For the past three years, since the very first Camarillo Duathlon was publicized, I have had the goal of completing the course. Due to cancellations, scheduling conflicts, and even injury, I couldn’t quite get my butt down to Camarillo at the right time to get it done! This race turned into one of those long-term achievements that happen later for a reason.
Back in early 2009 when I set the goal, the race was just an Olympic event (5k run, 20mi bike, 5k run), but today it offers a sprint (1.5mi run, 10mi bike, 1.5mi run). So, when I arrived at Freedom Park in the wee hours of August 14, 2011, I was feeling a little like I had taken the easy road with the sprint. Little did I know that in a matter hours, I would be on cloud 9.
Before I go too much further, I would like to commend Bill Escobar for creating this awesome event for us. Hearing his announcements that morning, watching him interact with the public and volunteers, he demonstrated a passion for multi-sport and a level of hospitality that I haven’t seen before. Clearly he loves what he does and I am honored to be a participant in his events.
Without further ado, here are my highlights from the event. I will spare you the novel that I wrote earlier (you know that blow by blow narrative that is a tad long to post here, but if you want a copy of it, please email me armh31″at”gmail.com).
Run #1
Of course the start was pretty melodramatic. We lined up and the horn blew. The pack ran off ahead and instead of following the speedy types, I settled into my groove. By the first turn, I was at the back of the pack, but I didn’t care. There were plenty of aircraft to admire along the route. As long as I wasn’t last, I was doing well…. observing, strategizing, and plane spotting!
T1 & Bike
Heading into transition I felt winded and one glance at my heart rate said I had pushed the run a tad hard. Mounting the bike, I sailed out onto the streets amongst the fields of Camarillo. With authorities keeping those pesky cars at bay, I settled into a decent pace for the 10 mile loop.
That is until the dude in the yellow jersey passed me. I don’t know why, but having HIM pass me turned a switch and the game was on! As hard as I tried to keep up with him, I couldn’t quite catch him… until nearly the end of the course. Things got really interesting as I saw him up ahead and slowing down. I easily passed him and we exchanged glances.
I thought I had him when, all of the sudden, a half mile later he goes whizzing passed me. I turn up the speed and start chasing him down, but the zigzags back to dismount kept me from catching him.
Then he made a mistake. He stopped a good 15 feet from the actual dismount line and I went sailing passed him again only to brake hard and stop right on the dismount line itself (a little trick I learned from an experienced triathlete). I had 15 feet on him and I ran hard with the bike to the transition. I still had him!
Run #2 & Finish
The Author Following the Race
With a quick switch of gear, I headed out on the run, not even looking back to see where the mister yellow jersey was. I didn’t care, I had a lead to maintain, so I kept a fast (for me) but steady pace that I was certain I could handle all the way back to the finish. Since I had just run the same course, I knew what to expect and knew that once I was half way down the dirt road, turn on the sprint to finish.
But at the turn around, I saw that my competition had ditched the yellow jersey and wasn’t that far behind me. I was nervous so I picked up the pace just a bit more. Passing him, I could see in his eye that he already gave it his all. I had won… unless I screwed up.
Hitting the dirt road was when the legs seriously started to protest. Just as I considered my options, I was passed by an older guy whom I knew was a sprint participant. He was moving fast for his build and age, so I wasn’t about to give up my spot to him. A little earlier than I wanted, I went into sprint mode and ran him down.
Luckily, there was a curb to run around to the finish chute, which he negotiated rather slowly compared to my more flexible maneuver. Then it was a sprint to the finish and I beat him by two seconds.
And that was the end of a race I will never forget.
Sprint Results Plotted (courtesy TrainingMetrix)
With my overall time of 1:09:31, I was happy to see myself just ahead of the Sprint race average of 1:10:33. That was good for 32nd place of 69 competitors. Camarillo Duathlon Sprint Race results were plotted by TrainingMetrix (graph above is reproduced with their permission) and you can see I am just ahead of average (the red dot).
So, have I achieved that goal I set years ago? As much as I want to say yes, I still have to finish the Olympic course and we might save that for 2012. But with the third race of 2011 coming up on Sept. 4th, I might just give the sprint one more try in 2011!
Note: I am working compiling some video of the race (the Olympic start) and will post a video post here when it is complete.
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Camarillo Duathlon: A Race to Never Forget
Back in early 2009 when I set the goal, the race was just an Olympic event (5k run, 20mi bike, 5k run), but today it offers a sprint (1.5mi run, 10mi bike, 1.5mi run). So, when I arrived at Freedom Park in the wee hours of August 14, 2011, I was feeling a little like I had taken the easy road with the sprint. Little did I know that in a matter hours, I would be on cloud 9.
Before I go too much further, I would like to commend Bill Escobar for creating this awesome event for us. Hearing his announcements that morning, watching him interact with the public and volunteers, he demonstrated a passion for multi-sport and a level of hospitality that I haven’t seen before. Clearly he loves what he does and I am honored to be a participant in his events.
Without further ado, here are my highlights from the event. I will spare you the novel that I wrote earlier (you know that blow by blow narrative that is a tad long to post here, but if you want a copy of it, please email me armh31″at”gmail.com).
Run #1
Of course the start was pretty melodramatic. We lined up and the horn blew. The pack ran off ahead and instead of following the speedy types, I settled into my groove. By the first turn, I was at the back of the pack, but I didn’t care. There were plenty of aircraft to admire along the route. As long as I wasn’t last, I was doing well…. observing, strategizing, and plane spotting!
T1 & Bike
Heading into transition I felt winded and one glance at my heart rate said I had pushed the run a tad hard. Mounting the bike, I sailed out onto the streets amongst the fields of Camarillo. With authorities keeping those pesky cars at bay, I settled into a decent pace for the 10 mile loop.
That is until the dude in the yellow jersey passed me. I don’t know why, but having HIM pass me turned a switch and the game was on! As hard as I tried to keep up with him, I couldn’t quite catch him… until nearly the end of the course. Things got really interesting as I saw him up ahead and slowing down. I easily passed him and we exchanged glances.
I thought I had him when, all of the sudden, a half mile later he goes whizzing passed me. I turn up the speed and start chasing him down, but the zigzags back to dismount kept me from catching him.
Then he made a mistake. He stopped a good 15 feet from the actual dismount line and I went sailing passed him again only to brake hard and stop right on the dismount line itself (a little trick I learned from an experienced triathlete). I had 15 feet on him and I ran hard with the bike to the transition. I still had him!
Run #2 & Finish
The Author Following the Race
With a quick switch of gear, I headed out on the run, not even looking back to see where the mister yellow jersey was. I didn’t care, I had a lead to maintain, so I kept a fast (for me) but steady pace that I was certain I could handle all the way back to the finish. Since I had just run the same course, I knew what to expect and knew that once I was half way down the dirt road, turn on the sprint to finish.
But at the turn around, I saw that my competition had ditched the yellow jersey and wasn’t that far behind me. I was nervous so I picked up the pace just a bit more. Passing him, I could see in his eye that he already gave it his all. I had won… unless I screwed up.
Hitting the dirt road was when the legs seriously started to protest. Just as I considered my options, I was passed by an older guy whom I knew was a sprint participant. He was moving fast for his build and age, so I wasn’t about to give up my spot to him. A little earlier than I wanted, I went into sprint mode and ran him down.
Luckily, there was a curb to run around to the finish chute, which he negotiated rather slowly compared to my more flexible maneuver. Then it was a sprint to the finish and I beat him by two seconds.
And that was the end of a race I will never forget.
Sprint Results Plotted (courtesy TrainingMetrix)
With my overall time of 1:09:31, I was happy to see myself just ahead of the Sprint race average of 1:10:33. That was good for 32nd place of 69 competitors. Camarillo Duathlon Sprint Race results were plotted by TrainingMetrix (graph above is reproduced with their permission) and you can see I am just ahead of average (the red dot).
So, have I achieved that goal I set years ago? As much as I want to say yes, I still have to finish the Olympic course and we might save that for 2012. But with the third race of 2011 coming up on Sept. 4th, I might just give the sprint one more try in 2011!
Note: I am working compiling some video of the race (the Olympic start) and will post a video post here when it is complete.
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