2023 Twinsburg Duathlon Review

 The last time I competed in the Twinsburg Duathlon was in 2018.  Calf injuries prevented me from competing but I still supported the race and teammates by volunteering when I could not compete.  This year I once again had a slight calf strain but luckily was able to work through it and made it to the start line.  I had to take 2 weeks off running to let it recover which left me only about 7 days to get back to running.  I had been training on the bike during my time off running which helped keep my fitness level in check but wasn't able to run much or work on speed.  So I was excited to finally make it back to the start line of this race but had lots of questions about how my calf would hold up and what kind of shape I would be in.

The weather conditions for the race were very pleasant with no rain, lower humidity, and mild temperatures in the 60's.  My goals for the race were to make it to the finish in 1 piece, and take home a bobble head age group trophy.  Their were some faster competitors in my division so I knew I had my work cut out for me.  The race field was a little smaller than previous years but that didn't mean it was any slower.   The gun went off and we started on the first run.  I was surprised to find myself running at ease at a fairly faster pace than I had expected.  At the first mile marker I was just under a 7 minute pace.  The second mile I slowed down some as I made my way through the hilly section of the course.  I finished the first run feeling strong and happy with my split.  My transition to the bike wasn't blistering but I had no issues and headed to the bike course.  The first 3 miles of this bike course always seem to eat me up.  I started out very slow pressing for any speed up the hills and inclines.  I was passed by several bikes which discouraged me.  About mile 4 I got my legs back and started picking up pace regaining the lead on a few bikes that had passed me earlier.   The 7th mile of the bike course was a long steady hill.  It again took my speed away but this time I was better at keeping pace with the other bikes.  Another trip into transition and it was back onto the run course.  The second run was where I wasn't sure if my calf would hold.  My legs felt pretty good and it took less time than I had thought it would to settle into the run.  I quickly caught a few racers who passed me at the end of the bike leg.  My split time for the first mile of the second run was only about 15 seconds off of the pace of the first mile in my first run so that motivated me to push hard.  The hills in the second mile again slowed me down a little but I was able to recover fast and pick up the pace again for the last half mile.  The last half mile there wasn't anyone pushing hard behind me and I couldn't see anyone in front of me close enough to challenge but I ran hard to the finish like there was.  I was really happy my calf had no issue and I made it to the finish in one piece.  I finished 2nd in my division with a time of 1:08:11 and 27th overall.  I was about a minute slower than when I had last raced in 2018.  My run splits were actually faster than in 2018 but my bike time was slower.  Looks like I need to focus a little more on the bike for my next race.

Mickey Rzymek, North Coast Multisports, and all of the volunteers did and outstanding job putting on the event.  Race swag included 1/4 zip tech shirts and goodie bags with sponsor items.  Age group winners received the famed bobble head trophies which I has excited to receive.  There were a ton of snacks as well.   It was a great day of racing with several of our Team ER members.