5am and off to the races at 5:30. Patti and I arrived at Loud Thunder Forest Preserve around 6:15 and we were one of the early birds. It was a good thing, as it gave me plenty of time to get my stuff set-up at the transition area and get a good location at the front of the bike racks. I went out and rode my bike about 5 miles to get warmed up.
The race started at 8am. There were 
around 120 individual athletes and another 50 or 60 that were doing this as teams. The temps and humidity were ideal this morning. The race consists of a 2.0 mile run, then you go into the transition area and change shoes if needed, put on a helmet and get your bike and run out to the road area and get on your bike and go 15.0 miles. Then it is back into the transition area to switch from riding gear back to running gear and back out on the track for another 2.0 mile run. The goal on transitions is to do them quickly so not to add to your total time. My goal was to do them in 30 to 40 seconds and I think I did pretty well at keeping it near that area.
around 120 individual athletes and another 50 or 60 that were doing this as teams. The temps and humidity were ideal this morning. The race consists of a 2.0 mile run, then you go into the transition area and change shoes if needed, put on a helmet and get your bike and run out to the road area and get on your bike and go 15.0 miles. Then it is back into the transition area to switch from riding gear back to running gear and back out on the track for another 2.0 mile run. The goal on transitions is to do them quickly so not to add to your total time. My goal was to do them in 30 to 40 seconds and I think I did pretty well at keeping it near that area.The first leg of running went well and 
I didn't give it all I had-so to keep some energy for the second leg. My biking leg was my worst leg of all and I am disappointed in my time. And I call myself a cyclist. I am waiting for the Corn Belt Running Club to put the split times on their web-site, but based upon my cycling computer, I think I ended up with around 20 mph, which would be 45 minutes for this leg. My goal was to be closer to what I did at the QC Triathlon back in June, where my time was 42:14 with a speed of 21.3. By the time I brought my bike into transition and switched my shoes, I was feeling the effect of running/biking for nearly an hour at a heart rate near my maximum. Running that last 2 miles was difficult and I thought on more than one occasion about walking. But I kept going and made it to the finish line.
I didn't give it all I had-so to keep some energy for the second leg. My biking leg was my worst leg of all and I am disappointed in my time. And I call myself a cyclist. I am waiting for the Corn Belt Running Club to put the split times on their web-site, but based upon my cycling computer, I think I ended up with around 20 mph, which would be 45 minutes for this leg. My goal was to be closer to what I did at the QC Triathlon back in June, where my time was 42:14 with a speed of 21.3. By the time I brought my bike into transition and switched my shoes, I was feeling the effect of running/biking for nearly an hour at a heart rate near my maximum. Running that last 2 miles was difficult and I thought on more than one occasion about walking. But I kept going and made it to the finish line.Overall I ended up with a time of 1:14:35, which was good enough for 2nd place in my age division (55-59) out of 7 entries. This put me 51st out of 174 entries (33rd if you take out the team competitors)(Du State Du Results) . In looking back at the numbers, if I 
could have biked as well as I did at the QC Triathlon I would have taken first. Something to think about for next time. The most interesting aspect of this race was my ability to run. I have to go back to my track & field days in high school back in 1967 and 1968. I was a sprinter with my speciality being the hurdles. On occasion I would do the 100 yard dash. I despised running long distances and once ran the mile for my coach when someone else didn't show up. I hated it. Fast forward 40 years: I never included jogging as part of my exercise routine, since I wasn't enthused about running.
could have biked as well as I did at the QC Triathlon I would have taken first. Something to think about for next time. The most interesting aspect of this race was my ability to run. I have to go back to my track & field days in high school back in 1967 and 1968. I was a sprinter with my speciality being the hurdles. On occasion I would do the 100 yard dash. I despised running long distances and once ran the mile for my coach when someone else didn't show up. I hated it. Fast forward 40 years: I never included jogging as part of my exercise routine, since I wasn't enthused about running. So after competing in June at the QC Triathlon, one day I was talking to my friend and team-runner, Mark and he asked me if I had ever considered running. I don't remember giving him an answer, but that thought stayed with me and everytime the question came into my mind-my only answer was I didn't have a good reason for not giving it a try. So 4 weeks ago, I began jogging 1 and 2 mile runs. My longest run was 2.5 
miles and to tell you the truth I think that is the longest distance I have ever ran in one day until race day-today. My legs have been used to cycling and I found out very quickly that I had muscles I never knew were there and after every short run I had muscle and joint soreness. So my preparation wasn't that great and I really should have started training 2 or 3 months ago. But once I sent in my registration fee, I decided to go through with it. After extrapolating some of my 2 mile runs at home, I felt I could place 3rd or 4th based upon 2007's results for this race. So I was pleasantly surprised when I placed 2nd. I received a lot of encouragement from my fellow Muscatine participants and as it turned out, we were well represented and had 13 participants that placed 1st, 2nd or 3rd. I feel good about my results and may try another race in September: the Morrison Harvest Hammer. As I typed this blog posting I was watching the Olympics and heard an NBC reporter interviewing Dara Torres, the 41 year old swimmer that is piling on medals at middle-age. As the interview ended she left the viewers with this statement: "don't put an age limit on your dreams". I couldn't say it better myself.
miles and to tell you the truth I think that is the longest distance I have ever ran in one day until race day-today. My legs have been used to cycling and I found out very quickly that I had muscles I never knew were there and after every short run I had muscle and joint soreness. So my preparation wasn't that great and I really should have started training 2 or 3 months ago. But once I sent in my registration fee, I decided to go through with it. After extrapolating some of my 2 mile runs at home, I felt I could place 3rd or 4th based upon 2007's results for this race. So I was pleasantly surprised when I placed 2nd. I received a lot of encouragement from my fellow Muscatine participants and as it turned out, we were well represented and had 13 participants that placed 1st, 2nd or 3rd. I feel good about my results and may try another race in September: the Morrison Harvest Hammer. As I typed this blog posting I was watching the Olympics and heard an NBC reporter interviewing Dara Torres, the 41 year old swimmer that is piling on medals at middle-age. As the interview ended she left the viewers with this statement: "don't put an age limit on your dreams". I couldn't say it better myself.
1 comment:
Way to go dad!
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