I set my sights on qualifying for USA Triathlon (USAT) Team USA last April after finishing my first duathlon. Although brand new to the sport, I was immediately hooked. I enjoy the fast pace transitions from run to bike to run and all the challenges that go along with balancing two sports. I raced a total of five times last year and ended the season ranked #1 in Virginia for my age group, #20 in the Mid-Atlantic Region, and #60 in the Nation.
TRAINING: I'm a self-trained amateur. I did not follow a set duathlon training program to prepare for Nationals. During the winter months I followed Hal Higdon's 18-week Advanced One marathon training program and added in as much cycling as I could. Since my first duathlon a little over 12 months ago, I've logged 445 hours of training with 1,817 miles running and 3,364 miles cycling.
RACE DAY: I woke up at 4 am, drank my coffee, and went for a 15 minute shakeout run at a very easy pace. It was already 70 F with 90% humidity! This is the third time I've kicked off my race day with an early run. It gets all your systems moving and prepares your body and mind for the big day. After the run I ate breakfast, changed into my race kit, and packed up the bike. I arrived at the race 90 minutes before the start which gave me plenty of time to set up my transition area and mentally rehearse my race day strategy. As always, my mantra for the race was, "keep moving forward." You can't control the level of fitness and experience of your competition, so I find it best to focus internally to execute the best race possible. The National Anthem played and the First Wave started at 7 am.
RUN ONE: 5 miles of small rolling hills. This was a two lap course through parts of the USA Baseball National Training Complex. My plan was to attack the course one mile at a time. After every mile I took a 15 second walk break to control my pace, drink some Tailwind, let my heart rate settle, and give my legs a quick rest. Fifteen seconds doesn't sound like much, but it pays dividends on a hot and humid day. Average pace: 6:59.
TRANSITION ONE: I set up my bike with my cycling shoes already clipped in to my pedals. My helmet was placed on the transition mat bottom up with the chin strap unclipped. All I had to do was run into transition, find my bike, kick off my shoes, throw my helmet on and go. I was in and out in 1:03.
BIKE: 31 miles of fast, flat, rolling, and climbing sections. I ran with my bike to the mount line and nailed the flying bike mount. I've been practicing this for several months and each time it gets a little smoother. I pedaled up to speed and then reached down to fasten my cycling shoes. Once I settled into my target cadence and power zones I started drinking water and taking in some nutrition. I also pre-programmed an alarm on my Garmin to remind me to drink and eat every 15 minutes. My top tube bag was filled with Gu chews and salt and magnesium tablets to avoid muscle cramping. I also taped two Gu packets to my top tube and carried two water bottles, one with a concentrated mix of Tailwind and the other with water. The bike course was beautiful and included several views of Lake Jordan. Everything was going as planned until Mile 23. I dropped my water bottle as I was putting it back in the cage. If you leave anything on the course you're subject to a 2 minute time penalty so I had to hop off my bike and retrieve it. I lost a few seconds there, but nothing too big. After getting back on the bike I hammered away at the pedals and caught back up within sight to those who had passed me. Then around Mile 29 I was passed by a small orange SUV, North Carolina plates DMV 1901. After passing me they immediately slowed and turned right on to a small side road. No turn signal of course. I realized what was happening, braked real hard, swerved left, and flexed every muscle of my body. My shoulder hit their right rear quarter panel and I left a nice black "367" imprint from my body marking on their car and then I tipped over. Fortunately I was almost stopped when I made contact with the vehicle but I couldn't get unclipped from my pedals before hitting the ground. I got real lucky. Most of the damage to the bike and me is cosmetic since I was basically stopped before falling. The driver of the SUV stopped to check on me as well as another driver. The other driver started screaming at the guy who side swiped me before I could even talk. I thought they were going to have a fist fight on my behalf. They asked if I needed help. I exchanged a few choice words, told them I had a dream to catch and hopped back on my bike. It took me a few miles to get composed but I felt like I finished strong, all things considered. My average speed before the accident was 22.4 mph, top speed: 37.1 mph. The bike portion stopped recording on my Garmin when I fell, so my data is incomplete.
TRANSITION TWO: I slid my feet out of my cycling shoes as I approached the dismount line and pedaled with my feet on top of my shoes at a high cadence before jumping off for a quick transition. It was then I realized my left knee was a little tender from the fall. I knew it was going to be a long run! I re-racked my bike, pulled off my helmet, slipped on my running shoes, grabbed my running visor and a small water bottle and was on my way. Not sure how long that took.
RUN TWO: 5 miles of small rolling hills. My legs felt so heavy at the beginning of the run. No matter how many bricks you practice, that awkward feeling never goes away, you just learn how to deal with it. It usually takes me a half mile to settle into my stride length and begin to feel comfortable. The second run course was the same as the first and I continued with my plan of short walk breaks every mile. Unfortunately I had to take several more than planned. This was mostly due to some cramping in my calves and mentally I was starting to struggle with the events that took place on the bike earlier. Average pace: 8:14.
FINISH: To make Team USA you must place in the top 18 of your age group at Nationals. My goal was top 10 and I ended up in 5th place with a total time of 2:43:32. The weather was obviously a big factor that took a toll on everyone. The heat index was approaching 90 F at the finish. With my last run split, I normally would not have placed as well as I did.
USAT TEAM USA: As an age group competitor for Team USA, I'll be competing in the 2018 International Triathlon Union (ITU) Long Course Duathlon World Championships in Zofingen, Switzerland! The Long Course will consist of a 6.2M Run, 93.2M Bike, 18.6M Run.
It's starting to sink in how lucky I am to be writing this. The outcome with that vehicle could have been very different. It won't keep me off the bike, but I am looking forward to a little downtime before my next race.
As always, thank you to everyone who has cheered me along the way. I have met some incredible people through duathlon and Team RWB who push and inspire me everyday. And thank you to my family for supporting me and allowing me to dream big and chase after my goals.
