My first race.....

Me and the Kids at the finish!!!

This past weekend I participated in what I hope to be the first of many multisport events.  It was the Blue Norther Duathlon in Seguin Texas.  Duathlon being a 5K (3.1 mile) run, 14 mile bike, and another 5K run.  It was a great experience, though at times humbling, and I took a lot away from it.  So to follow, is what I believe to be an accurate, and perhaps to the casual sadist, humorous description of the events that unfolded last Sunday.

The race was set to start at 9:00 a.m. and the bike racks would open at 6:30.  The weather had turned cooler and on Saturday it rained and continued to do so through Sunday morning.  I awoke at 6:00 a.m. and checked my e-mail to find one from the race director saying the race was still a go.  So on went my running shorts (with no bike pad, more on that later) shoes, and shirt.  Had a spoonful of peanut butter, a banana, and a granola bar for later.  Grabbed my bag with helmet, bike shoes, water, and a towel and hopped in the car.  I had already packed my bike, and was on the road at 6:20.  I was anxious and cursing myself for not having woke up early to leave sooner.  Now all the good spaces on the bike racks would be taken and I'd be stuck in some obscure corner far away from any convenience.

I arrived and was pleasantly suprised to find that not only were there plenty of good spaces still available, they were all still available.  I parked and unloaded my bike, inflated my tires and headed for safety inspection.  I was given the quick once over by the safety officer and was released to the bike racks as the third bike into transition.  I was worried that the weather was going to really put a damper on participation.

Next up I went to body marking.  Where they wrote my race number (lucky 777) on one calf and my age on the other.  I then proceeded back to the transition area to find much to my suprise that the rest of the competitors had now arrived.  I engaged in idle nervous small talk with other competitors.  Saw alot of people "warming up" and thought "if thats the speed they warm up with I'm in trouble".  It was interesting to see all the gizmos, gadgets, and fancy toys some of them brought to the race.  By now the transition area was a sea of aluminum, carbon fiber, backlit LED displays, and spandex.  Then we all started to migrate to the start.

As we listen to the race directors last minute instructions I slowly move myself to the back of the pack.  Pride goeth before the fall as they say, so if I fall I didn't want 100+ people running over my back.  Then came the command of "on your mark....get set....go!"  And away we went.  I fall in with a group and we admire the form, turnover, and speed of the front runners as they soon leave us as a distant memory.  The heavy drizzle is keeping the air cool but also very heavy.  I am never quite comfortable with a pace.  I can't seem to get in a rythym.  I often wonder how fast I am going, I didn't wear a watch so I really have no idea.  Everything seems out of place and nothing ever settles in.  I make the turn for the second lap of the first 5K and nothing improves.  I grab a water cup from a volunteer and try to drink on the run.  Mistake, it feels like I just tried to waterboard myself and end up with most of the water down the front of me.  (Mental note:  walk to take a drink or waterboard myself so I get used to the feeling)  I'm cruising (using the term loosely) along looking for Red, but she is nowhere to be seen, so I just continue to diesel on down the road, getting passed by many and passing few.

Finish the second loop and get into the transition area out of breath.  Kick off my running shoes, put on my helmet, grab my bike shoes and bike and trot toward the mount line.  Now some more experienced athletes will clips their shoes into the pedals of their bikes, hop on and get their bikes up to speed with their feet on top of their bike shoes.  Once up to speed they will slip their feet in and fasten their shoes tight.   I had not practiced this so I didn't see how crashing, breaking a collarbone and looking like a fool would help me speed up any, so I crossed the mount line, put on my shoes, and then mounted my bike.  On a side note because of my outstanding (sarcasm) run I pretty much had the transition area to myself as most everyone else was already on the bike course.  So I'm finally onto my bike and heading out to the course which was a rectangular 14 mile course over the local highways.

I switch gears, get up to speed, and find a gear comfortable for pace and pedal cadence.  I'm flying along and the 'Stache is flapping like a rain soaked flag in the winds that I am creating.  I try and remember not to push too hard because I still have another 3.1 miles of running after this so I will still need my legs.  The drizzle was of course still coming down and the roads were wet but I was fortunate enough to not have any stability problems.  When suddenly I look up and see a rider on a bicycle coming to me.  What?  I'm passing somebody?  This can't be...but it is.  Man this is way cool so I get around them and see another two in front and they're getting bigger as well.  I put them behind me and this continues on.  As we climb some of the hills in the area I usually just keep them at the same distance but when we top the hills all of my "momentum" really gets me flying down hill and I pass them by.  Now that was alot of fun.  Halfway through though I start to think "I'm passing alot of people and nobdy is passing me....hmmmm have I gone out to fast?"  My legs still feel good, and I'm not breathing hard at all, but there was that nagging feeling so I drop my effort down a little and still continue to pass people.  Somewhere between the 10th and 11th mile I am really wishing I'd worn some sort of tri-shorts, or bike shorts or something with a little padding in the undercarriage because I was getting a might tender down there.  It was too late to do anything about it now, so I'll just have to suffer through it and learn from it.  (Mental note:  protection of the tender bits becomes important as your reach double digit bike mileage)  So I come down the final straight and turn back into the transition area and see Red there snapping away pictures.  That made me smile, although you couldn't tell because of my awesome 'Stache.

Although the course was rainy my trusty steed never lost its footing

Me just crossing the dismount line.

Getting my race gear off and dreading the run.  Hey you see that jerk on the right....yeah he's finished...showoff.  Also please note all the bikes back on the racks, not a good sign.

I get into transition and see Red mouthing something.  I think fatigue had set in and in an effort to keep me alive my body had shut down my sense of hearing.  She repeats and asks "hows it going?"  I search for something inspirational or funny to say but "wet" is all I can manage.  Throw off the helmet and off with the bike shoes to discover that the cooler temperatures and wetter conditions have turned my toes into numb little nubs.  This makes getting my running shoes back on really interesting.  Have you ever tried to put a shoe on a foot that has fallen asleep?  Yeah that.  I look over and this guy who apparently had overachieved and already finished smiles at me and says "alright now go have some fun out there."  I wanted to judo chop him in the throat, but I understood his well meaning intentions and so instead just snarled at him.  Then I stand up bite half of the granola bar, chew it up real quick and chase it with some water.  Then I start to run.....uh oh.

Herein lies a strange sensation that I will accurately try to relate.  Its as if the numbness of my toes had immediately migrated up both my legs.  My brain was working, telling my legs to start running.  My legs were listening and started in motion.  However the two weren't communicating which left me with an odd sensation of knowing and seeing that I was running but not feeling like I was running.  My legs felt dead and the feed back I would normally get from them while running was not there, it was like nothing was there.  I wasn't enjoying this at all as I exited the tranistion area and thought about walking to let my legs recover.  Then I see my 3 kids piled in the back of the Expedition cheering Daddy on like I was in the lead (which by the way I was far from).  Well damn.....now I can't stop in front of my kids.  So on I go feeling like every stride I was stepping in post holes.

By the time I'm out of sight I figured, well I've run this far might as well keep going....and so I did.  Round the first lap and let me tell you it is awfully disheartening to be able to see the finish line only to have to make a right turn right before it for another lap.  But turn I did and continued on around the Trinity Lutheran University campus which on any normal day I'm sure I would have considered to be a beautiful location, but at the time seemed to be a neverending stretch of blacktop with invisible gremlins with flamethrowers setting fire to my legs with every step.  I missed my bike.  People continue to pass me giving credence to the saying "you bike for show, and run for dough".  As a brief aside here...writing peoples ages on their legs is just mean to those of us who are slow of foot.  Every time somebody would pass me I would take offense if they were older than me.  Dang there goes a 47 year old.  51?!?!?  Man that ain't even right.  Eventually enough time passes and the heavens open up and shine upon me as I make the final turn for home.

The organizers are great and are cheering you on as you come down the straightaway.  I pass over the finish line proud to have finished and dog tired.  Help myself to some bananas, oranges, and water.  Then I amble on over to sit with my cheering section and cheer on those who finished behind me.  Yes there were some who finished behind me.  We then pack up and head on for home after putting my first multisport race in the books.  The first of which I hope will become many in my future.

After action report.  Since I didn't wear a watch I had no idea what any of my times were and had to wait for the company that timed the event to post them.  Here they are.

Split	Type	Distance	Time	Pace
Run	Run	3.1 Miles	26:52	8:40 Min/Mile
T1	Transition	0 Miles	0:18
Bike	Bike	14 Miles	50:55	16:30 MPH
T2	Transition	0 Miles	0:32
Run	Run	3.1 Miles	32:32	10:30 Min/Mile

In hindsight I can now see why I couldn't ever find a pace on the first run.  I was going way too fast.  Adrenaline, excitement, competitive nature, whatever it was I just wouldn't pace myself better.  I haven't run sub 9 minute miles in a long time over any significant distance. 

My bike speed was 16.5 miles per hour which would explain why I wasn't ever hurting.  When I train I go much faster but was laying back in fear of burning out my legs.  However I didn't get passed so I'm left wondering was I still going to fast? 

And as you can see I locked myself in the "hurt locker" over the last 5K and that is reflected in my times, almost two full minutes per mile slower than my first 5K.  I learned a lot of things on this race and hope to improve on my next race which will be the Gatorbait Sprint Triathlon in June. 

Guess I better quit blogging, and start working on my swimming.