Vincentown Duathlon Race Report

"There's no sensation to compare with this 

Suspended animation - a state of bliss"

Pink Floyd - "Learning To Fly"

This was a very special race for me today, for two reasons. The first being that this is my last sprint duathlon of this season. Hard to believe it. Today's theme song, quoted above, really summed up my feelings this morning. I'm learning to run and to bike. Soon to swim. The finish after a tough race? That feeling is incomparable. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

Welcome to July! Holy hot hot heat Batman! At start time, the temp was already 80 and climbing. This course was my longest yet at a two mile run, 15 mile bike and a 5k run. Most of the course was on country roads, that were in good shape, with little shade. This DID play a factor. That sun was merciless.

Pre-race: We got there at a bit after 6:30am. Plenty of time to stake out a sweet transition spot. I found a great little spot and quickly set up. This is now a science for me, and it goes pretty smoothly. How ever, before I even got into the transition area, my coach and pro triathlete Heather Leiggi was there! This was the first time I had met Heather face to face in five months of training and racing. To say I was excited is an understatement! She was also kind enough to hook me up with a SWEET Zoot visor for the run today. This was clutch as the temps continued to climb.

Coach and I talking race strategy

As I was setting up transition, a bunch of Team TRIumph members came over and introduced themselves. We had a pretty good turn out for the race, including our Team Pres. Ryan. After some meeting and greeting (the first time I met a lot of these awesome folk), I chatted with Heather and Jason. Then Heather and I got down to race planning. Again, we were going to go with the same plan we had last race, hard first run, good solid bike, and then try to get my second run faster.

First Run - 2 Miles- I lined up at the starting line, putting myself about mid pack. This was a much bigger field it seemed. I saw Ryan up front on the line. His back would be a familiar sight today. That cat is just fast!

Yes, he's THAT fast

At the horn, we took off. There was a slight uphill we had to run which wasn't bad at all. The pack started to stretch out quickly. At some point I got boxed in by a two women who just wouldn't pass each other. I heard someone say "someone has got to pass..." So I spoke up to the ladies "On your left and right!" and accelerated past them. Please people, I get that you want to run with your friends. But at the start of the race, don't hog the whole running lane.

I caught up with fellow TTer Angel and we paced each other. How in the hell that woman can chatter on the run like that is beyond me. I was feeling a bit tired but strong still. I chalked it up to the heat. We kept each other company to the end of the first mile at the turn around, when I heard "7:28, 7:29, 7:30..."

Holy Balls. a 7:30 mile?! No wonder I was feeling a bit sluggish. 

Excuse me sir, you said How Fast?

But I kept up with Angel for another 400 meters or so. After that I told her I was dropping back and she wished me luck, and accelerated away to catch another girl infront of us. I settled down to a more reasonable pace, about 8:45 I think. 

The rest of that run, I felt fairly good. I was winded though and I could feel the legs getting unhappy. Coming back into T1, Heather was there yelling for me and telling me what a good run I had! My response? "Hey Coach! I didn't puke!!" Classy, that's me, all the way.

T1 - A bit slow today. I changed gear ok and got to going. Running in the bike shoes was a bit dicey as there was a sharp left hand turn coming out of transition that had me slide a bit. However, unlike last race, I mounted good and quick, got clipped in quickly and set off to get some redemption.

Me - Demonstrating my best side for the camera

The Bike - 15 miles (two loops)

Right away, I started making passes. This always feels awesome. I was down on my aero's quickly and my cadence was up to the mid 80's easily. I settled in for a nice long bike ride. There isn't a whole lot to really describe about this course. It was flat, and fast. I made passes, people on Tri-bikes zipped passed me. Over all, it was a good ride. I'm still very happy with it. 

As I got closer to T2, I took my feet out of the shoes, and got ready to dismount, I kept my speed up until the last 10 meters and hit the brakes just enough to get a good flying dismount. I love those.

T2 - SOMEONE STOLE MY SPOT! Shoes changed, off to the run. Bastard.

Run Two - 5k. SUFFERFEST. It was hot by then. I was slower than I wanted. I could feel it right off. I was grabbing water at every water station. Mostly to dump on my head and grab a few sips. Thank GOD for that visor. It kept most of the sweat out of my eyes, and the sun off my face. Having run such a fast run leg at the start, I could tell I didn't have much left in the tank at all. This was a contest of pure stubbornness. Me vs. Miles. I'd be damned if the miles were going to win. So I kept plodding. In the shade, in the sun. Mostly in the sun. As the meters ticked away, I could feel the sun zapping me more and more. Still. Not. Stopping. 

Finally, the finish line is in sight. I empty my tank out trying to finish strong. With the running form of a jellyfish.

Results:

A tough race. No hardware, but a new PR for fastest mile. 7th in my AG and 46th out of 70 over all. Total time: 1:41:09. I'm still happy with this race. I think this was my best race of the year. The conditions were tough, the field tougher. Still, I held on and got a solid mid field finish. 

As for having my coach there, how was that? Let me explain. No.. there is to much, let me sum up:

Having Heather there was awesome. Just the fact a Pro was out at a tiny local race? Unreal. That she was cheering for me?! OMGWTFBBQ A FUCKING PRO TRIATHLETE WAS CHEERING FOR ME AND CALLED MY NAME!!!!!!!!

Now, on to my A race in August. An Olympic Distance Duathlon: 5k run, 40k bike and a 10k run. In August heat.

God I love this sport.