Wow. That was the hardest race I’ve ever done! (Guest Post)

by Tara Phipps

I just finished the Lakeside Sprint Duathlon – run 5K, bike 20K, run 2.5K. My second duathlon ever, the other was the Kincardine Duathlon which was much shorter than today’s race.

I’m not sure why this race was so hard for me but psychologically and physically it was tough. I realized too late that the start of the 5K race didn’t have a timing mat so I put myself at an automatic disadvantage by starting at the back of the pack. I think it cost me time and it hurt me psychologically to see so many people ahead but I forged on and refocused on setting a good time for me.

My second error was not having the sound turned up on my running app. I’m a “measurer” and when I don’t know how fast I’m going I find it hard to know whether I should push myself harder or ease up a bit. With all that being said, I’m very pleased with my finish times! Would I do it again? As of today my answer is NO.

I’m not a long-distance/endurance athlete. I like to play “fast and hard”. I’m going back to my 5K races and am going to work on getting faster. This was one of the first races I’ve done having my husband and two sons (ages 4 and 6) there cheering for me!

Even though I race fairly regularly, I don’t usually bring my peeps to the race and it was a great decision today. I teared up when I came in from the bike leg – I could hear my kids cheering for me over the whole crowd. It was awesome! At the end of the race, my six year old ran up to me, gave me a huge hug and told me that he was proud of me. How much better can it get? Haha, not good enough to do it again anytime soon .

My next 5K race is in October and I’m soooo looking forward to it.

Tara Phipps is a runner and soccer player, a fan of short distances, a mother of two active boys and cousin-in-law of Sam!