Eat.Run.Eat.Bike.Eat.Cook.Eat.(Sleep)

Provenance

After running my first duathlon last weekend, I started thinking about my very first “race”. It’s always fascinating to me that every participant at these types of events has their own story. In a multisport event, it’s clear that some are runners, trying to work biking into their life, and others are bikers who are working some running into their life. For me, I felt I was pretty balanced on the two. However, 8 years ago, that was not the case.

I decided on a whim to take all the workouts I’ve been doing on my own accord and form them to a purpose. That purpose being this duathlon: a 5K run, 15 mile bike, 5K run. In early April I was looking at the possibility of conditions being cold and rainy, if not hail. But it wasn’t like that at all. The beginning of the race was in the low 40s and by the end I bet we were hitting 50 degrees on a lovely sunny spring day. I put out my best effort and I finished the race in 1:40:21. My goal was 1:45, so I was astonished! My runs were very consistent, the first being 25:10 and the second 25:30. On my bike ride I averaged 19 mph, and there was a slight headwind in one direction. While I finished 104/208, I am extremely proud of my race. I did get 19^th fastest time of the 73 women there, and I won 3rd in my age group (which I apparently could have gotten an “award” for, but I left too quickly so I could get back to my sweet kiddos and let my husband go for his weekend workout J)

Flash back eight years and I remember that first “race”. It was a running race, and at the time I didn’t bicycle at all, and hadn’t even had a bike since college. It was the Run Hit Wonder put on by Nike, and I was talked into doing the 5K by my husband, who’s been an athlete since childhood, it seems. I had just had my first baby about a year prior, and to get my shape back I had started going to Curves. It wasn’t the weightlifting I enjoyed in my college days but it was simple, consistent, and SOMETHING. So when I started training for this running thing, I thought I could never get anywhere. Not with my background, and not with my body which had never done anything like this before. My finishing time for that race was 36:17 at an 11:40 pace. So that is my provenance. With various races over the years I have improved slowly, but surely, to a solid 8-minute miler. I bet if I tried really hard for only a 5K run I could get it into the 7s. And that’s starting at 11:40 min miles.

To all of those just starting out – you can do it. Don’t discount yourself if you’re starting at an 11:40 minute (or more!) mile. Your body can do amazing things, if you want it to. Ask it for a little more, and see what you get J Like the cotton eyed joe – remember where you came from and always ask yourself, where do you want to go?