Second Running Race of the Season - Success

Well I did the Bedford 5K in support of Cancer Research this past weekend. The day was overcast and a little foggy. But the course was fast and I impressed myself with a personal best of 19:06. I managed 7th place out of 225 people. My previous best 5 K was from a duathlon segment in which I managed 23 minutes. I must say that my running is coming a long way and I look forward to seeing how far I can take it. My main goal is still the duathlons and cycling, but running sure is a fun addition to my sports repertoire.

My wife also ran in the same race and she managed a personal best as well. She knocked 3 minutes off of her 5K time from the Bluenose Marathon event and came in at 32 minutes. A great result.

Third Duathlon of the Season Completed

Well, my Duathlon season is almost over. With only 4 events to do (or is it Du?) I knew it would come and go quickly. But this last event was pretty nice. The turn out for the Du was small, only about 14 people or so in total but that was to be expected as the Triathlons are in swing now and that is where people seem to want to turn their attention. I guess Du's just aren't as sexy.

Anyway, I was happy with my result. 5th overall and first in my age class with a time of 1:15. The distances were 3.5K/20K/5K. It was a great test for me with running being so new. These short distances can be killer as the regulars can sprint these much better than I can. But I managed to keep as close as possoble on the first run and then went all out on the bike, which was great.

I have lots of room for improvement, but the final event isn't until Octobre, so that is fine. I have my new Aerobars on order and look forward to really getting my bike setup for these short distance sprints.

Next weekend I have a 5K running race in support of Lung Cancer Research and my wife will be joining me. I look forward to it.

Sun is Shining, Better Get Out and Train

Well the second Duathlon was completed last week. I was happy with my performance overall but I seriously need to train and get faster if I want to compete for top honours in the future. I think I have to really work on my running if I want to have a shot at moving up. So I look outside today and see the sun shining and I know that I have to get a good training run in prior to next weekends Duathlon in Greenwood.

My friend Mike Milloy has decided to give a duathlon a try and is popping over this afternoon for a tarining session. I think he will do really well next weekend. But first we have to show him the fun of jumping off your bike at high speed and grabbing your running shoes and taking off on foot.

My ultimate goal this year is still to succeed in the October duathlon in Riverport, NS. that was my first race last year and I know what I need to do well there. A top 3 age group finish will let me know I am on my way to succuss in the future. The race will have over 100 competitors and will be fast. But I will be ready for it.

Well take care!

2009 Cyclesmith Duathlon

 

Well the first Duathlon is over. What an event. The weather was great (warm, cool breeze, sun shinning), the turn out was great (over a hundred people in the overall standings), and the volunteers and course workers were super helpful.

I pushed through the first run, getting a personal best on a 5 KM run, then flew through the cycling section of the course (34KM), finishing with a cramped filled 6KM run at the end (I pushed through the cramps early and finished strong).

I didn't manage to beat 2 hours like I hoped to, but I got close with 2 hours 3 minutes. I ended 42 overall, 11/20 for my age group. Not a bad start. My cycling, oddly, was the part that let me down the most. I could only manage 30.7 KM/H over the course. I really need to get training on the bike more I guess, though my running is still not as great as it could be either (but getting better all the time).

Anyway, next event is this weekend. Hopefully I have enough recovery time, though this event is shorter which means I will be able to push even harder for a good result.