Binbrook duathlon kicked off our 2014 multisport season. I was planning on doing to the triathlon, but changed my mind last minute and decided to do a duathlon instead (mostly because of my lack of swim training). This race would be my 3rd race at Binbrook and was extra special since my mom was here to cheer me and Parichit. She was visiting us from India and got to see us race a day before she flew back.
Pre Race
We had our traditional subway sandwich for dinner the night before the race, while my mom enjoyed some sushi. Unfortunately, we ended up staying pretty late which meant some serious lack of sleep (4 hours!).
Race morning was chaotic as usual with everyone trying to get ready, eat some breakfast, pack last minute stuff, perform race morning rituals (stretching) etc. The three of us got ready in record time and made our way to Binbrook. My mom has seen us race before, but she always seems to enjoy MSC races due to family involvement, spectators and volunteers who make these races a great family event. Parichit and I did some make-do run warmup and made out way to the duathlon start.
Run - 5km
The run includes some trail/grass in the first km or so of the race. My legs not being used to this running started complaining pretty soon. The sun, which felt comfortable during the warm-up, was now starting the feel extremely hot!
Thanks to my body's inability to perspire like normal people I had to keep splashing water on myself to keep cool. I wasnt feeling as good as usual on the run, but this was something I was expecting due to lesser training (we were busy with the wedding and vacation in Jan, and I dont mind skipping training for that :) ) and shin splints. Anywhoo, I finally finished the run after about 26 min and ended back to the transition area with my mom cheering!!!
Parichit finished the run in 21 mins (the runs were actually closer to 5.3 kms) but told me later that his left quad was seizing up just 2 kms into the race, which was forcing him to slow down. This was probably a sign of things to come...hmmm!
Bike - 30 km
This is a flat and fast bike course and I was hoping for some great speed on this course. Although its deceptive because it does have a few rolling hills.
I was able to maintain a steady pace during the bike portion and was overtaking some of the triathletes (great moral boost!). I wasn't going as fast as last year which was a bit of a disappointment but then again it only means more room for improvement :D (talk about glass half full). The bike route was nice and scenic going through the conservation area, there was not too much wind, which was great! After the halfway turnaround, I saw a few bikes held up behind a giant truck and I became one of those stuck behind the truck. This was a frustrating yet comical scene since we were all afraid of overtaking this monster and didnt want to collide with the oncoming bikes n the process of overtaking. I finally saw my chance and managed to go past the truck "safely". The ride back to transition was steady and smooth..
Meanwhile, Parichit got really frustrated with a group of 3 triathletes, who clearly and very intentionally, kept drafting each other right from the start. It was near impossible for him to lose them, despite 10-15 good surges to drop them..they just kept coming back. Apparently, one of them was shameless enough to even say "Your turn" to the other two, after he was redlining, and even cramping up. If he had been alone, there would be no way to keep up that speed. Parichit was able to drop them right at the end while getting close to transition. He didnt have a good ride due to constant slowing down and speeding up, but thats what it is.
(Apparently, he was far from being the only one that complained of blatant drafting and there were plenty of people DQ'd at the end of the race!)
Run- 5km
From experience I was expecting the second run to be more painful than the first due to the beating the legs endure after the first 2 parts of the duathlon. At this point, 5km seems like 15km.
My legs didn't want to listen to my brain who was telling them they have done this before and can do it again. After the first km or so the running legs started coming back, I was almost back in the rhythm (I wouldn't call the run musical though!). Once again I was splashing water at every aid station (thanks a ton to the volunteers!!!) I felt alot better after the turnaround since I could tell myself I'm coming home! The run ended with my flashing a great smile, Parichit and mom waiting for me at the finish line. The day ended with a even sweeter ending when I found out I was first overall amongst women in duathlon :D
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Pre Race
We had our traditional subway sandwich for dinner the night before the race, while my mom enjoyed some sushi. Unfortunately, we ended up staying pretty late which meant some serious lack of sleep (4 hours!).
Race morning was chaotic as usual with everyone trying to get ready, eat some breakfast, pack last minute stuff, perform race morning rituals (stretching) etc. The three of us got ready in record time and made our way to Binbrook. My mom has seen us race before, but she always seems to enjoy MSC races due to family involvement, spectators and volunteers who make these races a great family event. Parichit and I did some make-do run warmup and made out way to the duathlon start.
Run - 5km
The run includes some trail/grass in the first km or so of the race. My legs not being used to this running started complaining pretty soon. The sun, which felt comfortable during the warm-up, was now starting the feel extremely hot!
Thanks to my body's inability to perspire like normal people I had to keep splashing water on myself to keep cool. I wasnt feeling as good as usual on the run, but this was something I was expecting due to lesser training (we were busy with the wedding and vacation in Jan, and I dont mind skipping training for that :) ) and shin splints. Anywhoo, I finally finished the run after about 26 min and ended back to the transition area with my mom cheering!!!
Parichit finished the run in 21 mins (the runs were actually closer to 5.3 kms) but told me later that his left quad was seizing up just 2 kms into the race, which was forcing him to slow down. This was probably a sign of things to come...hmmm!
Bike - 30 km
This is a flat and fast bike course and I was hoping for some great speed on this course. Although its deceptive because it does have a few rolling hills.
I was able to maintain a steady pace during the bike portion and was overtaking some of the triathletes (great moral boost!). I wasn't going as fast as last year which was a bit of a disappointment but then again it only means more room for improvement :D (talk about glass half full). The bike route was nice and scenic going through the conservation area, there was not too much wind, which was great! After the halfway turnaround, I saw a few bikes held up behind a giant truck and I became one of those stuck behind the truck. This was a frustrating yet comical scene since we were all afraid of overtaking this monster and didnt want to collide with the oncoming bikes n the process of overtaking. I finally saw my chance and managed to go past the truck "safely". The ride back to transition was steady and smooth..
Meanwhile, Parichit got really frustrated with a group of 3 triathletes, who clearly and very intentionally, kept drafting each other right from the start. It was near impossible for him to lose them, despite 10-15 good surges to drop them..they just kept coming back. Apparently, one of them was shameless enough to even say "Your turn" to the other two, after he was redlining, and even cramping up. If he had been alone, there would be no way to keep up that speed. Parichit was able to drop them right at the end while getting close to transition. He didnt have a good ride due to constant slowing down and speeding up, but thats what it is.
(Apparently, he was far from being the only one that complained of blatant drafting and there were plenty of people DQ'd at the end of the race!)
Run- 5km
From experience I was expecting the second run to be more painful than the first due to the beating the legs endure after the first 2 parts of the duathlon. At this point, 5km seems like 15km.
My legs didn't want to listen to my brain who was telling them they have done this before and can do it again. After the first km or so the running legs started coming back, I was almost back in the rhythm (I wouldn't call the run musical though!). Once again I was splashing water at every aid station (thanks a ton to the volunteers!!!) I felt alot better after the turnaround since I could tell myself I'm coming home! The run ended with my flashing a great smile, Parichit and mom waiting for me at the finish line. The day ended with a even sweeter ending when I found out I was first overall amongst women in duathlon :D
Parichit finished 4th overall and 2nd in his AG with a time of 1:34. According to him, his left quad felt very tight throughout the race and only "switched on" 2k from the finish...resulting in his 2nd run being identical in time to his first run!
Special thanks to MSC for organizing a great race and Mom + Mike Cheliak for all the photos!
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