Race Recap: Doylestown Duathlon

My second race of the season was supposed to be the first. At least that's the way it was when I signed up for it. The Doylestown Duathlon is typically held in April early in the season before the area lakes are warm enough for triathlons. Unfortunately, this year's race got moved due to some logistical hang-ups. Registered competitors had the chance to get a refund, but I kept it on my calendar figuring it would be a good training session. Plus it would be a chance to compare myself to last year's performance to benchmark where I am fitness-wise. Keeping it on my schedule, though, would mean racing on four straight weekends with only one weekend off before Ironman Mooseman 70.3.

I was on the fence about going, but then Marita, my most wonderful training partner, told me she was in, so I was committed. I'll be honest - I didn't really prepare for this race. Sure I had all the training under my belt, but I hadn't really looked into the details. I just assumed it was the same as last year. Once we got there, however, it was evident that this year's race was smaller and on a different course - we weren't even starting from the same place. Also, it wasn't until the pre-race meeting that I learned the length of the bike was going to be shorter than last year. Lastly, I hadn't even studied the run course. I really had no idea what to expect. Regardless of this piss-poor preparation, I was ready to go.

Accused me of eating breakfast in T1.

The racking was open, so Marita and I were able to set up next to each other. She would be starting in the wave six minutes behind me, so I had this fear that she'd be chasing me the whole time. I was lucky enough to be in the overly competitive first wave of men 39 and under. The 5k run course was a figure-eight affair with the first mile completely uphill. The gun went off, and I was pretty much out of the race. These guys took off like they were shot out of a cannon. I made it to the one mile mark in a little over 7 minutes and couldn't even see the leaders anymore. This was ridiculous. At that point, I knew I didn't have much of a chance of winning, but I was at least hoping for a respectable finish.

The run finished and it was off on the bike. After the race Marita asked me if I stopped for breakfast during the first transition. I'll take that as constructive criticism, and file it away in the "needs work" category. I hopped on the bike and took off as quickly as I could. I knew right away that this was going to be a great day on the bike. I remember last year laboring up the first hill to make it from the marina out to the road. This year I really pushed, got up to speed and tucked down into the aero bars. The bike course was a 15 mile route with two U-turns involved. I kept my pace up, stayed in the big chain ring for all but one hill towards the end and headed back into the park.

It was back to transition, and I knew Marita wasn't far behind. I may have been out of the race for my age group, but the ride home would be worse if she caught me. With no one to chase leaving transition, it was hard to get going fast, but I turned in a decent first mile. The second mile was downhill to the lake, and I was able to run it in about 6:54. One more to go, and I'd be done. I finished the race with another 7:15ish mile, and then it was time to wait.

I was there when Marita finished just minutes later taking 3rd overall in the women's race. She told me right away about her race and how her strategy paid off. We were even hopeful that in battling out 1st and 2nd on the bike, the two women in front of her had possibly picked up time penalties. Turns out that wasn't the case, so 3rd would have to suffice. We loaded the truck and then made our way over to the awards ceremony where she picked up her hardware and, most importantly, chocolate chocolate chip cookies for the ride home.

So, how did this year compare to last year? Quite a few variables were different, for starters. The course was completely different with a hilly run versus last year's flat out-and-back course. The bike was shorter too and not as hilly. I was also on a new bike and the weather was much better this year. Here's how it breaks down by the numbers:

2010
Run 1: 7:27/mile
Bike: 16.3 mph
Run 2: 7:21/mile
Overall: 176/340

2011
Run 1: 7:37/mile
Bike: 19.9 mph
Run 2: 7:11/mile
Overall: 37/128

Overall, I was happy with the result - finishing in the top third in 37th place with decent splits and a fast bike by my standards. Oh yeah, it also didn't hurt that I beat Marita by 12 seconds.