2011 Gear West Duathlon - Pre Race Thoughts

I consider this a tough race.  Why?  The run course is similar to a high school cross country course.  It is mostly on grass and there are a lot of ups and downs, the worst being the hill coming into the transition/finish line.  It is a short, steep hill.  The bike course is not very flat.  Your legs get pounded and then you have to run the same course, again.  The race is early in the year, at least for me, so I am not in the best of shape.  Also, the weather can be iffy.  It can be cold and raining, warm and sunny, cold and dry, etc.  You can never tell this time of year in MN. 
This was the first multi-sport race I did after deciding to give duathlons a try.  I did the race in 2006 without a lot of training and on a road bike, with clip-on aerobars.  I was probably about 40lbs heavier, if not more, than I am now.  I was ill prepared for the race, but I finished it, along with a number of other duathlons that year, and I continue to come back for more.  2006 through 2008 I made huge performance improvements, partly due to training and partly due to better equipment. 
It is a good race to test yourself early in the year.
Last year, I was coming off a stress fracture so I intentionally took the run easy.  This year, I have not gotten the running in I would like, but I am going to go harder than last year.  It will be interesting to see how I compare to last year, and 2008, which is my fastest year.
Below are my results for the last 4 years, see how I match up this Sunday

2006 Gear West Duathlon Results
Run 1 (3.1mi) - 27:49 (8:58)
T1 - 3:18
Bike (17 mi) - 60:37 (16.8MPH, ugh slow)
T2 - 2:25
Run 2 (2.5mi) - 26:59 (10:47, I think I ended up walking a little)
Total - 2:01:08
AG - 43 out of 44 (Not Last Place!)
Overall - 315 out of 353

2007 Gear West Duathlon Results

Run 1 (3.1mi) - 24:29 (7:54)
T1 - 1:42
Bike (17 mi) - 53:56 (19MPH, eh)
T2 - 1:29
Run 2 (2.5mi) - 23:15 (9:18, still problems with that second run)
Total - 1:44:29
AG - 39 out of 45
Overall - 201 out of 342

2008 Gear West Duathlon Results

Run 1 (3.1mi) - 23:58 (7:44)
T1 - 1:15
Bike (17 mi) - 49:40 (20.5MPH, this is better)
T2 - 1:16
Run 2 (2.5mi) - 22:17 (8:54, finally under 9 min/mi)
Total - 1:38:24
AG - 26 out of 44
Overall - 151 out of 410

2010 Gear West Duathlon Results

Run 1 (3.1mi) - 27:57 (9:19)
T1 - 1:15
Bike (17 mi) - 48:41 (21MPH, I would love to do this in 2011.  With a faster run)
T2 - 1:47
Run 2 (2.5mi) - 25:42 (9:42)
Total - 1:45:19
AG - 38 out of 63 (New AG since 2008, now 35-49)
Overall - 200 out of 380