Day 359 - Du or Die

Woke up early Sunday morning and drove over to Mission Trails to check out Bikemaster's Du or Die. The event consisted of two miles of running, 11 miles of cycling on the road, and two miles of running that could be done as a two person team or solo on a road or mountain bike. I decided on a whim to give it a try. I lined up at the back of the pack with 60 other runners at the start. Bang! Off we went. I took off slow. I'm a slow runner, averaging 10 minutes a mile. I knew I could make up time on the bike. When I came in for the bike stage I was at the back of the pack. I changed gear and took off. Picked it up to a 18 to 20 mph pace and gradually started pass slower riders. Finished the bike ride, changed gear again and back to run. The final two miles were tough. My pace was slow for the first mile. I picked it up for the final mile, before my left knee started to hurt. I crossed the finish line at 1 hour and 14 minutes, taking home 1st place in the 40-49 year old, mountain bike category. Sweet! I wore the medal proudly as I hobbled around my house with my left knee and my right hip hurting from the race. Where's my vicodin? Now I know why they call it the "Du or Die". I felt like dying after the race!