VA Duathlon Race Report

Race: Virginia Duathlon
Location: Suffolk, VA
Date: 3/29/15
Website: www.virginaduathlon.com

Last season was the first time I participated in this race and I was definitely excited to race it again. It's not really a race where I assign an "A" or "B" priority, just more of an early season tune up. Last year I was a bit shocked at the temps, which were in the low 40's (F), and the extremely gusty winds. This year made last year seem like a tropical paradise. The official average race temp was 30 degrees, but I don't think we broke 30 degree's until the second 5K. My wife (6-mo pregnant), mom and dog came along for some moral support. I can't believe they even attempted to get out of the car. Sub 30 degrees isn't necessarily mind blowing, but the wind gusts were treacherous.

When I was gearing up before I drove over that morning, I was actually considering wearing my TriSports.com triton with arm warmers. I'm so glad that I brought more layer than that. In the end, I was wearing tights with cycling shorts and knee warmers. On top, was a Under Armor thermal long sleeve, cycling jersey, arm warmers and gloves. Some of the guys lined up next to me where wearing tri-tops or 4" running shorts. Not sure how that bike ride felt, but I hope you have regained feeling in some of your more sensitive areas. I'm certainly not averse to the cold, but as I've gained more experience in cycling, I've learned that its much better to prioritize comfort over style. My entire get-up was solid black (by design), which matches my TT bike. Had a pretty sharp look with the white cycling shoes and aero helmet.

1st 5K: 19:55 (6:25/mile) (6/9 AG, 21/130 OA)

I didn't get a great warm up in, as the weather had me contemplating how many layers to wear for too long. I was able to get a quick 10 min jog. Just enough to realize that there was a solid head wind for the first 0.75 miles of the initial 5K. I hopped on my bike just to get the gearing settled in. This would  only be the second time I've ridden my bike outdoors since November.

On shorter runs, I always start out too fast and this race didn't prove to be different. During the brutal first mile, it was too cold and I was putting out too much effort against the wind to really focus on my Garmin. But I was at least trying to pace myself. There were a lot of stud runners out there and I quickly dropped back behind their pace. I tried to find someone similar to my pace to tuck behind, in order get a bit of a draft. At mile 1, I looked at my Garmin - 5:30/mile. I just about stopped running at that point. I don't even train intervals at that pace, because I know that my run fitness is nowhere near that level. Ideally, I should have been around 6:00 - 6:15/mile. At this point, I knew it was going to be a day of surviving.

After the first mile is a really steep hill, which definitely slows your 2nd mile pace. The back half of mile 2 is down hill, which allows you to catch your breath before a few short climbs during mile 3. The rest of the race was me surviving. Paying close attention to the race kits of all the guys passing me as my pace suffered.

Bike: 1:03:26 (4/9 AG, 6/130 OA)

Unfortunately, this was also the first race I was using the multisport feature on my Garmin, so my timing was all screwed up before I even left T1. I think with the lack of oxygen flowing to my brain, I didn't recognize the change in the screen and tapped the lap button a few too many times. When your gasping for air, riding with a disc and the winds are ranging 11-15mph, you don't really take the time to go through the reset of your watch. I decided to just race by feel.

I was really happy with my bike split. I have no idea what my power output was, but I knew I was doing well because my cadence was high and I was passing a lot of people. Turns out, that it is really hard to be a strong cyclist and a strong runner.

Overall, this is a relatively challenging ride. It's a short ride, but with the rolling hills and head wind, it will definitely challenge your ability to suffer. I didn't see a tremendous improvement from my split last year (1:05), but I think the conditions were a lot tougher this year. My effort and comfort on the bike has drastically improved.

2nd 5K: 20:59 (6:46/mile) (5/9 AG, 19/130)

Nothing spectacular, but realistic. I imagine these splits were a bit more even. My legs felt as expected. I don't think I was overdone from the bike, just didn't have much for run legs on this day.

Overall Thoughts:

Fortunately, the top 3 guys in my age group (2 pros) were the top 3 overall, so I walked away with my first AG win in my new 30-34 division. I didn't have a lot of expectations this year, in regards to competing within the AG, because I know these guys are fast.

I know I have more in my run legs, but I won't be focusing on getting much faster this year as the races only get longer from this point out. I'm extremely happy with my bike effort. I have put a ton of work on the trainer over the winter and I really liked how it translated to outdoors. I will continue to spend a lot of time on the trainer, as it is more convenient, but I hope to get some more outdoor riding data over the next few weeks.

It's always nice to walk away with a trophy, but even better to eat the post race BBQ. Beautiful country side scenery and a nice hearty meal make all of it worth it. It's always special to have my wife and now it's even greater thinking about how much the race routines will change when the little one arrives.

Thanks again to Trisports.com for the support. Sorry I didn't have any cold weather logo gear to wear during the race :)