Final Duathlon Thoughts
>> Wednesday, May 04, 2011
I have a few final thoughts about last weekend's duathlon. If you missed the race report, CLICK HERE or scroll down to my last post.
• Outkicked:
When I first saw the results, I saw that I was 4th in my age group. My next "concern" was that that guy that out-kicked me in the end was 3rd in my age group. If he WAS, I'd be a little annoyed at myself for not being able to hold him off. But he was quite a bit younger than me. Thank God.
7 seconds from the finishline (I had just passed him)
About to be beat at the line
Sure, I had a PR at the Falls Duathlon (my best time over 3 years), but it's NOT because I'm in better shape. Don't get me wrong, I'm not in HORRIBLE shape either. But there are 3 other reasons why I PRed. First, the day was better than last year (MUCH less wind). Second, I rode with a Zipp 404 on the front for the first time ever, and that had to have helped my bike split a bit. Third (and most importantly), I went out HARDER than usual, and I need to keep doing that! That's the way I NEED to race! (Note to self for the Oakdale Duathlon.)
• Transition bag:
I love having a transition bag more than I thought I would!! I usually have this old, dinky, blue bag that I haul around, and I can never really fit all I need in it. Now I have a great TYR swim / transition bag from the Minneapolis Triathlon giveaway I did about a month ago, and I LOVE it! It's REALLY nice to be able to haul everything to and from the race site easily. And all my stuff stayed dry in it during the rainy race. If you need a gift for a loved one, get them a transition bag! Here's a photo of Matt in T1, and you can see my new swim / transition bag to the far right:
The Toe Caps really did the trick during the race. I used one on a sore toe, and it was NEVER an issue during the race. I'm actually quite surprised this worked so well. I've used them for long runs before (I think up to a 12 miler), but I'd never used them in a race.
Toe Cap put on at home pre-race
"Like condoms for your toes, only non-sexual"
(Not their actual slogan, but it SHOULD be)
About 5 or 6 weeks ago, I figured I could "get through" this race. I thought it'd be ugly. I thought I might have to stop during the final run if my heel was not holding up. But as of a few weeks ago, I realized I was feeling good enough to RACE the race! And now (4 days after the race) everything is still feeling good! I'm not 100%, but I'm doing my PT exercises and working my way in the right direction.
And one final thing.... My lovely Pharmie just posted about some recent running / baby scares. Click here for her recent post and an up-to-date belly photo.
4 comments:
Question about toes and capping: I see that your second toe is the longest on your foot. I have this same trait. Consequently the end gets bruised when running. While not exactly a season ending injury it is annoying. Would a toe cap help, or only exacerbate the situation by effectively making the toe longer? Any experience with that?
Erick: GOOD QUESTION! I think they would help your situation. The reason my middle toe gets so beat-up sometimes is because it is so long. So I had the same thoughts as you before using them, but they have ONLY helped me. Good luck!
Lately my toes have been getting beat up a lot too! I'll have to look into these non sexual toe caps.
Maybe toe caps will prevent a couple toenails from falling off this year...
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