1 week, 2 races

It's been a heck of a week over here! 

Saturday - Sprint Triathlon (my second in two weeks after nearly 2 years off from racing)

Swim (.25) - After my disappointing swim time in the race 2 weeks earlier, I was determined to redeem myself at this race.  Goal = 9:30.  Actual = 8:49.  Off to a good start!

Bike (13.2) - I was hoping to just do what I did 2 weeks ago, which was nearly 19 mph average.  Unfortunately for me, I did a double workout the day before the race (who does that???), and I really felt it on the bike.  It took 8 miles to feel comfortable, and the race was only 13.2 miles total.  Goal = 42:00.  Actual = 42:31.  Could have been way worse, but obviously if I were a smarter person (i.e. don't work out 2x the day before a race), I could have killed that bike course!

Run (5K) - Oh boy.  This is where the wheels came off.  I'd had a stomach issue all week.  It wasn't bad enough that I needed to stay home from work, lay on the sofa, and moan, but it was bad enough that food simply would not stay in me.  (TMI?  Sorry.)  The run course for this race was in a very nice neighborhood.  A nice neighborhood with not nearly enough shade.  Holy hell, did it get hot out there!  I suck in the heat anyway, but the combination of tired legs + direct sun + temps already in the mid 80s + literally no gas in the tank due to my stomach issues equaled a disastrous run.  Goal = 25:30.  Actual = 28:14.  (Honestly, I'm surprised it wasn't 38:14.  It felt that slow.)

My goal was a podium spot (I knew it would be tough) and 1:22:00 overall.  Instead, I got 4th in my age group, missed the podium by less than a minute, and finished in 1:23:29.   Aaaaaggggh!  So close!!!   :)

Thursday - Sprint Duathlon (very informal race put on by my running club each year)

I got smart and took Wednesday as my rest day.  :)   See, I'm not too old to learn new tricks!

Run 1 (2 miles) - I decided to treat the race as a hard training day, not a real race situation.  This was easy to do because it's SO informal.  No bike racks, no numbers, no entry fee, no course marshalls.  Just show up and do it.  My goal for both runs was to be around 17 minutes.  Actual = 16:19.  Ahh yeah.

Bike (13) - Rolling hills throughout, and after that first run my legs felt like DOO DOO!  Honestly, I could not get my legs to turn the pedals over.  Ugh.  Oh well, it wasn't a real race anyway, right?   No goal, other than to not suck.  Actual = 48:43 (16 mph - suckage!).

Run 2 (the same 2 miles) - My only goal here was for my legs to outlast my brain, which was telling me how easy it would be to just quit.  I mean, who would know?   And what would it matter?   Well, it mattered to me.  I went out there for a good, hard workout, and that's what I was going to do.  Much slower than the first run, but that was to be expected.  Actual = 17:06.  Hey, not as bad as I expected!

Total = 1:24:31, which is by far my personal worst for this race, but honestly I could not care less.  (In 2011 I did it in 1:21:32, in 2010 I did 1:20:58, and in 2008 (when I was kicking ass and taking names) I did it in 1:15:30.) 

The other interesting thing about the duathlon yesterday was that it was a forced experiment.  The night before, D and I went to a ROCKING concert -- Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Experience and Heart (with both bands together for a 30 minute Zeppelin set at the end of the show).  I didn't get to bed until 1 a.m., and the race was at 7.  Why did I do this, you ask?  Because on September 15 I am doing an Olympic distance tri, and the night before there's a concert I want to attend.  Now I know it can be done.    :)