Race Coverage

Cranky Hips & Super-Squeezy Water Bottles...

Tuesday, 16 May 2017 05:10

By Dani Vsetecka (4iowasisters.blogspot.com)

FALLS DUATHLON RACE REPORT - Ahhh, first race of the season done.  And with it comes a little relief!  There are usually some unknowns going into the first race in months, but there was quite a long list this time around:

* Not racing for 5 whole months(!)
* Coming back from an early January injury
* Recovering from a killer February cold and recent cranky hip
* Riding my tri bike a total of 3 times outdoors prior to race day

Not to mention a very recent coaching change!  I had two weeks of a new routine under my belt and it mostly consisted of backing off and flushing some fatigue out of my system. This would truly be a test!  ...

I had the benefit of knowing the Cannon Falls course and conditions though, and had fond memories of racing there with a lot of fun friends.  After the helmet debacle in T2 due to frozen hands last year, I was watching the weather like a hawk and waited until the week of the race to fully commit.  It wasn’t going to be warm, but not wet and not too terribly cold. This, combined with the extreme antsiness of the recent back off in training volume to flush some fatigue out of my system, sealed the deal.  I was ready to get out there and race!

The tests came right away race morning. Test #1: New pre-race breakfast.  A gamble, but applesauce mixed with a little protein powder, a banana, and Gatorade were easy on the tummy.  Good.  After a quick warm-up and noting the super-squeezy water bottle I’d chosen to place between my aero-bars resulted in a homemade water gun on every bump, I adjusted a few things, set up transition while trying not to waste too much time chatting (there will be plenty of time after the race!), and made my way to the start....  READ MORE