Redemption

To be honest, the last few races had me down a bit, although I know they weren't that bad. After all my mediocre race finishes lately I was due for a better result. Yesterday I achieved a small victory, even if at just a small event. It helped turn my focus back to "believing in the dream"! :-)

Brandon and I participated in the Barkin' Dog Duathlon back in May, missed the one in June due to racing Boise, but made it back for the final race in the Mile High Duathlon Series for the Cabbage Head Du in Wiggins (tehe) yesterday. Since both our cars probably wouldn't have survived the haul out to the plains of Colorado, our friend Kevin came through for us and let us carpool. Departure was at 5.15 a.m. and we got to enjoy the sunrise all 80 minutes of our ride.

The race would be the same format as Barkin' Dog: 5k run/30k bike/5k run. With me recently deciding it was time to put some miles back in my legs (There might just be an IM on the horizon after all- that's a story for another post:) I wasn't so sure if I had any speed in my legs for this distance, so I simply hoped to just hold contact with people around me. Turns out only 3 of us girls started as Elites, guaranteeing all 3 of us some prize money! (always a plus!) I would be racing two of the girls who placed wayyyyy up ahead of me last weekend at the Peak. Before I had any more time to possibly place any doubts in my mind, we were off to tackle the first 5k.

What I like about this race is that it is pretty much FLAT. The runs are in an "L" shape out and back and have just a small uphill around the turn. It hurts but is manageable. The bike is pretty much a hammer fest the entire way with just one part that is a false flat for about 2 miles or so. I came in 1 second behind the women's leader after the first run and got lost for a few seconds in T1 trying to find my bike. Seems to never get old :) I was down about 40 seconds after that and it took me a good 5 miles or so to catch up and make a pass. After that it was hammer time; I now know what it feels to be in the "pain cave". As I didn't want to get re-passed, I put my head down and rode so hard I couldn't even catch my breath to get my water bottle. I did manage it eventually, good thing it was a relatively short race, otherwise hydration issues would have ensued. Brandon passed me as expected (he started 2 minutes after me with the rest of the AG'ers) and we exchanged a quick "good job". Then, off he went into the distance going on to post the 3rd fastest overall bikesplit of the day, pros included. (25.7mph avg, whhhhhaaaaat??)

Coming into T2 I wasn't sure how the legs would feel for the second 5k, considering my quads had turned into concrete during the bike. I once again ran to the wrong bike rack (there wasn't a separate "Elite" rack this time, which would have helped out 'transition challenged individuals' like me a ton) and lost some precious seconds. I was probably over a minute in the lead at this point and told myself I could probably just "cruise" in if my legs should fail me. Having barely done any transition runs (especially fast ones) I was relatively surprised at my turnover and focused on the few guys ahead to take my mind off the immense pain that comes along with racing events like these. I had super heavy breathing and felt like I was going to explode my lungs (it was humid and warm, but I think there might be a deeper issue to my breathing issues- hopefully not inhaler related) and missed returning all the cheers flying my way from racers heading out on the run as I passed the turn- around. Thank you all, it carried me home for sure!

I reached the finish with a 2+ minute lead over second and 4+ minutes over third place. Very exhausted but pretty sure of having left everything out on the race course for sure. I'm not going to lie, it does feel good to win, even if it's not an "A" race. The cash also helped lift my spirits :-) Brandon was 4th overall, first amateur and should definitely start as an Elite next year! Our other two drive mates were winners as well, with Julie being the first amateur and Kevin winning the Clydes. We drove home with a car full of winners, and me with a well- deserved slurpee! Since it was also Kevin's birthday we all met up again for a night out on the town later on, making for a very exciting, yet exhausting day! Photos to follow when the respective photogs send them to me :-)

Big thanks to Jill for holding down the fort and organizing this race as well as the volunteers who gave up their beauty sleep to be out there with us! Next is three weeks of solid training before the 5430 Long Course on August 9th. And I have to say, I really enjoy the run/bike/run. There is something so pure and yet so painful about this discipline, it really tests what you're made of. Hopefully the sport of Duathlon can make a comeback and rival its brother Triathlon!

Results are here. (I'm kind of psyched about that bike split of mine!)