maybe it won't be so bad...

I was just checking out last year's race results for the duathlon I'm doing in October, and I feel a little better about it than I did before. For one thing, I should be able to make up some time on the bike course, since the top Athena (women 150+, the class I'm racing) last year had an average speed of 16.5 mph. I can totally do that, especially on a traffic-controlled course. Now, can I do that after running two miles? I don't know. I think I might pull off 17 mph if I go easy on the first run. Of course, then I'll have to get off the bike and run again. Sigh. I just don't know.

What I do know is that the slowest posted time last year was 1:47ish. So if I figure on a 15 mph bike speed, that's 48 minutes right there. Plus...lets say, 3 minutes for transitions, that's 51 minutes. Therefore, to avoid coming in DFL, I'd need run speeds in the 27-28 minute range, or a 13 to 14-minute mile. If I can make up time on the bike, I could possibly go as high as 15-minute miles. But that's if my ONLY goal is to not be the last racer on the course, which--while an acceptable and realistic goal for someone of my size and fitness level--is not really my heart's desire.

What I'd really like to do is complete the entire thing in around 1:30--40-45 minutes on the bike, 20-25 minutes per run, 1-2 minute transitions. Considering that it's only three weeks away and I have yet to run a full mile straight through OR try a single run-bike/bike-run transition, that's a pretty tall order. :)