Recreation with Charlie (Running, Biking, Jeeping, Photography, And Other!)

Another duathlon? So, what is wrong with me?  I guess I did it once, liked it, and then did it again!

At least, I am consistent! I was last in my age group at the Priarie Punisher (notice the spelling) in Lamar, Colorado.  It was a great event and I had a lot of fun!

There may have been a misprint on the shirt from my first event.

The Barking Dog Duathlon

A duathlon is a multi-sport event. I ran the short course in this event. That consisted of a 2K run, a 15K bike, and then another 5K run. In between these separate events, there is a transition. The transition is in a controlled area. You prepare for the next event there. For instance, getting your helmet on, changing to the bike shoes, getting gloves on, etc.

The duathlon grew out of triathlons. The tri is a multi-sport event in which you swim, bike, run.

I do not want to swim. I have no interest. That probably hails back to when I was a youngster, got water in my ear canal, and experienced my first cast of “Swimmer’s Ear.” That is an extremely painful malady in which the ear canal becomes infected due to water staying there.  There is swelling and pain. Did I mention Pain? Lots of pain.  Suffice it to say that I don’t want to swim! So, the duathlon seemed the way to go.

The weather, the weather…

You can register for an event of your choosing, but you cannot choose the weather during the event. The night before the event it rained. It was dark, cloudy and wet. If I sign up, I want to show up! Evening preparations included all of the usual gear plus cold weather gear plus rain gear.

I got up. It was early. It was way too early for an evening shift worker like me. First thing I did was go to the front door and look out.  The sidewalks were dry!  Great sign!

Made a quick cup of coffee, had some oatmeal and some juice, then loaded the bikes on the car. I grabbed my gear and headed for the car.

Getting there was a challenge. As the event is held in Cherry Creek State Park, I-225 runs right up to it. As we headed down I-25, we found out that I-225 was closed due to a pretty bad accident that happened over night. We had to take an alternate route, but arrived in plenty of time to get the bibs & the chip. The bibs? Yes, three of them. One for the bike, one for the bike helmet, and one for the shirt.

We got our packets. We? I have a friend. His name is Tom. He has a fascination with things athletic. I think that he thinks that I am an athlete, too. It was his idea. I blame him.

We took our bags, our bikes, our helmets and our packets to the transition area. We stored our gear in a bike rack next to each other. We set up our bibs and generally got ready for the challenge.

Notice the headband? “Combat your inner Couch Potato.”

I forgot that I chose that particular one to wear. I kept seeing people look at me intensely, then get a grin on their face. I finally figured out why. I got this and one other when I attended the expo at the Seattle Rock and Roll full marathon in 2010. I still wear them both. The other one? It says, “Shut up and run!”

Feeling the cool weather prior to the start.

The event started late due to the same car accident that slowed us down coming to the event. Everything was delayed 15 minutes. I was in the “C” wave. We started at around 7:30 AM. It was a 1.2 mile run. It got the bones warmed up. I did the first run slow. When it is a multi-sport event, it is best to conserve your energy so that all of the events can be accomplished.

What a get up! Notice the Tri shorts…

On the way in to the transition area, a pit stop was necessary. There is a saying in athletic events, that if you see an empty Porta Potty without a line, use it!  I did. It was quick and I went to the transition area. I strapped on the helmet and buckled it.

I put on a glove so both were covered for the ride. Then I attempted to change shoes. The bike shoes refused to cooperate in any way. When I finally got them on, my Transition one time was 2 minutes and 41 seconds.

I mounted the bike at the right place and started my ride. The first thing that I noticed was that the bike computer was not reading. The sensor was off somewhat on the back tire. I should have checked that before the ride. I had been using the computer in practice as it gives me speed, distance, and cadence. I tried the ride as I thought it felt in practice. I did OK, passing some, and getting passed by a lot of others. It seemed as though the ride was facing into the wind all the way (and it was a loop trail).

 Riding the Tower Loop on the Motobecane bike!

It took much longer than I expected it to. I turned in toward the transition for transition 2. I got changed. Again, it took a long time. Transition 2 took 2 minutes and 10 seconds.

I was on the 5K run now (3.1 miles). It seemed that my legs were made of lead. I tried to pick up the pace and did alright. My second run was faster than my first. I got passed the whole way, but it was ok. The trail followed the reservoir water closely and was a joy to watch people and places along the run.

I crossed the finish line in 1 hour, 29 minutes, and 37 seconds.

The final stats?

Total participants in the short course: 113

My place?  75

Bib number: 475

Division: Clydesdale (Runners over 200 pounds)

Division place? 5 (there were 5 total now…)

Run 1 rank? 100, Run 1 time: 13:00, Run 1 pace? 10:50

Transition 1: 2:41

Bike rank: 50. Bike time: 38:44, Bike MPH: 14.4

Transition 2:10

Run 2 rank: 81, Run 2 time: 33:04, Run 2 pace: 10:40 (negative splits –  Yay!)

Total event time: 1:29:37

I came in last in my division. Thats OK, though, as if I had run in my age division, I would have come in last again. Like I said, I am consistent!  Remember, though, that I did beat all of those “Couch Potatoes” out there that choose not to exercise!

It was a fun event. I enjoyed it a lot. I learned a lot. Will I do it again? Most probably!