6th Place: Xterra USA Championship-Lake Tahoe Nevada

Race Results
Division: 6th of 32 - Finish Time: 3:08 (Note: 3rd - 5th finished in the 3:07s)
Overall: 57th of 333

Oh boy, this one was fun, fun, fun & my most memorable race to date. My close friends & family attended and cheered me on to a fantastic race, which really made a difference. Thanks so much to Mom, Croz, Jen & John (who flew in early from London!), Phil, Elise, Brielle, Catherine, Caroline & Gene who was working the transition. Jim D. was sending good vibes my way. Kari & Dan kept apprised via internet & Dad & Toni had well wishes. I really felt connected with Xterra racing friends including pros & even met online race buddy James who qualified in his first year just like I did last year.

I prepared and trained like a machine for this one and even watched my diet a bit as the race drew near. I owe a special thanks to my coach Cherie Touchette who kept her finger on my training pulse and dialed me in perfectly for my most important race. Send a comment if you'd like more info.

It was an emotional event for me and I could go on & on, but it's race time!

The 1500 Meter Swim Time 29.26 (including 100 meter beach run, 1/3 mile run to transition corral, bike transition & exit). My heart was already racing when, CaBOOM! The cannon sounded the start!

I had really been feeling my swim for the last month. My last swim training log entry ended with "I'm Flipper." I seriously felt like a Dolphin. I got a great start in prime position with all the pros & as luck would have it I found a little space to myself & just swam. Good navigation & drafting when the opportunity arose. Prior to the 2nd lap there's a 100 meter beach run. At this point I'm all warmed up and ready to put in some hard swimming. Yes, that's me in the pic below with the blue X on my back.
I bit of leg cramping crept in towards the end of the 2nd lap, but I backed off & kicked them away. The hard swimming left me a bit whoosy though for the long run up to transition, so I slowly jogged it whilst getting my body & mind together. That was key to my good transition. Yes, you heard right, I finally had a good transition to the bike!

The 32 Kilometer Mtn Bike Time 1:57.02 (including transition to run & exit). As I rode out on Lakeshore Dr towards the dreaded sandy climb known as Tunnel Creek, I saved transition time by putting on my gloves & glasses while on the roll. I noticed however that my vision was blurry, but I didn't pay it much attention because I knew it would be slow going for at least an hour while climbing 2500'. I hammered (& I mean HAMMERED!)
[a close look at the above pic reveals ascending mtn biker racers] up the climb & was fortunate to have a clear route to ride up all the technical sections without having to get off the bike! This is key. I even rode the very top technically challenging (especially because one is spent by the ascent by then) boulder section yelling to other riders, "Gain way, I'm ridin' it!" Then came the downhill, which I'm very good at as well, but (& there's always a but somewhere in a race) I'd forgotten to address my blurry vision & became well aware of it as soon as downhill speed began to escalate. I thought it was my contacts, so I tried blinking and yawning to flush the eyes. No improvement. I tried clearing my eyes throughout the downhill, but they never cleared. I just had to take it slow to avoid a crash. Obviously that hurt my time on the bike. With clear vision would I have been able to beat the guy who got a 3rd place podium position & finished 1min 30s ahead of me? Don't know & don't care anymore. My bike time was still good, but I attribute it entirely to my tenacious climbing. Transition to run was perfect. Amazing, this race I finally have no transition complaints.

The 10 Kilometer Trail Run Time 42.21. No climbing, but twists, turns, creeks & elevated log crossings
were the challenges on this final segment. This is an excellent run time for me & it's where I have made my biggest improvement from last year. Easy to figure because in the beginning of my first season last year I used hate running. I'd walk some during the run sections & I'd get passed. It's no fun getting passed, so now I get pissed. I think of the run as a time to empty the tank, finish strong & no looking back. Half way through I really started to hurt & could feel those pesky cramps trying to sneak in again. Thankfully the cramps subsided & I was able to pound out the rest of the run. Toward the end I was gaining on a pro woman but she was not about to let me pass her. She picked it up & her new pace was perfectly fast for me. Turns out it was Melissa Thomas who finished 6th.

Xterra friends of mine finished well in their respective divisions too. Janice with a 3rd, Ross with a 1st, Emma with a 2nd, Jim with 13th & buddy James pulled an 8th.

It was a great race for me. Thanks everybody!

Next Race: Xterra World Championships - Maui HI - October 29, 2006
This final Xterra of the season will be posted soon.