Vale of Glamorgan Duathlon 2013

Transition area sitting quietly

On a beautiful still morning at Llandow Race Circuit, my 3rd race of the season was here. I had driven the route the night before and it was undulating but nothing seemed too tricky with some very fast sections and lovely scenery. The race was a 5.5k run, 26k bike, and final 2.5k run. The runs were 2 laps of the llandow race track, with the first run taking in some additional local lanes to add up the distance. I knew from registration that there weren't many women in the race meaning all the more men to chick ;)

For this race i wanted to try a different strategy out, having found in training that i could sustain my heart rate at a pace that felt really tough, but that i was able to keep to. This had made me wonder whether i wasn't racing hard enough going on feel alone so i decided to go on heart rate during the race.  On the first run i was briefly 1st female, lol, but then 3 other women overtook me and looking at my heart rate i knew that i was going at the right pace for me, and that they were just faster runners so i accept that and then get on with my own race. Whilst we all have a competitive edge and want to place as high as possible, i also accept that there will always be people faster than me so all i can worry about is performing the best that i can on that day and seeing where that gets me. If i were to ditch that strategy and try and keep up with faster runners then the likelihood is that i will max out my heart rate and then bonk later in the race having spent all my energy too quickly. As it was i have surprised that my natural racing heart rate was right where it should be to sustain over a race that would take me 90 minutes.

Out on Run 1

Out on the bike and i realised within a hundred metres or so that my top tube bag was loose and that either i throw it in the grass and collect later or i stop and get it sorted. Given that if i ditched it i wouldn't have CO2 cannisters, inner tube, tyre levers, or gels, i edged to the side of caution and stopped to re-attach. Oh well, better now than in an important race, and a lesson learnt in ensuring it's secure before the race starts, so i lost maybe a minute by the time i got back up to speed. Another problem on the bike course was my gears weren't settling right into the gear, making an unpleasant noise so i kept having to shift up and down to get it to settle down as i was concerned it might cause the chain to jump off. I had serviced the gears when i had washed the bike and when i had changed up through the gears they had been fine but shows that there is a difference between cycling and putting strain on the chain whilst changing gear, versus just doing it as bike is stationary. The bike course was actually quite cheeky, and the inclines that hadn't seemed too troublesome in the car were actually quite energy sapping and required a lot of low gears in the small ring! However, on the fast sections i felt great and bombed past a number of people, including the 3rd placed female. Just after overtaking though we hit some up and down hills and i wasn't sure if i would lose ground as my legs were letting me know we were on challenging little bits. Pleasingly, when i did glance around i had left that little group for dust and i had actually clocked 5 minutes faster on the bike than the female i passed.

Crossing the finish line safely in 3rd

Into the final run and i knew i had a big gap from me to the now 4th placed female so it was just about keeping my pace up, which i did, with my heart rate again right on the money, even increasing pace on the last half lap (about 1.25k). My mother was cheering me today (my dad was working) but it was also nice to hear my name being shouted out by a few others there who i knew, or who knew me. I always like to acknowledge the support and even the man on the mic was encouraging me when i was lapping up the cheers on the first lap on the final run. Into the final section and i could hear my mother with the cowbells - woohoo!! Crossed the line as 3rd female, 2nd in age-group, so job well done! The 2 women that were 1st and 2nd were 5 minutes ahead of me so fair play to them, they're pretty good!

Overcome with excitement of winning a £10 cheque!!

No trophy today, but a £10 cheque will go towards the new Oakleys that i want for turkey, as my sunglasses keep moving on the bike, meaning i am constantly pushing them back up my nose! The weather had stayed nice throughout the race, only starting to rain as we were on our way home, and my mother had managed well without anywhere to sit, so all in all a good day's work.

Next race is the first tri of the season, Llanelli sprint, which was my first tri ever last year. It'll be good to see how that goes, especially in the swim, as it'd be nice to see improvements. However, i am keen to start working on speed, as even though my duathlons have gone well, i can improve on bike speed/run speed, and i need them to make up for the time i will loose to the faster swimmers...