Duathlon checked off the Bucket List

Check one thing off the bucket list... My very first Duathlon! It was amazing. I think I may like duathlons better than triathlons. Less to think about and prepare for, let alone train for. I had just finished my antibiotics for my sinus infection the night before the race, so I wasn't 100% going into it, but I think I did pretty well! The course was a hilly 3 mile run, 18 mile ride, and another 3 mile run. I originally said I wanted to break 2:15 and I did! I finished in 2:09. Next year I definitely want to break 2 hours.

The morning of the race I got myself up and made coffee and breakfast. I slowly put my bike on my car rack and packed my bike pump, gloves, helmet, bike shoes, etc. I'm glad I got up earlier than planned - I was able to relax before this race, which is unusual for me. Most of the time, I'm an anxious mess, running around trying to find everything I need for the race and freaking out. This time around, I kept my cool, picked up my buddy Daniel, and headed to the race site way in advance. We even had time to leave the race to pick up tissues (for my runny nose) at a nearby gas station and use the bathrooms before the race. At 8:45am, they gave a few announcements and started the race at 9am on the dot. The first leg was easy. I wanted to go faster but realized that I should pace myself because I have a lot more to go. The bike was hard. But only the first 2 laps (about 9 miles). I couldn't get my gears to shift down on one side until lap 2, so I got little fatigued in the first few miles of the bike portion. By lap 3 (13 or 14 miles in), it was like auto-pilot - I didn't feel

a thing!

Finally we hit the last leg and jogged our way through a 3 mile run,

probably going at a 10 minute/mile pace. Not bad when you can't feel anything from the waste down. In the end, Daniel and I crossed the finish line together and celebrated our victory. Definitely would recommend this race to anyone who can endure 2 hours of cardio and looking for something other than a run-only race. On April 1, I officially paid off my road bike payments so this was race was particularly special - I definitely am happy with my investment and love the way my bike handled this race. I look forward to many more. What has helped for this race was the training I did out in West Creek (where the race was actually held too). My co-workers and I went out and did mini-duathlon practices; usually a 2 mile run, 6-9 mile ride, and another 2 mile run. While short in distance, it definitely made a difference in my performance and mental preparedness... I'll have to keep those up in prep for my future races... Next up.... Mud Run and Rugged Maniac! Adventure races, here I come!!!