Yep, I can now call myself a multi-sport athlete! I started and completed the duathlon, and survived!!!
The race took place in Capitola. I arrived pretty early because I had never done this before and wanted to make sure I had plenty of time to put my bike in the transition area, go to the restroom, eat some breakfast and find my way to the starting line.
This was another Mermaid race (same organization that did the half we participated in in May), all women, sprint tri, olympic distance tri and duathlon. No big surprise, they were a bit unorganized. The duathlon athletes were told to go to the pier and stand by the Wharf to Wharf plaque, myself and many others could not find this thing for the life of us!
I was lucky enough to have my sister and brother in law at the race to cheer me on! We watched the start of the triathlons and then it was my turn! I'm not going to lie, I was super nervous.
The first portion of the race was a 1 1/2 mile run. It started straight up a hill. I don't do hills. I managed to survive and was so surprised how quickly this distance went by. It felt like I started and then was immediately running past my sister, onto the beach (it was sooooo hard to run in the sand) and then up another hill into the transition area. My transition was very easy, I don't have bike shoes, so I just had to put on my helmet and head on out.
The next portion was a 12 mile bike. No big deal, right?! Wrong. The race map showed two hills, so I was prepared for two hills. The ENTIRE ride was hilly. I'm not kidding. We rode from Capitola to Aptos and back. I struggled through this whole thing, but along the ride decided I was just going to enjoy it and take in beautiful scenery. As I was approaching the entrance to the transition area, I was going way to fast (it was downhill), was talking to my sister and brother in law and tried to get off my bike without stopping completely. No big surprise, I fell. And I considered just staying there and taking a nap. I was so done, but knew I couldn't throw in the towel. I picked myself up, laughed at myself, racked my bike and headed off for the final run.
The last portion of the race was a 2 1/2 mile run. I left the transition area and felt like I was running on jello. My legs had no idea what to do and I never did get them back. This run also went up the same hill as the first run and then we finished on the beach. Somehow I managed to get my legs moving and crossed the finish line.
The results:
1 1/2 mile run: 14:43
T1: 1:38
12 mile bike: 1:07:59
T2: 1:31
2 1/2 mile run: 25:48
Total chip time: 1:51:42
I am super proud of myself for doing this and I will absolutely do it again! I wasn't able to walk for almost a week, next time I will train for the hills!!!
