LONG DISTANCE 2007, Race #5
Rochester Spring Classic Duathlon
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Spring Classic Du info
2007 Spring Classic Du results
Rochester Spring Classic Duathlon
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Spring Classic Du info
2007 Spring Classic Du results
2007 Spring Classic Du photo slideshow
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finishing time 2 hrs 19 min - a PR! 4 minutes faster than 2005 and 13 minutes faster than 2006!
Back in February and March I was thinking I wouldn't do the Spring Classic this year, mainly because it's on the same weekend as several other races I'd like to do some day, like the Soapstone Mountain Half Marathon and a new duathlon in Vermont, the Mountainman Du. And as much as I enjoy the Spring Classic, it is a bit repetitive, especially since I do the same course in the fall for the Autumn Classic. So a couple of months back I was all set to pick another race for this weekend.
But then, pretty much the same thing happened as last summer when I was thinking of skipping the Indian Ladder trail race... as I thought about it more, I realized that this race and its course is becoming an old friend, and as much as I might enjoy another race, I'd miss doing the Spring Classic. Of course, it probably helps that the race organizers, Yellowjacket Racing, and all their volunteers are just a fantastic group of people who make the race a very positive and fun experience. So in the end I chose to go to Vermont for the Mt Tom Road to the Pogue, and signed up for my 3rd Rochester Spring Classic Duathlon (and my 7th du with Yellowjacket Racing.)
.jpg)
finishing time 2 hrs 19 min - a PR! 4 minutes faster than 2005 and 13 minutes faster than 2006!
Back in February and March I was thinking I wouldn't do the Spring Classic this year, mainly because it's on the same weekend as several other races I'd like to do some day, like the Soapstone Mountain Half Marathon and a new duathlon in Vermont, the Mountainman Du. And as much as I enjoy the Spring Classic, it is a bit repetitive, especially since I do the same course in the fall for the Autumn Classic. So a couple of months back I was all set to pick another race for this weekend.
But then, pretty much the same thing happened as last summer when I was thinking of skipping the Indian Ladder trail race... as I thought about it more, I realized that this race and its course is becoming an old friend, and as much as I might enjoy another race, I'd miss doing the Spring Classic. Of course, it probably helps that the race organizers, Yellowjacket Racing, and all their volunteers are just a fantastic group of people who make the race a very positive and fun experience. So in the end I chose to go to Vermont for the Mt Tom Road to the Pogue, and signed up for my 3rd Rochester Spring Classic Duathlon (and my 7th du with Yellowjacket Racing.)
So despite getting to Rochester around midnight Friday night (after iaido in Utica), Saturday morning found me crawling out of bed at 5:30 AM so each some breakfast and get my gear together for a trip over to Mendon Ponds Park... a drive I'm definitely getting used to! The weather was great - sunny and cool, even a bit chilly as I checked in and wandered around waiting for the race to start. Almost forgot to strap on my timing chip, which would have been a disaster, but fortunately heard someone talking about theirs and hustled back to the car to get mine just before we all lined up for the Formula 1 (three runs, two rides) start. (The Supersprint athletes, who only complete the first three legs, would start 5 minutes after us.)
Boots had the usual pre-race comments (mostly reminders about safety and USAT rules) and then we headed out for the first run. I pushed fairly hard, and about 5 minutes in started being passed by the faster Supersprinters. One thing that was a bit of a surprise was how hot it got, especially after the fairly chilly wait to begin. As I hit the base of the last big hill before transition, I realized that I had a pretty good possibility of running the first leg in a little over 20 minutes - a very fast time for me!
Hustled through the first transition and headed up the hill on my bike. Took it pretty easy initially, to give my legs time to warm up, and watched as many riders passed me (some of them foolishly close.) I suspect some of those guys are primarily riders, because they were riding in clusters and didn't seem too concerned about staying as far right as possible... makes me wonder if maybe they need a course marshall driving the bike course to holler at some of the newbies doing stupid things. As I warmed up, the riding felt pretty good... I pushed hard, but not so hard that I wouldn't have anything left for the remaining legs. It also became clear that I should have done more hard riding, since my hamstrings started cramping. In any case, I hauled myself up the last long hill through the park, and made it back into transition in about 41 minutes... a pretty darn good time!
The middle run is always my worst, and today was no different. I walked most of the first half mile, trying to loosen my hamstrings... it felt like the run took 20 minutes, but it was more like 12 or so. And just as my legs started working again - it was time to ride!
The nice thing about the 2nd ride is you don't need to save anything for later (well... beyond the last run, but that's only two miles.) My legs were definitely feeling the workout... the hills got harder and harder to ride, though I pushed hard and kept up a good pace. The heat also continued to be a surprise - I found myself dripping sweat much of the time. Despite the heat and my legs running low on juice, I managed a good 42 minutes or so.
The final run was tough, between the heat, my muscles needing to get used to running after pushing hard on the bike, and my energy reserves running low. But I managed to get back into the groove, and finished the 2nd run in about 22 minutes, even passing a couple of folks during the 2nd mile. My overall time was a very respectable 2:19 (well, respectable for me) - the fastest I've ever done this race!
Best of all, I wasn't totally dead afterwards... definitely tired, but not shot. Maybe there's hope for NIPMUCK after all...
Next up: the Olana Star Loop, a low-key race on the hilly trails of the Olana State Historical Site, about an hour south of here overlooking the Hudson river.
JMH
2007 EVENT TOTALS
Running 62.2 mi, 14 hr 28 min
Cycling 26.2 mi, 1 hr 55 min
Snowshoe 31.3 mi, 9 hr 11 min
states visited: CT, MA, ME, NH, NY, VT
Boots had the usual pre-race comments (mostly reminders about safety and USAT rules) and then we headed out for the first run. I pushed fairly hard, and about 5 minutes in started being passed by the faster Supersprinters. One thing that was a bit of a surprise was how hot it got, especially after the fairly chilly wait to begin. As I hit the base of the last big hill before transition, I realized that I had a pretty good possibility of running the first leg in a little over 20 minutes - a very fast time for me!
Hustled through the first transition and headed up the hill on my bike. Took it pretty easy initially, to give my legs time to warm up, and watched as many riders passed me (some of them foolishly close.) I suspect some of those guys are primarily riders, because they were riding in clusters and didn't seem too concerned about staying as far right as possible... makes me wonder if maybe they need a course marshall driving the bike course to holler at some of the newbies doing stupid things. As I warmed up, the riding felt pretty good... I pushed hard, but not so hard that I wouldn't have anything left for the remaining legs. It also became clear that I should have done more hard riding, since my hamstrings started cramping. In any case, I hauled myself up the last long hill through the park, and made it back into transition in about 41 minutes... a pretty darn good time!
The middle run is always my worst, and today was no different. I walked most of the first half mile, trying to loosen my hamstrings... it felt like the run took 20 minutes, but it was more like 12 or so. And just as my legs started working again - it was time to ride!
The nice thing about the 2nd ride is you don't need to save anything for later (well... beyond the last run, but that's only two miles.) My legs were definitely feeling the workout... the hills got harder and harder to ride, though I pushed hard and kept up a good pace. The heat also continued to be a surprise - I found myself dripping sweat much of the time. Despite the heat and my legs running low on juice, I managed a good 42 minutes or so.
The final run was tough, between the heat, my muscles needing to get used to running after pushing hard on the bike, and my energy reserves running low. But I managed to get back into the groove, and finished the 2nd run in about 22 minutes, even passing a couple of folks during the 2nd mile. My overall time was a very respectable 2:19 (well, respectable for me) - the fastest I've ever done this race!
Best of all, I wasn't totally dead afterwards... definitely tired, but not shot. Maybe there's hope for NIPMUCK after all...
Next up: the Olana Star Loop, a low-key race on the hilly trails of the Olana State Historical Site, about an hour south of here overlooking the Hudson river.
JMH
2007 EVENT TOTALS
Running 62.2 mi, 14 hr 28 min
Cycling 26.2 mi, 1 hr 55 min
Snowshoe 31.3 mi, 9 hr 11 min
states visited: CT, MA, ME, NH, NY, VT
