I did it. Seriously, the proudest race moment I have had.
My training partner and I have cycled, sweated, and run quite a few miles, over the last few weeks, to get ready. Finally Saturday arrived, except wait, we need to back up to Friday.
I had a heartbreaking call, from my friend and training partner, telling me that her Dad passed away–unexpectedly. I high-tailed it to her house and sat and cried. There are no words when you lose someone, especially a parent. Been there, done that. HURTS. She packed and off she went to Ohio, with her fiance and sister. My prayers are continually with her and her family as they celebrate a life well lived.
So maybe I need to back up a little farther, and tell you that I would not have gotten on my bike, if it hadn’t been for her. She planned all of our routes, rode at a slower pace, and her fiance did a full tune up on my bike to get it ready for the season. We were going to do this race…together. Me, by myself? Not so much.
Bike= not my strongest suit. #newbie
Back to race weekend. Forecast: Heavy rain and high winds. Goodie 
Saturday morning, I woke up at 5:45 and made a strong cup of coffee. Ate a pre-race breakfast of Chobani greek yogurt, blueberries, and Chia seeds. Did some light stretching and thinking. Will I ride or not? There was a 5K option, and I wanted to be SAFE. Did I mention that I crashed my bike on Thursday? Just a small shoulder and hip injury, but definitely on my mind.
B was completely reassuring, “Whatever you choose, we are here and proud of you.” And yes, he and the kids were. They manned a water station for 2 FULL hours, in the rain and wind. Wait, I keep getting ahead of myself. First -B helped me set up my bike, just in case I decide to ride. EEK.
Run-5K
We line up. On your mark, get set, BANG..and we were off. Down Washington Road we went, and I was feeling good. Rain was light and kind of refreshing. The course led us onto 2 miles of trails. Pretty cool, actually, to have a trail run for the race. The trees were a great canopy of protection from the weather until we hit the clearing. BAM..winds, heavy rain, mud. And back to transition. It was a quick run and I had to make a quick decision. Turn off for the 5K or keep going into Transition. The brightest point in the run? My family cheering me on. Yes, I CAN!
Bike-17 miles
Transition Won. I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t let myself down AND I had to run for Andrea and her family. They certainly were walking through HARD challenges …couldn’t I? I took my time in transition and wiped down my bike. Toweled off my pedals, helmet and seat and headed out. I kept telling myself, “just be safe. It doesn’t matter the time, jut finish safely.” This is a totally different mind set for me, because I like to be speedy and watch the clock. Slow and steady took over my mind. Down the coast we went and the rain was stinging. Winds were blowing and I was nervous. So nervous, that I never took a sip of water. I was too scared to take my hands off the bike. It’s an amazing thing to look left and see 10 foot swells in the ocean. Many prayers were said and thank you, Lord, for answering them!! All of a sudden, I saw Mile 11 and felt better. Over half way there and I knew I could do it. Just a few more turns and there was TRANSITION.
Run: 5K
Pulled into transition and I smiled. Hardest part done. Now to run with soggy shoes, that I am pretty sure weighed a pound or two a piece. No worries, both feet were on land and I was grateful. Back through the trails we went… Who knew we would be doing a “mud run.” It was sloppy and I actually enjoyed it. AND I saw my family again who screamed and yelled for me!! Not gonna lie, I also really enjoyed passing the cyclists that flew by me on their bikes During the last mile, I allowed myself to look at my watch. 1:47. Wait, what? I could finish under 2 hours? The last bit of energy filled my body and I crossed the finish line at 1:53. Hallelujah!! So proud and so glad I stuck with it!! It was a great course and I think it would be FUN in the Sun! Bottom line: I completed a DUATHLON!!!
Final Results: Run 1: 23:57 (7:59 pace) Bike 1:05: 43 Run 2: 24:25 (8:09 pace) 6/13 Age Group and 82/150 Overall
Here’s to you, Andrea, and to your sweet family! We all send our LOVE!
Question of the Day: What has been your hardest race or athletic accomplishment?
****Warning: This post was emotional for me. I wrote the way I felt. Don’t judge the grammar or punctuation. XO
You are AWESOME!!!! Congrats to you. It’s amazing what emotion can do to propel the body.
Virtual hugs to your friend!
Thanks friend!! Now on to Half Marathon training:)
Thank you for sharing that Cheryl, as I say every time you are such a wonderful inspiration to all of us. My biggest athletic accomplishment has been the fact that I now consider myself a runner. For YEARS I refused to run, but since I started Zumba and listening to more of that type of music..I just couldn’t help but RUN!!!!! Now I am researching doing a triathlon with my cousin next spring ♥
So proud of you!! Triathlons are awesome. Such a great way to shake up a run!
Woof! I’m tired just reading that. Way to start, way to finish, and way to kick some ass! Congrats times a million.
My hardest events have always been the 50k’s. The trails eat me up, but I’m improving.
50Ks? Lawd, I still need to get through my first half! Thanks for the support!
Oh wow! You are amazing for completing this in that crazy rainy weather on Saturday. This is the first duathlon recap I’ve read, and I think it might be something I can do. I’m going to put it on my #fitnessbucketlist! I’ve avoided the triathlon because of the swim portion, so this may be the way to go for me!
You CAN do it, especially in better weather
Swimming is my least favorite too. I will definitely do another Duathlon!
Great post and wonderful accomplishment on the race. You are an inspiration!