Xterra West Championships

Well I'm writing this race report trying not to cough because it hurts. I took one hell of a crash and a handlebar to the chest and bruised a rib/intercostal muscle or both. Badge of courage for sure. I wasn't even sure I'd make it to the starting line let alone the finish line which I did in 3:40:33. This is the longest race I've ever done as well as the most fun by far. Just flat out gnarly racing. Nothing too ridiculous but just unrelenting.

I went up Saturday morning not feeling too hot. Feeling sick but not dying. There was no way I was going to be at my house, at race time, wondering if I could have raced. I got to the race site and hooked up with James, picked up the race packet and checked out the scene, where there was duathlon already in progress. It was a much smaller setup than I was anticipating. It was plenty warm so I didn't hang out for too long and went back to James' campsite where he let me park it for the night. Killer spot with lots of shade. I had some light workouts (swim and run) but I took it easy and went for a 20 min spin on the bike at sunset. I wanted to give my lungs a chance to get me through the next day. Dinner was chicken bean and rice burritos. I really worked hard to stay hydrated and alternated water and motortabs. I also was eating plenty at intervals throughout the day. Still feeling questionable I went to bed early and hoped to feel better in the morning.

RACE DAY

I woke up late after a restless sleep. In the back of my mind wondering am I feeling good to race? If I even had to ask myself, I was. I was there to race and even if I had to pull out at some point I would have learned something to prepare for my next Xterra. I got rolling with my pre-race routine. Hydration, hydration, hydration. We headed off to the race site around 8:30 with a 10:00 start. It was still cool and cloudy when I arrived but as soon as the sun broke through, bam! a little taste of the days weather ahead. Warm up was a little lighter and included the 10 minute ride to transition 10 minutes jogging and a 5 minute swim. I felt okay and at least the lungs were clear.

Swim.

The swim was a mass start 2 lap swim totalling 1500 yards, just short of a mile. My intention was to start conservative and feel my way through the race. The turns were left hand, so I started outside right second row. I breathe to the right so I had to rely a little more on sighting to check my position in the pack and find a cleaner draft. It was still mayhem, but since I was a little dialed back I was able to think more clearly and use some power to get out of trouble when I needed to. I wasn't feeling very strong but did the best job of drafting in any race, really thinking more clearly. Once I started lap two I was "all in" and finishing this thing. The crowd cheering on the short beach run was a definite boost. I was in a solid groove going back out. Not swimming fast but trying to conserve energy. By this time I had lots of opportunities to draft. The challenge was to find those who were surging not fading. I came out of the water about where I thought around 26:30. My transition was horrible. Like 3 minutes plus. I don't have a lot of practice putting socks, gloves and MTB shoes on in a hurry. Pulling my socks on, my hamstring cramped up. Knowing how difficult and hot the rest of the race would be, I took a second to stretch it and went for the extra Thermolytes in my bag. I had some for the start of the run but no extra laid out. Stupid for this kind of race. I went out on the bike reminding myself how long the race is and to pace myself.

Bike.

Out of transition there was about 1 mile of "paved" access road until the offroad began. I was feeling surprisingly good and jumped on some wheels to draft and started drinking. 50 oz. with 4 scoop carbopro and 2 motortabs, about 600 calories in the camelback. I drank all over the course and was glad to have my hands free. My plan was to moderate pace the first lap and go on the second. I was thinking well, drafted and bridged some gaps on the flatter sections. I passed most people on the descents and "flats". My climbing was solid and made sure I could stay on the bike by knowing who was in front of me and encouraging them through the tough sections. After the final descent there is a rolling section that they added. Tunnel of love or something like that. More like "Oh Shit alley". On one section there was three high rollers in a row. I was flying in the big ring and on the last one it's an off camber sharp right to stay on the trail. I had no idea and flew straight into the ditch the trail goes around. I hammered my chest straight into the bars and ended up like 5 feet from my bike. I jumped back on and assessed damage. I was rolling and no major blood. Lucky as hell. Funny thing is my coach Jim and James both prerode this section like twice and didn't mention anything except how fun it was. It's critical to know the WHOLE course yourself. Lap two was a little more aggressive. Going for more passes on the climbs and descents. The epic was charging at times, but I was still conservative not to go down again. I was struggling with some low back problems throughout the bike but nothing like Wildflower. I was at least able to move around and change my position and stand on the bike which helped alot. The whole bike leg felt like a good training ride and less like a race, intensity wise. That was my plan and I played it right because the run was a BIOTCH! Transition was slow again as I wanted to get my stuff right for the long run. Three more thermolytes and some water in and over me.

Run.

I took a fresh pair of shades on the run and was glad I did so I could see where I was HIKING up the first climb right out of T2. I started running when I saw the photographer at the top. I ran it out and hit the second part of the climb. At this point my VMO was starting to lock up and knew I better watch it and get some stuff in at the next aid station. I hit every aid station for what it was worth. two gatorades, one water over and one water in. I would come around and then boom, another cramp. The second half of the loop was the most fun with ridiculous steeps both up and down. I did much better to keep running but it didn't matter what I did as soon as I would get going in a groove it was only a matter of time as one powerful stride would trigger another cramp. I would spend the rest of the run "babysitting" my legs, downing the fluids and rubbing my legs with ice water. I felt the best on the second lap where I only really cramped up bad in two spots. On this section.

And then on a down hill goat trail with a bunch of jump downs where I was loading the muscles eccentrically. I hammered the last few downhills to the finish where the line snuck up on me. I could have passed a girl right in front of me if I hadn't been so happy just to see the finish. I did manage the people well that I'd passed on the way. I felt great at the finish except for the feeling like somebody shot me with a bean bag in the chest. It hurt to take a deep breath and even more to get out a dry cough. That was the most fun I'd had in a race EVER. Xterra is a beast.

I hung out to eat and then jumped in the lake, perfect weather for boating. Some reggae and Hawaiian music playing on the PA. A special Xterra flavor.

Analysis.

I'm super stoked to finish this race. If I had been feeling better I'd probably be disappointed in my time. My training got me through this. At no time was my Heart Rate out of control. That's a mystery to me. If I had pushed myself to red line at all, I can't imagine the carnage on the run. My nutrition was what I had planned plus 3 more thermolytes. Still I was cramping beyond my ability to really race. I pee'd plenty before the race. Took three thermolytes with water and one motortab pre race. That's nine total for the day plus the sodium in the 2 motortabs in the Camelback. Do I need like 3 Thermolytes every 15 minutes or what? I'm still not sure what's causing the cramps. I felt strong, not bonking, but would just cramp. I am on a mission to figure this out before I race again. I have a feeling this is all nutrition based. My legs are strong, I've trained the hills both on the bike and run. WTF? Oh yeah here's the splits:

Swim: 30:46 (including transition) yikes! probably too easy on the swim!

Bike: 2:07:10 (transition again)

Run:1:02:37