First Race: TBF New Year's Duathlon

It was cold. Really cold. I almost bailed out. It's a free race and... uhm... it was REALLY COLD. Eh, I went because I said that this was going to be my first race of the season, so I went.

Met up with Randy at the Gold's Gym parking lot and rode in. I didn't want to wait in line and I'm cheap, so I didn't really want to pay the $10 for parking. I registered and saw a few Team Revolutions friends - Noah, Don G, Sheila, and new members as well. Some really fast new members.

My goal was to finish in under 1-1/2 hours, and to not walk during the run. Let's face it, I lost nearly 6 weeks on the bike because of my achilles, and I haven't ran in nearly two months... this was going to hurt!

The race was a 2-mile run, 7-mile bike, and a 2-mile run. I started the run and was freezing. It's frustrating, because before my polo accident, I haven't been able to have a good run. It sucks going from a really good mile time to not being able to do even strides. Either way, my hip didn't loosen up until AFTER the first run, which is pretty normal.

The bike was easy. That's where I got my time. I passed a lot of people and had to keep saying, "Rider left... rider left." Hey, I would hope that the bike portion is easy for me. Gotta say, I'm glad that the triathletes in Team Revs know how to handle a bike, because a lot of people on this course did not.

The second run was a lot easier since my hip was loose enough. My achilles didn't act up, either. So, I ran. I didn't have to stop due to pain, nothing of the sort, so by the end I pushed a little harder, and my achilles didn't hurt at all. I see this as a great success.

I finished the race is 1 hour and 13 minutes. My running time was the fastest it has been since my accident, which is about an 11-minute mile. No, it's not fast, and it's so frustrating because I had a 6-1/2 minute mile... It's getting there... it's getting there. I ran with my beanie. There was FROST on my beanie. Some of the volunteers even commented on it. Brr...

After the race, I chatted with some friends and Randy and I went back to our trucks. We ate at the Italian Deli there and then we went home. It was still effin' cold.

So, I did beat my goal. Hey, now that I know that my achilles will hold up, I'll be able to train for future runs and duathlons. This was a great first race of the season.