Race Recap: First Race of 2012: Redlands Duathlon

Well, it's finally behind me now, the first race of 2012.  It wasn't one that I had actually planned for, and I actually registered the morning of the event.  That's one of the great things about the smaller, local events, they almost never sell out, so you can sign up on an impulse.  At the same time and location, there was a reverse sprint triathlon and a 5k run.

So, this is a duathlon (run, bike, run), and actually only my second one.  The first one I did was in Central Park while on a mini-vacation in NYC.  The distances for the Redlands race were 5k run, then 10 mile bike, then finish up with another 5k run.

After a 45 minute drive from home, I arrived at the race location at 6:30am, with plenty of time to get registered and setup.  Since this wasn't going to be chip timed, I knew registration would be a little easier than normal, and it was.  I ended up with plenty of time to walk and run around to warm up, since the weather was a bit chilly, mid-40s.

5k Run (about 22 min)
I did a horrible job keeping track of this race with my Garmin, so all my splits are are guestimates.  My first three mile times were 7:14, 6:49, 7:15.  The second mile was slightly downhill overall, but honestly, I'm pleasantly surprised with these mile splits.  I've been taking extra care to keep my running to a minimum, since I still have a tinge of pain occasionally.  In addition to a few training tweaks, I was able to send some running videos to fellow Wattie Ink Elite Team member, Lindsay Zucco.  She's a physical therapist in Chicago, but was able to spot some slight issues with my running form, just using iPhone videos.  

10 mile Bike (about 30 minutes)
The bike course was two five mile loops.  There's a gradual climb up into a residential neighborhood, before turning around and heading back to the school.  Some of the corners were covered in gravel, so I didn't press my luck trying to gain a few seconds at the turns.  There was one point on the first lap where I was behind a small pack of three riders, I noticed they missed a left turn, so I let them go.  I heard them talking after the race, and they ended up having to track back to the turnaround point.  The volunteers on the bike course weren't very helpful, and course maps we limited before the race.  Overall, I felt ok on the bike.  I probably averaged close to 20mph.  It's still early in the year, and I wasn't on my tri bike, so again, I'm not too disappointed with this effort.

5k Run (about 23:30ish)
The transition area was a bit of confusion, with runners and cyclists going in and out from every corner of the parking lot.  Hopefully some of this stuff can get worked out next time.  It's a nice little race and I'd like to do it again next year.  Anyway, my splits for the second run were 8:01, 7:06, 7:36. Not too bad considering my lack of running.  Hopefully, as I head into March, I'll be able to run more, and spend more time with speed too.

My total time was 1:14:55.  Technically, I was 2nd in my age group, but with only two people in my age group, it's kind of an empty victory for me.  I had a goal of 1:18, so I'm please to have beaten the goal I set for myself.  I am proud of how I represented both the Orange County Triathlon Club and the Wattie Ink Elite Team.  Also, this was my first race in K-Swiss shoes, and I'm looking forward to a great year of running, with my next pair coming soon.

My first race with the Wattie Ink 'tats'