Ten Penny Ale Shamrock Duathlon Results

A few years ago, after two decades of running road races and an occasional trail race, I started to get the itch to attempt something different and give multi-sport races a try. In 2010, I took the plunge, bought myself a good road bike, and entered a local sprint triathlon that was held conveniently a mile from my house at Crystal Lake in Ellington, CT. I did fairly well on the bike, had the fastest run time, enjoyed the race, and finished 9th overall. I was pleased with the results of my first tri, but I also confirmed what I already suspected - I am a terrible swimmer. Later that year, I found out that the Hartford Marathon Foundation (HMF) hosts a duathlon, which is a 5k run, 26k bike, followed by a 3.3 mile run. NO SWIM! Now THIS was the multi-sport for me. This past Sunday was my third Ten Penny Ale Shamrock Duathlon by HMF.

Since I just recently ran the Boston Marathon, I had little time to recover and train specifically for this race. I was so completely focused on the marathon I had not spent any time on my bike. Following Boston, I took a week to recover and get my legs back, then quickly began training on the bike and working on my running speed. Going into the race, I was feeling confident about my running, but didn't have high expectations for the bike leg. My strategy was to go fast on the first run, ride as hard as I could, and hope I still had enough left in my legs to have a decent time on the second run.

When the start horn went off, I quickly settled in just behind the lead pack, picked off a few of the stragglers, and finished 5th on the first run. This gave me a much needed head start on most of the field for the bike leg. Much needed because at some point, it was inevitable that crazy cyclists with legs as long as me, and expensive tricked out bikes, will begin to catch and fly past me like I am standing still. I used to get discouraged by thi s, but now I just accept it. I know I'm am not the fastest on the bike, but I've learned that I will have the opportunity to catch them on the last run. So I finished the bike, ran out of the transition area and set out to catch as many ahead of me as I could. One by one I tracked down runners ahead of me and passed them until I ran out of road. I finished with a total time of 1:29:53, only 1:03 off my best time. Given that I didn't train much at all on the bike, I was very pleased with my time, which landed me 16th overall and 3rd in my age group.

TEAM HMF
This was the first Hartford Marathon Foundation race since our team meeting, and there were several team members there participating in the 3.3 mile run, the duathlon, or volunteering. It was great to see so many teammates there encouraging each other and representing Team HMF. And, the women's duathlon and the 3.3 mile run were both won by Team HMF members. Congrats to Allie Burdick and Lanham Marks-Hamilton!

NEXT UP
The Amica Iron Horse Half Marathon on Sunday, June 1 in Simsbury, CT.

Do you ever get bored with road running? What other types of races do you do?

Meeting Team HMF

A couple months ago, the Hartford Marathon Foundation was calling for runners interested in being part of a new team they were putting together to help promote their events. Team members would be required to participate in at least 5 Hartford Marathon events, talk about them on social media, wear team apparel while training and racing, and organize a community event. In return, team members would receive some free gear and entry into races. Fair enough, right? The Hartford Marathon Foundation is a great organization, I would be running the races anyway, I love talking about running, and who doesn't like free gear? So I applied. A couple weeks later, much to my surprise, I received an email letting me know that I was one of 25 runners selected to to be on the first Team HMF!

In the last few weeks, I've been getting to know (stalking) my new teammates through social media. Last Thursday, we had our first team meeting where I had the opportunity to meet the HMF staff and the rest of the team in person. What an incredible group of people! The team is a diverse bunch made up of various shapes, sizes, ages, backgrounds and abilities. But we all have one thing in common - an incredible passion (obsession) for running! As we went around the room to introduce ourselves and share our stories, I was impressed and inspired by each and every one of my new teammates. Some overcoming weight problems or smoking habits. One battling cancer. Others helping communities. And some just serious kick-ass runners! It was awesome.

I have never experienced a situation where I could talk for two hours straight about running, to anyone in the room, without boring them to death! It felt like a Runners Anonymous meeting, with a room full of enablers. It was great to hear Beth Shluger and the rest of the staff talk about the organization and their excitement about the team. I am thrilled to be on a team with such incredible people, representing a positive organization, and I look forward to a great year with Team HMF! This Sunday I'll be participating in my first of many HMF events this year, the Ten Penny Ale Shamrock Duathlon, in Glastonbury, CT, with several of my new teammates. Stay tuned for a race report next week. #TeamHMF

Did you know that the Hartford Marathon Foundation does so much more than just stage the marathon each year? What HMF events do you participate in?

No rest for the weary

As much as I enjoy the challenge of the marathon, the amount of training required and the recovery time needed can make it very disruptive if you like to race frequently. Spring marathons especially. There are several May/June races that I like to run, and if I am to run them again this year, I need to get right back to training following Boston. Fortunately, other than some sore muscles, I was feeling ok, but my body was tired, and I needed rest. And the day after Boston, I returned to work to start a new job. So, there was no time to relax. I treated myself to a single day off after Boston, I enjoyed the runners' high, and was right back at it the following day. An easy two miles on Wednesday, three on Thursday, five on Friday, and by Saturday I was focused on my next race: the Ten Penny Ale Shamrock Duathlon, organized by The Hartford Harathon Foundation.

This race takes place on Sunday May 18th, so after a short week of recovery trying to get my legs back, I have three weeks to prepare. Usually adequate time, but this is a duathlon - 5k run, 26k bike, then another 5k run. And I haven't been on my bike once since last July. While I enjoy cycling, I have limited time to train, and I spend most of that time running. I typically would train on my bike for a couple months prior to the duathlon, but there was no time for cycling in my training for Boston. I started doing this duathlon a few years ago, looking for a new challenge. I hold my own in the runs, and do ok on the bike, but there are some hardcore riders that log serious miles. With only three weeks to prepare, I'm just hoping to get comfortable on the bike, and get through the ride with enough left in my legs to make up some time on the final 5k run.

I rode on my trainer a handful of times the last week, and finally got out on the road this weekend to get in a solid brick (run-bike-run). But time is running out. I'll see what kind of riding shape I can get myself in by race time, but regardless, I'll be there on race day.