Will Race For Beer

Deschutes Dash Sprint Duathlon
Bend, OR
12.5 mile Bike/3.1 mile Run

Total: 59:27 (9/54 OA, 3/7 AG) The splits are all estimates based on my bike computer and Garmin
Bike: 38:57 By my bike computer
T1: 1:00 Approximately
Run: 19:30 Estimate Probably closer to 20:00 with bike computer capturing some T1 time.

Fashion Report: Black Sugoi tri shorts, Blue Under Armour Bike Jersey, LIT hat, and a temporary Red Lizard tattoo on my right leg
Breakfast: 2 packets of oatmeal, bad coffee
Pre-Race: 24 oz Gatorade Endurance, Vanilla Gu, 2oz water
Race Nutrition: 2 oz Gatorade Endurance on bike, 1 swig of water in Transition
Post Race Libation: Cascade Lakes Pale Ale and CL Blonde Bombshell at post-race tent, Deschutes Miami Weiss at lunch

Arrived a little more than an hour before the race start and got a decent spot on the rack. Setting up for a duathlon transition, particularly one with no 1st leg run, is pretty noneventful. I kept thinking that I must have forgotten something, but there wasn't really much to forget. Shoes and a hat at the ready with a water bottle nearby. This left a lot of time to chat with Raquel and Nathan and to get a short warmup run in.

The Bike: The bike leg start was time trial style with 1 rider leaving every 30 seconds. I started about the middle of the total field. The two riders in front of me were local guys who primarily ride the trails outside of town but decided to give a road race a try. Finally after a 10 second warning and 5 second countdown, I was off. I clipped my right foot in and pushed the bike across the start mat with my left foot. Once across the line we were allowed to pedal. It took me three tries to get my left foot clipped in (gotta adjust that one as it always gives me more trouble). Once in, the easy part of the climb began. The course is an out and back rising about 500 feet on the out and dropping on the return. Less than a quarter mile into the race, the rider who started 30 seconds ahead of me had aready stopped to fix something on his bike. My first road kill. My goal was to not get passed and hammer the entire ride. Whatever I had left for the run would have to do. The climb progressed mostly up with a few declines and false flats. About 4 miles in, I saw the guy who started a minute ahead. Now I had my next target. We each passed a couple of slower riders and the gap between us was slowly narrowing. Finally about mile 5.25, the road started to turn more steeply upward and I managed to get into passing range. Drop the hammer and now I'm clear. Oh man, I can see the turn around about 1/3 of a mile ahead, but I can feel my cadence dropping. Downshift. Downshift. Crap, I'm out of gears on the rear ring. I am NOT shifting to the little boy gear. Somehow, I managed to keep my cadence around 60 and hit the turnaround.

It's go time! Pedal.Shift.Pedal.Shift. Now I'm in my 50/14 (I think, didn't really look) and flying down the hill at 35 mph. Wish I had a tri bike. I'm in the drops, but it's not the same. I can tell already that my quads are trashed from the climb, but I have to keep up the pressure on the return. As we reach town, there are two roundabouts. I hit the first one at just shy of 30 mph. There's a reason those signs say to slow to 15mph. My wheels nearly broke loose on the turn, but somehow I managed to feather the brakes enough to stay upright. The second roundabout had no such drama, just a line of stopped cars to squeeze past. Downhill to the dismount zone, unclip both sides and brake to a stop.

Transition: My legs didn't collapse under me like I feared they might. However, I should have paid more attention to the layout of the transition area. Yes, I was nearly Lost in Transition. I missed my turn and nearly ran out the run out exit with my bike. There were two rows of racks and my mind was thinking 2 aisles, and that I needed to get to the second aisle. The volunteer corrected me and I made the turn just in time. Almost. My right pedal hit the post holding up some of the fencing and I came to a sudden stop. Dammit! Back up, move left, and we're at the rack. Swap shoes, grab my hat and a swig of water. Untuck my number from the back of my shorts and turn it forward as I head out on the run.

The Run: This SUCKED. I passed Raquel just out of transistion and heard her say "You're a runner! You're usually faster than this!" She actually said "You're a runner! Let's hammer this!" I think my version fit my physical state at this point. My legs felt dead and my HR was pegged at red line. I expected a run that was entirely on a paved path. No dice. Most of the first mile was through a future parkland construction zone over dirt and gravel. The 3rd mile featured gravel, grass, dirt and an underpass below a low bridge with about 6 inches of dirt between the river and the concrete supports. The guy who eventually won my AG by 7 minutes was the only runner to pass me. I somehow managed to pass three women and one 59 year old guy on the run. I did find enough kick to pass a woman with about 100 meters to go. Then the finish. I checked my watch. YES!

I decided that I would be happy with anything under 1:05 for my first effort. My secret goal was sub-1 hour. Made it with 33 seconds to spare.

This was a fun weekend that we'll plan on making a family tradition. The format of oly distances on Saturday and sprints on Sunday along with a very spectator friendly race makes this one a winner. Next year we'll have to get Nathan into the kids splash and dash.

Third Place HW - Not bad!