XTERRA WILD RIDE

I'm back!!! After Beaver Creek I took a much needed rest.  After 2 weeks of recovery and 2 weeks of endurance work, I was getting anxious to race again.  Xterra Wild Ride is one of my favorite venues, and I have used it in the past as a test before my final push to Nationals in September.  I was fortunate to have the opportunity to spend the weekend with my good friends Chad & Karen Self along with their little guy Carter.  They got married in McCall and did this race on their wedding day, so it was fun to be part of their anniversary celebration.

Reflective Pre-Race Smokey B&W Sunset Pose

Having only completed one day of threshold work leading up to the race (the race being my other threshold workout of the week), I wasn't exactly sure what to expect.  I knew I had developed good endurance from the previous two weeks, and as mentioned before I was very anxious to go fast.  The course was changed last year, which I had not seen since I was racing in Germany.  So, I pre-rode it with Karen Saturday morning. It is a 2 lap course, so we did one lap, and loved it.  It all takes place within Ponderosa State Park and is a gorgeous venue.  Fast and technical with roots, rocks, short steep climbs, and some fun downhill sections.  I'm not usually good on technical courses, but I really enjoyed this one.

Representing Pivot Cycles for our pre-ride

 

A little taste of the sweet riding in Ponderosa State Park

 

This was a rare moment when the kids were not running around/biking/playing dinosaurs

RACE:

Swim:
I got in a decent warm up, and knew the swim would be fast since it's shorter than traditional Olympic Distance.  I had a good start, but again, felt a little sluggish (similar to Beaver Creek).  I backed off a little, and near the end started to ramp it back up.  I came out in about 7th I think, but over a minute down on Guy Crawford.  I hurried out of transition in pursuit of everyone in front of me.


Bike:
I passed everyone except Tobin and Crawford within the first couple miles.  I pushed as hard as I could on the first lap to create distance so nobody chasing could see me on the longer straight away sections.  I went a little slower on the second lap, but never saw anyone except for 2 lapped riders.  As mentioned before, I didn't have a lot of threshold work under the belt, but felt surprisingly good. The Mach 429SL was beyond awesome on this course.  I had no trouble navigating the roots/rocks and the short steep climbs/descents.  2nd overall (individual)/1st age group.

Run:
Again, I didn't see anyone directly behind, but as I was running along the pavement section I saw a couple people getting close to transition on the bike.  I picked up my pace to again stay out of sight on the long fire road climb.  I started to feel a bit fatigued on the stair sections on the back half of the course, and just tried to keep a consistent pace to keep from blowing up.  I don't know where I finished in the run, but as always, I can improve in this area.  The Salomon S-Lab Sense Ultras were awesome as usual.  Haven't found a weakness in this shoe yet.

Final Result:
I finished 2nd overall and 1st in my age group.  I was shooting for the overall podium coming into this race, and was happy to succeed in that goal.  I won my first cash prize ever in this sport.  I guess you can say I'm kind of a big deal now.

Overall Podium

AFTER MY RACE:
Scarlett competed in her first official triathlon.  No awards were given for the short course, but she was very proud of herself (as was I).  Carter attempted, with the assistance of his parents, but was forced to abandon.  Here's a few photos of her event:

Number Marking

Me (with crazy hair) giving Scarlett a crash course in open water swimming.

After the first lap of the bike.



Finishing the run with intensity

UPCOMING EVENTS: 

Up next is Nationals.  I've always faded at this point in my season, and this was actually a main motivator for hiring a coach this year.  I have mentioned it in every post, but Josiah has really been awesome in keeping me primed for every event, getting rest when I need it and planning far enough out that my body does what it needs to race day.  Anyone looking to improve needs to contact him or his brother Yaro.

 

After Nationals I'll be heading to Maui with Scarlett and my brother to race at Xterra Worlds.  This race has also been a nemesis throughout the years.  I'm looking forward to redemption, and then finally a break in the off season.

 

 

SPONSOR SHOUT OUTS:

I could not perform at my races without the products and support of my sponsors.  I have been fortunate enough to have a flawless season (knock on wood). in regards to equipment integrity, proper nutrition, and moral support.  Thanks!