Dustbuster

Alan and Jonnene watch the after-race awards ceremony.

Today was the fourth running of the Dustbuster Duathlon in Shreveport, a great little run-bike-run race to get your competitive and training juices flowing in the first week of the new year. The race flyer says it's a chance to see how out of shape you are, which rings true for some of the participants while others want to really put the wood to some of the other participants. But basically it's really just a good training day under race conditions on a sprint-distance course, plus it's sanctioned by the USAT and gets everyone their first regional duathlon points for 2009. I finished seventh in my age group for 2008.

As for results...just to get that out of the way...I got third in my age group with a time of 56:21, just a second short of two full minutes faster than my time in 2008 (that's me finishing in the photo at right). I ran a more sensible race this time but still ran faster than I was planning on. Averaged 7-minute miles on the first run and 7:27-minute miles on the second run. Compared to 2008, the first run was slower and the second run was faster. My bike average speed was 21.3 mph, faster than last year, and my transition times were faster, though, not by much. It added up to a better race. I was surprised to do that well after dealing with that 112-mile ride just two days earlier. My legs still aren't up to speed yet.

The day started and stayed cloudy with lots of wind while the threat of rain eased off. That was a good thing but the roads still had a dampness on them that made me drop the air pressure in my bike tires so I could get more traction. I wasn't interested in taking the corners fast on those slick surfaces so I sacrificed some time that way during the ride. Jonnene came with me and did her own ride while I prepped for the race. Her knee still isn't up to doing this race yet so riding is her only aerobic exercise option for now.

Lining up for the start I wasn't convinced my legs were ready for this. There seemed to be no power in them, almost like they weren't there. I had taken an ibuprofen and my SportLegs capsules so I hoped I'd do alright. I knew I could do the run but I didn't want it to be ugly out there either. Well, it worked out okay. Headed out fast the first 200 meters and then eased back into a nice trot which turned out to be faster than I thought it would be. Elka, a long-time runner, caught me near the end but I stayed in front as we entered the transition area for the bike. I pulled off my runners, slipped into my cycling shoes, put on the helmet, grabbed the bike, and was on my way. I was probably 50th or so coming in on the run and knew I needed to put some distance on these folks during the bike so I could stay in front of them on the second run. Going down Harts Island Road I passed a huge number of people, including Elka whose transition had been faster than mine. I had beat her by 12 seconds last year but she has been coming on strong in her biking abilities the past year. But I blew by her early on and, like the others I passed, I put her out of my mind and concentrated on the next rider.

I'm estimating that I was probably the 17th rider to complete the bike leg which means I passed at least 30-35 people. But with one kilometer to go, I saw someone pass me on the left and it was Elka! She had been killing herself to catch up to me and did it. I was actually happy for her to be doing so well and thought about just sitting in behind her as we came in. I had done the entire ride in one gear, just pedaling steady with no hard efforts, and saving my legs for the second run. But then, I decided that Elka wasn't going to get this pass so easy. I increased the cadence and blew by her at 27 mph yelling "You gotta earn it!" She had no answer as I got ahead by a few seconds at the end.

Ending the bike ride just a few seconds ahead of Elka (in the back).

I had been chasing Deuce, too, but never got within 20 meters of him on the bike before he pulled away in the last couple of miles. In transition, I put up the bike, changed shoes, and headed out with both him and Elka still fiddling with their gear. I knew they were both going to catch me and they did. Several other runners came by me and I would end up 25th overall out of 131 entrants. My second run was a lot better than last year and, as usual, I never thought that finish line would ever get to me! Deuce came in 20 seconds ahead of me and Elka was at 10 seconds ahead (see photo above). Good race for both of them. I wasn't too upset with mine, that's for sure.