Race Report: Strawberry Fields Duathlon

[Bluetree]

Strawberry Fields Duathlon 3/25/07
Oxnard, CA
2 mi. run/13 mi. bike/3 mile run
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Event description/explanation:
Flat out-and-back run, 13 mile bike race (loop) through strawberry/flower fields, flat out-and-back run. Earlier this year I decided on the duathlon rather than the tri, because last year's event had swim problems. The currents were so strong that elite age groupers were being swept down the coast, unable to reach the buoy off shore. Event planners had to cancel the swim portion at the last moment. Rather than risk such currents so early in the season, I signed up for the duathlon. My worries were unfounded, as the surf was fine and the weather was overcast, but pleasant. (I don't have exact split/transition times yet, but I did look at my watch for approx. times).

Pre-race
Had some pre-race jitters so when I left my home at 4:30am, I put in my "empowering" music as loud as I could. Songs like Venus and Eye of the Tiger. Hey, don't laugh... whatever works! I set up my transition, met up with some friends and watched the race start (my wave was 15 minutes later). When I went to toe the line for the duathlon start, my heart sank. There weren't alot of entrants, but the ones that were at the starting line were hardcore runners. These were no "let's see if I can do it" participants, these were ripped, lean athletes. I tried to hide in the back of the group, but a tri club cheerleader spotted me in the back and made me stand in the front so he could get a group picture of the start. Great.

Run Leg 1
2 miles, flat course
Being at the front of the pack did not boost my confidence any. But I tried to represent and took off faster than I normally would have. Still, I wasn't feeling like I was over-exerting, and while there was no way I could keep up with the group (they were FAST-FAST-FAST) I did better than I thought I would. My pace has always been around an 11-12 min mile, so when I got back to T1 with a time of 19 minutes I was pretty stoked. T1 was uneventful and I got my bike. (I don't have T-times yet, sorry, but I suspect I took more time than than necessary.)

Bike Leg
13 miles, flat course
Ah... at last on the bike. After spinning easily for the first mile or so, I got clear of the mass, got into my aerobars and started to fly. I started picking off age groupers one by one, and although I was passed alot also, it didn't bother me (after all, when someone on a P3 with disk wheels blows by you, what can you do?) It was a flat, square route through the strawberry/flower fields, which wasn't as picturesque as it sounds. A lot of the fields were just planted, so they weren't very colorful and there was the pervasive smell of manure fertilizer in the air.

I tried to keep up an average pace of 20mph, but the winds in the open fields weren't always cooperating. At one moment I was cruising at 23mph, five seconds later I was at 15mph, a few seconds later I was going fast again. The winds were just coming from all directions so there was no way to gauge headwind/tailwind efforts. (And I wasn't the only one who noticed this. I overheard a gal saying after the race, "How can you go in a loop and face all headwinds?!") I hear ya. There were only a few turns on the race and the roads were very flat and well kept, so it was otherwise speed-friendly.

About halfway through the bike leg, I felt an ominous pressure on my lower back. There's something about running and then going full aero on the bike that my back just does NOT like. It was starting to tighten up, but I tried to ignore it. I finished the bike leg in 35-36 minutes (not sure where the chip registered time) which pleased me. When I pulled up at the end of the bike leg, there was a traffic jam at the dismount line. I braked too hard to avoid riders and had to get a leg out to rescue myself. My leg hit the pavement hard and I felt a jolt on my lower back. That kinda scared me, but it went away quickly, so I ignored it. I ran my bike back to T2 and got back into my running shoes.

Run Leg 1
3.1 miles, flat course
Arrgghh. Nothing like the feeling in your glutes and hammys like getting off a bike and starting a run. My HR was good, my energy level was up (thanks to half a banana in T2) and I felt pretty good despite the brickesh legs. Then disaster stuck. About a mile into the race my lower back yelled "Abandon Ship!" and my shuffling brick-run came crashing to a hobbling walk. It was spasming so hard I had to walk (slowly) most of the middle mile to get it under control again. When I resumed running, I could only manage a slow trot and gradully, the spasming subsided. I tried to pick up speed but for some reason, the stoppage caused my HR to go haywire. Where it was a steady 180-185 tempo before, it was now redlining with the slightest effort. I managed a painful shuffle for the last mile and was even able to manage a sprint finish the last 50 yards, but I knew my chiropractor would get a call very soon. I don't know the final time for the second run, but it was abysmal. Still, the fact that I got through it made me feel good.

Post Race
So I sprinted across the finish line feeling pretty good about myself. There was a point in the final leg where the pain was so bad I wanted to quit, but I kept going. My friends were passing me easily (even though some had start times 25 minutes after mine) but they shouted words of encourgement that helped.

So I was ok... until I saw my final time. 1:38. I was second-to-last. My heart just sank. To say I was mortified was an understatement. I couldn't even enjoy the post-race festivities, I just wanted to get in my car, go home and hide my face in shame. I said goodbye to my friends, packed up my bike/equipment and started the 90-minute drive home. For the first 20 minutes I was so embarrassed I wanted to cry. But after a while of driving, Sensible-Grownup-Bluetree grabbed Insecure-Silly-Bluetree by the throat and b*tch-slapped her. Worrying about time/placing is stupid. The people I was racing against were seasoned athletes and the race wasn't exactly a neighborood fun run. I don't know why I'm so hard on myself sometimes. So I put on my "feel better" music, you know, Jimmy Eat World, "...It just takes some time, little girl, you're in the middle of the ride, everything'll be all right, all right... and I spent the remainder of the drive home feeling better and wondering how I could improve for my next race...

Postscript
My coach called me a couple of hours after the race. I said, "I can't talk right now... I'm still on the course!" Dead silence. Hah! So we talked about my back troubles, and although he has me doing a lot of core exercises, he wants to revamp my training/strength training to address these problems. I've talked about my back troubles before, but my next races will all be swim-bike-run, so I'm hoping it won't be as much as issue. It's that first run-bike thing that nailed me. So onward to the next race... La Quinta in April!

[rocknrollgirl]

Hey Blue,
Well, we have all been there, or will be there. It is tough when you train really hard and the body does not cooperate on race day. It is early in the season, and you will learn from this race. Those are racers are "seasoned" athletes because they have been through lots of races and had similar expereinces.

Don't get down on yourself. Whenever I have a race day that does not live up to my expectations I remember all of the people sitting on the couch with a tv remote in their hand.

I know it sounds cliche, but the very fact that you trained and suited up makes you a winner.

So now just get that back spasm under control and get ready to kick some butt in race number two.

Good Job and Congrats for being out there and getting the job done.

Ruth

[KSH]

First off, great race report! I really felt like I was there.

Gosh, just reading about your back issues... how disappointing.

You have trained so hard and you are so focused... and then for it to "go to hell in handbasket" on race day... dang it.

BEFORE those back issues though, you were rocking it! You first run was fast and your bike too. That's something to be proud of!

2nd to last in a field of really seasoned athletes who are FAST runners... is something to be proud of... especially considering you had back pain/issues. I bet they didn't have any of that to deal with.

Next time, if you don't have back pain during the race you will certainly do better.

Otherwise, it looks like you were doing a great job before that back of yours took over. Be proud of that!

[Wahine]

Blue, congrats on a good finish. You finished, amoungst a tough group. You could've thrown in the towel with the pain you were in, but you didn't and that means a lot. You didn't DNF.

I can't tell you how many times I've been out on a course and thought what the hell am I doing here. I've been in races where I've spent more time in the porta potties than the run course. RnR is right, you suited up and that makes you better than most. Not only that, you finished under tough circumstances.

Congratulations. You're tough.

[Bluetree]

Thanks gals. I think I would go bonkers without you. I woke up this morning really sore but not immobile (thanks to a couple of bags of ice and 800mg of motrin yesterday). Hopefully it there is no real damage.

I have to reassess my goals for next month. I had planned on using this race as a stepping stone, then focus the next month on open water swimming. Now I have a setback/dilemna. My coach wants to reevaluate my gait and focus on improving my running. So I don't know if I'll have the time for the swimming. Plus, I'll be super-swamped with work the next two weeks along with the usual stress levels for my upcoming show.

I wish my next race was six weeks away, instead of four. I almost want to skip it (the following race is in June) but the fees are paid and I am the acting den mother regarding the hotel/road trip with my friends. I want to go, as much for the cameraderie and support as anything, but I'm wondering if it would be detrimental for my long-term plans (and short-term sanity).

One option is to focus on the swimming (while maintaining run/bike) and come April race day just walk the running leg, if I have to. I could postpone my run training/focus until after the race, to prepare for my summer/fall races. I figure I won't be as disappointed in my upcoming race if I don't set my goals very high.

[HappyAnika]

I'm so sorry about your back! I hate back pain. Have you seen your chiropractor?

You should be so proud of yourself for finishing under those circumstances. It shows you have a lot of determination and a strong will, which will help you do awesome in your next race. In the mean time, take it easy and get the back problems solved.

[Grog]

I hope you feel better BlueTree, there's nothing to be ashamed of.

*big hug*

Not every race can be a PR. Good luck on the new and improved training! A girl I ride with told me that after experiencing a back pain she's been thought by her personal trainer how to sit and stand again. Back to basics. But she feels better now.

Good luck!

[alpinerabbit]

You are one tough chick. Now I am scared. Of you.

[Wahine]

I wish my next race was six weeks away, instead of four. I almost want to skip it (the following race is in June) but the fees are paid and I am the acting den mother regarding the hotel/road trip with my friends. I want to go, as much for the cameraderie and support as anything, but I'm wondering if it would be detrimental for my long-term plans (and short-term sanity).

One option is to focus on the swimming (while maintaining run/bike) and come April race day just walk the running leg, if I have to. I could postpone my run training/focus until after the race, to prepare for my summer/fall races. I figure I won't be as disappointed in my upcoming race if I don't set my goals very high.

Blue, why don't you use this as a strictly training race. Choose the sport you want to work on and push for only that one discipline, then cruise through the rest. I mean cruise - wear a HR monitor and don't go above Z3. I do this with a lot of my races. Helps to give me focus but keep from burning out or over-doing it. Even give yourself permission to DNF if things are feeling too tough. You can justify it by the fact that if you push through a bad day it will take you too long to recover and will affect your training for your June race.

You definitely need to set out some rules before this race to keep your competitive nature in check. Do not self distruct.

[spokewench]

You did a great job and if you need to because of injury limitations etc., just use your next race for training.

I've lived with back trouble all my life it seems like. Broke my back in my early to mid 20's when I fell off my own horse!

It can be really hard to take, but just take every day at a time. I have found that yoga and stretching really help me. It doesn't get rid of the pain, but it helps immensely, allows me to do more and not have to just cry uncle!

For many years, and especially when I was first starting to race road and mountain bikes, I just used my early season races for training, and then would try to focus on getting better at the end of the year. It works!

Hope you start feeling better soon.