Woolmarket Duathlon

I'm switching my cross/long run days again. This morning I did the Woolmarket Duathlon north of Biloxi. It was a sprint duathlon: 3 mile run, 11 mile bike, 1 mile run. I probably shouldn't be running so much on cross days, but I figured I'd be fine since this is the exception.

My 3 mile run time was among my fastest at 27:45. I'm starting to feel very comfortable at that distance. I think I could push faster still, but I don't want to push too hard and risk injury.

I got hosed on the bike leg, though. It didn't take long to get passed by a slew of people of road bikes. I did manage to pass a few slower road bike riders and two mountain bike riders, but on balance I was very uncompetitive. Tri/duathlons aren't my priority this season, but for next season and beyond I'll need to consider upgrading my equipment.

The final 1 mile run leg surprised me. I had to stop several times and walk during the first mile after my April triathlon, but this time I threw down a respectable 9:30 and only stopped once at the aid station to drink my water.

For me, the take away is that I'm becoming a stronger runner, which is my goal for this season. My cycling needs some work beyond just the equipment, but I can work on that more seriously next year.

The race itself was well-organized for a smaller event. The directors were efficient and on-the-ball, and everything went very smoothly. The course was moderately hilly for the gulf coast, but traffic was very light so it made up for it. I definitely recommend the Woolmarket Duathlon series if you're in the area and are interested in a relatively easy race.

Thanks for reading!

Nick