My 2007 season was characterized mainly by setting PR’s in just about every event, in nearly every distance. But as I like to say, sometimes you’re the hammer, sometimes you’re the nail. You just can’t be the hammer in every race or every workout. Plus, while my successes earlier this year were the result of committment and hard work, it would surely have been a fluke had I had a great day today, considering how little I have been training. And I am using the word “training” loosely here. It would be very generous to call what I’ve been doing since late July (post-ironman) training. Lately I’ve been doing what I want when I want, and if that’s nothing so be it. I rode my bike a couple times last week, I’ve run maybe 5 times this entire month. Which is fine, as its the off-season. I just came out for this duathlon for fun, for a hard workout, to let my bike know I still love her, and to people (guy) watch.

In any event, it was a fun race. I dressed up because it was called the Wrentham Halloween Duathlon… The majority of racers wore spandex. Maybe that is strange costume enough for most people. Not me, I went all out in school-girl garb, complete with two braids, a white button-down, black cardigan, plaid kilt (over my tri shorts), and knee highs. This outfit was neither aerodynamic nor wicking. It was however extremely goshdarn cute if I do say so myself. And if you think it feels good to pass a guy, try doing it while your skirt is flapping in the wind. Words sweeter than “on your left” were never spake.

Anyway, its true what my friend Dan told me, it doesn’t get less painful, you just get faster. Or in this case, it hurt just as bad as it did in April when I did the same course in much better shape, I was just slower this time. I consider this a scientific experiment with a sample size of 1, that proves the hypothesis training is effective. Not that that was in question. But its good to confirm. Had I set a personal best today, I might very well have fired my coach and spent from now till Ironman Wisconsin sitting on the couch eating bon-bons.

Here is the data:
Wrentham Duathlon, Wrentham MA. Same Course in Spring and Fall
3 mile run, 11 mile bike, 2 mile run
very gently rolling terrain
I color coded it so everything in red represents today’s race. Everything in blue represents the times I posted on the same course in April.

October 28 2007/April 22 2007
ave. hours per week spent working out for the 8 weeks prior to event: 6/16.7
Total time 1:18:31 /1:12:13
Splits:
Run 1: 22:38 (7:32/mi) 22:18 (7:26/mi)
Bike: 36:55 (17.9mph) 32:42 (20.2 mph)
Run 2 16:02 (8:01/mi) 14:41 (7:20/mi)
Place in Age Group (F25-29) 5th/2nd

My coach (http://www.johnhirsch.org/) says you have to have valleys in order to have peaks. I definitely have the valley thing under control at this point!