Virginia Duathlon - Duathlon


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Virginia Beach, Virginia
United States
60F / 16C
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 48m 45s
Overall Rank = 111/286
Age Group = Men 40-44
Age Group Rank = 15/27
Pre-race routine:

40 minutes of AI stretching; chamomile tea, English muffin with peanut butter before driving to the event site. Upon arrival I spent some time checking out the transition entrances and exits, memorizing bike position, etc.
Event warmup:

15 minute jog, a few additional stretches, 3 short wind sprints
Run
  • 22m 34s
  • 3.11 miles
  • 07m 16s  min/mile
Comments:

I felt comfortable in the first run even though I went out much faster than I intended. My original goal had been to try and do the first mile in 7.30. I wasn't chasing anyone or trying particularly hard, so the fast start just happened. I consciously eased it off a little bit in the final mile because I was concerned that I was getting a little ahead of myself. Probably eased off a little too much, however.
What would you do differently?:

I would try and managed the initial pace a little better. Alternatively, given my ability to recover on the bike, if I get a flying start like this I could try and maximize it by pushing through hard in the last half mile.
Transition 1
  • 01m 11s
Comments:

The mounting zone was a bottleneck. I was really pleased that I got on and got out without a lot of fuss or hitting anyone. Clipped in without thinking about it, could have got up to speed a little faster, but I was overly-worried about the initial roughness of the road and not getting caught in the draft zone of someone in front of me.
What would you do differently?:

My shoes could probably have been placed a little better, I lost a couple of seconds dragging them out from underneath my bike. I would reach for the helmet while getting my running shoes on.
Bike
  • 59m 46s
  • 19.9 miles
  • 19.98 mile/hr
Comments:

On the last 5 mile stretch I got pretty severe pain in my right inner thigh/groin. Couldn't stretch it out or shake it out. In desperation I finally moved all the way forward on my seat until I was perched right on the nose point, and that worked perfectly. Minimized the pain and I picked up my cadence. Passed a lot of people on the outbound leg into the wind, then in then on the downwind leg there was one section (Charity Neck/Hill (?) Rd) where I was doing 25-26 steady for several miles and I passed people in bunches. Picked up a lot of overall places on the bike leg.
What would you do differently?:

I would try to start out a little faster. I also need to learn to trust my cadence and use my gearing. My cadence is pretty good but I generally gear to low, so that I am pedalling in the 90s, when I could be pedalling mid-80s and getting more speed.
Transition 2
  • 01m 3s
Comments:

Dismounted a little early, but the process was pretty smooth. In great pain when I got off, and the bike was all that was holding me up as I ran to the rack.
What would you do differently?:

Not much, this was a good transition for me. If anything, I was a little slow because I was surprised at how quickly I was ready to go.
Run
  • 24m 10s
  • 3.11 miles
  • 07m 46s  min/mile
Comments:

I have never been in such pain as I was at the start of this run. Legs like lead, inner thigh hurting like crazy, left ankle also hurting. However, I pushed through, just trying to keep my feet moving, and by about 1/3 of a mile I was running normally. It didn't feel as if I was finishing as fast as I was, but apparently so! My last mile was somewhere in the 7.30s. I briefly thought of trying to catch a couple of guys ahead of me, but they were just a little out of my reach. Did pass about half a dozen people on the run, however.
What would you do differently?:

My partner was watching me and said that I looked kind of hunched over and that my upper body didn't seem to be moving freely. I think that's true, and I certainly felt as if I accumulated a lot of tension and anxiety in my upper body, because the day after I was very stiff in my neck and shoulders, something I don't usually get even on long bike rides with the tri bike. So next time I will pay more attention to warming up my upper body and attending to my upper body form on the second run.
Post race
Warm down:

Honestly, I was just too shagged to do more than walk around. Immediately grabbed some water, a couple of hot dogs and a banana and felt a lot better. Continued to walk around while cheering other people home. After about 3/4 hour I did some stretching.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Biking could have been a little more aggressive, although the headwind was a major factor (less so for me than some other people) on the outbound leg.

Run form on the second leg could have been better.

Event comments:

This was my second duathlon and I felt really happy with the performance overall. In my first duathlon last year I was in the bottom quarter of the men, this time I was 102 out of 205 men. There must be something to this training business after all!




Last updated: 2006-03-16 12:00 AM
Running
00:22:34 | 03.11 miles | 07m 16s  min/mile
Age Group: 16/27
Overall: 151/286
Performance: Good
Mile 1: 6.52 Mile 2: 6.57 Mile 3 plus: 8.45 Av HR: 170; Max 180.
Course: Very broken concrete, loose gravel, parts overgrown. At the pre-race meeting we were advised to treat it more like a trail run than a street run, which turned out to be excellent advice.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
T1
Time: 01:11
Overall: Good
Run with bike? Good
Jump on bike? Good
Getting up to speed and into shoes: Average
Biking
00:59:46 | 19.9 miles | 19.98 mile/hr
Age Group: 14/27
Overall: 98/286
Performance:
Av HR 154 Max HR 170 Max Speed: 26.7 1st 5 miles: 16.20 (18.4 mph) 2nd 5 miles: 16.32 (18.1) 3rd 5 miles: 13.04 (22.9) 4th 5 miles: 14.22 (20.7)
Wind: Some with gusts
Course: Fun course, road conditions generally very good, a couple of tight turns. Lollipop course, quite exposed.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 85
Turns: Average Cornering: Below average
Gear changes: Good Hills:
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:03
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike Average
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
00:24:10 | 03.11 miles | 07m 46s  min/mile
Age Group: 16/27
Overall: 139/286
Performance:
Mile 1: 8.05 Mile 2: 7.45 Mile 3 plus: 8.19 Av HR 164 Max 180
Course: Same as first run.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Not enough
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4