I was approaching my third year of participating in the Stanford Treeathlon when I received an email from the Race Directors that the swim portion of the event would most likely be cancelled due to the unseasonable cold weather and water temperatures which the Bay Area was experiencing. At the test event the week prior to the scheduled race date, the water temperature registered a blamy 48 degrees.
At first, I was highly disappointed in this change and even inquired whether I could get a refund. The idea of a duathlon didn't sound appealing. However, after a few days, I got over it and was actually excited about my first dualthon. Plus, Maddie was signed up for her first race ever, the Saplingathlon, where the kids under 5 complete a .5 mile bike and .1 mile run. I have been looking forward to her race more than my own so this was definitely going to be a memorable day.
On race morning, I was even more happy that we weren't swimming because it was freezing!!! The air temp was around 38 degrees at 7am. There were a lot of racers which were layered up in gear including long pants, arm warmers, cycling jackets and other items which you won't typically see at a sprint distance race. But to each their own.. if they want to wear all of that stuff. I need after warming up and with the sun warming up the air that my standard 2 piece Affinity tri suit would be sufficient.
Since this was a dualthon, I was debating how to handle the shoes. My race shoes are Avia AVI-BOLT II which are meant to be worn without socks but due to my flat feet, I always have gotten blisters when not wearing socks. Given the short race distances on this dualthon, I decided to try the shoes without shoes.
When we started out on the first race, the initial pace was obviously too fast, I think I looked down at my watch and saw 5:30 min/mi which is clearly not going to work. It was only 2K but still, that is no 100 meter dash. So I slowed down and averaged a 7:05 min/mi. The bike course was flat and fast again like last year. Being the last wave of all women and relays had the advantage of the bike course being not as crowded so I didn't have any issues maneuvering around. I had decent transitions and set off for the final 5K run.
For the first race ever, I actually did not feel horrible on the run. It was such a nice change of pace. Even in the shorter distance races last season, I always felt super taxed on the run in terms of heart rate. This race, I was actually wearing my heart rate monitor which I never did last year. It was a useful indicator on my effort level and I did find myself referencing to it on the bike and 2nd run. Best part of the 5K run for me was actually passing people (men) from the previous wave. It is always exciting for me to pass people run as opposed to being passed, which was my previous state of affairs. I felt really good as well knowing that all of my Ironman training is paying off with respect to running.
Next up was Madison's race. I was worried that she would not want to stay on her bike since she seemed to get bored of it quickly during our "practice" sessions. But she was very motivated and stayed on the bike the entire time. The race started with the kids grabbing a water ballon and throwing it at a mascot bear. Then they jumpted onto their bikes. Half a mile is actually quite long for a toddler but she managed the whole thing. The run was short but it was crazy to see how tired she was. I held her hand and encouraged her that she was almost done. She was trying so hard and you could see how tiring it was but there was no stopping in her mind. I declared her the 1st place winner of the 2 year, 10 month age group!
Overall, the duathlon and saplingathlon was very well organized and executed by the Stanford team. They handled the switch to duathlon very well and that is commendable.
RESULTS
- 3rd in Age Group, 6th Overall Women
- Overall Time: 1:08:51
- 2K Run: 8:02
- T1: 1:00
- 20K Bike: 34.33
- T2: 1:02
- 5K Run: 24.11
Check of the complete Event Photo Album
Maddie wins!
Affinity Teammates: Rod, Marlene, Brad
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