Immediately after getting home from work on Friday, I changed into my workout clothes. I didn't want to run, but knew I should. I hopped on my trusty treadmill and planned on banging out two miles. After mile one, I thought I'd just wrap it up and be done. But, I had a voice in the back of my head telling me to run at least one more mile. That one mile turned into two more. I am happy I pushed myself! I even threw in some sprints for good measure.
Saturday was a rest day since I was participating in my first duathlon Sunday morning. I lazed around the house for most of the day, then headed to my sister's house to celebrate two of my nephew's birthdays. I headed home, hydrated with some nuun, and put on a pair of compression socks (my calves were really sore from Friday's run). I went to bed fairly early as I had a 5:30 wake up call the next morning.
Sunday morning rolled around and I climbed out of my warm bed. I was happy the temps were going to be in the 60s for the race, but not so happy about the rain forecast. There was only a 30% chance, so I brushed it off and packed up the car. As I began driving to the race in my hometown of Scituate, the rain started falling pretty steadily. By the time I reached Scituate, the rain had stopped. Phew!
I parked, checked the air in my bike tires, and hopped on my bike to head to the race venue about 1.5 miles away. While it was cool and overcast, the rain had stayed away... Temporarily! Shortly after I picked up my packet and had my body markings done, the skies opened up and it rained for the next three hours. Oh joy!
The Race Director delayed the start by 10 minutes because it looked like the rain would ease up and it would be safer to ride. The rain did let up slightly, so shortly after 9 am, we were off and running! I ran the first leg (two miles) as expected - slowly! My legs felt tight and heavy and I hadn't even been on the bike yet! I did run slightly faster than I'd expected, but I was still the last runner to transition to the bike.
I quickly changed into my cycling shoes, put on my helmet, and took off on my bike. The roads were slick and covered with leaves, but I was still able to keep a good pace. I was able to make up some time and even managed to pass a handful of riders (who later passed me on the run. Oh well!). Even with the rain sand wind gusts, I finished the 10.5 miles faster than I was expecting. That made me feel good! My family was awesome and stood out in the rain to cheer me on at two different spots along the bike course. They rock!
Now for the final leg - a 2.3 mile run. I changed back into my running shoes, grabbed my water bottle and started to run. My legs felt heavy, but not as heavy as I had expected. I ended up walking about half of the last leg, but I was more than okay with that! I chatted with a woman for part of the way, and she was walking too. That made me feel better that I wasn't the only one.
Finally, I crossed the finish line - and I wasn't last like I had expected! I even managed to place third in my division.
Overall, the small race was managed well and I definitely want to do it again! Despite the rain, wind, and cool temps, I managed to enjoy myself!
I ended the day with lunch at my parent's house and watching the Pats. How was your weekend?
