Hidden Springs Duathlon

September 19, 2009.

5k run, 11.4 mile bike, 5k run

It’s not often that the little local race happens to have a World Champion entered in it.  However, this year’s Hidden Springs Duathlon had Nicolas Lebrun on the start line. Not to mention many strong athletes from Boise.  Being 3 weeks removed from my last big race (Paris Grand Prix) and 4 weeks since any aerobic training I fooled myself into thinking it might be a perfect tapper.  If you think your training has been too easy, it probably is.  But that’s OK, I needed the break and it helped to smooth over the transition from France back to the US and a new job at the YMCA. 

Meeting Antonio Gonzalez, one the many aerobic monsters entered in this race, we rode together to the competition.  Only a couple miles in, his tire goes flat.  He turns around to go home and drive while I pedal on.  The only flat I’ve had all summer was actually just a valve problem that occurred moments before the start of the only other duathlon I’ve done this year in Sallertaine, France.  Of course, just before cresting the large climb that brings you down to the event; my front tire goes flat.

I change the tire quickly and then promptly break the valve extender with my mini-pump.  Then, break the valve trying to squeeze air through it.  Arrrgh!  Putting my thumb up to hitch a ride, the first truck to drive by is a good friend, Joe Reed.  Lucky day.

Needing a valve extender to fix my tire, and not finding one, I begin to think I might not be able to race.  However, Antonio brought a spare wheel!  Lucky day II.

Having a whole two minutes to warm up I head over to the start line.  With little time to think about it we’re off and running at a good clip.  Nico took it easy on us and didn’t take the lead until about 1k in.  Feeling good I stuck with him.  Around about the 4k mark he was just 5 meters in front of me while Tom Liby started closing on both of us.  Closing the gap up to Nico quickly, I spiked my heart rate.  Chastising myself for the mistake; I start suffering.  I’m forced to attempt a recovery while keeping in touch.  I was fortunate to be able to run into transition on the heels of both Nico and Tom.

We immediately start climbing and it’s a rude awakening after riding flat miles in Vendee, France all summer.  Tom and I exchange leads several times with Tom climbing faster while I descend faster and lead on the lone flat section.  With two large climbs the whole bike feels like a rise.

Nico lingered in front of us for the whole bike and increased his lead to about 30 seconds.  Give Lebrun a lead in the run and it’s pretty much over.  That left Tom and I to battle it out for second.  Leading for the first bit while running at a comfortably hard pace Tom started gaining on me.  He caught and continued to pull away with a strong negative split.  I hoped to stick around and maybe close with a surge to give the crowd a good show, but his lead grew too much over the last kilometer.

The race doesn’t lie.  It proved an excellent window, shedding light on my fitness or lack of it.  With one last race on the calendar, the U.S. Open in Dallas on October 11^th, I have some tweaking to do.  Let’s just hope that two weeks are all I need to bring it out. 

Results

More photos courtesy Joe Reed