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Granite Bay Duathlon |
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This year we
were training under the guidance of Mark Allen, perhaps the greatest triathlete of all time. The
emphasis for 2008 would be on efficiency and building our aerobic engine
which required lower heart rates during training along with a slight shift in
nutrition. The first test of this new plan was scheduled for the Embarcadero
10k which we had to skip due to Sherwick’s broken collarbone from the first moto round of the season. The injury presented
a major setback to his base training. Nevertheless, he was on the bicycle the
very next day and running within three days (with a sling)! Swimming would
have to wait two more weeks. This duathlon would be our first “speed work”
since starting ironman training in February and only twelve days after
surgery for Sherwick. The course was
composed of two hilly trail runs with an undulating bike sandwiched in
between. Sherwick started the run and within half a mile, his heart rate was
pegged above his highest zone (see
download below)! He was able to settle down on the bike to start the second
run within a more reasonable heart rate zone but it was obvious he wasn’t
recovered from the injury. I led the women’s race until the last mile of the
first run but was 30 seconds behind the new leader by T1. My lack of speed work
on the bike combined with the treacherous single track on the run found me
struggling to find a rhythm which resulted in the gap growing to one minute
gap by T2. I thought a win was still within reach as my energy levels were
stable and I felt strong both mentally and physically. Nevertheless, I
couldn’t narrow the gap and had to be satisfied with a 2nd place
finish. |
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Sherwick’s Garmin download: red is heart rate, green is elevation
on the run |
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Jami 1:48:17, 2nd
age-group, 2nd female |
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Sherwick 1:42:58, 7th
age-group, 16th male |
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Auburn World’s Toughest |
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Our plan for
this race was to build our effort over the course of the race, always holding
back about 10% and going hard the last 4 miles of the run (per Mark Allen’s
advice). An incredible heat wave in Auburn caused the race organization to
change the run course, omitting the more difficult of the two trail loops and
doubling up on the “easier” one. But make no mistake, this would still be the
“world’s toughest”. The long swim combined with triple digit heat contributed
to slower times for everyone. Sherwick had a strong race but was more than 15
minutes slower than 2007. Nevertheless, his placing was identical to 2007! On
the swim, I managed a steady effort with little physical contact from other athletes.
I held back on the bike and challenging climbs, which felt long and arduous
last year, were much easier this year. I also felt happy on the run and was
able to “get my running legs” right away! Everything was relatively easy, but
a wrong turn on the trails resulted in a .8 mile extension to my race which proved
mentally challenging to overcome once I discovered my mistake. David Ridder, a
good friend and elite triathlete who was looking forward to racing at Ironman
Coeur d’Alene along with us, was the unfortunate victim of a car-bicycle
collision during the race. While it could have been any one of us in the
race, it was David who broke his neck and suffered severe lacerations as a
result of going through the car’s window. We are very thankful that it wasn’t
any worse, but feel his pain & sorrow having to miss his ironman. We wish
him a speedy recovery and know that he will come back even stronger! |
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Jami 6:48:49, 6th age-group,
20th female |
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Sherwick 5:57:03, 5th
age-group, 24th male |
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Enjoy the ride! --Team JaS
Special thanks to our sponsors: |
