Think Racing, Inc.

Well, the guys at Xterra did it again and picked a scorcher. As if Richmond was not bad enough, they ordered up a scorching 97 degrees with a heat index of 105 for the first ever Midwest Championship race in Milwaukee, Wi.

The day started off on McKinley Beach with a 1500M swim in Lake Michigan. The race director made a game time decision to make it a non-wetsuit event in consideration of the extra warm weather on tap for the day. The current was pretty strong from right to left and there was a good amount of chop. Add to that some pockets (that is being generous) of sub 60 degree water and the swim was pretty tough. I picked a great line from the start and rounded the first buoy in good position. I made great time on my first lap and tried the same line on my way out for the second lap. Problem was that the current pushed the swimmers finishing their first lap over into my line and I had a head on collision with another swimmer. Add onto that the current was so strong it shifted the buoys and I got all confused. My second lap did not go nearly as smooth however I came out of the swim in decent time and started the 3/10th mile barefoot run to T1.

I had a fast transition and made my way out on the bike. The bike course started with a short climb and then a flat paved road for about a mile before entering the trails along the Milwaukee river. I powered through the flat to make as much time as possible, hoping the winding rocky, rooty trails would be the equalizer between myself and some of the faster riders. The heat was almost unbearable on the bike. There were a couple sections of tall grass that had been freshly cut, and riding through them felt like going through a steam room. At one point during my ride I actually said to myself ” My legs are on fire” and I looked down to see if they were going to spontaneously combust. I came out into the next open section and was able to slam it into the big ring and power down the road again. All was going smooth and I was setting a great pace for myself. I entered the next technical section and rolled over rocks and big roots like they were nothing and powered through the mud from the rains the night before. There was a double tree branch crossing the middle of the trail that I had to duck under, problem was I only saw one of them. I was carrying a speed that I probably should not have been going at, I ducked under the first one and came up face first into the second one. It flipped me backwards off my bike and I rolled down the river bed and landed upside down and dazed. It took several minutes for me to get my whits about me and get going again, and even that was not really going. I was winded, shaken and in a bit of pain. I sluggishly finished the first lap and didnt really get my motor back until the begining of my second lap. My second lap was great, and I ducked for both trees this time. I felt confident and fast on the bike and finished strong on the one mile paved road back to transition.

T2 was great until I took a sip of the water I had in my bottle and burned my mouth on it. It was that hot. I started my run, dry, empty and tired. Those guys at Xterra were not nice makeing us run out on the beach, with NO SHADE! Those *@#$ers. The only reprieve from the heat on the run was in the trails, but instead of blistering sun, we had to deal with stairs, rocks, mud slides and bogs. Hmm, which is worse? I softened my knees and skiid down the mud hill and almost broke my hip sliding out at the bottom. Once I got back out into the sun I was baked. I was feeling pretty good until that point and then my body did not want to work anymore. My mind was saying Go, and my legs said NO. At a certain point I kept repeating to myself “Just keep moving forward.” There were some fire figthers with a hose spraying down the competitors with about two miles to go, and nothing has ever felt so good. The run back across the beach was impossible. It was like runnning in quicksand, and the only thing that kept me from stopping was the thought of an iced cold Milwakee beer. I finished in a respectable 3:11, 43rd overall, 16th amatuer and 6th in my age group. I am improving with every race and having fun doing it.

The best way I can describe the Nissan Xterra East Coast Championship race is HOT! I have raced alot, in some very hot places like Hawaii and Saipan, but nothing compares to the heat and humidity in Richmond on this past Fourth of July weekend. The day before the race it was 97 degrees with a heat index of 102. Luckily it cooled down to 86 for race day. I heard they shortened the course a little to factor the heat into play. I am glad they did. I felt like I was on fire the whole race, even in the swim.

This was my first race back on the East coast, and I had some pretty big expectations for myself after all the time I put in training out in California over the winter. My swimming is at top form, my bike legs are strong and my riunning has been pretty solid.

The race started at 10:30 am in a wave start. The Pros were the first wave, followed by under 35, over 35 and women. The swim was in the James River in the center of Richmond, and currents and rocks were a big factor to accomodate for. They made picking the right line challenging. Somehow I managed to pick the perfect line and I think that saved me a couple seconds on my swim. I felt pretty smoothe in the water and was concentrating on perect form and body rotationto eliminate as much drag as possible. I was out of the 1K swim in 15 minutes. Good for me.

T1 was fast and I was on the bike and going. I love Richmond course because it is similar to riding in the Nort East. Tight turny single track with lots of rocks and roots. I was in a constant battle on the bike with the same group of about 5 guys. They would pass me on fire roads but once we got into the single track I was right on their wheels trying to pass them. I got held up a couple times by some guys with egos, but nothing to ruin my race. The bike course was great featuring some new trails since last years race. I was able to preride the course and practice the new sections a little so I had that to my advantage. I knew where I could ride or where I needed to dismount and run my bike. The new sections were a little loose and I skidded out once and took a little tumble down a side hill. No biggie. It is not a race if I don’t come out of it with a little blood.

I came in on the bike and had another solid transition in T2. As soon as I started on the run though I felt the heat start to hit me. It took me a good mile to mile and a half to get my legs and I wouldn’t even consider what I did getting my legs. A large portion of the run was out in the open and the sun was oppresive. Every time I tried to pick up my speed it only lasted for a couple minutes and I felt like I was going to spontaneously combust. I never look behind me during a race, but I had to this time because I was running out of gas. I could see that there was no one in sight so I just settled in and cruised to the finish.

All in all I had a solid performance and was very happy with my results. 6th in my age group and 51st overall in a field with 30 Pros.