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Friday, November 1, 2013

Duathlon in the Books!

September was a busy month for me before it ever began. I had made a ton of commitments and plans. One night Bradley comes walking in late from work. I met him with my cheesiest, 'please don't kill me' look. I think our convo went something like this:

"I may have just committed to something else."
"What?"
"The good news is, it isn't in September."
"What is it?"
"The bad news is, we need to pay for it in September."
"What is it?"

 (He was giving me that look. That exasperated look that I have been given for years as I try to explain what I have gotten myself into THIS time....thankfully, he is sooooo patient!)
 
"A Duathlon."
"What is that?"
"Biking and running. Run 2 miles, bike 9, run 2. Easy peasy..."
"Joooooni, you don't even own a bike!!!"
"Yeeeahhh, that might be a minor detail to work out."
**Facepalm**
 
 
You see, my amazing friend Natalie had contacted me about doing this Duathlon with her. I was SO excited. I jumped in with both feet and decided to give it a whirl! I was already running in preparation for the Color Run I was doing that month, so what would a little extra biking hurt, right?
 
So we decided that my sister Hannah had a bike that would work. The next trip to my parents Bradley loads it up and brings it back. Lets just say this beauty beast doesn't have the handlebars on correctly. Throw in the fact that the brakes do nothing to stop those deflated tires.....disaster!
 
Enter stage left. My awesome sister-in-law who is my fitness partner talked to her brother who offered to let me borrow his bike. It was a lifesaver! I enjoyed learning to re-ride a bike. You know they say that some things you never forget because its 'just like riding a bike'? That's a horrible cliché......because you actually CAN forget how to ride a bike.
 
I trained as much as I had time for. With a overloaded husband that left at sun up and came home well after sun down, I didn't get to train as much as I would have liked.
 
I was absolutely terrified for this race. Mostly, because of the biking. I YouTube'd a few videos on transitions and it made me feel even less prepared. You see, I am a runner (didn't say fast one). Have been since high school. I've done the 5Ks and fun runs....but biking? That was so scary to me!!
 
I am so thankful that Natalie was doing this with me! She had never competed in a race like this either, but her husband has done many. I was so thankful for his guidance and direction. As the first 2 miles came and went I was feeling good. I love running competitions and my body just took over.
 
Then I got on my bike and my body started screaming,
"WHAT are you doing?? The race is over! Sit down and eat a banana!!"
 
The biking was where I definitely lost ground. It was a very hilly course and my limited knowledge of bikes made for a poor combination. I wasn't even sure if my legs were still pedaling by the end, they were just numb. I finished (not last thankfully) and took off on my last two miles.
 
By this point, I was just having a blast. I wasn't going to win, I wasn't even competing...I was just proving I could do it. I was in pretty serious pain by the time I finished, but I finished with a huge smile.
 
It was amazing! I can officially call myself a duathlete now. :)
Natalie and I are most definitely on the lookout for another race. It could get addicting. She has been such an inspiration to me and believe me when I say that I wouldn't have done this without her. It was waaaay out of my comfort zone, but I LOVED it!! I am so proud of her and all her goals that she is meeting. She is a cycling queen! I wish we still lived a few miles apart in the same city, but I am so thankful for her continued support and friendship!
 
I couldn't have done it without this sweet man that is so supportive and motivating! He woke me up many mornings and kicked me out the door to go work out! :) Love him!
 
 
 My own little fan club. Addy is pretty sure I won...I did bring home a medal after all!

Here's to my next adventure!
 

1 comment:

  1. I think you both did awesome & I'm glad my sister had someone to tackle this challenge with!

    ReplyDelete