Go forth to Stokesley

Or maybe just go to Stokesley and come 4th. [UPDATE - 3rd]

First race of the season and my plan was to have good run out and see what happens. Mrs H and I were so unprepared for this race that I between us we added elastic laces to Mrs H's shoes in the car park 35mins before the race was du to start.

My plan really was:

1. Hang on in the first run. How fast can I run whilst still expecting to bike & run
   
2. Monster the bike to provide some good power data as a benchmark for the start of the season
3. Hold the run together

So my plan was pretty much the usual but his time the expectations were very low. I've got plenty of base mileage in on the bike but not a great deal of intense work. I have also had a knee niggle and not run as much as I had planned over the last two weeks. This race was simply an opportunity to see what the form was like/see how much work needs to be done.

Run1: Seemed to be going ok. I was in the mix with some good athletes.
Transition 1: Like a knife through butter. I entered T1 in 11th place and exited T1 in 7th place. I had the fastest T1 of the day.
Bike: Having sneaked out in front of a few of the runners it was time to see if they could cope wit the windy conditions. I pulled away over the 2 laps and caught/dropped 3 athletes
Run2: Caught by 1 athlete.

All in all I was very pleased. My second run was only 1 minute slower than my first and my bike wattage was only 10-15 Watts down on what I'd expect to hit in a time trial mid-season.

Good to race, good to feel the burn. Always good to feel alive. This is why we do it. I just didn't realise I'd been missing it.

So that's it for Duathlons in 2009. Seems strange as this is usually the time of year when I am flying. Usually it's Duathlon season and I'm desperate to qualify for a major championship. Maybe I need to change the title of this blog.

I'm (going to be) a Triathlete, not a Duathlete. Honest!









Then it was time to treat mum to lunch. Happy mothers day.

[UPDATE] The results now say I cam third. I'm not sure what the hell has happened as the guy originally listed as 2nd ran 25mins for the opening 5Km. I guess he was new to all of this and only did one lap of the bike course instead of two. From 4th to 3rd is better than last years 1st to 2nd.

Let battle commence. No, let breakfast commence

Twas the Clumber Classic Duathlon. A race that has been home to both disappointment in 2007 and rejoice in 2008. Clumber is usually my first race of the season and often my first key race of the season.

After a long season last year I am only just coming around to the idea of racing. Training has started and the "A Race" is Antwerp 70.3 in August. This is conveniently some way off, as I like to remind myself. However, having looked at the results and photos from my normal season opener I can't help but feel I have missed out on something. All this despite not being ready mentally to run a sub 39 minute 10Km then bike 40Km in circa 1:04 then see what's left for the final 5Km run. I looked at the results trying to work out where I might have finished........ on last years form. This year things are different. I'm still in a build phase and not busting a gut yet. I've scratched my duathlon itch, I aim to be a triathlete.

On Saturday when the plenty of my Du buddies were giving it full gas I was out for a 75 minute steady run. Whilst they were feeling alive, I was missing the burn.

I suppose my day will come....... In 2 weeks at the Stokesley Duathlon. Now just a chance to see what form I have and build on it. However, it's the first time in the hurt box for a long while. Not sure I remember how to run or bike fast anymore.