Xterra 2008 (Part 2)

So I headed down to the river for a swim warm up and to get ready for the start. I took my crocs with me as I really did not want to run the 1/4 mile back to transition barefoot over all of those rocks. I figured the 5 seconds to slip the crocs on would be well worth it over having a cut or bruised foot to race on. People were starting to assemble at the starting line, I went up to the next set of trestles where nobody was to swim. That was also where I wanted to start, as it was up river and a much better line to the first buoy with the current. I swam for about 10 mins with some accelerations just to get my heart rate up and get used to the water. They called everybody back to shore for the pre-race announcements. They described the swim course and then started the countdown for the first wave. This is one of my favorite parts of the race, the adrenaline starts pumping, my hr starts climbing in anticipation. Finally they started the first wave, I think it was men 35 and under. Two minutes to my start, at one minute I started treading water in a horizontal position, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, put my head in 3,2,1 GO!


Xterra Richmond-East Championships 2008


The Swim
I started the first 100m hard I wanted to try and get on a faster swimmer for the draft, as we hit the low water south of the island I had a little trouble navigating the logs and rocks on the bottom. It was too shallow to swim, but to uneven to run, so I crawled, pushed floated through it. First buoy, turn right now long upstream swim to the second. I settled into a nice swim stroke, I was trying to draft on the left shoulder of another swimmer, but was having trouble settling into an even pace with him, so I just swam. I hit the next shallow rocky spot just before the second buoy, it was about shin deep, but the bottom was brutal, rocks, shells logs, rr ties, who knows what else, I ran though it and when it got deep enough again, dolphin dove towards buoy number two, right turn back towards shore, the water for the most part was swimable here so again tried to settle into a good rhythm. The third buoy was another right turn this time back to the upriver side of the island. Some shallow water around the buoy and actually a nice bottom, so I got up and ran, dove back in and swam to buoy four, this was the only left turn on the course, made the left and headed back across the river to the exit ramp! Exiting a swim is tough enough you get dizzy! But add some sharp rocks to navigate and a rocky ramp to run up it is really fun! My crocs were waiting where i left them along with about 100 pairs of assorted flip flops and shoes. Someone had the great idea of leaving their cycling gloves there with a pair of shoes so they could put them on during the run to transition. ( I will have to remember that for next year, as I could have used a pair of gloves but didnt want to take the time to put them on, my hands were slipping most of the ride)

Continued in Part 3

Xterra 2008 (Part 1)

What a fun race! I was nervous going in as I hadn't ridden my mountain bike since last year until about a week before the race. I did a clinic last weekend with Endorphin and felt good about being able to at least make it around the Buttermilk trail on my bike with shoes clipped in, but it is one thing when you are pre-riding a course and a whole different animal when the adrenaline is pumping and people on on your wheel during a race.

Nevertheless I knew the course, and until I did my track workout that week felt good. I was trying a new running form that we were working on and ended up firing off of my toes too much during 1200 meter repeats and absolutely trashed my calf muscles. I could barley hobble down stairs! How was I going to race. That combined with some pre-race jitters and on Saturday night I was really doubting if I wanted to race or not.

Being my ever biggest fan, Danielle said go for it you will do fine. I resolved that I would have fun no matter what. I am glad (as usual) that I listened to her.

Race morning I headed downtown and actually started feeling confident. I got there early set up my transition, ended up next to Karen, an awesome person that I met at the Endorphin clinic, so had someone to talk to while setting up. I had plenty of time before the race start, so I hopped on my bike and decided to pre-ride Belle Island for a warm up. The ride went well, I nailed a couple of technical spots that I wasn't too sure about and got a chance to strategize my first section of the bike course and headed back to transition with a good sweat going to re-rack my bike. Unfortunately some other people had moved my stuff around a bit to rack their bikes. (Side note to any triathletes: if you get to a race late, fine, everyone oversleeps and you have every right to rack your bike too, but if you move someones stuff who is out on a bike warm up, don't cram all of their stuff in a small little pile and then lay yours out like you are having a picnic for 20.... it isn't cool)

Anyway I re-racked my bike re-laid my stuff out (in the little spot left for me) and decided I wasn't going to sweat it as I was feeling good. I headed for the river with my cap and goggles to get a swim warm up in before the race. I passed the RMS security guy at the entrance to Brown's Island that I had been chatting with on and off for the past two days, he was a really cool guy. He wished me a great race, and I said thanks and that I would see him in a few after the swim leg on the way to transition. ( Every time I passed him he had a great comment that made me smile)

to be continued.......

How it all started....

I really started running in early 2007. Our company sponsored a local 5k for St. Judes Children's hospital, and figured that we (Danielle and I) should participate in it........Before that time a mile run was quite an accomplishment! I worked my way up to about the 3 mile distance and before long the event day was here. I realized then what this 'running craze' was about! We had a blast. I ran the race while Danielle ran/walked/chased two of our daughters back and forth on the course (she probably covered about 5 miles) after that day I was hooked. I signed up for an 8k, then a 10k and started looking for other races. It was then I stumbled across a race listing for a local 'Sprint' triathlon.
I always thought triathlons were insanely long distance races called the Ironman and that only crazy people in Hawaii did them! But a 300m swim, 20k bike and 5k run sounded like a normal mortal could complete it. I thought "I used to swim as a kid, I can mountain bike and rode a 10 speed before, I know that I can finish a 5k so what the heck".... I signed up online that night. Well I headed to the pool the next day and quickly remembered how hard swimming was! I could barely make it one lap let alone 12! Not one to give up...I spent a lot of time in the pool, bought a road bike and kept up with my running and finally the big day arrived, my first triathlon! Of course Mother Nature didn't know that this was my big debut, so we had a tropical storm blow through that morning with cold wind and rain. It wasn't bad for the competitors (except at the start when standing inline for the pool swim) but my biggest fan (Danielle) was stuck there in the cold rain for hours! I made the 12 lengths of the pool, ran to my bike pedaled as fast as I could for 12 miles and then proceeded to head out on the run. It seemed like the longest 3.1 miles of my life as running after cycling is hard! But I made it and the minute I crossed that finish line I knew my life had changed. I was a triathlete and I was hooked!
After that first 'sprint' I raced an Xterra off-road triathlon, an open water swim sprint, a duathlon, a couple more sprint distance triathlons, a half marathon, and ended my first season with an Olympic distance triathlon, The Nation's Triathlon in Washington, DC.
This year I started with a half marathon, as well as some other early season running event. I am racing a handful of sprints distance triathlons, some off road with my big events being NYC Triathlon, Chicago Triathlon and The Nation's Triathlon all being Olympic distance races. (the standard Olympic distance is a 1500m swim, 40k bike and 10k run)
We are capping this year with the NYC Marathon and starting next spring with the California Ironman 70.3 half-iron race. (1.2mile swim, 56 mile bike and 13.1 mile run) I am amazed at what I have been able to accomplish at 44 years old. Some people buy sports cars, I bought a Triathlon bike :)
So who knows I might end up being one of those 'crazy people in Hawaii' someday. - Brad