So I'm a month late!!
Our weekend in Philly was fabulous. We arrived Saturday afternoon, quickly dropped off our bags at our hotel in central Philly and headed off to MLK Blvd for pre race festivities.
Finding the place was a challenge. Let's just say the directions were not clear and had us totally confused. We ended up stalking some woman with a bike atop her car and she pointed us in the right direction.
As we headed down to the registration area I couldn't help but get excited. We were surrounded by bikes and women. All kinds of women including the serious athletic sort, the amateur, the newbie, old and young alike.
We made our way over to the registration area and picked up my gear that included a really nice mesh training shirt. Gotta love freebies!
Most importantly, we made it in time to hear words from the race director as well as from the motivational speaker. I just loved being there. I was trying to take in everything, totally being in the moment. My eyes were drawn to the bikes. sigh,,they were beautiful.
The following morning, we were up and out by 6:30 am.
Val dropped me off as close as possible to the race site and I nervously walked my bike down the winding road and joined the masses that gathered near the tents.
To say I felt intimidated would be quite the understatement. Let's just say that some most of the equipment I saw put my little bike to shame.
Bikes were outfitted with toe clips, tri-bars, race wheels and multiple water bottles. Some of the accessories cost more then my bike.
I got my body marked with my bib number, age, and event and was off to the transition area to rack my bike. I started chatting with a woman who helped ease my nerves as this was her first duathlon as well.
After chatting with a couple others, I made my way up to the starting line. Since I am the back of the pack runner/biker, I positioned myself as far back as possible. No need to slow the rabbits down with my slow ass self.
The first leg was a 2 mile run that I finished in 17:22. My legs felt pretty good as I ran into the transition area. As I started to put my gloves and helmet on I noticed the bike of the woman I was speaking to earlier was still on the rack. Yup, I was happy I came in ahead of her.
As I exited I saw Val holding a sign cheering me on. This was very sweet.
Time to hit the pavement for 17 miles, hopefully without incident. There's something about being on a bike in a competitive environment that feels empowering.
The crowd was just great. They were hooting and hollering as the bikers took off.
It was a two loop course that was flat and fast. I saw the aftermath of one accident as I approached a turn. This poor woman was trying to get up after she had wiped out. It was painful to see this woman struggling to get out from under her bike. My first instinct was to stop and see if she needed help but then I remembered where I was and what I was doing.
Medical personnel were within feet of her so I just swerved out of the way and continued on. About midway through the race when I started feeling a heaviness in my legs, I started to repeat the mantra, "it's just me against the pavement."
I had no chance in hell against most of the bikers. This little mantra served as a reminder that I am not competing against those athletes but against the road that's ahead of me.
It wasn't till the last mile or so that my legs really felt fatigued but I knew the end was near. To help me through the last mile, I inhaled a couple of sport beans. The extra sugar seemed to do the trick.
I finally racked my bike and transitioned to the run. The most dreaded part of the event for me. Legs were feeling like jello and not wanting to move much. I started with a shuffle and eventually was able to find a pace that was comfortable.
The 5k was a killer but I tricked myself into finishing by using positive affirmations to help overshadow the negative self talk. I was tired and hot and wanted to walk. I also knew how disappointed I 'd be if I didn't finish under 2 hours. That was my motivation to keep on running and I crossed the finish line in 1:54:32.
I was beyond excited and am ready for the tri next year. I think I want to tackle the swim. I'm not sure how to go about it yet but I'm sure I'll find some swimming training program.
Val is inspired as well and I think she wants to train for the duathlon! She's well on her way and training for her first 5k.