Race Report: Duathlon Age Group National Championships
May 7, 2006, Mason, Ohio
It was chilly on race morning, with temperatures not even 50 degrees. I was glad not to be thinking about swimming. Would I freeze my arms off on the bike if I went sleeveless? What's everyone else doing?
I got set up in transition, got some help getting my disc wheel tire inflated, did a short warmup, hit the bathroom, etc. Everything felt fine.
The under-35 males started at 8am andthe old guys (35-44) and I went two minutes later. The conditions were great for running and everyone bolted forward and slightly downhill when the gun went off. This was not your local fun-run. Guys were haulin'. At the first mile I was in the middle of the pack and my watch said 5:47. Mile 2 was uphill and so things started to even out as the first 6.2 were covered doing two loops that sent us past the crowd at the transition area. I was feeling good and running close to my fastest 10K time. Right where I wanted to be.
T1 went smoothly and I was soon on my bike and hammering. I was feeling great and kept moving my average speed up until it actually hit 24mph. It was not going to stay there as the rolling hills and the inevitable headwind made the going tough on me. I seemed to lose my momentum and then got frustrated when the course seemed too long (even 1/2 a mile can seem like a lot when you've ridden 25 already).
Random thought while riding a bike at 22mph: If I ever get married and have a son, I don't think I will name him D'Brickashaw.
I finally got to the end of the bike portion. I made a clean shoeless bike dismount. My legs felt very tight when they hit the pavement. As I jammed my feet back into my running shoes for the final 5K, both legs tightened up and I had no choice but to slow down to avoid major cramping. I took my time, maybe an extra 20 seconds. When I thought it was safe to proceed I cautiously started jogging towards the transition exit along with Mark from Arizona, who was racked next to me and competing in my age group. As we crossed under the archway we both hit our watches for the start of the final 5K run.
My legs loosened up on the downhill and I did what I could to keep a solid pace. I could see that I wasn't going to hit my goal time, but knowing that I wasn't too far off and only had a few miles left, I pushed onward and felt good on the final straightaway and right turn into the finishing chute.
My first thought after completing the distance was "that was tough, but I'm really glad I did it."
I waited around for preliminary results which showed that I was 76th out of 300+, but only 16th out of 25 in my age group. Top 12 qualified for worlds with a rolldown possible all the way to 20th place.
A few days later I received an email that read "Congratulations! You are being contacted because you have earned a spot on Team USA for the 2006 Short Course Duathlon World Championships....on July 29-30 in Corner Brook, Newfoundland, Canada." Cool! I better find my passport...
It was chilly on race morning, with temperatures not even 50 degrees. I was glad not to be thinking about swimming. Would I freeze my arms off on the bike if I went sleeveless? What's everyone else doing?
I got set up in transition, got some help getting my disc wheel tire inflated, did a short warmup, hit the bathroom, etc. Everything felt fine.
The under-35 males started at 8am andthe old guys (35-44) and I went two minutes later. The conditions were great for running and everyone bolted forward and slightly downhill when the gun went off. This was not your local fun-run. Guys were haulin'. At the first mile I was in the middle of the pack and my watch said 5:47. Mile 2 was uphill and so things started to even out as the first 6.2 were covered doing two loops that sent us past the crowd at the transition area. I was feeling good and running close to my fastest 10K time. Right where I wanted to be.
T1 went smoothly and I was soon on my bike and hammering. I was feeling great and kept moving my average speed up until it actually hit 24mph. It was not going to stay there as the rolling hills and the inevitable headwind made the going tough on me. I seemed to lose my momentum and then got frustrated when the course seemed too long (even 1/2 a mile can seem like a lot when you've ridden 25 already).
Random thought while riding a bike at 22mph: If I ever get married and have a son, I don't think I will name him D'Brickashaw.
I finally got to the end of the bike portion. I made a clean shoeless bike dismount. My legs felt very tight when they hit the pavement. As I jammed my feet back into my running shoes for the final 5K, both legs tightened up and I had no choice but to slow down to avoid major cramping. I took my time, maybe an extra 20 seconds. When I thought it was safe to proceed I cautiously started jogging towards the transition exit along with Mark from Arizona, who was racked next to me and competing in my age group. As we crossed under the archway we both hit our watches for the start of the final 5K run.
My legs loosened up on the downhill and I did what I could to keep a solid pace. I could see that I wasn't going to hit my goal time, but knowing that I wasn't too far off and only had a few miles left, I pushed onward and felt good on the final straightaway and right turn into the finishing chute.
My first thought after completing the distance was "that was tough, but I'm really glad I did it."
I waited around for preliminary results which showed that I was 76th out of 300+, but only 16th out of 25 in my age group. Top 12 qualified for worlds with a rolldown possible all the way to 20th place.
A few days later I received an email that read "Congratulations! You are being contacted because you have earned a spot on Team USA for the 2006 Short Course Duathlon World Championships....on July 29-30 in Corner Brook, Newfoundland, Canada." Cool! I better find my passport...
posted by JPD at Wednesday, May 17, 2006
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