

Drew and I loaded up AC early Sunday morning and headed up to the race. I got to talk to Kona-bound Joy and meet fellow blogger and triathlete Damie! It's always fun to meet and talk to fellow female athletes and bloggers. Joy gave me my chip and Damie helped me get marked up.


1st 2 miles - 16:58
I am fairly certain the course was about a tenth of a mile short. I felt good, but there is no way I was running 8:29 miles!


T1 - 1:20
I've never done a transition before...kinda weird trying to run in my cycling shoes to the mounting area.


15 mile bike - 57:12 - 15.7 mph
This is exactly what I what I wanted to hit - between 14 and 16 mph! The bike wasn't nearly as bad as I thought. I stuck to my plan and just pushed as hard as I could. My only issue was on two huge hills towards the beginning I could not get my bike to shift into the small ring!! I got passed by two girls going up these hills and I was ready to cuss. I finally got it to shift later on, but I really struggled up the first two because of the gears.


T2 - :57
Again, weird trying to run from the dismount area to my transition area. This next picture is me coming out of T2 to start the run my legs felt so funky! Drew was laughing at how I was running!



2nd 2 mile run - 19:10
The first 4 minutes of the run were rough! My stride was short and my calves were cramping! They finally loosened up and I was able to stretch out my stride. My goal was to catch the two girls who passed me. I caught the first with about a mile left and the second with about a tenth of a mile.



Final time - 1:35:35!!
Overall I had a lot of fun...I enjoyed the entire race and I'm really glad I did it. I wish there were more duathlons near us! Drew and AC were such troopers cheering me on. I was so excited to see them at the finish line and apparently AC had had enough...


That picture just cracks me up! Drew said she was awake the entire time but passed out about 5 minutes before I finished. I grabbed a quick bite then we had to head home to feed her and get her to bed.

Happy running!