Mahalo, XTERRA Worlds

I'm exhausted, jet-lagged, and my stomach has no idea what time lunch is supposed to be, so I thought now was the perfect time to write my race report from the XTERRA World Championships.

For those that do not know, XTERRA Worlds takes place in Maui, HI, and racers from all over the world qualify through a few ways, including winning a regional championship (as I did) or winning a World Tour Race, which is how many non-US residents get in. It is a 1-mile swim, a 20-mile mountain bike ride, and a 7-mile trail run. 

Let's break that down a little further. It is a 1-mile swim in rough open ocean water with 4-8ft waves. It is a 20-mile mountain bike with over 3,5000ft of climbing. It is a 7-mile obstacle course trail run with another 1,200+ feet of climbing, descending, and a quarter-mile beach run to the finish in the ankle-deep sand. 

It is tough. It was tougher than I even imagined. It ate me for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and is apparently still digesting me because I am wiped out nearly a week later.

It was also a super amazing, fun experience, and I am so glad I had the privilege to go after qualifying! 

I could write pages and pages about our amazing trip surrounding the race, but I'll try to curb the humble-bragging and stick to just the event itself. XTERRA does a fantastic job for their athletes. Race fees are about half the cost of an Ironman, and include TWO full dinners at the Ritz, a Halloween party, race number tattoos, an awesome t-shirt, and great sponsor swag. It also includes a company that truly cares for their athletes at every level, offers fair pay-outs to their pros, keeps the family vibe strong, and knows how to create an amazing atmosphere to foster everyone's goals, no matter what they are.

There were 26 women in my age group, and they were truly from all over the world! When I looked at the start list, I was pretty sure I was in trouble. Chile, Brazil, Austria, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and so on.....those are some pretty mountainous countries! Austin? In Austin, we have FANTASTIC single-track with super challenging technical riding and some hills, but not climbing in the true sense of the word. The pure default of where I train put me at a disadvantage, but I was ready to see how it went, and my goal was to just not be last!

This would also be the last time my name was that high up the list. 😐

On the Friday before the race, they held a pro panel for swim tips and I attended with my friends Lauren and Sara, as all of us were pretty nervous for this kind of ocean swim. When we walked down to the water for practice, the swell was coming in and waves were head-high or higher, some booming into shore like fireworks. 

I was definitely not 100% sure about this situation 

 Our plane tickets and condos were non-refundable though, so we knew we had to just suck it up and get in the water. I'm a strong swimmer, so I was not concerned about drowning per say, just swallowing too much water and accidentally chumming for sharks. The water temperature was perfect, and I chose to swim in my swim skin rather than a wetsuit to reduce chafing and increase my ability to dive below the waves.

"Dangerous Shorebreak" is how I always like to start a swim!

After helping Sara calm her nerves about the waves and convincing her she was fine (She was FINE!), we did a bit of a Baywatch photoshoot in the waves. And by we, we mean Lauren, whose hair was somehow still perfect. (We love you even when we hate you for being so beautiful, Lauren! ;) ) I felt a lot better about the swim after practicing, and my time on my Garmin was reasonable. I worried about being in the mass start as we crashed through the waves but saved those worries for Sunday. 

Call us, Baywatch!

 We rinsed off and changed and hopped on our bikes to check and ensure everything was ready to go. I'm glad we did this because everything was NOT ready and I almost wrecked in the parking lot when I realized my stem was not tightened on to my fork. Whoopsie. We fixed that and did the first 2 miles of the course. Then, after feeling like we were dying just from that, we decided it wasn't worth the energy to keep going. The course itself had almost no technical features just a LOT of UP UP UP and then a little down, before more UP. We got the gist of it!

The point in time we decided we were good on the pre-ride and ready to go downhill.

Bike. Ocean. F$^& it, let's go!

The Saturday before the race, Bryce and I visited the National Park, exploring a volcano crater and hiking four miles round-trip to see some amazing waterfalls. We drove the "Road to Hana" on our way back, which took forever, but was essentially in Jurrasic Park the entire time, so it was a nice way to spend relaxing before race day.

Chasing waterfalls pre-race

 Then just like that, it was race morning. The start wasn't until 9am, so we got to sleep in until about 6:30. I got up, kitted up, and ate some breakfast. Parking was quick and easy. The harder part was the trek up to transition- a stark reminder that we would have to make that same "run" after the swim!

Racks were limited to 6 bikes each and assigned by age group. Our rack was in a super sweet location right near bike in/out and immediately behind the pro racks. It was really cool getting to watch them prep and pump up for the race as we set up our things.

Racked and ready. Flora Duffy and Leslie Patterson were RIGHT BEHIND US!

ATX Women ready to roll!

After going potty and double and triple-checking our things, we made our way to the beach for the start. The waves had calmed a little (nowhere near the insane level of the year before I was told) and the weather was perfect for a day at the beach! The waves kicked off with the pros at 9am and ended with the age group women at 9:20. The swim start is wide and you are able to pick wherever you want on the beach to start. I chose to line up just to the right of the first buoy and to the back of the pack so that I could time my entry between waves easily. 

Lining up at the swim start. Next time I'd see Jeanne, she'd be leaving me in her dust on the bike course!

The swim was two 750m out and back swims broken up by a short beach run in the middle, making an "M" shape. The first part of the M felt great and I seemed to be in and out pretty quickly. The second part I felt like I got caught in a weird part of the current and just felt like I wasn't. Getting. Anywhere. At. All. It was incredibly frustrating, but I finally broke out of it and made the final buoy turn back to shore where I again felt simply stuck for several minutes. However, I wasn't trashed by any waves and only swallowed one good mouthful of water. My time was a little bit slower than I wanted, but still not bad. I got out and walked to the top of the massive hill to my bike, talking to Bryce as I went, and got ready to ride. Swim :32:25

The bike course, again, had 3,500ft of climbing in 20 miles. It was insane, and my heart rate was all over the place the whole time. I rode as much of each climb as I could, but inevitably got off and walked my bike up the hills many times. I at first was being hard on myself about this, but then I saw that a LOT of people were doing this (including the 80-year-old man who I chatted with quite a bit!) and cut myself some slack. Some of those hills would have been hard to DRIVE up! It was really cool to see all the helicopters, dirt bikes, and drones with the TV equipment on it, capturing the day. They thankfully only caught me walking once!

The top of ONE of MANY long climbs. This one at least had a view!

 The views were spectacular when we were out of the jungle of trees and gave you a great perspective of just how much climbing we were doing from sea level. I took photos because I wanted them, and also wanted an excuse to stop and breathe.

Don't look down.

Hill. Other person walking their bike, both for scale and to show I wasn't the only one walking.

Lauren I knew was long gone, as she is an amazing swimmer and a great climber, and Jeanne passed me quite quickly on the first part of the bike. However, I knew Sara would be catching me at any minute, and was very proud to make it 14 miles into the bike before I heard her call my name from behind me (also walking her bike up a particularly stupid hill!)

I knew she was tired because where she normally passes me and I never see her again, I was right on her tail for the remainder of the ride. We talked about how much the bike course was killing us and how we were glad to be racing but also glad when it was over, and how the downhills definitely didn't make up for the climbing. Basically, all of the whining we wanted to make ourselves feel better, and it did! We rolled into T2 one right after the other and decided hell with it, let's do this run together to help it be as fun as possible. T1 + Bike 03:47:45

The run was an additional 7 miles with over 1,200ft of climbing and we knew from the map that the first three miles were a bulk of that. I hugged Bryce and told him I'd see him in like 2 hours because I knew already this wasn't going to be pretty.

We hiked up the hills, running the flats and downhills when they came and felt generally OK until about mile 5. At that point, my head really fell apart. I was dizzy, a little nauseous, and overall just felt like garbage. Sara spotted me some Skratch drops, which did help, and she drank a Red Bull, which smelled disgusting but perked her spirits up.

That tiny person up at the top of this obstacle course is Sara, encouraging me to not just lay down and die.

The run went from a hike to a total slog, and although I REALLY wanted to run the final downhills and along the beach, I literally could not balance well enough to do it. I felt awful and told Sara to go ahead and finish so she could hit her under 6hr goal. She told me to shut the hell up and keep walking. Eventually, finally, we passed through a could of pot smoke at the park to hit the beach (thanks, Maui! :/ ) and could hear the finish line in the distance. T2 + Run 02:03:19

How much gas I had left in the tank when we finished.

We ran through the finish chute, holding hands because we're adorable, and received our medals, leis, and snacks. I almost puked on the cameraman as he put a microphone in my face to talk to us. It was beautiful. I was 25th out of 26, which was a bummer, but I had stopped caring about halfway through the bike! Total 6:23:29

Bryce was there through the whole race and helped me keep it together afterward to get my stuff. He is the best supporter and fan I could ask for, and I'm so glad I had him with me and will have him with me, beginning to end, every time. He can't really complain too much, either, since his sherpa duties included hanging out on Hawaiian beaches, going to the cabana bar, and wandering around the Ritz. He definitely likes cheering for XTERRAs the best!

 Jenny Burden #132  Swim :32:25  T1 + Bike 03:47:45  T2 + Run 02:03:19  Total  6:23:29

<3 him, and my pretty Lei!

I have to make a specific point to talk about what this sport means for friendship, sportsmanship, and building one's chosen family because, for all of the sucky suckiness of that race, the impact of it will be with me forever because of this.

Sara and I are competitors who have become friends, simply from the excitement of having another woman to train with for these things. I met her at an XC race this spring when I saw her in her XTERRA jersey and knew immediately she was "that other girl in my age group." She spanked me handily at that race and yet we made plans to ride together ASAP to get ready for tri season.

We raced 5 races together this season out of the 6 total I did, and I only beat her once due to her dropping out thanks to asthma. She is faster than me at everything but swimming, and we are both super overly-competitive Type-A people. By most standards, we should be frenemies at best, and we joke about it all the time.

However, we aren't frenemies, we are friends, above all, even at the World freakin' Championships. We had joked all season about just crossing finish lines hand-in-hand so neither of us would beat the other, and when she stood over me in T2 as I pulled off my soaking wet bike shoes, we decided we would go ahead and make that happen.

There were many, many times she could have dropped me on the run, and many times I insisted that she should because it was killing ME that we were missing our time goals, and I knew she was equally bummed.  But she didn't and she wouldn't leave me. Even when I sat down at the bottom of a massive hill to take a break. Even when I refused to run down a hill (that WOULD have been fun to run down if I hadn't felt like I was going to die), even when there was a big crowd cheering for us on the beach and she was yelling at me, "Come on, the sooner we're done the sooner we're DONE!"

She thought she was being annoying, but I was so grateful to have her there, even if her Red Bull smelled terrible. We grabbed hands in the finisher's chute and crossed the line together (I shoved her in front of me a bit so that her chip would scan first!), relieved our bucket list was checked and we had survived.

Making our dreams come true!

 She could have been a few spots higher had she left me, but it was more important to her to be with a friend and enjoy the moment with that XTERRA off-road spirit. I told her that if we got interviewed, I would just tell them, "Ohana means family, and family means no one is left behind."

I didn't get to say that at the end because I was trying too hard not to puke on the microphone, but I felt it and I meant it. It is so important to keep in perspective the fun in the sport, the friends you make, and the spirit of lifting each other along when things get really, really tough. Thanks for doing that, Sara, and thanks XTERRA for bringing us together!

Let's pick a race with fewer climbs next time. Maybe Thailand?

Literally TV stars

 It was the experience of a lifetime, and I'm so thankful for my family and friends who helped get me there and who pushed me through. Thank you to my teammates at Maverick Multisport for cheering me on all across the US, my Peddler Bike Shop fam for getting me hooked up with a bike case and a dialed-in rig, and American Airlines for not losing or breaking my bike.

Mahalo all! Now I'm going to snack-nap.

Our vacation continued the next days with snorkeling and a submarine ride!

Check out the sweet highlight film here:  https://vimeo.com/240538855

XTERRA Muleshoe Race Report

Hey, did you know racing two weekends in a row can make you pretty tired? I'm pretty tired. With last weekend's race still on my mind and my legs, I went into racing XTERRA Muleshoe this Saturday with mixed expectations. I knew the course fairly well from pre-riding it a few weeks earlier but had never raced there before. I was tired from racing a long race the weekend before but excited to hit more familiar turf.



The Swim

The swim was 800m out and back in Lake Travis with water temps at 80 degrees, so I donned my BlueSeventy swim skin and joined the other 100 racers in the water. It was a mass start, which I was excited about. That is, until we lined up. I got in the front and center, in line with the buoy. Unfortunately, four dudes who were SO SURE they were faster than me that they went so far as to go beyond the start line to get in front of me foiled my plan. That would have been fine, had they actually been good swimmers. They weren't. The guy who forced me to move back took maybe three strokes before switching to breast stroke and the gaggle of them blocked me from going around the first 100m or so. I seriously considered swimming underwater to get ahead, but eventually, the leader of that flock got off course and the rest followed, clearing the way for me to try to make up time.

I was able to get my rhythm and did do better than last weekend, but still not as fast as I had been going. I ended up at about a 1:49min/100yard pace. Going to have to go back to my strategy of starting on an edge to avoid over-confident fellow racers next time.

The Bike

It was thankfully not thunderstorms as it had been in Arkansas, but it did rain a LOT the night before the race. Although the trails absorb water well, the low areas were very, very muddy, changing my approach to the bike course a bit. By that I mean, I took it slow because my shin is STILL not fully healed from where I got stitches and urgent care visits are expensive.

The course has technical places and lots of short steep climbs but is overall pretty fast and flowy. I really wish it had been dry because Muleshoe is super fun to ride. My friend Sara passed me a mile or so into the first loop, so I was very surprised to see her at the top of a hill not long after that. I won't lie, I was hoping she had a flat tire or something so I'd have a miniscule chance of beating her (we are in the same age group) but when I got close, I could hear her gasping for air and knew she was having an asthma attack.

Say it with me, people: Respiratory distress is NOT to be messed with. If you pass someone on the trail, even in a race, who is having trouble breathing, you STOP, even if they are your competitor! She was struggling to get her inhaler with her gloves on thanks to the TINY pockets on tri tops, so I helped her find it and pull it out, and stayed with her until her breathing was back to normal and she was ready to go. She probably would have been fine on her own - she's a smart, grown adult who knows what to do - but it's never worth the risk. I'm not going to win at the expense of a friend needing a ride in the ambulance instead of on their bike.

After I saw her off (I let her go first- she'd pass me anyhow, no sense in getting her riled up again trying to catch me!  =D )  I kept at it, but could feel it in my legs that 6 days wasn't enough rest from my race last weekend. The trails were also pretty depely muddy in some corners, and since I knew we were the only two in our age group this time, I didn't have to push as hard, so I cruised and enjoyed the awesome trails at Muleshoe. I took a little TOO much time, considering my speed was only 7mph overall, but that included my trailside stop to help her out, as well as two stops to clear mud out of my derailluer. So, overall, it was fine, and I really enjoyed that portion of the race.

The Run

Did I enjoy the run, then? No, of course not. However, I actually didn't completely hate it, so that was good! it was nicely shaded and didn't have as much climbing as the weekend before (and it was only 3.5 miles instead of 6.5!) so it was better, although there were defintiely parts that were more hike uphill than run. The parts I DID run though, I felt pretty great, and was able to keep a good (for me) pace. The heat also didn't get to me as badly, which means I'm hopfully acclimating a bit more now that Summer is, unavoidably, here. I was far from fast, but I didn't have so many thoughts about quitting this time, so hey, progress!

Results & Reflections

Women's 30-34

I ended up 2nd (out of two!) and probably about mid-pack in the overall female standing. Results haven't been posted online yet, but that's OK. This is definitely a race I'd like to come do again next year on fresher legs to see how I can improve- the course is a perfect mix of fast and challenging, and a lot more forgiving than ATX, at least on the bike. My back didn't hurt like it did the weekend before, likely becuase the distance was shorter, and my stomach stayed settled and ready. I got a new backpack that hugs my back better and doesn't bounce around as much, as it is designed for running, and that's been great for the last two races. Now, instead of a bottle for the run, I just keep the pack on and keep drinking.

I'm glad I did both of the races I've done in the last two weeks, but also VERY glad I've got a break until mid-July before the next one! I'm going to hit the trails to work on keepimg my speed in corners and up my confidence, and try to hit Magnolia Hill hard- with no excuses! It's a fast course I've done before, and this year I'll be on a much better bike, so I'm looking forward to seeing what happens.

As always, Joel and Dion with Race Revolutions did an amazing job. If you didn't know, XTERRA points races are all run by individual, local race production companies who then report their results to XTERRA. It's awesome for so many reasons- atmosphere, personal attention, cost effective, and knowing your race dollars are going to people you know here at home while you still race world-class venues and earn points for the championship. Love it and looking forward to next time!

1st and 2nd W30-34, and Tasha 2nd OA in the Duathlon.

XTERRA Gator Terra Race Report

An Important Aside:

When my husband wasn't dodging lightening bolts, hopping mud puddles, or searching for me among a couple hundred other mud-spattered, bedraggled racers, he was participating in his own sport of people-watching while I raced XTERRA Gator Terra. While he waited for me to come in from the run course, he overheard two other athletes talking and said one gave the other the best analogy for the different between off-road and road triathlon he's heard yet.

Athlete 1 to Athlete 2, who had apparently never raced a road tri before: "It's like private vs. public school."

Athlete 2: "What do you mean?"

Athlete 1: "Road tris are about the newest, fanciest, most technical, most expensive ways to be faster. They are taken extremely seriously, even by age groupers who aren't even that good. You go to a cross tri and look, you can bring a cheap bike and set your gear up wherever you want and no one cares or judges!"

It's not spot-on, but it's true in a lot of ways. This weekend was my first time racing an XTERRA that wasn't produced by my hometown company and among my local crowd, and yet, it carried the same air of relaxed, fun-loving, everyone-is-welcome attitude that I've always noticed in cross-triathlon, but is sometimes sorely lacking in Ironman settings.

Novice to expert, $6,000 S-Works carbon rig to $400 LBS Special, everyone was there to race, but more importantly, everyone was there to play and have fun. The peacocking, nerve-wracking tension felt at pavement races disappears when you put some mud on it, and I love it. (No hate intended to my road-only friends, but for real, off-road is more fun, you need to try it!)

Back to the Point:

XTERRA Gator Terra, also known at the USAT Cross-Triathlon National Championship, took place on June 4 in Arkadelphia, Arkansas and since it is the same distances as Worlds in Maui and featured similar elevation gains and weather, I decided to race as a benchmark for what I need to work on come October. There were a couple of surprises, but overall I did about as I expected I would considering the conditions. Iron Mountain proved formidable, but not overly exhausting, so even though Hot Springs was pretty disappointing (definitely not the National Park experience I was expecting!) and the dietary options in the area were abysmal (my pre-race meal was Cici's Pizza sooooo....), I'm glad I took advantage of the opportunity to race there! 

We camped at Iron Mountain Campground just down the road, which was a great campground with excellent showers (PIVITOL for reasons you shall see!) The race site was super easy to access right off a park road, with the swim site at one end of a spacious parking lot and the transition on the other side of the road near the trails. Parking was quick and seamless in the morning, so we walked into transition in plenty of time to set up, drink some Infinit, and get nervous.

This was apparently foreshadowing...

The Swim

The swim was a two-loop 750m course for a total of 1,500m. I wore my BlueSeventy swim skin since the water temp was 77 and it was hot enough without bringing neoprene into the mix. Women started in a mass water start after the men, and I began at the front left of the pack. IMy swim was just.....not awesome? I honestly have no idea what happened here, other than I must just not have been focused. I swam steady, never got off course, and rarely scuffled with other swimmers, and yet, had no speed or power. I think the two-loop set up threw me off, as I thought to take it easy on the first loop and go harder on the second. Well, when I sped up, I realized I was STILL not even close to tired, and knew before I even hit T1 that my time was going to be slow. Sure enough, it took 33 minutes, a 2:00/100yd pace. That is really bad for me, and I know without a doubt I can and will do better, but at least it was still enough that I was leading my AG by several minutes.

In my BlueSeventy swim skin

The Bike

Whoooo boy, this is where all my mixed emotions come in. I was not able to pre-ride the course because it was raining when we got to Arkansas the day before, but according to my friend, it was going to be non-technical with "rolling hills." Let me tell you, if anyone ever uses the phrase, "rolling hills," they're a damned liar, expect to have your heart broken. 

Now, it wasn't a miles-long climb like you'd have in Colorado, but there were some serious ascents that were made harder by the wet trail conditions and my apparent lack of climbing legs that day. That was the first ten miles. When I began working on mile 11 of 20, the sky opened and the bottom fell out. About 3/4" of rain fell in 45 minutes and the trail flooded. I had already been taking it a bit easy in unfamiliar territory with the knowledge that I needed to avoid injury since I race again next weekend. Well, my slower speed went from optional to mandatory. I kid you not, I hit a puddle deep enough that it completely submerged my 29er tires. (That was fun!) Water ran in rivers as I climbed each hill, and the lightening served to nervously balance the fact that I actually quite liked the rain because it was suddenly not so dang hot outside. Also, my sunglasses had come apart when I tried to wipe the lenses before I started, so I wasn't wearing them. You know what sunglasses are good for on a mountain bike? Keeping mud out of your eyes. I got a lot of mud in my eyes.

The bike course was 19.5ish miles, and I finished in 2:36, a 7.3mph average. Definitely not my fastest, but considering the conditions, I'm OK with it. It was a bummer I didn't get to hit that course when it was dry because it seemed super fun and flowy, but it's not too far away, so I'd be willing to ride again! I also experienced searing, debilitating back pain in my lower back after about the first hour of riding. There were several points I had to stop and get off to let my back relax. Since I've never been formally fitted to my mountain bike and have made various changes, I'm thinking fit, along with the added stress of the conditions, had to be the culprit, but I fully intend on solving that mystery BEFORE being miserable in paradise in Maui.

What it looks like riding a MTB with your eyes closed... :/

The Run

Have I mentioned before that I hate running? I do. I hate it. It boils down to the fact that I am an above-average swimmer (um, most of the time?) and love bikes in all forms, but am a terrible runner. I've had seasons where I slack on my run training (i.e: now) and had seasons where I worked my absolute butt off (last season) and the results are always, frustratingly, similar: I dominate out of the water, hold my own on the bike, and get passed on the run, watching my podium spot go down, down, down. 

When I hit the trail, my new XTERRA friend Lizze had passed me at mile 3 of the bike, so I was fairly certain I had 2nd place in sight. That is until I saw another girl in our AG (who I had beat by thirty freakin' minutes on the swim alone) plugging up the mountain of a hill on the run course I was slowly hiking. I died a little inside, I really did. I was trying SO hard. I had run all the downhills and flat portions, at a good pace, too, and was going as hard as I could on the hills, and it wasn't enough. Not to mention, this run course is literally uphill for like 2.5 of the 6.3 miles. That didn't help. 

When she passed me, I sat on a rock and caught my breath while I cussed a little. My pity party was short though, as you never know when you'll get lucky and someone else melts down, so I kept at it, finishing in 1:34, about 14:50min/miles. When I finished, I told Bryce I was going to take a break from tris after this season so I can stop HAVING to run, and therefore hopefully learn to like it again. Now that I've slept and had a snack, I don't know if I still mean that, but we'll see.

Pretty sure this was the only DOWNhill part... (only kind of exaggerating) 

The Results

I was covered, head to toe, eyeballs to nostrils, hair to shoes, in mud. Gritty, sticky, Arkansas mud. When I took my socks off, globs of mud fell out (Still no blisters, thanks, Swiftwick!) and you don't even want to know all the other places that produced mud when I took a blessed shower back at camp. Conditions were tough, to say the least, but it was still a freakin' blast to race, even when hating my life on the run course. I was frustrated that the bike strength I gained this season racing XC didn't shine through, but as a benchmark race, I think this was excellent preparation. I know what I need to work on, what equipment I need to improve, and what attitudes I need to adjust. 

Also, in fun news, I got 3rd place in my Age Group, and YES, there were more than 3 who raced! That qualifies me to compete for Team USA in Denmark at Cross-Tri Worlds next year. I don't think I can make the trip, but still pretty cool. My shiny bronze medal was hard-earned! 

Although I know I need to put in some serious work to improve before Maui, I'm really looking forward to it. I've got what it takes to go into it with what Bryce calls my "Let's win this," mind, rather than my "Let's survive this," mind, and although I know I won't win, I think I can compete and keep 'em chasing me!

Looking forward to hitting the home turf at XTERRA Muleshoe this weekend, hopefully with a little self-redemption on my mind!

Humble Pie with a Side of Fun: XTERRA ATX 2017

My second season racing XTERRA officially kicked off with XTERRA ATX, which takes place at Pace Bend Park near Austin. This was my second year racing this race, and this year was vastly different in many ways!

First, I'll get my "excuses" out of the way.

1. Racing with a broken knuckle is hard, but still possible. I found out that two weeks ago when I wrecked pre-riding this course for a TMBRA race, I broke the knuckle in my pinky finger of my right hand. The doctor I finally saw said taping my fingers was all I could do, which was great news, because ain't nobody got time for a cast. This didn't significantly effect my race other than my grip isn't at full strength, I just really wanted an excuse to share my x-ray. :)

Whoops!

2. My back tire took on quite a hole when I was riding the Monday before the race- big enough the sealant couldn't stop it. I got a new tire and new sealant at my LBS on Wednesday (and a great tutorial for what to do on the trail if it happens again so I'm not stuck walking!) and was dismayed to find that on Friday, the sealant was still not holding and my tire was consistently losing air. I didn't want to risk a flat, so I had to pop open my tire and throw in a tube (I left the sealant in too, because what the heck.) This was NOT ideal for Pace Bend, especially on a wet, slick morning, because instead of running my tires at  22psi, I was forced to run them closer to 32 to avoid a pinch flat. Pace Bend is very rocky, very technical, and very slick in places. This absolutely slowed my riding down, which was frustrating, but I didn't wreck and I didn't flat, so it was what it was!

XTERRA recently changed their points system, so that rather than a best 5 of 7 points (or whatever it was), now Regional Champions are determined by whoever has the most points in each age group. Basically, the more you race, the better your chance of winning. There are pros and cons to the system, but one pro for local race directors like Joel and Dion at Race Revolutions is it makes their local series MUCH more popular! Where the fields were merely 100, with maybe 10-15 women last season, this race was very nearly sold out, and there were 40 women total!

This meant there were a LOT of rookies (welcome, everyone!) who caused some traffic jam situations on the trail. While frustrating in the moment (I said, move that Huffy outta my way, fool!) it ultimately meant the sport was gaining more exposure and a bigger family, which is good! It also meant that rather than each woman essentially being the only person in our age group, several age groups were 5-7 deep, making the competition real! My AG, 30-34, was one that had more than 3, meaning several weren't getting a podium spot. (This may seem silly to the men who race against dozens of their peers at every race, but as we work to grow the sport among women, know that it was a big deal!)

I was apprehensive about this the whole week prior to the race. I had raced against one of the women in my AG two weeks prior at the TMBRA Pace Bend race and found out that she was definitely as fast or faster (faster, indeed, as she won our Cat 3 race a few minutes ahead of me!) and knew, therefore, I'd have to race as hard as possible the entire race to have a chance. This changed my race dynamic, kicked up my sense of competition, and added a whole new, fun element to the season.

The Swim

The swim went off in two waves, men and relays first, women second. I was not enthusiastic about this as the swim is my strongest sport, and I knew it meant over taking the slower men and also tangling with them on the first lap of the bike course. However, safety first, and it did make our swim start super easy. I was able to jump in on the lead pack right away and will say I felt my swim was executed pretty flawlessly. I stayed on course, kept a steady, fast pace, and swam well, finishing with a 1:40/100 yard pace, which is great for open water. (I think I can push a little harder, and will try at Muleshoe) When I left the water, a volunteer said I was the fifth woman out overall, which was fun to hear!

Do you see me?

The Bike 

Aforementioned tire problems aside, I love Pace Bend's trails. They are challenging, technical, but 95% within my skill set. There is one major climb that I walk, and one drop I walk because it just screams broken arm at me. Otherwise, I'm able to crush everything out there. During the race, after untangling myself from the men in the back of their pack (who were, generally, good about moving aside, but the newbies who got scared at obstacles and stopped right in the middle did muck things up. They'll learn, though!) I pushed hard but could tell my speed was diminished by how much my rear end was bouncing around. This also seriously wore down on my lower back. I would have committed a felony for a full suspension bike, or at least a full tubeless set up, by the time I got done with the 14.5 mile course. My competition, Sarah, caught me at mile 5, and passed me. I told her I'd see her at the finish line and she laughed and challenged me to keep chasing! I thought that put me in second, and kept riding hard because you truly never know. I knew there was another rider in our AG not far behind me from Fort Worth. She was having some difficulty with the terrain since North Texas has nothing like it, so I tried to put as much distance between us as I could.

Despite being slower than I wanted, I was still MUCH faster (over 2mph faster) on this course this year than last year, and hit transition feeling so much better than last time. That made it a good experience, despite my back being mad at me.

Rounding the corner for lap two.

The Run

I hit the run with my friend yelling after me, "NO walking!" and that was my goal. I ran my first mile at a 9:40 pace, good for me on off-road, and made it to the one giant hill on the course and my heart rate had enough. I had to walk the hill. The other girl in my AG I knew was behind me on the bike passed me at about 1.25 miles, and when I say passed, I mean flew. She had to be running 7:30 min/miles. There was no way I'd catch her- I can't run that fast ever, and certainly not when I'm whipped! That, I thought, put me in third, so I kept pushing as hard as I could, ending the 3.5 mile course at about an 11 min/mile pace, which was faster than the year before, and thanks to the strangely cold weather, I didn't come close to vomiting, so I marked it as a victory.

After-thoughts 

When I got to the finish line to congratulate Sarah on her 1st place and tell her I got 3rd, she told me she actually got 2nd. A woman from Arkansas somehow passed us all on the bike and we just never saw her (she must have dodged the body marking, because I was for sure checking every calf that passed me!). This was a major bummer, because I knew it meant I got 4th, and no podium. I originally thought it was 4th out of 4, which was a real blow to my pride, but have since seen it was 4th out of 7, which makes me feel a bit better.

The experience was definitely humbling. I had grown accustomed to knowing that I'd get a medal no matter my performance, because of sheer numbers, and with that, had developed perhaps a false level of confidence in my skill level. When your only benchmark is yourself, it's hard to see what's really going on! Therefore, even though it was a bummer to miss the spot, it was the kind of motivation I needed to train and race hard every time, not just when I feel like it. I think in the end, it will prepare me better for the season, especially for Worlds.

Also, I raced as hard as I possibly could, and saw significant improvement in my time from the year before - by over 20 minutes on the bike portion alone! When you give it all you had, you can't be mad, no matter where you end up, and that keeps the fun in the competition. I want my shiny medal, my points, and the cool champion jersey again, but no matter what, it was FUN to race, and that's what I really do this for. I am ELATED that more women are racing XTERRA, and hope they keep coming back!

If you need me, I'll be eating my delicious Humble Pie trail-side, as I work to get better, stronger, faster, and have more fun in the dirt! Hopefully it gets me where I want at the next one; we'll just have to toe the line and find out!

Stick to the Rivers and the Lakes that I'm Used to: Ironman Texas 70.3 Race Report

For my one and only road race of the 2017 season, I chose Ironman Texas 70.3, which takes place in Galveston. I signed up specifically because the swim was a saltwater swim, which I have never done before. However, considering how much it's going to cost to make the trip to Maui for XTERRA Worlds, I figured that shouldn't be my first splash in the ocean.

The race is touted as fast and flat, and Galveston, while absolutely NOT the best beach in Texas, is still a fun place to travel. I need to state here that I did not train in a focused way for this event, at least not like I should have. I swim with Masters class twice a week, which definitely adequately prepared me for the swim. Last month I began biking to and from work (a 46 mile round trip) once a week and got in a few long weekend rides, but have primarily spent my time since October on my mountain bike. Running? Well, I hate running, so I slacked. The longest run I did was 8 miles and that was  month ago. I'll be honest- I've been having so much fun racing mountain bikes that I kind of forgot this race was even coming up. That said, I'm pretty happy with how things went! I am also especially grateful for the break we caught in the weather! Most of Texas was covered in severe thunderstorms all day, but not a drop fell on the island!

We woke up race morning at 5:30 (stayed at the Days Inn on the beach, less than 5 minutes away. Book your hotel EARLY and you can get a room for under $100!) and I was in transition setting up by 6:15. It sucked that we had to be ready by 6:45 since my wave didn't start until 7:48, but only from a sleeping in standpoint, and it makes sense that they have to close it at a uniform time.

The Swim

This was my first saltwater race ever, and I was standing on the pier with mixed feelings. I looked forward to beating my previous PR of 42 minutes as I have significantly improved my swim skills over the past year. However, I hate, hate, hate getting saltwater in my mouth. I was very worried that I'd get a mouthful and just quit.

The race has each age group hop off a (low) pier and start in the water. I placed myself at the front right part of the pack so I could swim on the outside out of the fracas but not have to swim past a lot of slower swimmers. Between the saltwater and my wetsuit I didn't even have to paddle, just sat there bobbing until the horn sounded.

The swim was relatively uneventful, and I was able to keep a decent rhythm. When waves rolled through or another swimmer got too close, I breathed to one side and more often, concentrating on blowing air out every time my face was in the water. I got one small swallow of water and although my stomach immediately turned, I was able to stay calm, spit, and keep going. I wanted to finish in under 40 minutes and hummed in at 39:40! I had a couple of brief moments of being swept off course by the current and had to navigate around a few people, so overall, I was happy with the time. 

        Lessons learned: 

                          Saltwater will immediately chafe your underarms and neck on your wetsuit. The back of my neck is super raw and my biceps required a LOT of lube once I was out of the water. I'll be applying extra layers of waterproof product next time.

                            I read a trick about using cinnamon gum after you exit the water to cleanse the taste in your mouth. This worked like a charm and immediately settled my stomach.

                                  

                          Grab a jug of fresh water or bring your own. Take an immediate bath in it and get that salt out of your hair and off your face immediately. I was not sorry I did this and it was worth the extra minute of time in transition for my comfort.

 The Bike.

The bike. Oh man, the bike course. The weather predictions had thankfully proved almost entirely un-true, except for the predicted winds. There were steady 25-30 mile per hour winds off the coastline the entire course, no letup whatsoever. These winds were all crosswinds, with the occasional slight headwind thrown in for effect. No tailwind, unfortunately. The bike is a straight out and back along the coast, so it's pretty boring, but also would have been pretty on a nicer day. The wind is such that your back hurts from leaning one direction to fight it on the way out, and leaning the other on the way back, and you can't stop peddling at all because if you do, you stop.

Despite that, I rolled along between 18-21mph the entire time. Given my slacking on my road bike, I was glad to see that the cadence I settled in was productive and I steadily passed riders the entire ride. If you're looking for a bike course you can hammer and see what you can do, this is a great one, just be prepared not to be able to hear anything over the wind!

I rode to my second fastest bike split, with a negative split for the second half, at 2:59. 

Lessons learned:

              Salty air makes you thirstier. I usually have to remind myself to drink on the bike, and found that I'd already downed 2 hours worth of Infinit in the first hour and a half. I supplemented with some water from an aid station and was able to make my third hour bottle last just long enough with no problems.

              Being in aero the entire time makes drinking difficult and creates some GI issues since you're hunched over drinking from a straw. Before you panic, sit up a minute and see if you burp. That'll solve the problem pretty quick!

The Run:

Where I had solid goals for the swim and bike (To PR and to maintain), for the run, it was immediately all about survival and to not have what I consider an embarrassing time. At Kerville, my last 70.3, the wheels completely came off on a hilly hot course and my time was nearly 3.5 hours for a half marathon. I knew I was capable of better than that, but this course was hot, humid, and hot some more. Thankfully, the hills were all short, but you did 3 loops, so they repeated.

I decided as soon as I started that I'd run the first mile, then run half a mile and walk a quarter of a mile. That was the rhythm I found that kept my stomach settled, heart rate reasonable, and spirits above rock bottom. I know that I am not the strongest runner, and know also that the run is my absolute least favorite. I enjoy short runs on cold days, and that's about it. Truly, aqua-bike is the sport I should be in, but if I was good (to my personal standards) at all of it, it wouldn't be a challenge. Most of my problems on the run deal with attitude and strength, so I vowed to stay positive, and keep to the goal I set, which was under 3 hours.

The course is 3 loops, and has a ton of out-and-back arms through the Moody Gardens grounds. It is very spectator friendly, which was awesome. I had Bryce meet me along the course in several places, even walking one of my .25 segments with me to pep me up. I was exhausted enough twice that it was worth it to me to actually stop and talk to him for a minute and fully cool off. That morale boost was worth the lost time (although he is just as competitive as I aim and practically kicked me back on the course so I'd stop dilly-dallying.)

Although it was tough, I was feeling rough, and my gut wasn't sure if I was hungry, nauseous, or both (it was both), I made it in 2:58:47. 

Lessons Learned:

                    Good socks, good socks, and lube on your feet! I took the time to put body glide on my feet before fresh socks and although my feet were soaked from sweat, water, and ice, I got no blisters.

                     Carry body glide with you! In hot, salty, sandy conditions, this was a saving grace to make my biceps feel better so I didn't have to do the funky chicken dance my entire run/death march.

                      Take the ice and cold water at every stop! It was miraculous how much energy zapped back in to me when I was able to add ice to my Infinit, cold water to my face, and along my back. It's absolutely the only way I kept up my running segments the whole time.

 After adding in transition times, my final time was 6:50:27. That was fully 16 minutes faster than my previous PR. I originally thought it was a 12 minute PR, which was already exciting, so this is even better!

I went in to the race with few expectations, because although it is my one long-distance race this year, it's not my A race. It was fun to simply see what the improvements and growth I've experienced as an athlete translated to. It shows my potential for getting even better, should I decide to focus again on road racing, or at least specifically train for a race I sign up for. :)

While I'd certainly prefer to stick to rivers and lakes for competitive swimming, I was thankful for the opportunity to try something new, and overall had a fun time. The race is a good one if you want spectator friendly in an interesting location with a flat, fast course. For me, though, it's back to the dirt for the rest of the season! 

Thanks to Maverick Multisport and all of our sponsors, especially Infinit, Cobb, Bolle, and Swiftwick, whose individual products carried me through!

Hill Country Challenge Race Report

Although I wasn't initially planning on it, it looks like I'm gunning for points in the TMBRA Spring series, since I raced Mellow Johnny's, and have now made the trek down to Comfort, Texas for the Hill Country Challenge.

Bryce and I drove to Comfort via Fredericksburg (where I had what has to be the most awkward dining experience ever) and set up camp at Flat Rock Ranch. We had pre-paid $30 to camp and ride for both of us from that evening through the next day, which was super simple. The campground is big and open with lots of space for people to camp however they'd like. We found a few shade trees and settled in. I didn't have time to pre-ride before dark, but my legs were tired from a lot of riding in the previous week anyhow, so I was OK just relaxing!

That morning I got up and rolled over to the registration table where I picked up my bike plate and learned what signs I'd need to follow for the Women's Cat 3 race. Cat 3 did one loop of the "lower loop" which was 11-12 miles long.

At roll-call we realized we had 8 women in our group, which was really fun! Sometimes at races there is a really low number of women, which helps podium chances, but makes you not push as hard since you know the competition is thin. I was excited to see how I stacked up against a deeper field, as we'd only had 5 at Mellow Johnny's. The woman next to me was actually 42, and said she was racing in our age group (30-39+) because the 40+ group was tougher and she wanted to place. That is definitely not the spirit of the rule according to USAC (they intend it to be for really strong Masters riders who want harder competition, not easier) and I was annoyed by it, but, that's racing!

At the whistle we charged up the hill at the start and continued a climb for almost the first two miles, which varied from wide open jeep trail to switch-back single track. It was definitely not easy! I cranked along, knowing I was in 4th, and came to the first marked drop/ledge. I am pretty fearless with descending, so I went ahead, and pretty well had it until I needed to juke around a rider with a mechanical and flipped my bike. It was slow-mo, and more of a dumb handling mistake than a real crash, but frustrated me that I was then suddenly back in about 7th place as riders caught and passed me while I dusted off my knees and my pride. (Thankfully, my new knee pads had come in, and they work!)

The trail was nearly 900 feet of climbing in total, and that came in large chunks at a time, but it had some really fun downhill runs and drops, too. I caught my teammate, who had stopped to help a young boy with his flat (she is a much nicer person than I am) and she and I rode closely for much of the rest of the race, I leap-frogging with her on downhills and she tailgating or passing me on uphills. With our powers combined, we'd be hella racers for sure. Eventually I pulled ahead as I rode a few obstacles that she walked, and was excited to pass a few women in the last mile or two.

I can tell my climbing continues to improve, and could feel the difference when I consciously shifted my weight in the saddle and concentrated my efforts in being efficient. I also added a 40T cog to my cassette, which made a HUGE difference on the steeper parts!

I ended the race in 4th place, just one minute behind 3rd. I was irked that I was so close and my dumb wreck is likely what set me back from the podium, but no use in dwelling, just try harder next time!

My other friend won the 40+ age group because she is incredibly fast, and we enjoyed swapping thoughts and stories from the trail as everyone rolled in to the finish line. The mountain bike racers I've met are all so nice and fun and welcoming to their competitors. It truly makes the racing experience fun! I think it's because there is a certain level of advantage to having a nice bike, but XC racing is about your strength and stamina- about the machine, and not the machine's money. That kind of parity takes the pretentiousness out of the sport that is often found in road triathlon, at least for the women I'm racing. I really enjoy it, and after reading that the series winners need only race 3 races for series state champ points, I'm eager to keep going. The best 5 of 8 count for points, and since I'm already at 2, I might as well try for three more and see where I land! So, see y'all at Pace Bend!

Mellow Johnny's Classic 2017

It's race season again, which means it should probably be blog season as well! I've neglected writing for a while, simply due to being overwhelmed with other things, but big things are on the horizon for this year, so no time like the present to get back in to the swing of things.

This season, not only am I lucky enough to be back on Maverick Multisport's age group squad, but also have the extremely fun honor of racing mountain bikes with the Austin ladies of MOD Cycling. This women's developmental team is in its first season, and we have a very strong group of women racing XC this season.

At our second team race (the first being the Dirty Dozen in Warda a few weeks ago, where all teams earned podium spots in their respective races!) we took part in the Mellow Johnny's Classic at Flat Creek Crossing Ranch. Those who have never been to Austin and the surrounding Hill Country might not realize it, but there are miles and miles of world-class Cross-Country (XC) mountain bike trails here, and Flat Creek Crossing might be one of my new favorites.

I entered the Cat 3 women's 30-39 race and lined up one of five women, with about double that in the 40+ group chomping at the bit to start one minute after us. I had not been able to pre-ride the course, but gathered some intel from riders who were Cat 1 and 2, who let us know there was some mud and slick parts near the creek, but the course was otherwise dry and ready to shred.

The whistle went off and, having scoped out the start area, I knew I had a short section of jeep trail to get as far ahead as I could before we hit single-track, where it's harder to pass. Only one other woman in my group pulled ahead of me before we go there, and when she whizzed by and hit a jump before tearing off, I knew I wouldn't see her again until the finish line, unless she somehow had a mechanical. However, I hit the single-track in second place with a significant lead, and was determined to keep that spot.

The trails had a lot of really fun, really technical downhill portions that are my favorite type of riding. Steep enough to get speed, but dangerous enough that you have to pay attention, balance, and make sure you don't go end-over-end on a ledge. There was also a lot of long climbs, though only a few that were so steep I had to walk. We've been doing a lot of skills work at our team practices, and I could really feel it paying off as I kept hearing our coach in my head, "shift your weight, shove, dance with your bike." I was getting up and over things with a lot more ease than I used to, and if my new 40T cassette had made it in time so that I wasn't racing with only 36 teeth in the back, I may have been able to do more!

The course was about 8.5 miles of creek crossings, rocks, fast flat paths through the Cedars, and fun rocky downhills. Every time I heard the whirl of a free hub behind me, I feared it was my competition catching up, but mostly it was either the super fast ladies in the 40+ group, or the awesome, fiercely competitive under 18 girls.

I finished the course in about 1:08, a little slower than I anticipated, but thanks to a couple of walking breaks where I just couldn't muscle my way up, it was expected. Thankfully, it was enough to secure my spot in 2nd place by about 10 minutes, which is a hearty gap! I maviewed my heart rate profile and saw I'd been close to my max the whole time, which means, hey, I was at least RACING as hard as I could for sure!
de it through with only one big bruise on my shoulder from a run in with a tree branch, and a LOT of mud on myself and my bike. I

The race was a ton of fun, and I'd love to do it again. Mountain bike racing, much like XTERRA, is full of fun people having a great time, and typically none of the pretentious attitude that comes with road racing sometimes.

Jenn avoided the mud on her skin thanks
to her knee pads

 This is my first season racing mountain bikes and so far I've been having a blast. I'm trying to get as much time on the trails in competitive situations as possible in preparation for XTERRA Worlds in Maui in October. If I'm going to spend all the money to get out there, I figure I don't want to come in last!

Being on a team that is local and gives me friendly faces on the trail is also awesome. We don't have sponsors or anything official (except a really cute banner for our Academy EZ up tent!) but what we do have is a great time and a love of women on mountain bikes!

I'm so grateful these cool ladies let me join them on the trails, and I look forward to more MOD jerseys on podiums all season!

Podium finish!