Presque Isle Duathlon

Race: Presque Isle Duathlon
Date: August 26, 2017
Location: Presque Isle, Pa
Time:
Overall Rank: X out of XX
Age Group Rank: X out of X
Results: http:

The triathlon turned into a duathlon due to poor water quality. This was my first run-bike-run race and I would do another. I started out with the 2-mile run and based on my competition, I ran fairly slow. However, my pace was 8:18, which is pretty good for me. I'm not sure I could have gone faster; I was breathing hard. Dan was able to do better (8:09 pace), and Geoff, well, he's in a league of his own (7:32). Geoff went on ahead but Dan and I stuck together for a mile or so. I appreciate his effort to run with me in the beginning and keep up the conversation. Note to self: warm up before a race. The second run, 3.5 miles, was at a similar pace (8:20). I did not feel overly tired and felt pretty good through the whole thing. I kept pace with those around me; it was rare for me to pass anyone.

I'm always disappointed in my bike segment at Presque Isle. Dan and Geoff both beat me by 1-2 minutes. I can't speak to their level of training, but for me, I train on the hills around my neighborhood. That makes me good at hills. However, the race course at Presque Isle is flat, and I apparently don't have the muscle endurance to maintain high speeds for extended periods of time. I stayed in aero position for most of this race, with the exception of a rough patch of pavement, where I cycled more upright. I watched my speedometer and saw that in an upright position I was actually able to go faster. This is very curious. Perhaps I was using different muscles and got a burst of speed from them.