This turned out to be a great race! I was a bit worried about it because I knew it was a small field and that I'd probably be last. Nothing like starting a race out feeling confident!! Ha. We headed up to my parents house on Friday evening. Cupcake made the drive to TN safely, but she did suffer a gash in her bar tape (maybe from my fall a few weeks ago? I never noticed it). Anyway, I fixed it right up with some black electrical tape, good short term solution.

The race site was just a few miles from my parents house so on Saturday I decided to go ahead and pick up my packet. It gave me a chance to drive the bike course and check things out. Got my shirt and a few other things in the packet and headed home to get my stuff together and have a nice dinner with my parents. Got all my gear together and the bike loaded up and went to bed around 10:30 or so.

Woke up at 6AM (which felt like sleeping in on a race morning!) and had some oatmeal, got suited up and we headed out around 6:30. Got to the race and transition was almost completely empty. I pretty much had my pick except for the ends), so I settled into my spot and got everything laid out. Since it was a duathlon, it was kind of nice not having to worry about wet feet and stuff ;). Got my chip and basically killed time until race start. My mom was my personal race photographer!

It ended up being too chilly for my tri suit, so I threw my bike jersey on over it. Wanted to test things out for St. A's. Man, more chamois please?!

Run 1 - 00:35:47 | 03 miles | 11m 56s min/mile. 94/95 overall. Yes, you read that right.

Run was good, the crowd very quickly separated and I was dead last. Well, myself and another racer, who I quickly made friends with. He was an awesome guy. Anyway, considering that all of my running lately has been long and slow, I was happy with the first run time.

T1 - 1:05 | 54/95 overall. Hit T1 and made quick work of getting out of there quickly.

Bike - 00:58:41 | 15 miles | 15.34 mile/hr. | 81/95 overall.

The bike was rolling hills, but really they didn't feel too bad. In fact, I think my Stone Mountain rides have paid off! I felt really comfortable on the bike and passed 2 others.

T2 - 0.49 seconds | 42/95 overall.
This was awesome! I added some Yankz to my shoes and I think that really helped.

Run 2- 00:39:45 | 03 miles | 13m 15s min/mile | 91/95 overall

The second run was a little more difficult, this was probably one of the first bricks I've done in a long time. So my legs felt like cement. But I made it through without walking, and that was my goal. It was a little rough, knowing that the I was so far in the back, but there were others out on the run course, and that lifted my spirits and I finished strong.

Final Time - 2:16:05 89/95 overall.

This was a really good first race of the season - it gave me a few things to think about. During the bike and the second run, I really had a chance to sort out what is really important to me over the next year or so. And it's not what I thought it would be. I love the distance stuff I've been doing - there is nothing like completing a marathon. But this year, I want to focus on my true enjoyment of the sport. Getting better. And then, I promise, I'll go the distance.

Just working through that made this race day an awesome one for me. And I also had my mom and dad out there cheering for me! But the cherry on top?

1st Place Athena - 2:16:05.

Who cares if no one else showed up. I did :)