Alan Murchison's blog by Alan_Murchison

• A duel at the duathlon.....

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  May2320122:21 p.m.

  Regular followers of my blog will know I have been mixing cycling and running now for just under a year. Issues with a hernia last summer meant that running was not allowed for 12 weeks so my second love of cycling was brought to the fore. I had aimed to try a couple of duathlons this year which involve running 10k, biking 40k then finishing with another 5k just for good measure; this is the standard race distance. Most of the high quality duathlons so far this year have conflicted with work commitments and that meant the only really big race I could enter was in Cambridge. Oh joy! I looked at the course and it seemed okay to me, although an early start was involved. 4am to be precise, so I thought it had better be worth it!

  So off I went with the aim of enjoying the experience and learning if any of the training I had been doing had paid off. I have been doing brick sessions (run/bike or bike/run) at least twice a week for the last 6 months. Also all my recent running races I have done on tired legs with hard bike sessions the day before and after. So I knew I had done the miles and preparation in training, but racing is always a different matter. Just to throw one more swerve ball into the mix, for my first duathlon, to make things really interesting it was also the final British qualifying race for the 2012 World Championships. Nothing ventured nothing gained, so I registered with guys at the British Triathlon Federation and quite frankly thought I had nothing to lose.

  

  To qualify for the World Championships I would have to finish in the top four in my age group and within 115% of the winner’s time, which was a big ask. Also I have never done anything competitive on a bike before, so it could have been a bloody nightmare if I didn't get my competitive mindset into order. I was off in the second wave of athletes which for me was a good thing, as it meant I had people to chase. The runs in Cambridge were split into 7.5 km sections, which is just under 5 miles. The first run felt pretty comfortable averaging sub 5.20 minutes per mile. It was actually quite hard to run at such a controlled pace because instinctively you want to run as hard as you can. However this was a 2 hour race and that was in the back of my head.

  The first transition from run to bike was so slow it was almost amusing, however I leapt onto my bike and had already caught about 20 of the guys who started ahead of me. Then it was a matter of getting into a steady rhythm on the bike and chasing people down. After 10 miles on the bike I had gone past so many people I had no idea where I was in the race, but I knew I had to finish within 115% of the winner so I kept pushing. Only four people passed me on the whole bike section and I hit the second run feeling really fresh. I knocked out another 5 miles at sub 5.30 and finished feeling controlled and still with plenty in the tank, and if I’m honest, a bit gutted I hadn't pushed myself to the limit. However the plan had always been to enjoy the experience and learn from it.

  At the finish I still had no idea where I had come in the race as you pass so many people and it all merges into one. But when I checked the results, by some good fortune I had nailed it!! I finished 8th overall and second in my age group!! That meant I had qualified for the World Championships!! Needless to say I was quite happy and safe in the knowledge there so much more I can improve on come the Worlds in September. The ability to bike then run hard off the bike is something I seem to be able to do okay, so more bike time, a cycling coach and obviously a new bike or two required. Let’s go racing!

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