EVERYTHING CAN BE TAKEN FROM A MAN BUT ONE THING: THE LAST OF THE HUMAN FREEDOMS - TO CHOOSE ONE'S ATTITUDE IN ANY GIVEN CIRCUMSTANCES - Viktor Frankl
Where do I begin?
It has been quite some time since I have last made a post...I know, my fault.
Nonetheless, the unfortunate turn of world-wide events has imposed a great deal of change to both you and I's concept of normalcy and structure. Numerous changes to life, training, and racing are continuously making themselves apparent to what had been the commonness of our daily habits. To be honest, "so what, for what" has crossed my mind more times than it should...but can you blame me?
I have attempted to process the idea of INTENTION since the inception of this quarantine, and despite the postponement of the race season, I have learned to appreciate the value of all things that are running, cycling, and just plain out moving to a much greater degree.
Simply put: Time waits for no man. Get out and get moving. Period.
IRONMAN has created a virtual racing platform that allows athletes to compete within a world-wide stage . This past weekend, IRONMAN presented a 5150 duathlon simulation where athletes are to complete a 3km (1.89 mi) run, 40km (24.9 mi) bike, and 10km (6.2 mi) run within a 3-day period. Athletes can complete the disciplines in any order as long as all three events were submitted to the IRONMAN platform by the cut-off time.
So, before I dig in and break down my performance for this virtual race, I would like to say THANK YOU, IRONMAN FOR HELPING US MAINTAIN THE MOMENTUM OF OUR SPORT AND KEEPING THE RACING SPIRIT ALIVE.
Date: Saturday, April 12 - Sunday, April 13
Time: 10:00 am
Event: 3km run , 40km bike, 10km run
Route: Run- Miami Shores // Bike- North Collins Ave to Hollywood Blvd
RUN 1: 3km // 1.89 mi
I had opened up Training Peaks that morning to check if my coach had added any notes for me to follow during this race. I had never expected that two numbers would simultaneously instill humor and determination to my pre-race strategy.
12 - I literally laughed out loud to the thought that I was predicted to run 3km in 12 minutes. I had even googled a calculator to determine the actual pace I would need to sustain - 6:26 min/mi...for nearly 2 miles - I laughed even harder.
I had neither attempted a 3km time trial nor ran sub-7 min/mi for a prolonged period of time in training, so I did not necessarily have any true expectations to how I would perform. I kept 6:26 in the back of my mind, laced up, and went out the door.
The roads were slick from a quick, unexpected rain shower. Weather conditions yielded a high of 82 degrees and 88% humidity with a feels like index of 95...should be fun!
I did a quick 15 minute warm-up consisting of strides and dynamic movements to get the legs moving...and in 3,2,1, I was off!
To my own surprise, the 3km felt steady, and I managed to complete the distance in 12:01 . This run definitely gave me some newfound confidence in the speed I am able to hold for a period longer than an 800m repeat. I was feeling good!
BIKE : 40km // 24.9 mi
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the local government has closed access to Key Biscayne, thus forcing me to complete my training rides on a trainer. However, the virtual platform for this race can only recognize bike segments with live GPS tracking. I had always been a bit skeptical and fearful of riding down the streets of North Miami; nonetheless, I managed to map out a course while using the bike lane on Collins Ave to Hollywood Blvd.
For the purpose of bike handling, I decided to use my road bike as opposed to my Tri bike for this race. I knew that I may have to sacrifice some speed in doing so, but I felt a bit more comfortable handling my road bike in unknown conditions (i.e. Miami traffic). The course went out and back from Bal Harbour towards Hollywood Blvd.
Though much of the course was flat (with the exception of a baby bridge on Halouver Beach), the conditions made for a windy ride! Headwinds (and a few crosswinds) were travelling about 15 mph going North and South on Collins. I had only managed to catch a small tailwind while heading west from the Bal Harbour toll plaza. I averaged about 18.7mph with a max speed of 27.9mph for the 40km bike ride.
RUN 2: 10km // 6.2mi - COMPLETED SUNDAY, APR 13
Ah, the oh so beloved 10k! Some of you may know by now how I truly feel about this distance - it is truly one that never fails to eat me alive and spit my bones out!
I honestly did not have a pacing strategy for this segment - it was to haul ass and not look back! I mustered up some confidence from the 3km leg and aimed to either snag a PR or break 45 minutes.
I did both.
Maybe I got a bit toooooo confident because I hit the first mile in 6:59, but heck! I was feeling it and I was feeling good. So onward and upward (kinda) we go.
I knew deep down that the pace would catch up to me, but I guess just had to find out for myself when I would eventually crash and burn...cause in a 10k, you crash and burn (to be brutally honest).
Mile 1...feeling great. Mile 2...feeling even better. Mile 3...uh oh, so it begins. My breathing became exponentially heavy at the 5k point. Here, I had to make a decision as to whether or not to slow my pace to give me an opportunity to gain control or to keep hauling ass. Of course I chose the latter.
Despite the unplesantries of all that is racing a 10k, I was pleasantly surprised with the overall outcome of my performance. I PR'd by 16 seconds from the 10-km time trial I had done in early March and broke 45 minutes. With a few years time, I would eventually hope to
run sub-40, but....patience young grasshopper....patience (and a whole lot of work).
OVERALL PERFORMANCE
Nearly 16,000 athletes from across the globe participated in this event. I finished 43 out of 414 (top 10%!) female athletes in my age group and I thoroughly enjoyed the camaraderie and competition that this virtual series has brought out.