After finally getting out of bed the family dropped me off at the park for the Mother's Day offroad Duathlon put on by GoTruro. A beginners Du for me??
the weather was cold and misty and kinda crappy so most people stayed away. 4 kids did the kid event and then 5 adults did the full length adult version, 4 km trail run, 15 km mountain bike, 2 km trail run. Volunteers were awesome!
On the first run, I finished 4th. It was shorter than 4 km because I did it in about 18 minutes, it was rooty trail, and that's about the time it takes me to do 3 km run. The run was supposed to be 1 km out, 1 km back, done twice for 4 km.
Onto the bike, which started out super fun. It was dirt roads, some single track. All muddy since it rained like mad the night before. And the days before that :)
The single track was fun. The ups and downs were fun. But it got more and more technical; tree stumps and rocks, roots, steep ups, mud pits. I slid into a few stumps and finally got off and pushed awhile after I almost hit a tree head on. I slid into a stump and the bike came to a dead halt but I didn't and the bike landed on the ground that time. Glad I landed on feet.
After the single track there was a long downhill with loose gravel and then the same uphill, with grass and mud. THAT was exhausting since the mud was sucking at my tires and pulling me backwards.
Finally down the last dirt road and back to the start. That was loop 1. OF 3. I thought I might not make it, it was SO not a beginner course. And although I bike and trail bike I have not in YEARS gone over trails like that. And never on that bike, I don't think. It was interesting.
On the second lap I got off and ran the bike through the hardest part and that saved me because my legs were ok but my arms were getting really tired from the push/pull of riding over the hard parts. I thought it best if no injury was created. That got me through the third lap. If the second had been as hard as the first I might have stopped at 2. I was getting better at the third lap but pretty tired.
With just one more lap of the run trail left I felt I had the race complete :) Running felt funny but I have gotten used to that and just kept going. I was slower than before, about 10 minutes for the "2 km" but it was just almost comfortable.
Crazy group out for a rainy Duathlon
So my first Duathlon complete. I didn't get to experience a real transition since shoes stayed the same and I didn't do much other than put on a helmet and jump on the bike. But the experience of jumping from one event to the next is valuable. The group was a lot of fun and the support was awesome!
1 comment:
I bit you ended up a little muddy riding through those puddles. Well done on your first duathlon.
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