Training for the Duathlon

I've always felt that if you put enough effort into achieving a goal, you will be successful. As a precursor to the duathlon, I ran the Corporate Challenge in Central Park on June 10. I knew I could clear the 3.5 miles, but for me, it was how fast and whether or not I would have to stop and walk. Running on a treadmill is so different from running outdoors. Treadmills don't have hills, unless you program them, and I did not. The only thing I did was put the treadmill at a 2.0 incline to simulate outdoor running. This was a tip my marathon-running buddy told me. I think it helped a lot because my knees never ached as much as I thought they would after running. I would also occasionally run over the Brooklyn Bridge to enjoy the views and see how my knees would fare. But, I finally gave up running the bridge because there were way too many tourists and bicyclists. On a couple of occasions, I either stepped on a tourist or I was nearly run over by a bicyclist.

Back to the Corporate Challenge. I started the run with my very young intern. What a mistake!!! He probably paced an 8 minute mile, and I usually run a slow 10 minute mile. By the time I reached the first mile marker, I thought I was going to pass out. My breathing was erratic and I was getting a side stitch. I was never going to make it at this pace. So, I collected myself, started focusing on my breathing and found a much slower person to keep pace with. It worked, and I finished the 3.5 mile run in what I thought was a respectable 35 minutes. I felt good and almost confident that I could handle the duathlon, which took place 11 days later.