Xterra Sport Triathlon

I don't think I slept at all. If I did, it wasn't for long and it wasn't very well. After 5 months of training, the day of my first triathlon had arrived. Over the past year I put a lot of effort breaking bad habits and getting myself back into shape. I was sick of being tired and feeling like crap. More importantly I wanted something to break me out of the constant grind of the day to day. Routine can be soul sucking.



Hopped out of bed at six to grab a pre-race meal. I had spent the last two months working with my nutritionist Christine getting my diet just right. This morning I planned a breakfast of brown rice, fruit, and some hemp milk. Perfect to fuel me for the whole race. However, I was surprised when I opened the hotel fridge to find all my food was FROZEN!I was actually pretty proud of myself for not completely flipping out at this point, but with a short soak in hot water from the sink everything was defrosted and ready to go. Not the most delicious breakfast I could have asked for, but it would work.



The race was taking place at the Holiday Valley Ski Resort, so I stayed at the resort hotel which made it easy to get to registration early. Grabbed my number and quickly went to get my changing spots in the transition areas. A heavy fog had settled in after a cool night which created a dramatic mood for the morning. I also knew it meant it was going to get hot. The nerves were in overdrive at this point, I had made a checklist, but I was still worried about forgetting something.



Time was flying by now. I planned on drinking some sports drink forty minutes out from the start to get some last minutes calories in, but before I knew it I had thirty minutes till the start and I still had to do my warm up. So I started off to do a quick run and then a quick spin on the bike. Just enough to break a good sweat. I was hoping to do a quick swim to get the arms warmed up, but I ran out of time. I had just enough time to pull the wetsuit on get to the pre-race announcements and then get in the water. I was already making mental notes to plan my pre-race out better for next time.



The race director asked "How many are doing their first Xterra?" Lots of hands up. "How many doing their first triathlon?" Only a few hands still up, including mine. A voice in the crowd announced "Ooooo, gutsy." Wait, what?! But before I had time to worry about it I heard, "Racers ready? GO!"



The swim was 750 meters (about a half mile), not being much of a swimmer my only concern was to get into a good rhythm, and not be the last one out of the water. I managed to find a small hole in the crowed, so I didn't get hit or kicked...too much. I was glad I had decided to do a practice open water swim a couple weeks before. There is something unnerving about looking at a dark abyss below you instead of a nice line at the bottom of a pool. The biggest challenge was navigating through traffic, and the last 200m when my arms really got tired. I could see the shore though, and with lots of people behind me I was feeling good.



With all the blood in my arms after the swim, it was very disorienting to suddenly ask my legs to run to my bike, and my arms were so tired it made pealing off my wetsuit more difficult than in practice. Another note to self, practice taking off your wetsuit after doing 100 push ups. I got the bike gear on and pulled the bike off the rack and ran out of transition. I was able to pre-ride the bike course the week before so I knew what to expect and felt good about the next leg.







It took me a couple miles into the bike before my legs got into a rhythm. I was feeling a little fatigued earlier than I expected. The sun was out and it was HOT even at 9am. As hard as I tried to take in fluids I felt very full and couldn't get down as much as I would have liked. We've had a cool spring/summer up until this point and without much training in the heat I don't think my body was ready for it. A cramp in my side had developed during the swim and was showing no signs of going away as it normally did. I just kept reminding myself of all the hours I'd spent up till now, and that was enough motivation to keep pushing through. After climbing for what felt like forever I got to the downhill. The good part is it was downhill, the tricky part is that is was a very fast down hill. I hit 35 mph at one point and I could feel my bike start to float off the bumps. Loose control here an you were going to lose some skin (and at the end of the race there were a few people who left plenty). One of the things I love about off road is that you have to FOCUS ALL THE TIME! On the road you can day dream and take in the view, but if you do that mountain biking you're going to hit something hard, and it will hurt you. I have a wondering mind, so Xterra is a good fit for me. Keeps me engaged.

Going back into the hills for the second loop I started feeling really good. Still cramping but I had a second wind which help keep me motivated for the climb back out the mountain. I really pushed it in the second loop and soon I was headed back down the hill into transition two.

Transition two was quick, I managed to pull on my trail running shoes and drop my bike gear off in no time. Grabbed a last swig of water and was off. Just like the bike loop the run started right into the hills which were just constant and unending. There was only three miles left to go in the race, but after the first mile of the run I realized how hard the next two were going to be. The heat was unreal at this point. A breeze would have been great at this point, but sticky humid heat was all I got. My side cramp was really an issue now, and made it hard to take deep breaths. Everyone is always amazed at the idea of doing a triathlon and the mileage (even though this is "just" a sprint distance), but the actual miles are nothing compared to the mental challenge. More than once your body will tell you to walk, or stop, and "for god sake what are you doing this for!!". The experience of pushing through all that and showing yourself what you can do is what makes it satisfying and addicting.

I push through, hit the down hill, and emptied everything I had in the tank into the last quarter mile to the finish. Dad made the drive out and was there at the finish. It was great to hear him throughout the race. There were lots of people who had offered words of support leading up to the race, and that was a big reason that I kept my motivation through the last five months.

I was so exhausted by the finish I had no idea how I did, and I really didn't care. I was just happy with the solid finish. As the results started to get posted I took a look to discover not only had I finished 12 overall, but I actually came in first place in my age group! My first reaction was disbelief, but as it sunk in over the next few hours on the drive home it became very satisfying and sweet. Proof that my hard work paid off.



Definitely one of the best experiences I've had, and enough to get me hooked and wanting to do more...to do even better. Thanks again to every one who gave their support.

Here's some video of me in action...



More Pictures of the race...



Now to make plans for 2010!