Thoughts for the First Duathlon of the Year Tomorrow

The Cannon Falls Duathlon is TOMORROW!! (Saturday) It’s the first duathlon of the year for Matt, Pharmie, and I. We’re excited! Here’s a group of 5 of us before and after the race last year:

Below are my splits from last year. There was only a slight breeze out there, so it was a near-perfect racing day. BUT, this was the race where I had a rookie mistake: my brakes were rubbing on my bike for the first 6 miles, so that’s why my bike split is so slow.

- 2 mile run: 11:32 (5:46 pace)
- T1: 0:40
- 14 mile bike: 46:59 (17.8 mph official, 18.2 mph on my computer)
- T2: 0:39
- 3 mile run: 18:14 (6:05 pace)
- Overall: 1:18:03 (12th place out of 131 total)

I would have placed in my age group had I been able to take 2:00 off my finishing time. I’m shooting to take 3:00 off my time this year. (I know that doesn’t guarantee an award, but that’s the time I’d like to see. I expect the race to be bigger this year too, so that means a better chance of NOT placing in my age group.)

My runs might be a little faster, but I am NOT going to take 3:00 off of my runs alone. If I did the bike 3:00 faster, that’d put me at 19.0, and I think that’s TOTALLY doable. (I should be able to go faster than that if it’s not super windy.) Honestly, I’d love to take some time off in EACH discipline tomorrow.

BUT, I’m not in as good of “multi-sport” shape as I was last year. Early April last year, I raced the New Orleans 70.3 (Half Ironman). Then, a few weeks later, I raced the Winter BeGone Duathlon, which was 1 week before the Cannon Falls Duathlon. So this duathlon last year was my 3rd multi-sport event in a month. This year, it’s my first of the year! I hope I haven’t forgot how to “du” this!! (Bad pun - sorry.)

So we’ll just have to wait and see what happens!! I’ll TRY to place in my age group, but that will be tough. Pharmie placed in her age group last year, and it’d be GREAT if she could again this year! And they added a “Clydesdale” division (over 200 lbs), so Matt IS going to place!! (There’s no “if” about it!! Go Matt!!) I’ll let you know how we do as soon as I can! Wish us luck!

Oh, and here are my race goals:
- Hit the first run hard.
- HAMMER like crazy on the bike. HARD! Keep Matt from catching me until mile 9.
- Hold on for the final run. Can I do 6s?

p.s. I’ll keep this video and song in my head for motivation during the race:


Direct link: http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1799995

Power up. Reach out for the max. Fresh it up. Don't stop now. Mega fit. You're on fire. The future of fitness. Pump it good. Touch yourself.

(I think I need a shirt that says “100% Alive.”)