XTERRA World Championship Race Report

View from the hotel room before my Thursday pre-ride

The XTERRA World Championship on October 27^th was the conclusion of my racing season and was a good ending of a long year.  I spent a week in Maui with my wife and tied the race in with a nice vacation.
 

I arrived on Maui Wednesday morning, which gave me enough time to run the entire run course on Wednesday afternoon.  It was hot and humid—I sweat quite a bit even though I wasn’t pushing hard on the run.  My plan was to run the course Wednesday, ride the course hard on Thursday, ride it real easy on Friday, take a complete day of Saturday, and race Sunday.

 

I got on the bike course at 9:30 on Thursday at the approximate time I’d be racing.  I was soaked head to toe with dripping sweat and was gassed at the conclusion of the ride.  A little spill near the end of the ride caused me to be covered in dirt from head to toe.  Due to the sweat, the dirt turned to mud—I was a mess.  But two things I learned during that ride would be critical for race day: 1) hydration would be extremely important 2) over exertion on the bike would lead to a devastating run.

View from the top of the first long climb at about mile 5

 

I got on the course again Friday and had a more pleasant go on the course, albeit my bike was a bit cranky.  I didn’t wash it or lube the chain, so the drive train was noisy and sometimes uncooperative.  There was a lot of fine dust on the course that made its way into every part of the bike.  I gave it a good post-ride wash down and spent a lot of time getting the chain and derailleurs cleaned.

 

On race day, these trails would be very dusty, which impacted visibility somewhat

Race day was warm and humid with not much of a breeze to cool things off.  I got my bike in the rack as transition opened.  Luckily, my division’s assigned racks were right next to the pros near the bike exit.  It was neat to see them all come into the transition area and get prepared.  There were about 80 male and female pros total.  I hydrated more than normal and dissolved Hammer enduralites in my water bottle and camelback.  My hydration plan was to drink my water bottle (which had 2 enduralites) before the first bottle exchange, then drain the camelback by the end of the ride (I had 4 enduralites in there).  Enduralites would provide much needed electrolites that I’d be sweating out and would help prevent cramping.  At the second bottle exchange, I made sure that my second bottle was drained and picked up a fresh one.  So the plan that I followed gave me a total of 5 bottles of water during the ride.

Race morning after a little warm up swim

 

The XTERRA cannon went off and we began our race through some fairly calm beach breaks.  With about 450 male racers toeing the line for a mass start, I expected a lot of contact during the first 500m.  But I was pleasantly surprised that the swim was pretty clean.  I stayed away  from the first turn buoy, which typically puts you at a standstill with other flailing swimmers who are trying to navigate it.  I think that helped.  I got out of the water with a decent swim time and got ready to hit the bike course.

Mass start of the male competitors as the females get ready to go

 

Transition area.  My bike is in the top right corner near the exit

After an okay swim, getting to my bike for a tough ride

The first 5 miles of the course were pretty tough—a lot of elevation gain and a lot of riders passing on narrow trails.  I kept telling myself to hold back a little, as I knew there was a lot more racing to be done.  At the top of the first major climb, the pack of riders thinned out and I felt like I was riding alone.  During the first descent, I saw one guy lying in the grass after a crash—he was completely covered in dirt but looked okay.  My Garmin had me going 35mph down that same hill a few days before.  My hydration plan seemed to work and my legs felt pretty good as I came toward the end of the bike course.  I managed to stay upright along some tricky areas near the end and actually felt pretty good as I rode into transition.

 

Elevation profile of the XTERRA Worlds bike course.  Those first 5 miles were tough.  Run course was the same up to mile 3.

Fast descent here.  This is about where that guy crashed and was laying in the grass on the left.  The descents were fast, so there wasn't to much time to recover before the next hill

The first 3 miles of the run course was the same as the bike course.  It was mostly up hill.  I felt real good during the run and my legs didn’t have debilitating pain from the bike.  My legs were fresh, I was mentally positive, and I was hydrated.  So I ran hard and was able to keep my pace up for the duration of the 6 mile run.  Of all the amateurs, I had the 16^th fastest run at the race.  Comparatively, my bike time ranked about 110th.  In retrospect, I could have pushed harder on the bike, but there is a very fine line that I didn’t want to cross.  I didn't know how hard I could push on the bike without breaking, which I didn't want to find out the hard way.



Bike to run transition.  All the dirt turns to mud with sweating so much--note muddy cycling shoes

 In the end, I finished 15^th in my Division and was the 5^th 40-44 year old American to finish.  I was pretty satisfied with the result, although my goal was to get top 10.  I'm ready to take a few months off from rigorous training and get ready for another year of competition in a different age division. 

On the way to the finish line after 3hrs 16min of racing

Tired, dirty, and dehydrated

Watching finishers cross the line

XTERRA National Championships Race Report

The 2013 XTERRA National Championships in Ogden, UT took place on September 21^st at the Snow Basin Ski Resort and surrounding areas.  The course was challenging and well designed; from the swim at Pine View Lake through tough climbs to Sardine Peak to the ski slopes of the ski resort, there was a challenge at every turn.

Race Venue

 

I arrived in Ogden on Wednesday after an 11 hour drive from San Diego.  I prepared my gear for the next day bike course preview.  I debated whether to ride the whole course or just the upper half and opted to ride the entire course on Thursday morning followed by an easy run on the first mile of the run course.  I decided not to swim in the lake, however. 

 

Race Venue

The bike course highlights were a long, steep climb from about mile 2, a fast descent to the next portion of climbing on Sardine Peak, and a final fast and windy descent.  On my course preview, I brought a camera to snap some shots of the course since I wouldn’t be able to appreciate the surrounding scenery on race day.  The camera also slowed me down a bit as it forced me to stop frequently, which was a good thing.  I didn’t want to press too hard and get worn out.  I had a great ride and followed up with a two mile run—the first mile of the course was a grueling climb that I wanted to get a taste of before race day.

 

Wooded area on a descent

Stairs on which you had to be careful biking down

On Friday, the day before the race, I didn’t do anything physical—no riding, running, or swimming.  I debated riding the second half of the bike course, but since it was not too technical, I decided not to.  I registered for the race in downtown Ogden, and then walked to the Night of Champions Dinner where I met some friends.  I got back to the lodge around 8:30 and made final preparations for race day.

 

Bike trail on Sardine Peak with dangerous right turn

Atop Sardine Peak with view of Snow Basin

My alarm went off at 5:00 after a horrible night of sleep.  I just couldn’t fall asleep all night.  After a few cups of coffee and some oatmeal, I packed the car and headed to Pine View Lake to drop my bike of in the transition area.  Then I drove to the second transition area at the Snow Basin resort where I dropped off my running gear and rehearsed the bike to run transition a few times.  Then I boarded a bus and headed back to the lake for the swim start.

 

The race director said that the water temperature was 60 degrees, but it seemed more like 68 degrees.  I was pleasantly surprised not to be cold in the lake.  The pros started promptly at 9:00 and we followed about a minute later.  The swim was rough—lots and lots of bumping, grabbing, and kicking during a good part of the swim.  That’s not unusual when 300 competitors start at the same time.  I ran into a “No Wake” buoy during the first 200m dead on.  My teeth chattered, but I didn’t lose too much time.  The first turn buoy seemed to never come up!  The rising sun was in my eyes so I couldn’t get a good sighting on it.  At that first turn of the two lap swim, there was a lot of swimmer traffic that brought me to a standstill as we made our way around the buoy.  More grabbing, bumping, and contact.  After the start of the second lap, traffic started to thin a bit, which made the swim a little easier.  Again, that first buoy seemed so far away!  The course was substantially longer than 1500m, which didn’t bode well for me.  In fact, the swim course probably was no shorter than 2000m.  I exited the water and made it up to the transition area where I got my wetsuit off and cycling gear on.  It was a pretty good transition for me.

 

I got on my bike and kept a steady tempo along the first flat two mile stretch that brought us to the base of the first climb.  I wanted to keep a smooth fast pace during the first long climb while not blowing up my legs prematurely.  There were a lot of racers on the bike course and passing became a bit of a problem in some areas.  The ride was uneventful during the first big climb and descent as I said to myself “breathe” while going uphill and “focus” while descending.

 

First climb on the bike

At the base of Sardine Peak climb, another racer (#331) and I rode together at the same pace.  He and I rode together for the remainder of the bike course and even ran together for a good portion of the run.  My buddy Todd passed me near the top of Sardine Peak just as my chain unexplainably popped off.  I wasn’t even changing gears or going over rocks—it just popped off!  I got it back on the chain ring quickly and didn’t lose too much time.  I kept Todd and #331 in sight during the remainder of the bike course.

 

Sardine Peak

I made a good transition from bike to run and started the long incline up a ski slope.  I passed Todd immediately out of transition and we gave each other a handshake.  I had a good pace up the hill and felt miserable, as expected after the climb.  After the ascent, I had a good pace along some flat ground when I tripped over a rock and went down.  I got up quickly, but the unexpected rapid movements during the fall tweaked my exhausted quads.  I started to cramp a bit in my quads and was pleading that they go back to sleep.  I stumbled again, but didn’t fall.  I lost a lot of time during the second substantial climb; my quads were really starting to cramp.  I finally reached the high point of the run, but couldn’t get a good long stride on the way down.  With about one mile to go, I tripped and fell hard on some rocks, but popped up pretty quickly with some scraped-up knees.  I was a bit embarrassed in front of the spectators.  My quads actually started to recover during the last mile and I remember saying to myself, “I wish this run was longer.” 

Snow Basin Ski Resort and run course area

 

Hill climb on the  first mile of the run

 

Dirty race clothing after a few spills on the run

I finished 8^th in my Division, which is about where I expected to finish.  I would like to have swam and run better, so I feel that I could have finished with a better result—especially after the good training I had done to prepare. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My next race is the XTERRA World Championships in Maui on October 27^th.  I need to fix the quad cramping issue, so I’ve decided to add to my schedule weekly long road bike rides followed by an uphill run.  The next three weeks will include some tough training to prepare for an extremely difficult course—especially the run.  Right now, I’ve got more anxiety about the training than the race itself.

XTERRA friends John (left), me, and Todd (right)

Todd, Bryce, and me will meet again in Maui

XTERRA Lake Tahoe Race Report

I raced the XTERRA Lake Tahoe in Incline Village, NV two days ago.  I am still sore.  Still a little disappointed in how I performed as well. 

I arrived in Nevada early Thursday afternoon and settled into a nice hotel in Carson City.  It was cheap and not too far from the race venue on the northern part of the lake.  I got some great sleep on Thursday evening and headed over to the race course on Friday for a pre-ride. 

My first impressions of the bike course: sandy and long climb, beautiful mid-section along the “Flume Trail”, and a not so easy descent.  I wore my heart rate monitor and noted that my heart rate was very high along parts of the trail, even though I was trying to take it easy.  At the summit of the climb, at over 8500 ft elevation, the trees stopped growing and a somewhat tricky descent began.  I had a few falls on the descent, but neither I nor the bike was damaged.  I knew that I’d be hurting on race day.

 

Race morning was perfect and the lake temperature was 68 deg.  The swim was two 750m laps in crystal clear water with a 100m lap in between.  I think it was the first swim where I felt very comfortable.  I had the 18^th fastest swim time on the day, which was pretty good for me.  That was one aspect of the race I was happy with, along with decent transitions in T1 and T2.

 

I pushed hard for the first 4.5 miles up a soft and sandy road that led to the start of the Flume Trail.  I wasn’t wearing a heart rate monitor, but I knew my heart was pounding.  I could recover on the Flume for a decent amount of time.  I also was concerned about being stuck behind someone prior to entering the Flume—a narrow path cut along the side of a mountain with hazardous steep drop-offs on the side.  There were a lot of impassable areas.  Luckily, I had no one in front or behind me, so I navigated the Flume safely without any slowdowns.  I recovered fairly well during the Flume and prepared for the second steep ascent of the race at mile 11.  I was pushing pretty hard and was feeling gassed by the time I reached mile 14.  Elevation may have had some role in my exhaustion, but my legs were screaming.  My Garmin showed 2750 ft elevation gain during the race, so there was a good bit of climbing.

Elevation profile of the bike course.  Steep & sandy climb from mile 2-5.  Flume trail is about mile 5-9.

 

The descent wasn’t one where I could recover substantially.  There were a lot of tricky areas which required some skills that I just don’t have.  So I fell a few times, my chain popped off, and lost a good amount of time trying to get off the mountain safely.  The final four miles of the course weren’t tricky, so I took a few chances and rode them fast—loose sand was the only foe, but I managed to stay upright.

At the highest point.  Trees don't even grow there!

 

A nice view toward the Reno suburbs from the summit

I had a pretty good bike to run transition and had a decent pace for the first mile.  Then I cramped in my quads.  Real bad cramps slowed my pace to a crawl.  I swallowed some Hammer Enduralites and ate a gel, but they didn’t go away.  I jumped off a rock and my quads just cramped more—what a stupid thing to do!  I could have easily run around the rocks, but I jumped nonetheless.  Then I tripped on a rock—I stubbed my big toe and went down hard.  My glasses fell off and I got covered in dirt.  Cramps were absolutely ripping me up from mile two to mile three so I swallowed several more Enduralites.  I didn’t have water, so I didn’t have anything to wash them down.  One of the capsules was stuck on the back of my throat and eventually partially dissolved.  So instead of having the pill dissolve in my stomach, it was still in a powder form in my throat.  I coughed and it went into my nasal cavity and almost made me vomit.  I got some water from the water station at the halfway point and tried to wash it down somewhat.  I was a mess!  Around mile 5, the cramps slowly started to disappear so I pushed my pace a little harder to the finish. 

So it was a bad race for me, even though I finished 9^th overall and 2^nd in my age group.  That’s okay though—it will certainly push me to work harder in preparation for Nationals in Ogden, UT next month.  I was humbled by that bike course—I’m still bruised and sore from it.  I thought my fitness was pretty good going into the race, but it obviously was not.  Time to step it up…

XTERRA Snow Valley Race Report

I’ve finally had a chance to sit down and write a race report for XTERRA Snow Valley, which I raced on July 29^th.  A few hours after the race, I headed to the airport for a 5 ½ hour cross-country flight to meet my extended family for a week-long vacation in the Outer Banks, NC.  Since then, I’ve been on a weight loss, cheap beer detox, sunburned skin repair, and fitness spree which have left me completely exhausted until today.  Vacations are great—but there’s a price to pay when you get home.

My son (the photographer) and I at the base of the mountain

 So here you go.  I’ll start by saying this was an awesome event!  I’ve done it before and it is a blast—very challenging and not too far from my home—at least for XTERRA races.  I arrived at the race site on Friday afternoon with my son/photographer so we could camp overnight 50m from the transition area.  It beats getting up so early to drive, plus I enjoy time with my boy.  It was raining when we arrived, but we got the tent up pretty quickly next to a ski lift and got our gear out of the downpour.  I got out on the course for a pre-ride as the rain settled while my son sat in the tent wondering what he’d gotten himself into.  After a lap of the course, my son joined me for a second lap and impressively, he made it the whole way without getting off his bike.

I woke up after a fair night sleep and got my gear ready in T2, a few steps away.  Then I made some decent coffee and started to pack the car while my son was still in his bag in the tent.  The race start was 9:00, so there was plenty of time to get things done.  One good thing about XTERRA is that the start times don’t need to be at sun up because there are no traffic concerns on the trails.  T1 was 2/3 of the way up the hill at a small lake, so I got on my bike and put it in a light gear for a decent climb to the start.

Getting ready to set up T1 up the hill.  I look beat up, but actually slept okay

The swim was 2 laps for a total of about 1,000m.  There was a mass start for a well spread out group, although there was a convergence after about 100m.  Lots of banging and bumping early on, but it didn’t have a major impact on me.  My focus was on breathing, as the altitude was about 7,200 feet and air was a little tougher to get.  I did okay on the swim—still far from where I would like to be.  Out of the water, I got on the bike and headed uphill.

 

Passing T2 after the first descent

The bike course was 2 ½ laps: since T1 was already half way up the mountain, we didn’t need to climb the mountain three full times.  I felt okay on the bike during the initial ascent to the top of the mountain and had a clean descent to T2, where we’d start two more laps of climbing 2mi then descending 2mi with some flat stuff every so often.  The descents were a bit dangerous since you could easily get out of your comfort zone with the downhill speeds.  I wasn’t going to win on the descent, so I stayed in my comfort zone and avoided crashing—it was tempting to try and catch my buddy Todd who was screaming past me on the final descent.  I think most of my time gains over other competitors during the bike portion were on the ascents.  I wound-up with the 5^th fastest bike split on the day, but more importantly, I was in good shape for the run. 

 

Going up the mountain on lap 2

Off the bike, I had an okay transition to the run.  The course consisted of two laps—each with four hills.  Since the race was on a ski slope, the hills were very steep and long.  Eight hills total, with the first being immediately after T2.  It was an exceptionally tough run where you had to red line a few times—especially on Mt Diablo, named after the dude who dresses as a devil on the hill and cheers competitors.  My thinking while going up the hills was to keep it steady and strong and recover on the downhills to prepare for the next one.   I didn’t know where I was placed during the race because there were a lot of competitors spread out throughout the course; there was a Sprint Race going at the same time, combined with the fact that it’s hard to keep track of other racers on a two lap course.  I crossed the line and saw Nielson Powless, the race winner, at the finish.  I didn’t realize until we chatted that I was the third racer to cross the line.

 

Going up Mt Diablo, which is incredibly steep

Going down Mt Diablo.  My buddy who passed me on the bike is coming up the hill.

Snow Valley podium.  That is a fast 17 year old who won!

 

In true XTERRA fashion, and due to a great race director, there was a great post-race meal and award ceremony.  The awards were all hand made by one of the competitors, so they are pretty unique.  After the awards, I drove two hours home, got my gear out of the car, showered, and then quickly headed for the airport.  I forgot my compression socks, which was a major mistake on my part—tough flight it was…

 

I had to shake the Race Directors hand--well done!

 

 

 

 

 

 

I just signed up for XTERRA Nationals in Ogden, UT during September.  That race is my focus now as I enter the final phase of my competition year—championships.  The World Championships in Maui on October 27^th will be my final race of the season. 

XTERRA Tahoe City Race Report

Now that the sting of a disappointing race has worn off, I’m sharing my race report from XTERRA Tahoe City, which occurred on Saturday June 29^th.

What an incredible venue and well put on race by Big Blue Adventures.  The swim is in a chilly Lake Tahoe (about 60 degrees), the bike is along some beautiful single and double track trails, and the run is quite difficult—about 3 miles up, then 3 miles down.

Lake Tahoe from Tahoe City

I arrived in Lake Tahoe on Thursday afternoon with my two kids after a 9 hour drive.  Our hotel was 200 yards from the start and finish of the race, so it was an ideal location.  The plan was to chill out on Thursday, ride the course on Friday, and race Saturday.  I was pretty familiar with the course since I did the race before.

My pre-ride went well on Friday.  The bike felt incredibly fast and my legs felt strong.  The bike course consisted of a long hill to get up on the mountain and two loops up top, with one short steep hill on each loop.  The short steep hill would be the only place I’d need the small chainring (my bike set up is a Specialized Epic Expert with 2x10 gearing).  I planned on using the big chain ring for the initial long climb up the mountain for a hard and fast effort.  The weather was perfect when I rode—a little warm, but not hot.  I had a great time on the ride and felt that my training was perfect for the course.

Single track on bike course

Double track on bike course

I got back to the hotel and quickly got into my running gear for a quick look at the first steep uphill mile of the course.  It was an exceptionally challenging start of the run, which I really liked.  I only ran 1/3 of the way up the hill so I didn’t burn up too much energy for race day.  What a tough run it would be!

On Friday afternoon, some rain clouds started to appear, which could really have changed the course if they dumped a lot of rain.  Luckily, there was no moisture with that system.  I got the kids some cheap floatable rings, so they had a great time on the water.  Next year, I’ll bring the kayak.

 

I was looking at these storm clouds coming in

The kids were looking at the geese

Race morning arrived with some perfect weather.  I got into the transition area when it opened and got a great spot in some very soggy grass on a baseball field.  My towel was soaking wet and my shoes became drenched from sinking in the mud of the freshly watered turf.  The swim start was about a quarter mile away, so I stopped back at the hotel, got the kids ready, then headed toward the swim start.  I hadn’t been in Lake Tahoe since we arrived, so I did a quick swim before the start.

Race morning swim course

The swim started about 100 yards from the shore because the water was so shallow that the race coordinators didn’t want folks running on submerged rocks for the start.  What a smart move!  The chilly water was actually bearable when we started the race.  It consisted of two laps and then a 100 yard stretch to the shore.

 

Swim start was at that yellow buoy.  Note how shallow.

Getting my swim gear on before the start

I had a pretty good start and found myself at the same pace as about two other racers nearby.  I followed one of them for the remainder of the race, which was probably the longest I’ve ever managed to keep on someone’s feet.  The swim actually went pretty well for me—not great, but not too bad.

 

Swim exit

I left some running shoes at the water’s edge so I could comfortably run the quarter mile to the transition area.  I got into the transition area after a good hustle, passing a lot of other competitors.  Transition went smoothly, I got on my bike and headed out for the course.

About 2 miles of climbing is all I was focused on.  This is the steady hill where I wanted to press hard and gain time.  I felt real strong going up, keeping it in the big chain ring, and passing a lot of competitors.  I’m not sure if they were sprint or the longer distance competitors, but there were both flavors on the bike course.  I got to the top of the hill in pretty good time, feeling strong as I started to descend.  I passed a woman on the downhill after about a half mile of descending and shortly felt something weird.  I got a flat in my rear tire.

I pulled off the course, put my CO2 inflator together and attempted to fill the tire.  The air came out of the hole in the tire almost instantly.  Now I had to beg for air from racers rapidly descending down the hill.  I got a few canisters, but still couldn’t keep air in my tubeless tire.  After four attempts, I ran out of gas and ran out of compassionate competitors descending the hill with extra air.  So I walked up the hill to where the race marshals were directing racers to hopefully hitch a ride down the mountain.  A woman came by and gave me a tube that I struggled to get on my rim and 10 minutes later an older gentleman let me borrow his hand pump.  I got my tire repaired, but I lost about 30 minutes in the process.  Racers who I expected to be riding with were already on their second lap.  Completely dejected and debating whether I should continue with that questionable wheel or ride safely down the hill, I chose the latter and turned in my chip to a guy in the transition area.  I've got more opportunities to compete this year and didn't want to make a bad situation worse.  My kids saw me come in and were more bummed than I was.  I learned some very important lessons on that day, which will last me a long time.  Maybe they’ll help you out too.

 

LESSON #1: Check Stan’s sealant in tubeless tires before each race to ensure it hasn’t dried out.  My Stan’s sealant was partially dried, so there wasn’t enough fluid to plug the hole in the tire.  Regardless of sealant condition, I’ll replace it at least every other month now.

 

LESSON #2: Carry a tube, even though you’re riding tubeless tires.  If the first CO2 canister doesn’t do the job, go immediately to the tube.

 

LESSON #3: Carry two canisters of CO2; one for the first tubeless try, then one for the tube if the first try doesn’t work.

 

LESSON #4: I’m pretty sure I got the puncture while passing a racer—you’re more likely to get a flat when not riding on a beaten path.  I’ll be more careful passing in the future.

 

LESSON #5: Race with a Camel Back.  It will hold tire repair stuff so I don’t need to be so creative in finding a way to securely mount it on my bike.  More importantly, I’ll have convenient access to water at any time I want it.  You can’t drink out of a water bottle while descending because you need two hands on the handlebar.  On steep ascents, the same is true.  XTERRA World Champion Lesley Paterson uses one and so do a number of other XTERRA Pros, so it isn’t a novel idea.  It will be a little warmer with a pack, but if I always train with it, I'll get used to it.

Next for me is XTERRA Snow Valley, CA on July 27^th, then another trip to Tahoe in August to right some wrongs!

Lake Tahoe in the evening