Steve in a Speedo?! Gross!: 2025

This was the last running of the Oakdale Spring Classic Duathlon. Sad day.

And on top of it being the last of this race, I also screwed up during the race in a way I'd never done before. Damn it. You'll read about that during the "bike" section.

I brought my boys with me to this race! They were there to see me get all set up before anyone else:

Wait, THAT'S NOT THE NORMAL TRANSITION!!

The race had moved parking lots. It was a new course for its final year. The run loop would be similar, we'd just be starting and ending it at a different point. And the bike would be a bit longer to get back out to the "normal" course. So I actually rode the run path just so I wouldn't make any mistakes (knowing that I could be leading out the opening run). It was easy and well marked. Shouldn't be any issues.

The pavilion that would host a BBQ in 2 hours, with transition just off frame to the right.

A bonus of ACTUAL bathrooms to use!

Taking care of pre-race business.

Making sure I knew where to hop off the old trail (the concrete to the left)
and head for the finish (straight ahead through those cones).

Transition filling up.

Judi gave her pre-race talk and actually had me say a few words noting that I rode the run course an hour earlier. "You get on the path and don't diverge from it until you get back to this road. It's easy and well-marked! Shouldn't be a problem!" One woman told me she felt better hearing that.

The small final-year crew lined up, and Judi counted us down...

"5... 4... 3... 2... 1... GOOOO!!!!!"

• RUN: 2.5 miles:

This race usually starts with a 3 mile run, but being transition moved, they made both runs the exact same. Kind of a bummer for me (a better runner). I took a quick lead:

Henry took these race pics! Thanks Henry!

Me leading everyone out 0:30 later.

Headed around Lake Elmo Park Reserve for the first run.

I was going out a BIT fast, and I was aware of that. I wanted to build a lead ASAP. My first 2 half-mile splits were FAST, and I wasn't aware of anyone behind me (I didn't turn to look, but I didn't hear anyone near).

- Mile 1: 5:37.2 (2:48 + 2:49)

The next mile has a bit more uphill, and it also was just time for me to ease up a little after going out so hot:

- Mile 2: 6:01.1 (3:01 + 2:59)

We were close to transition, and I booked it through the lot at a decent pace.

- Last 0.5 mile: 1:45 (0.31 mile, 5:45 pace)

No one behind me.

Turning the corner towards transition.

• T1:

This was decent. Even relatively quick for me. One of the race volunteers said "Hey, aren't you supposed to wait for everyone else?!?" Ha!

Hitting my Garmin right on the mat to leave T2.

• BIKE: 14 miles:

I got up to speed quick:

Just out of transition is when I STARTED my "screw up" that I noted in the 2nd line of this race report. I noticed that my Garmin was telling me I moved away from my phone (I've seen this just once before) and it was essentially asking if I wanted to be directed back to my phone. No, I want to do my race, which is moving AWAY from my phone for the next few minutes. But I hit the wrong button, and slightly swerved off the road onto the gravel for a few seconds. And then it just kept trying to direct me back to my phone (in transition). I had no speed data, no distance data, no NOTHING other than how to get back to my phone. I didn't even get my 5-mile laps. And I couldn't hit my "lap" button because the next lap would mean I was in T2 and not biking anymore. I WAS BIKING WITHOUT ANY INFO!!

I know many coaches right now are saying "That's a good thing - that's good for you Steve! You just need to go off effort and not what your watch is telling you!" And I GET that, but I wasn't expecting that to be forced upon me mid-race! I was ALL thrown off! And I didn't feel like I was keeping a solid effort - it was a little sporadic.

I looked behind me a few times, but never saw anyone. The farther I got, the more I thought I might have this race in the bag!! (Like 2 years ago.) I fought the wind heading west, got pushed back to the east, and fought it again heading back towards the park. I hit T2 without anyone around me, but having no clue if I posted a 19 mph split or a 24 mph split!

• T2:

I hit my Garmin HOPING it would stop the "find my phone" function and swapped shoes. It wasn't as fast as T1, but it was OK.

• RUN: 2.5 miles:

Shortly after I started the run, I looked at my Garmin. It was saying I was in T2. I think hitting the lap when I hit T2 actually reset the "find my phone" function, and then hitting my lap leaving T2 made it think I was finally entering T2. Basically, my transition time and speed were added to my bike split to slow it down. Oh well... it was reading correctly now that I was running!

Running past the boys with Charlie shouting "WIN THE RACE FOR US!!"

It was getting hot, and my legs were heavy. I was just doing what I could. Again, I went out a bit hard in case anyone was close behind me (but no one was). I was quite happy with my opening splits:

- Mile 1: 5:50.7 (2:56 + 2:54)

But they'd be slowing up. I wasn't giving it the best effort because I was hot, tired, and this race was in the bag. I was clomping my way through mile 2:

- Mile 2: 6:03.1 (3:00 + 3:02)

- Last 0.5 mile: 1:24 (0.25 mile, 5:44 pace)

The boys and race director Judi cheered me home, along with thousands of other adoring fans:

Screaming fans all over...

... this guy couldn't contain himself.

OFFICIAL RESULTS:

Steve Stenzel, M, 44, St. Paul

- 2.5 MILE RUN: 13:26, 5:23 pace, 1st in AG, 1st overall
- T1: 0:30, 2nd in AG, 3rd overall
- 14 MILE BIKE: 40:36, 20.7 mph, 1st in AG, 1st overall
- T2: 0:28, 2nd in AG, 4th overall
- 2.5 MILE RUN: 13:38, 5:28 pace, 1st in AG, 1st overall

1:08:36 total
1 out of 32 overall
1 out of 9 in the M 40-49 age group

[Garmin: 2.31 mile run (5:48.9 pace), 14.89 mile bike (22.01 mph), 2.25 mile run (5:54 pace, but short because of Garmin issue]

First in each division besides the transitions? I'll take that!!

So being the bike was longer because we had more of Lake Elmo Park Reserve to bike through, my bike split looks slow (20.7 mph) because they are still calculating it as 14 miles. But when I saw my Garmin data post-race, I had 21.8 mph which included T2. So my ACTUAL bike split was 22.01 mph. That's faster than the 21.2 mph I posted in 2015, faster than the 21.4 mph I posted in 2021, and just slower than the 22.1 mph I posted in 2023. Honestly, that's about where I expected to be like I wrote about in my pre-race post.

I had 2 guys that I spotted pre-race who looked like they could be in contention for the overall win. And sure enough, they came in 2nd and 3rd behind me. But I had a solid gap... they were 7 and 9 minutes back:

That's all for now, but I'll be back with more photos and some final thoughts. Time to rest these legs for a few days!

I signed up for a last minute duathlon. YIKES!

I LOVE duathlons, but it's been 1.5 years since my last one, which I was able to win! Before that, I finished 2nd overall at this same duathlon 4 years ago. I only finished 2nd by 0:50, and I bet I'm close to being 0:50 better on the bike right now. (I was 0:38 faster on the bike 1.5 years ago, and then I had a GREAT year of biking last year, but I have NOT been training as hard lately - as I noted in my "May in review" post as well as posting about 2 good bike workouts last week.)

That lack of good bike workouts is my biggest "question mark" for the day. How hard can I push on the bike? I think I'll REALLY try to push hard, but will it kill me? Will I crash and burn on the final run? I pushed SO EXTRA HARD at last year's Square Lake Triathlon, and it worked! But I was in the best bike shape of my life in that moment. So... I dunno how that translates to this race...

After a slightly easier week because the boys are out of school and we took them and a friend to Valleyfair...

Two days ago!

... I woke up today with the highest "training readiness" I've seen in months:

READY TO ROCK!!!

Here are some great photos of me winning the "Fall Classic" duathlon 1.5 years ago. I'd love to see if I can repeat that win!! But I'll be happy with a good solid effort, no matter how I place. But it's always fun to race for the lead! Let's see what I can do!...