Barking Dog

First race of the season was today! After none last year, it felt great to finally get out there and do something to use the training. The 4 other teammates that were there must have felt the same way. Everyone finished on the podium!

Today’s race was Barking Dog and it was a duathlon (run-bike-run), which is good because starting temps would have been downright abusive if a swim had been involved. I took the long course option so it was a 5k run, 34k ride, and then another 5k run. Why long course? Because all of my training is oriented around endurance — long distances. I am not built for speed! 🙂

How did it go? I can’t complain. I wanted to come in under 2:15 and (dare I dream) on a podium spot. I came in at 2:04:45 and 3rd in my age group.

[there were 6 in my age group…]

• Run 1 went exactly as I figured it would. Got the heart rate to low zone 2 and kept it there.
  
• Bike section went well, all things considered. I froze and the roads were rough but I managed to keep some speed up for most of it. No surprise that I had the most fun here and had to pull the reins back a few times to not get too carried away chasing down other racers. Nobody wants a lecture from Coach after a race…
  
• Run 2 was a bit faster than run 1, which was a pleasant surprise. When I climbed off the bike my feet were so cold I couldn’t feel them for the first mile or so, but it all worked out and I managed to pass a young whipper-snapper towards the end that moved me up a spot to the podium 😉 I finished that one 2 seconds behind my all time 5k PR. Ah well.

Overall I was mid-pack and this doesn’t really surprise me. I’m not a fast runner and likely never will be. But I can run long distances and right now that’s what counts so I am happy. And dang it, it was just plain fun to get out there and compete a little.