Xterra West Championships - Temecula, CA
It's important to note that I am writing this race report a week after the actual race, therefore enabling me to paint a much more rosy picture than the wretched desert landscape that actually was the Xterra West Championship.
Moving forward.
My warm-up consisted of the bike ride over there from our campsite. It was just a 10 minute ride, but schlepping a heavy backpack warmed me up plenty. The blazing sun helped a little too, even if it was only 7am. Initially I had planned on doing a short swim before the start, but the excessive line at the Port O Potty thwarted that plan.
The water was perfect for the non-wetsuit swim, and I dove into the fray ready for a battle. I hesitated quite a bit at the start and that cost me a lot. I spent the rest of the swim weaving my way through the masses. My sighting was good, but I didn't push the swim hard enough at all. I got punched in the head at one point and realized I totally love the aquatic battle of a semi-mass start.
My transitions are still a bit spotty, I'm trying to figure out the best way for me to get my stuff together quickly. I got out decently quick though and got my head ready to deal with the challenges the bike course would bring.
The highlight of the bike was the descent that scared the crap out of me on Friday. I walked through a few sections during the practice run and told myself I would hop off in the race rather than risking it. In a race, everything changes though, and that part of the course found me barrelling downhill after two guys ahead of me. I totally forgot about the treacherous section and followed the guys without thinking. I was going off the top of the rock when I realized what was happening. While in mid-air I thought, "I have no choice but to land this perfectly, because my helmet won't do anything if I don't." I did land it and continued on behind them, going through another hairy section without a problem. Then, I bit it. I don't know what happened, but it wasn't bad. I landed and slid into some prickly plants but the whole fall and remount took less than 5 seconds. That would be the first of many falls.
Shortly thereafter I missed the bottle at the aid station and figured there would be another so didn't go back. There wasn't another aid station until 2/3 of the way through the second loop. I only had 1 bottle, but I found the second lap much easier than the first. When I replaced my empty bottle with a Gatorade at the 2nd aid station it stayed with me for about a mile before it bounced out of the cage. I fell a few more times, got stung by a bee, weaved a nice blanket of obscenities, and made my way to T2. I had survived, and it was actually fun.
After feeling so good running on Saturday I was pumped for the run and felt like I would really be able to lay it down. Then, I hit the first hill. Scheisse. I tried to run, then walked. And walked, and walked. Even on the flatter sections I couldn't go. My lack of hydration and fueling had caught up to me. I stopped at the aid station and downed 3 cups of Gatorade, 1 cup of water, and dumped 2 cups over me. Then I kept walking. I convinced myself I would call it quits at the end of the first lap and DNF. I was getting passed left and right and felt like I was doing irreversible damage to my body. Then, at the end of the loop a man slapped an elastic on my wrist and said 1.5 miles to go. Well shoot, anyone can run 1.5 miles. So I kept going, got more Gatorade and water in me and it started to take effect. I was able to run more of the second loop than I had of the first and actually finish the race.
I made a beeline for the lake immediately after crossing. Jordan met me at the line and walked with me to the lake. He had finished in 13th place and had managed to hold 6:59 pace on the run. Nasty. While standing in Vail Lake I swore off Xterras and triathlons forever. That was it. I was done.Will I be there next year? Heck yes, with much improved mountain biking skills and a Camelbak. Watch out.
Moving forward.
My warm-up consisted of the bike ride over there from our campsite. It was just a 10 minute ride, but schlepping a heavy backpack warmed me up plenty. The blazing sun helped a little too, even if it was only 7am. Initially I had planned on doing a short swim before the start, but the excessive line at the Port O Potty thwarted that plan.
The water was perfect for the non-wetsuit swim, and I dove into the fray ready for a battle. I hesitated quite a bit at the start and that cost me a lot. I spent the rest of the swim weaving my way through the masses. My sighting was good, but I didn't push the swim hard enough at all. I got punched in the head at one point and realized I totally love the aquatic battle of a semi-mass start.
My transitions are still a bit spotty, I'm trying to figure out the best way for me to get my stuff together quickly. I got out decently quick though and got my head ready to deal with the challenges the bike course would bring.
The highlight of the bike was the descent that scared the crap out of me on Friday. I walked through a few sections during the practice run and told myself I would hop off in the race rather than risking it. In a race, everything changes though, and that part of the course found me barrelling downhill after two guys ahead of me. I totally forgot about the treacherous section and followed the guys without thinking. I was going off the top of the rock when I realized what was happening. While in mid-air I thought, "I have no choice but to land this perfectly, because my helmet won't do anything if I don't." I did land it and continued on behind them, going through another hairy section without a problem. Then, I bit it. I don't know what happened, but it wasn't bad. I landed and slid into some prickly plants but the whole fall and remount took less than 5 seconds. That would be the first of many falls.
Shortly thereafter I missed the bottle at the aid station and figured there would be another so didn't go back. There wasn't another aid station until 2/3 of the way through the second loop. I only had 1 bottle, but I found the second lap much easier than the first. When I replaced my empty bottle with a Gatorade at the 2nd aid station it stayed with me for about a mile before it bounced out of the cage. I fell a few more times, got stung by a bee, weaved a nice blanket of obscenities, and made my way to T2. I had survived, and it was actually fun.
After feeling so good running on Saturday I was pumped for the run and felt like I would really be able to lay it down. Then, I hit the first hill. Scheisse. I tried to run, then walked. And walked, and walked. Even on the flatter sections I couldn't go. My lack of hydration and fueling had caught up to me. I stopped at the aid station and downed 3 cups of Gatorade, 1 cup of water, and dumped 2 cups over me. Then I kept walking. I convinced myself I would call it quits at the end of the first lap and DNF. I was getting passed left and right and felt like I was doing irreversible damage to my body. Then, at the end of the loop a man slapped an elastic on my wrist and said 1.5 miles to go. Well shoot, anyone can run 1.5 miles. So I kept going, got more Gatorade and water in me and it started to take effect. I was able to run more of the second loop than I had of the first and actually finish the race.
I made a beeline for the lake immediately after crossing. Jordan met me at the line and walked with me to the lake. He had finished in 13th place and had managed to hold 6:59 pace on the run. Nasty. While standing in Vail Lake I swore off Xterras and triathlons forever. That was it. I was done.Will I be there next year? Heck yes, with much improved mountain biking skills and a Camelbak. Watch out.
posted by Amy at
11:05 PM
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