Dirty Du

Ouch! Yesterday I "competed" in the Dirty Duathlon at Rocky Hill Ranch in Smithville. I use the term "competed" with resignation. Technically, I was a competitor. But I was never "in" the race. The race format was 5K run, 20K mountain bike, 5K run. I ended the first 5K run in 29th place, with a time of 22:53, or 7:20 per mile. Not screaming fast, and certainly slower than I'm capable of running. But I'd been warned by several people to keep it under control on the first run b/c the second run is the killer. Plus, the run was a rolling out-and-back course with short, steep hills that were covered in small, loose rocks. I almost twisted my ankle about 50 times. So I slowed down a bit for safety, as well. At least that's what I keep telling myself : )

My lower back KILLED me on the mountain bike to where I could not generate any pedaling power, not to mention my complete lack of handling skills. I never crashed, but I dismounted several times when the terrain got the better of me or someone else crashed in front of me, forcing me to stop. My lower back was spasming the entire 12 miles on the mountain bike split. Every now and then you'd pop off the trail and onto a jeep road for a few hundred yards. Normally, this would be the perfect time to accelerate and make up lost time. I simply spent this time stretching out my lower back by standing up on the bike, NOT pedaling. The spasm-ing eased up a bit in the last mile of the mountain bike trail, long enough for me to slam it into the big ring and put my head down for a few minutes, and that was the only time while on the bike that I was ever close to being "in the red" (it was my back slowing me down, not my legs, lungs, or heart). But by then I'd lost so much time it was pointless to suffer for no reason. I was thinking: "just get the damned thing over with...".

I started the second 5k run at what could be described as a "jogging" pace. It was really more like a slow hop from foot to foot. Then the old IT band problem re-surfaced in my right leg. It has been 3 to 4 years since this injury has bothered me, but it reared it ugly head and rendered me useless on the run. I walked almost the entire 5K, and even when walking my IT band was so tight I could barely bend my knee to take a step. I sort of dragged my right leg around for 3 miles as if it were made of wood.

At the end of the day, last year's winner, Jim Vance, repeated his overall male individual victory with a time of 1 hour 44 minutes. Lance Armstrong's course record is 1 hour 36 minutes 10 seconds. So I learned a new respect for Lance after suffering so badly on that course. Drugs or no drugs, to complete that course in that little time is simply amazing. You'd have to experience it (the Dirty Du) yourself to really grasp a true appreciation of Lance's athletic abilities.

I think it was the most pain I've ever experienced in any kind of sporting event, and this morning my soreness is terrible - it hurt just to get out of bed.

I'll post some photos as soon as the photographers put them online. I tried to produce extra drool every time I saw I camera pointed at me.