The Bike - 16 miles (1:27:50)
Ahhh ... this is a TOUGH bike course. It starts with a LONG, gradual uphill slope - a 300 ft increase in elevation for 4 miles. I got passed. A lot. But finally, a respite came with a sweet downhill ride for a little over 2 miles. I was flying on my Cannondale CAAD bike, passing a lot of people who had passed me earlier. BUT when I got to the turn around point, I realized my bike chain had popped off, and I didn't know how to fix it. Note to self: Get a clue!!! Fortunately for me, after a few minutes, someone came along who helped me get it back on. But it was bittersweet because he had a flat tire, and neither of us had a bike kit (note to self: get a bike kit and learn how to fix a flat bike tire), plus I had already lost a lot of time.

So now, after the turn-around point, there is a LONG uphill section - a 600 ft increase in elevation for 3 miles. Grrr. After that it's finally flat with a slight downgrade for the rest of the ride.
My gear: 2011 Cannondale CAAD 8 105 5C road bike - with (Shimano) clipless pedals, Specialized Tri shoes, tri-shorts & tank-top (same as on the run).

The 2nd Run - 3 miles (0:29:04).
I pretty much wanted to quit at this point. I knew I was practically last, and my legs were dead, so there was lots of walking involved for the first 10 minutes, but after finding a rhythm - and setting my sights on passing the 70 year guy in front of me (with a huge knee brace on) - I finished. And yup, I passed the nice old man ... small victories huh?!
My gear: Nike Free Run+ sneakers, tri-shorts (team kit), loose tank-top.

Transition Times: T1 -1:48; T2 - 1:58.
Overall Time: 2:25:03

What I Learned
You would think I would be discouraged after my multi-sport racing debut disasters (this and the triathlon), but hell no! I discovered that although I don't feel the love for triathlons, the duathlons do it for me! I want to do more - and I will. My mistake certainly is that this is also my first year of running harder & more consistently, and then I introduced cycling & swimming into the mix - too much too soon! But next year (assuming I'm not preggers which I'm trying to be - hope that's not too much information), I'm all about doing more duathlons and increasing my cycling fitness.