After 17 weeks of training I did the first race of the season - Mellieha A.C. Half Duathlon. I knew it would be tough especially because it has 2 running parts. It has been only 2 weeks since I've started seeing some progress in my running; thus I knew that I had to make up for it with a good bike split. The race venue was at Dingli cliffs where I frequently go as part of my training. I was mostly concerned with the winds up there especially because the road is very narrow in most parts and the race would not permit drafting.
I have recently done a bike fit and installed a pair of aero bars. Although I have been practicing a lot on them I knew that it is a bit difficult to be stable especially because I frequently have to reach for the shifters to change gears. However, I had my first experience racing with them and I must say that I have a lot to learn and boost my confidence in such situations.
The race venue was well equipped and everything was in place and on time. A very big well done to the organisers Mellieha A.C.
I wanted to get over the running part as fast as possible. I had targeted to race at 4:30min:sec/km-5:15min:sec/km as this has yet been my best time during training. However, I was managing a better pace in the first 2km. The reasons were that I was still fresh and the course had some parts with downhill or level roads. I also availed myself of some drafting as it is permissible when running.
However I had to settle for my prescheduled pacing for the last 3km as fatigue was setting in and somehow I could not reach any other competitors. Only later that day would I know that I finished my run split in the 32nd place out of 48 with a time of 23:49.
Next was the bike split. I felt confident as I managed to catch up to other athletes. Fatigue was only setting in when arriving at a particular point which was both windy and uphill. However, I managed to keep a high cadence throughout. By the end of the split I had ended up in the 23rd place with a time of 45.19.
During the second run is where things went wrong - a few seconds after transitioning I cramped in both my right quad and hamstring. I had to stop immediately to stretch but every time I tried to continue I felt the cramps again. I had no gels to help me out but fortunately a bystander came to see what had happened and offered to properly stretch my leg. It worked but I wasted 2 minutes of my time and after that I was a bit afraid to push harder. I finished the last run in 14:27 - not a very good time but at least I managed a similar pace to my first run.
Overall I am still happy with my result - a finishing time of 1:23:35 when I was aiming for a 1:20. At face value a placing of 29 out of 48 is not good. However, I am confident I will get better for sure. This was my first ever Duathlon and in a completely different setting from the usual Coast Road route. I also am still refining especially on my running training.
Still, a Personal Best :)
Anatoly
