Day 299: Duathlon

Well, I didn't chicken out. Thanks to my friend, Tricia, and her husband, I got a ride to the race site, bike and all. We were there by 8:15am, got checked in, got our bikes racked, and had plenty of time to set up and use the bathroom (multiple times). There must have been more men than women in the race, because there was never a line-up for the women's washroom and the men were lined up out the door.

Tricia told me her race strategy: she thinks of each leg individually, and rather than trying to save herself for the end, she just goes as strong as she can. So that's how I ran each let, too. In the first run, I kept up with her, and we entered the transition area separated only by a second. But she flew out of the transition area, and I stopped for some water and gel. I never caught up. Her splits were faster on both of the next legs. I also wasted time during the second transition getting water (silly, when there are water stations on the way). Next time, I will carry water, not Gatorade, on my bicycle, because I was thirsty and the Gatorade tasted salty; and I will remember to treat the transition zones as part of the race. Still, it went more smoothly than I'd imagined. Gear off, gear on. I just kind of lost focus for a few seconds there. I was so happy to be done with the previous leg.

Anyway, here are my times: 18:04 for the first 4km (4:30/km; faster than I'd planned). 58:10 for the 30km bike ride. That put me at about 30km/hour. I had no idea what to expect and the course was challenging: hilly and windy. I was pleased with that portion of the race. I know what I need to work on, and I know my strengths. Uphill and into strong wind, I'm weirdly strongest. I'm not taking full advantage of most downhills. And on the flat road, I could push stronger, too. I also climb hills fast, but then find myself spent at the top, and tend to coast or cruise for a few breaths, which slows me down. On the whole, though, I think my cycling could become a strong part of my race, with some more conditioning. I have no fear when I'm out there. And I found that time slid by very happily. Since these are roads I'm familiar with, when we hit the homestretch, I was so pumped to know I would be turning off shortly and wouldn't have to be biking myself home.

So I finished that leg feeling great. I actually racked my bike just as Tricia was turning to run. But when I went to run, my legs felt like water. I felt like I was running atop a saddle or a diaper. My inner thighs seemed to have lost all strength. It was all I could do to put one leg in front of the other. I was so frustrated! And weary. I knew I could do it, and keep going, but that seemed to be all that I could do, and I wanted to be doing more: speeding up, pushing myself harder. My body just wouldn't cooperate. I crossed the finish line with a tiny sprint, but not my usual hard run. That final split came in at 21:48. Almost four minutes slower than the first run; yet actually not as slow as it felt like I'd been running (5:27/km). I felt like I was moving barely faster than a walk, which wasn't the case.

In the end, my overall time was 1:39:18. Not bad! I was 194/454 entrants, and 6th in my age category.

I have to admit that I'm having a hard time getting over my disappointment at that final pitiful run. But the funny thing is that I held position throughout the race, and a stronger run probably wouldn't have made much difference in terms of placement: I was positioned 5th (in my category) after the first run, and dropped a spot during the bike ride, and stayed where I was during the final run. I can see that positioning yourself well in the first leg is important. That's not going to be good for me in the triathlon, since I expect to be weak on the swim.

Overall, I'm pleased with the whole experience. I wish I'd been stronger, but for a first-time event, it really could hardly have been better. No flats, smooth transitions, just a little rain, pretty strong showing. I'm such a competitive person that I have a hard time setting reasonable expectations for myself, the further I've gotten in this training process as I've begun to recognize my own potential. I don't really like being a competitive person -- the competitive spirit can be harnessed in good ways, but for some reason it holds negative associations for me -- so it's been a struggle. How to be competitive without being too hard on myself. How to be competitive and humble and open to learning.

I wonder how much faster or stronger I can get. I only have so much training time, and these races take a toll on my family. I'm distracted and anxious in advance of the race, gone all day on race day, and tired afterward. It takes a lot out of me, but it also demands a lot from my family. I'm not sure how much more training it would take to bump me to a different level. I feel like perhaps I've plateau-ed here; not a bad spot to be in, really, and hugely stronger than I was 299 days ago, but one of the joys of training is sensing progress, and I'm not sure I've sensed much progress in the last while.

Oh, one final funny coincidence. My race number was 365!!! I thought that was pretty awesome, and a good omen, and I'm keeping my helmet number as a keepsake. Last year, my 365-project was a photo project; and this year, I've been thinking of the triathlon project as my 365-project.

I'm a lucky woman. I'm lucky to be able to pursue these projects. And who knows what will come of them. It's never quite what I imagine it will be; instead it's often richer and surprising. And I'm proud of how far I've come in 299 days.