XTERRA US Nationals race recap (for those interested)
Qualifying for the XTERRA US Nationals was a big surprise to me especially after racing my first off road tri less than four months prior. Here we go.....Al and I arrived in Denver the Tuesday before the race. Our plan was to borrow my parent's car and drive the 8+ hours to Ogden, Utah giving ourselves two days time in Utah before the race Saturday. This may or may not have been a mistake, more on that later. Our first full day in Denver was spend biking with Al Wade's friend from his BMX days Hans Kaufenberg. Hans took Al and I up into Deer Creek Canyon through some pretty technical trails and steep hill climbing including a section Hans called "the wall." I think the idea behind this first ride was that if we could manage to hang with Hans on this Ogden would be cake...(insert ominous music here and a bit of foreshadowing). I was panting like walrus in a steam room. This was the hardest bike rides I can recount. Moving on. . . .
Aside from the bad luck Al and I ran into surrounding our tires not holding pressure or my derailleur hanger breaking at 6 p.m. the night before we left (thank you Chad Ament and North Central Cyclery for saving me on this one) or the hole rubbed in the side wall of my tire on the way down to Ogden, the drive to Utah was mostly uneventful. I did see camels outside of Cheyenne, WY though, that was strange!
So we cruise into Odgen, replace my tire (thanks to the fellas at Bingham Cyclery) and settle in for a nice dinner with Meri Bennett and her hubby Devin. Next day, Al and I plan on pre riding a portion of the 18 mi course with Billie Jamison, Ian K. Linnabary (Amy Linnabary) and run into Brian Parker who rode earlier. Billie was our guide for the ride and took us along 5 miles of trail past the canyon but prior to the Sardine Peak climb. Our pre ride was leisurely and ironically looking at my Garmin data below not much slower than my race pace....d'oh! Overall pre ride went well. I snapped some stunning photos and was more impressed by the scenery than my fitness at that moment.
Race night eve: Lots of fun, nervous talk and good food at the XTERRA night of Champions where the regional champs were named including myself, Ian K. Linnabary, Mimi Stockton and Chris Scott and the XTERRA performer of the year was honored also Chris Scott.
Race day: We woke up to temps in the high 40s with water temps around 64 (wetsuit legal). The race was a point to point with the finish located at Snow Basin Resort above Ogden. Set up was drive to T1, set up bike and swim. Drive to T2 set up run and drive back to T1 to start the race. This race was actually 5 races all happening simultaneously. At 9 a.m. the pros entered the water, 30 seconds later the Championship race, then the XTERRA Utah long course (the same course as the Championship but for those who didn't qualify) then the XTERRA short course and relay.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/226967064
I will post my swim and run data in subsequent updates BUT I just want to say, I hated the swim, I had my very first panic....I'm not sure if it was the altitude (starting at 4,300') or the water temp but for a few fleeting moments I fantasized about swimming to the short and calling it a day. The swim was two 750 meter loops for a total of 1500 meters (just under a mile). From there we ran quite a bit to T1. Wet and freezing I stripped my wetsuit, placed my helmet on my head, stepped into my shoes and rode off attempting to get into my bike gloves while riding (never again).
The first two miles of the bike are relatively flat then you ride into the canyon (brrr) and start the long, slow climb to the top. Let's just say there is NO PLACE IN THE MIDWEST where you can climb for 2 hours straight. NO WHERE!!!!! So again, I blame the altitude. From the canyon exit (5 miles of climbing) I had a 1 mile downhill break before the MAJOR climbing of the day began. From mile 8.5 to 13.5 there was no where to go but up, and note the switchbacks in the elevation field. Also for shits and giggles notice my average speed over the bike course was just under 8 mph (are you freaking kidding me?) Oh point to note, my total distance doesn't reflect the course distance, I'm thinking I may have lost some satellite signal somewhere in the woods. From mile 13.34 to just over mile 16 I had a death grip winding down hill where I managed to log speeds around 21 mph but breaking at 3 mph....those must have been switch backs.
I rolled into T2 after a 2:14 hour sufferfest. How much worse could it get right? Ha! How about a trail run that begins with a 1 mile uphill quad explosion? Yeah that sounds good. So for those of you that have run with me or train with me I live for the run. That's where I make up all the ground I may have lost on the bike. I am almost embarrassed to post my run data so for the moment I think I'll just use descriptive words instead of pictures and graphs and numerical values that could dethrone me as the "running goddess" I like to think of myself as!
How about death march, trail of tears, zombie shuffle, 100 mile trot....you get the picture! As I left T2 and started my final leg in my masochistic journey I could hear the race announcer welcoming in Melanie McQuaid (who placed 4th) in the pro race for the gals.....arghhh I still had an hour of running ahead of me. I did meet a woman on the trail who thank gawd guilted me into sticking on her heels or my run might have been more of a walk. Susan (don't know her last name) asked me if I knew who Jaime Whitmore was. For those of you who don't know Jaime Whitmore is 2 x XTERRA world champion who overcame cancer and is finally on her bike again racing on the para olympic cycling team. Susan told me she heard Jaime speak once and her message was "You should never ever walk in a race you should run, you should run because I can't." Ughh....blow to the gut right there. So, I ran the rest of the race with Susan, never walking again!
I crossed the finish line at 3:54....not good enough to qualify for World Championships in Maui next month but good enough to place 10th in my A/G. A very wise man said "you placed middle of the pack amongst the best racers in the country."
Moral of this story is Utah is not a playground for flatlanders, it caters to the "Hill People." BUT, I'm not saying I'll never be back, I'm just saying I need time to forget!
