Hagerstown Duathlon Race Recap

I've been running for about two full years, and have been cycling for a little less than one year. This spring, the next logical step seemed to be combining both sports in a race and I decided to enter myself in my first duathlon. I prefer longer distance races since I'm better with endurance than with speed. However, I could only find a sprint distance race that worked with my schedule. 1.9 mile run, 10 mile bike, 3.1 mile run. Not too bad, right?

When I registered for this race, I looked at the previous year's results and figured that I would probably do pretty well. It's a small local race with a small field, about 140 participants. Last year, I think there were 3 people in my age group, and since age group awards go 3 deep, an AG place is automatic. This year, there were 8 in my division. I figured that if I could average a 7:30 pace on both runs and 18 mph on the bike, I would have a shot at placing.

I would say that training for a sprint distance worked well with my other training goals this season. I am focusing on building speed for the 10K and becoming a stronger cyclist for my cross-country ride this summer. I have definitely seen improvements in both areas. I knocked back a few brick workouts and practiced my transitions a few days before the race. Never had I felt so ready to race, and I was so excited to try my best!

The night before the race, I made a list of all my gear and laid it out, checked my bike and loaded it in the car. I went to bed early and set my alarm for 5:40 am. The race site was an hour away, and I wanted to get there by 7:45. I like to wake up about an hour before I have to leave so I have plenty of time to drink coffee, eat breakfast, do my morning business, and double-check that I have all my gear.

When I arrived at the park where the race site was at, I headed to packet pickup to get my bib and swag bag. My dad, brother, and cousin came out to support me, and we milled about and took some selfies. There was a kid's duathlon and a 5K before the adult's duathlon, so we had some time to kill. 

I racked my bike in the transition zone and laid out my helmet, shoes, and water bottle. I decided to leave the bottle off my bike, to reduce extra weight. I planned to take a swig during T1 and T2. 

Laying out my stuff. I was hoping that I wasn't forgetting anything, and I felt like a total noob. I observed how other people placed their gear, and copied them.

We saw the kid's duathlon start, and then the 5K. As the 5K runners started to finish, we headed to the starting line to wait for the 9:30 start. It was a mass start, which meant the farther back you are, the more you have to run. I placed myself near the front, which made me kind of nervous to be with all the fast-looking people. There was a count-down to the start, I mentally prepared myself to focus on the race, and we were off!

Because I was up front with the speedy people, I started off going at a sub-7 pace. I spotted a girl going about my pace, and I tried to stick with her. The 1.9 mile run went by really fast, and I finished with a 7:02 split. I've never ran that fast in a race before!

I like this photo! Still feeling good on those fresh legs...

I went into T1 feeling calm and pretty good. I put on my helmet while simultaneously taking off my running shoes with my feet. I put on my cycling shoes, took a swig of water, and grabbed my bike. Off for the bike!

I would say that I'm stronger on the bike. I'm not a very fast runner, compared to athletes who run track. A sub-7 minute pace is super fast for me! However, my strength on the bike is where I can gain some time on the faster runners. I passed quite a few people, and only a handful passed me. The bike course was mostly flat, with some rolling hills near the end. I was feeling very good on the bike and was breathing very evenly. I finished in less than 31 minutes, averaging about 19.5 mph (they messed up the timing for T1 and T2, so I don't have accurate splits for the bike). As I rolled into the transition area, my dad started yelling at me that I was the 2nd woman! That really got me excited and I flew off my bike and into my running shoes as quickly as possible.

The first mile of the run was pretty painful. My legs felt like cement and were getting pretty sore from the lactic acid buildup. Although I felt like I was just crawling along, I was averaging about a 7:10 pace. At the midway point, I realized that I was actually 3rd woman. Placing was still a possibility, but I knew that the 4th woman was close behind! My pace was slowing down as I was getting more fatigued, and it was a struggle keeping up the pace, let alone going faster to widen the gap. As we got closer to the finish line, I was over taken and I knew that I didn't have it in me to sprint. I finished the 5K in 23:03 at a 7:26 pace. Still super fast for me, but not fast enough to get 3rd overall.

You can see me in the back of the photo, so close from the 3rd woman! I was only 8 seconds behind.

I finished in 1:08:00, placing 40th overall, 4th woman, and 2nd in my division. For my first duathlon, I'm pretty darn proud :)

So glad to be done!

During the awards ceremony, I was actually named 1st in my AG, since the 3rd woman was also in my age group. I forgot about that, and was pleasantly surprised! I've never stood on a podium for anything before!

The other two girls were representing Georgetown. Looks like we all match :)

Overall, I had a really great experience! Multisport races are hard and I am in awe of duathletes and triathletes. I hope to race more in the future, and eventually get into triathlon!

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Race Week Training

I have my first duathlon this Saturday, in only two days! This week, I have been focusing on mentally preparing for it. I've also toned down my workouts so I can have fresh legs on race morning. Since I've never done a sprint distance, I'm not sure how I should be tapering. Am I doing too much, or too little? Yesterday, I went to a 75 minute vinyasa yoga class and did a 5 mile bike ride at a moderately hard effort.

This morning, I went to a hot yoga class. We did a lot of core and shoulder work, and I was sweating! Afterwards, I biked to the park to practice my transitions. I chose a spot to park my bike and lay out my bike and run gear. I ran a short 0.3 mile loop followed by a 0.7 mile loop on the bike, which I repeated three times, ending with the run. I went at a moderate effort, since I didn't want to feel burned out, and I was feeling a bit dehydrated (no duh, I went to hot yoga).

Duathlon transitions are pretty simple; I just need to switch my shoes and put on or take off my helmet, maybe take a swig of water (still deciding whether I should have water on my bike). I'll be wearing my Garmin on my wrist, so I just need to remember to hit the lap button! Also, once I almost forgot to take off my helmet as I transitioned to the run. Gotta remember that. How silly would I look if I took off running with a helmet on! I'm glad that I got to practice today, with only two days left before race day. Going through the motions a few times helps me worry less about the transitions. Hope everything will go smoothly so I can have an enjoyable race :)

A recycled photo from when I did a brick and had to bike on the trainer. I'll be riding my Cannondale for the race, and run in my Mizuno Sayonaras. No cap or gloves, but sunglasses is a must.

Tomorrow, I am planning on doing a short, easy run, and a 60 minute vinyasa yoga class Friday evening. I'm also going to make sure I stay hydrated, eat well, and sleep well so that I'll be ready on Saturday! Can you tell that I am totes excited?!

Are you racing this weekend?

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Duathlon Training- My First Brick

It's about two weeks out from my first duathlon, and I finally did a brick work out today. I need to get used to the feeling of biking after running, and running after biking. Pacing myself in duathlon is crucial, and I don't want to start the first run too fast. My race plan is to have a steady pace for both run #1 and #2. Since this was my first brick, I was interested to see how my legs would feel running straight off the bike.

Since it's still winter-like outside, I started with a 30 minute bike on the trainer. I went at a steady effort that was comfortable, but hard enough that I was dripping with sweat by the end. I had set up my run gear next to my bike, so after I hopped off, I switched shoes, put on my cap and sunglasses, and a long-sleeved thermal jersey (it was about 30 degrees this morning). I was too lazy to put on the gloves. My trainer is set up in the basement, so I ran up stairs and headed out the door. T1 was about 1:30, though I need to practice transitions that mimic what I will actually be doing. I'll try to get some practice in the next two weeks. 

My legs were feeling great, and since they were warmed up from the bike, I set off at a 7:13 pace for the first mile. That's really fast for me! I couldn't believe that I was running that fast even though my perceived effort was on the low side. Second mile was 7:23 and the last bit was at 7:00 for a total of 2.35 miles. I am pleasantly surprised that my legs were ready to run after biking. Seriously, if biking before a run makes me go faster, I should warm up on a bike before my running races!

After my workout, I made a green protein smoothie with a packet of Vega protein powder. I bought a few single-serving packs to try them out. It's pretty pricey, but if it tastes good, I might buy a tub. I used to drink Spiru-tein, which is a lot cheaper, but I wanted to try different protein powders. 

I blended up half a frozen banana, raspberries, and spinach with almond milk and a bit of water. Then I added the Vega and some ice cubes. Not the prettiest smoothie, but it tasted pretty good :)




Vega Sport has 26g of plant-based protein, mainly from peas, brown rice, and alfalfa. My smoothie had a slightly gritty texture, which is to be expected from a vegan protein powder. It's also sweetened with stevia, and I could definitely tell by that aftertaste. I'm not too fond of stevia-sweetened things, and I'm not sure if I like it. I have two more packs of Vega, so I'll see if I like those better.

Do you drink protein shakes? What's your favorite brand?

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Training for my First Duathlon

Two years ago, I started running and now I call myself a runner. Less than one year ago, I started road cycling, and now I call myself a cyclist. The next logical step is to do both sports I love in a single race.

Last fall, I was toying with the idea of adding swimming to the mix, and go for the trifecta that is swimming, cycling, and running. I had plans to buy a membership to my local aquatic center and pick up the third sport, my nemesis, swimming. But of course, that hasn't happened (yet!), so I am sticking with running and cycling for now. Triathlon will probably be in the cards, but this year isn't the year for it. And I'm okay with that.

I started looking for multi-sport races to register for this spring. Since I will be riding across the country all summer with the 4K for Cancer, I only have until the end of May to race. There are limited options, and although I prefer a longer distance race, I decided to register for the Hagerstown Sprint Duathlon on April 12.

The race is a 2 mile run, 10 mile bike, and 3.1 mile run. It's a small field with about 150 participants, and so far, only two other females in my age group (21-24). The training I'm doing for this race works well with my 10K training with some biking thrown in.

Here's a rough idea of my weekly training plan:

• Two speed workouts (interval and tempo)
• a long run
• At least two bike rides/workouts 

I have four more weeks left to train, and I'm excited to do my first multi-sport event!

Have you ever done a multisport event?

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