Caesar Creek Duathlon

Unofficial results from Greg's stopwatch:

5K Run1: 30:22 --- 9:48 min/mile
T1: 1:49
22K (13.6 miles) Bike: 50:22 ---- 16.22 mph average
T2: 1:46
Run2: 34:27 --- 11:07 min/mile  (WTF!)


Overall, it was a very fun day, made incredibly wonderful by spectating friends!!!!

However, after everything from the race has sunk in, I've found myself pretty disappointed with how I did. I guess it was just one of those days where my body rejected me trying to convince it to go any faster or harder. But that always leaves you feeling bummed when there isn't really a clear explanation for the performance. I know I can't make a direct comparison of this race to the Tri for Joe because the courses were a lot different. But still - I should have done way better on the runs, at least the first one. I don't know why I didn't. If the very hilly bike course shredded my legs for the second one, fine. But 9:48 min miles for the first 5K?!? When I felt like I was pushing at a race pace?? I don't get it.

I suppose I'm satisfied with the bike portion. I checked my clock a lot and was usually going 18 - 20 mph on flats. There weren't many flats though. According to my computer, my top speed down hills was 35 mph and I know that up the long climbs I was going as slow as 5 mph, usually 8 or 10 on the shorter climbs. It was a very challenging bike ride. Aside from the overall feeling that it just wasn't my day while I was out there, I'm ok with it. If I did indeed average 16 mph on such a hilly course, then that is an improvement compared to my du's of previous years.

The last run. Awful. It became a "just get through this" kind of run. I'm very bummed that I never felt happy with how I was doing.

I don't mean to sound negative - just being honest with how it's all shaken out of me. As I mentioned, overall the day was great! I still had a lot of fun out there. It is just more fun when I feel like I'm doing well and see that I'm doing well when I look at the numbers on my watch. I always learn something from these races. I think today I learned that it is a whole different kind of race when you have pressure on yourself. When I've done duathlons in the past, it was really just for fun and to see how I would do. Now that I did the Tri for Joe and saw the biggest improvement for myself ever, with a 5K PR to boot, "racing" feels different.

Going forward... here's where this wonderful blog comes into play with some accountability and perhaps motivation. I need to work harder. Period. I would like to start seeing some improvements: weight loss, strength, speed, etc. I know that I am going to have to work harder to get any of that.