My First Duathlon

I competed in my first duathlon last Saturday (the Mermaid duathlon in Fremont). I was joined by my Team Oakland teammate, Marie, and my friends Jesse and Melissa. (I would later discover Tri Flo Velo Girl Lorri at the race as well. I don't know what the hell I was thinking by not getting a few shots with Lorri. Aargghh! Maybe I just can't multi-task between being a participant and photographer. But I digress...)






My race started at 7:30 a.m. and I figured a 5:15 a.m. wake-up would give me plenty of time to get to the race comfortably. Nope! I ended up running 20 minutes late and was feeling a bit stressed when Rey, Jesse and I got to the race. Although we cut it very close, Jess and I made it to the start line on time.

Our race distances were 1.5 mile run, 11 mile bike, 2.5 mile run. Although these are short distances, I didn't know how well I was going to do (especially since I'd only run a total of 7.5 miles since registering for the event).

I got through the 1.5 mile alright (12:55.4).



When I got to the transition area to pick up my bike, I had a little trouble finding my bike in the sea of bikes before me. When I finally found it, I moved as fast as I could (transition time: 2:25.0)



Once on the bike, I felt I was in my element. I noticed a Tri Flo jersey (Lorri) ahead of me so I tried to stay with her or ahead of her throughout the bike leg. However, she dropped me on the second loop where she did more aggressive bike handling on the bike trail. On the 3rd corner of my last loop, my right calf started cramping BIG time!. I had to slow down significantly, drink water, and wait for the cramp to subside somewhat before picking up the speed again. Damn those cramps! Bike Time: 33:28.0.

I found the third leg of the race to be the most challenging. I had to work very hard at keeping my breathing under control. Although I knew I had to run across sand to get to the finish line, I was so ready to finish my first duathlon and sprinted as fast as I could. Third Run: 22:00.4.



After the race, I chatted with Marie, Lorri and the rest of my pals and enjoyed a good breakfast. When the results were posted, I learned that I placed first in my age group (12th overall in the duathlon group). Right on! Fellow Team Oakland team mate Marie placed first in her age group and 2nd overall).



I had a lot of fun competing in this race and think there might be more duathlons in my future.

P.S. If anyone can tell me how I can include the link to Marie's and Lorri's blog pages within my blog, I would appreciate it mucho!