Showing posts with label qualifying for xterra worlds. Show all posts
Showing posts with label qualifying for xterra worlds. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 11, 2021
Monday, October 1, 2018
The @xterraoffroad tour beckons for 2019....#stoked to be looking at the potential race schedule already. Will be a good mix of #xterra, #marathonmtb and #gravel next year. . . . . . . #pactimo #parvillacycles #alchemybicycles #triathlon #salmingrunning #swimbikerun #IFB
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Saturday, November 18, 2017
Xterra World Championships 2017.....Race Report
It's funny how perspectives change over the years.....two years ago at the 2015 Xterra World Championships it was first year in Xterra and I was sort of just pleased to be there and taking it all in. I was pleased with my race.....fast forward two years and I had larger goals and put more expectations on myself.
Leading into the race I had trained well, was feeling fit and knew that if I had a good day a top 15 position and something around 3hrs 15mins (on a dry course) was in the realm of possibility. I had learned the hard way in 2015 about flying for 12 hours and trying to pre-ride the course so changed the approach this year. I was helped that some major rains in the days before us arriving had made a bog of the course and that meant the course was closed on Thursday. With the heat and winds, the course reopened on Friday and I barely had to wipe the bike down....race day was going to be a dry and dusty course!
The rain and winds had also brought a huge swell meaning that the shore break was ripping the first few days we were there and subsided a little by race day.....it was still pretty cool to have to fight out the past the break on race day.
The swim went well and I was out in just over 26mins, much the same as 2015. Yet again I didn't see any turtles during the swim, perhaps they were deterred by the swell! The run to T1 is all up hill and is quite long as far as transitions go. It was at this point that I actually felt quite fatigued and more so than normal. In hindsight it probably came from the battling of the swell and waves more than anything else.
It was onto the bike and the goal to go as hard as felt comfortable knowing a) the elevation gain on the course but also b) the upcoming run. It that respect I nailed the bike....did I have the time I wanted? No, a few minutes slower but it was faster than 2015 by 5 mins and I was at an average of 148bpm for the duration. Nutrition was spot on with Gu Energy Roctane drink mix and gels and bottles of on-course water. The bike set-up with the Alchemy Oros and Maxxis tires (Ardent Race on the front and Ikon for the rear) was perfect and I wouldn't change anything there....for reference I rode a 32t Elliptical Chainring with an 11-42 rear cassette. Course conditions were spot on and had dried well after the rains.
Based on the swim and bike, I had to have a great run to get close to 3hrs 15mins....and straight out of T2 I knew that wasn't going to happen. The call down the engine room came back with a resounding "negative Captain" and unfortunately the Maui run course isn't something that you can gradually work your way into. It's uphill for the first 3 miles and not a gradual hill at that......it was a death march for the entire 10km.
The final 300m along the beach were not pretty......
So here's the how the perspectives change over the years....in comparison I was 2mins 30secs slower than 2015 and in 2015 I was pleased with my race, in 2017 not so much. However, my main goal was to go and give it everything knowing that sometimes you have to take risks to achieve things....I went hard on the bike and it ended up being to my detriment on the run. But I knew I had to do that to get close to that top 15 position and the risk was bombing the run and that lead me to a 34th position. On the bright side I was still at the World Championships, something that not many people can say and ended up top 25% in the World!
As from most races you learn things for next time.....and there will be a next time but perhaps a few years from now (Maui is far away and not cheap to travel to!) when I'm 45 (I might get the itch much sooner!). So what would I change for next time:
1. Travel to the race sooner.....the time change really screwed with my body clock. I was waking up everyday at 300am after poor sleep and it wasn't until after the race some 5-6 days later that I got onto Hawaii time. I would go a week beforehand.
2. Ride harder for longer - Although I can race at close to threshold for two hours on the bike, I need to do it more often on the MTB. In hindsight I didn't do that nearly enough....
3. Find more hills - we aren't blessed with many hills where we live so searching out the hilly routes far and near is essential on the bike and run. It's so critical for the Maui course
4.Make more of an effort to run outside - as many know about 95% of my running is on the treadmill at work during the lunch hour....it is fundamentally different to running outside and also limits my runs to 45mins or less!
5. This comes after every race.....swim more!
All that aside.....the race was awesome, we had a great time at the race and afterwards in Maui and as I stated earlier we will definitely be back to take another crack at the course!
Mahalo for reading.....
Leading into the race I had trained well, was feeling fit and knew that if I had a good day a top 15 position and something around 3hrs 15mins (on a dry course) was in the realm of possibility. I had learned the hard way in 2015 about flying for 12 hours and trying to pre-ride the course so changed the approach this year. I was helped that some major rains in the days before us arriving had made a bog of the course and that meant the course was closed on Thursday. With the heat and winds, the course reopened on Friday and I barely had to wipe the bike down....race day was going to be a dry and dusty course!
The rain and winds had also brought a huge swell meaning that the shore break was ripping the first few days we were there and subsided a little by race day.....it was still pretty cool to have to fight out the past the break on race day.
The swim went well and I was out in just over 26mins, much the same as 2015. Yet again I didn't see any turtles during the swim, perhaps they were deterred by the swell! The run to T1 is all up hill and is quite long as far as transitions go. It was at this point that I actually felt quite fatigued and more so than normal. In hindsight it probably came from the battling of the swell and waves more than anything else.
It was onto the bike and the goal to go as hard as felt comfortable knowing a) the elevation gain on the course but also b) the upcoming run. It that respect I nailed the bike....did I have the time I wanted? No, a few minutes slower but it was faster than 2015 by 5 mins and I was at an average of 148bpm for the duration. Nutrition was spot on with Gu Energy Roctane drink mix and gels and bottles of on-course water. The bike set-up with the Alchemy Oros and Maxxis tires (Ardent Race on the front and Ikon for the rear) was perfect and I wouldn't change anything there....for reference I rode a 32t Elliptical Chainring with an 11-42 rear cassette. Course conditions were spot on and had dried well after the rains.
Based on the swim and bike, I had to have a great run to get close to 3hrs 15mins....and straight out of T2 I knew that wasn't going to happen. The call down the engine room came back with a resounding "negative Captain" and unfortunately the Maui run course isn't something that you can gradually work your way into. It's uphill for the first 3 miles and not a gradual hill at that......it was a death march for the entire 10km.
The final 300m along the beach were not pretty......
So here's the how the perspectives change over the years....in comparison I was 2mins 30secs slower than 2015 and in 2015 I was pleased with my race, in 2017 not so much. However, my main goal was to go and give it everything knowing that sometimes you have to take risks to achieve things....I went hard on the bike and it ended up being to my detriment on the run. But I knew I had to do that to get close to that top 15 position and the risk was bombing the run and that lead me to a 34th position. On the bright side I was still at the World Championships, something that not many people can say and ended up top 25% in the World!
As from most races you learn things for next time.....and there will be a next time but perhaps a few years from now (Maui is far away and not cheap to travel to!) when I'm 45 (I might get the itch much sooner!). So what would I change for next time:
1. Travel to the race sooner.....the time change really screwed with my body clock. I was waking up everyday at 300am after poor sleep and it wasn't until after the race some 5-6 days later that I got onto Hawaii time. I would go a week beforehand.
2. Ride harder for longer - Although I can race at close to threshold for two hours on the bike, I need to do it more often on the MTB. In hindsight I didn't do that nearly enough....
3. Find more hills - we aren't blessed with many hills where we live so searching out the hilly routes far and near is essential on the bike and run. It's so critical for the Maui course
4.Make more of an effort to run outside - as many know about 95% of my running is on the treadmill at work during the lunch hour....it is fundamentally different to running outside and also limits my runs to 45mins or less!
5. This comes after every race.....swim more!
All that aside.....the race was awesome, we had a great time at the race and afterwards in Maui and as I stated earlier we will definitely be back to take another crack at the course!
Mahalo for reading.....
Wednesday, October 4, 2017
Nothing to See Here.....But a Win is a Win!
As we are into the final month of preparation before Xterra Worlds (did I mention that was Oct 29th?) it's all about training and making sure I don't get sick.....primarily making sure that I don't get sick. Unfortunately work may play a part in that as it looks like I might have 6 different flights before actually landing on the Valley Isle of Maui.
But I have been doing well with training and continued with the ethos of this season....consistency! Nothing too big or demanding, just solid weeks back to back to back and so on. I did jump into some races the last few weeks and these included:
1. Wolf Bouncer XC Race.....my first Pro/Cat 1 XC MTB race after upgrading late this season. It was short at just an hour but the key was to get a good race pace session in and it didn't dissappoint.....60mins at threshold and a 4th place finish!
2. Tri for the Chesapeake....was the next day and is a local sprint triathlon that Parvilla supports. It was actually my first "road" triathlon since 2014 and I went for the road bike as I don't have a tri bike at the moment. It worked out well as I felt good in the swim (without a wetsuit), nailed the bike and the trail was 5 miles so was able to take the over win by quite some way (about 15mins). Another good race pace session.
3. Hyattsville Cx....this was this past weekend and I raced the 1,2,3 race as it was the only time I could manage. It was a baptism of fire for the first cross race of the season and only time I have been on my cross bike all year. I was thinking that it might have been better to race my MTB. It was fun though and I can't wait to get back to 'cross after Maui.
Now to hone the fitness for October 29th......
But I have been doing well with training and continued with the ethos of this season....consistency! Nothing too big or demanding, just solid weeks back to back to back and so on. I did jump into some races the last few weeks and these included:
1. Wolf Bouncer XC Race.....my first Pro/Cat 1 XC MTB race after upgrading late this season. It was short at just an hour but the key was to get a good race pace session in and it didn't dissappoint.....60mins at threshold and a 4th place finish!
2. Tri for the Chesapeake....was the next day and is a local sprint triathlon that Parvilla supports. It was actually my first "road" triathlon since 2014 and I went for the road bike as I don't have a tri bike at the moment. It worked out well as I felt good in the swim (without a wetsuit), nailed the bike and the trail was 5 miles so was able to take the over win by quite some way (about 15mins). Another good race pace session.
3. Hyattsville Cx....this was this past weekend and I raced the 1,2,3 race as it was the only time I could manage. It was a baptism of fire for the first cross race of the season and only time I have been on my cross bike all year. I was thinking that it might have been better to race my MTB. It was fun though and I can't wait to get back to 'cross after Maui.
Now to hone the fitness for October 29th......
Tuesday, August 22, 2017
The Final Push....Got to Stay On It!
As others season's are winding down, it's hard not to begin to look forward to 2018.....eye's on the prize and the BIG race in two months! Then it can be 2018 planning with a few beers!
Monday, August 7, 2017
You're Not Racing?.....
That's the question I have been asked the last few weekends since Iron Hill....perhaps I have a raced a lot so far this year but it only works out to be 17 races. Anyways the answer has been no I am not, it's all about getting in the training now as a couple of big events are in the Fall and they are the goal races. First up is the Shenandoah 100 MTB race on Labor Day weekend and then it's the big Kahuna in Maui at the Xterra World's.
Train, train, train......the good news is that over the past month things have been progressing well and I can begin to feel the fitness increasing. This is especially true for the swim where a few solid weeks of consistency (not volume just consistency) makes such a big difference.
Train, train, train......the good news is that over the past month things have been progressing well and I can begin to feel the fitness increasing. This is especially true for the swim where a few solid weeks of consistency (not volume just consistency) makes such a big difference.
Monday, July 10, 2017
Xterra Ex2 Race Report 2017 - It's a short one!
This past weekend was the Xterra Ex2 rce up at Rocky Gap State Park in Flintstone. I didn't race this course last year as we were back in England but did in 2015 (see previous post for that recap).
It's a great course with a clear lake swim, a rocky but fast bike course and a technical run. After a pre-ride which included the 2nd lap in pouring rain on Saturday afternoon I was really looking forward to battling on Sunday.
Unfortunately it wasn't to be....after a great swim and being 5th out of the water, I had moved into 3rd on the bike in the first couple of miles, feeling pretty damn good before a rock ripped the tire and ended my day! Oh well, the perils of racing in the dirt is that mechanical issues have a much greater part to play than regular road triathlons.
At least it didn't happen at a qualifier for Worlds or even at Worlds! Time to take a recovery week and then get back to logging the training. It's all in for Maui at Xterra World's from here on in!
It's a great course with a clear lake swim, a rocky but fast bike course and a technical run. After a pre-ride which included the 2nd lap in pouring rain on Saturday afternoon I was really looking forward to battling on Sunday.
Unfortunately it wasn't to be....after a great swim and being 5th out of the water, I had moved into 3rd on the bike in the first couple of miles, feeling pretty damn good before a rock ripped the tire and ended my day! Oh well, the perils of racing in the dirt is that mechanical issues have a much greater part to play than regular road triathlons.
At least it didn't happen at a qualifier for Worlds or even at Worlds! Time to take a recovery week and then get back to logging the training. It's all in for Maui at Xterra World's from here on in!
Monday, May 22, 2017
Things Do Not Always Go As Planned.....Brief Xterra Oak Mountain Report
Xterra Oak Mountain this past weekend was THE goal race for the first half of the season, it was a World Championship qualifier and the only race that provides those slots anywhere close to the East Coast.....what does that mean? Well anyone that's anyone with hopes of qualifying shows up for the 51 slots available. In the stacked 40-44 age group we had 3 slots......
Long-story short I was 4th.......
With a lap to go on the run I was sitting 3rd but was slowing and was passed with about 2.5miles to go and had nothing left to follow. It is what it is you can't complain too much when you finish 9th overall amateur and 4th in age group, old guys are fast!
Right now it's disappointing, it looks like the top 3 are going to take their slots so no roll down. When you put so much time and effort into your goal race and get so close it's going to take time to recovery physically and mentally. Yes there are other races and other years to get to Maui again and I understand that......it's just tough to get over the initial disappointment.
Time for some rest and then onwards to think about the rest of the season once the motivation returns.....
Long-story short I was 4th.......
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| Top 5 40-44 Age Group |
With a lap to go on the run I was sitting 3rd but was slowing and was passed with about 2.5miles to go and had nothing left to follow. It is what it is you can't complain too much when you finish 9th overall amateur and 4th in age group, old guys are fast!
Right now it's disappointing, it looks like the top 3 are going to take their slots so no roll down. When you put so much time and effort into your goal race and get so close it's going to take time to recovery physically and mentally. Yes there are other races and other years to get to Maui again and I understand that......it's just tough to get over the initial disappointment.
Time for some rest and then onwards to think about the rest of the season once the motivation returns.....
Monday, October 17, 2016
Time to get this up and running again! A season of two halves
2016 has certainly been a year of two halves as far as training and racing has been so it's good to be looking forward to the 2017 season. In the next week or so I'll get into more detail about the 2016 season and what we have planned for 2017.......the 2016 Xterra World Championships is this weekend so after a year away it time to get motivated for a return trip!
Wednesday, November 11, 2015
Xterra World Championships (Maui) 2015: Race Report.....Learning some lessons!
I was nervous.....I hadn't been this nervous before a race in a while. It was a combination of things but primarily the fact that the pre-ride on Thursday had gone so horribly bad that I was questioning everything. Was I fit enough? Was the heat and humidity going to destroy me? Had we come all the way to Maui for a terrible race experience?
Yes the pre-ride on Thursday had been bad, I had bonked 5 miles into a 20 mile ride and it took a lot out of me to get back to the condo. As Sarah can testify I had the "sunken face" look that I only get when bad things are about to happen and that normally features some form of unconsciousness! It took the rest of Thursday and most of Friday to get re-hydrated and the small cramps to go away, luckily I remained conscious. In hindsight knowing what the course and weather is like, riding the course in the heat of the day after a long day of travel was not a good idea. That is Lesson #1 for next time......yes, I said next time!
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| Trying to remember the rack location pre-race! |
I was also nervous as this was the bloody World Championships, not your local triathlon, this was 850 of the best Xterra racers in the World. Racers from 43 nations were all lined up along the beach, the race blessing had finished, the helicopter was flying overhead, this race was about to explode!
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| Taking it all in prior to the start |
At 9:05am the cannon fired and the men's wave detonated into the surf. Then the usual two things happened, firstly the nerves all went away and race mode was switched on and secondly I used the facilities in the open water. If those two things don't happen early in the swim then I know that something is wrong. So I was now calm now, at least inside I was, externally it was a fighting match until the first buoy at around 400 meters after which it settled down a bit. The M shape of the course meant that we exited the water after 750 meters (saw Sarah and Team Banks) and headed back in for the 2nd half of the M. A quick glance of the watch had me at 12 minutes so on course for around a 25 mins swim. The 2nd half of the swim was much cleaner in terms of contact and the water clarity. You could see all the way to the sandy bottom for the entire way, as much as I was hoping I didn't get to see any turtles. Apparently there were some around but not within my eye sight.
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| T1 - getting ready for the bike. |
The run to T1 was a sign of the course to come....uphill all the way for a couple of hundred meters. The swim was just over 25 minutes and gave me a little bit of confidence that I was ahead of the majority and would get a cleaner course esp. on the first few miles which are all limited in passing opportunities. For this race I decided to wear my hydration pack rather than rely on a single bottle and the two feed stations. I wanted to be able to drink when I wanted rather than when the course let me. It worked perfectly and I was able to carry 1.5 Liters of First Endurance EFS for the duration of the 20 mile bike course (with 3500ft of climbing) and collected water at the feed stations to dowse myself.
The key to my day on the bike was patience. Not to harp on about it but the Thursday ride had me wary and I needed to get to Razor Ridge in reasonable shape to have a good rest of the day. I purposely rode easy for the first few miles but to be honest the decision was partially made for me. Even with a decent swim the course was a little crowded to begin with and the risk vs reward factor on passing and riding hard on the singletrack was pretty minimal. As such I passed when I could and rode as even a pace as I could....steady but not necessarily all out race pace. The legs felt so much better and upon getting to the top of the first climb to Razor Ridge at mile 5 and then hitting the high point of the course at mile 7 it was time to hit the gas.
Descending from mile 7 at the top of the plantation was sooooo much fun! I knew the legs were good, the view was amazing, all I could do was smile and I couldn't stop smiling. It still makes me smile now.....here I was riding an amazing bike course (on an equally amazing Orbea) in Maui at the World Championships! You could see down the mountain seeing riders slowly coming up, riders zig-zagging down the plantation roads, the resort and Molokai in the background, it truly is a scene that will forever be etched in my memories of this race.
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| The view heading down from the West Maui Mountains |
Getting back into T2 just over the 2hr mark surprised Sarah and Team Banks (that's a good surprise though) and it was now onto the run course. Another 1300ft of climbing faced us over the 6.5mile course. Much of the climbing was in the first three miles and then it was a matter of letting gravity do the rest....perhaps a little bit simplified but you get the idea. Immediately I knew it was going to be a good running day.
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| Heading out onto the run....#parvillatruckerhat |
I crossed the line in 3hrs 28mins, the nerves gone and a satisfying result. 28th in age group and 189th out of 775 that toed the line (including pro's) for a top 25% finish. There were certainly some lesson's learned in the build-up and during the race that I can use for future Xterra races and hopefully a return to the World Championships in Maui. Knowing how the race plays out and what the course is like is so critical that I would definitely change the training plan and the race plan for a return trip......this isn't a trip we can do every year (even though we would like too) so it's a two-year plan. It would be good to head back as a young 40 year old in the 40-44 age group in 2017.
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| Post-race after getting lei'ed! |
If you want to see some great video of the race check out this two videos:
Official Xterra Worlds 2015 Highlights
Xterra Worlds 2015 Drone footage
Obviously races like the World Championships do not happen in a vacuum and it was season long goal with many people involved so a huge Mahalo to above all my very patient wife and chief supporter Sarah. Without her none of this would be possible! Team Banks are always there for me too, although I don't think they could pass up the trip to Hawaii! Also thank you to:
Parvilla Cycles - the best bike store I know :-)
Orbea - for putting the fastest bike underneath me
ABRT - for supporting me and pushing me on training rides
Pactimo - for the awesome kit and support of the Parvilla Tri Team
So now to start thinking about the 2016 season and race goals!
Thursday, July 23, 2015
Heading to Xterra 2015 World Championships!
A goal heading into the 2015 season was to try and qualify for the Xterra World Championships that takes place in Maui on November 1st. Having only started Xterra's this season it would be a pretty lofty goal seeing that qualifying spots are only available in the US at the four Regional Championships, which for me meant heading to Richmond in June.
You can read my race report from the Xterra East Championships but you'll know that I finished 4th, one spot outside the automatic qualifying spaces for my age group. As such I had to keep my fingers crossed and hope that one of the top three would not accept the slot and have it roll down for me. This is where Xterra is much more civilized than Ironman. At Ironman you have to accept your qualifying slot right then and there at the race, no chance to think about the cost, logistics etc just pay your $750 and you are in. Xterra gives you some time, two weeks in fact to accept the slot online. It meant that for the two weeks after the race I was checking the race participant list to see if any of the top three had registered.
As time got closer to the end of the two weeks, two of the three slots had been taken and with just one remaining I was getting hopeful....if you are going to accept the slot you would think that you would do it sooner rather than later. Come the end of the two weeks there was one remaining spot and so I then had to wait for the email of the official roll-down, that's how it worked right? I didn't actually know so just hoped it would work like that. Fortunately it did work like that and few days after the two week timeframe I received my invitation to accept an Xterra World Championship berth....how quickly can you say yes?
So we will head out to Maui for the race and now the hard work starts to be in the best shape possible to race against the World's best (as a result I will not be heading to Xterra Nationals due to costs and travel schedules). I am under no illusions as the field is stacked and I am still new to this Xterra thing. I'll need to evaluate some goals as I look ahead to the race and perhaps use it as a barometer for future races at Worlds (not that you can head to Maui every year, wouldn't that be nice?)
It's 14 weeks till race day.....I'm off to go mountain bike! More about the race in future posts.
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| Xterra Worlds Finish Line |
You can read my race report from the Xterra East Championships but you'll know that I finished 4th, one spot outside the automatic qualifying spaces for my age group. As such I had to keep my fingers crossed and hope that one of the top three would not accept the slot and have it roll down for me. This is where Xterra is much more civilized than Ironman. At Ironman you have to accept your qualifying slot right then and there at the race, no chance to think about the cost, logistics etc just pay your $750 and you are in. Xterra gives you some time, two weeks in fact to accept the slot online. It meant that for the two weeks after the race I was checking the race participant list to see if any of the top three had registered.
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| Xterra Worlds in 2014! |
As time got closer to the end of the two weeks, two of the three slots had been taken and with just one remaining I was getting hopeful....if you are going to accept the slot you would think that you would do it sooner rather than later. Come the end of the two weeks there was one remaining spot and so I then had to wait for the email of the official roll-down, that's how it worked right? I didn't actually know so just hoped it would work like that. Fortunately it did work like that and few days after the two week timeframe I received my invitation to accept an Xterra World Championship berth....how quickly can you say yes?
So we will head out to Maui for the race and now the hard work starts to be in the best shape possible to race against the World's best (as a result I will not be heading to Xterra Nationals due to costs and travel schedules). I am under no illusions as the field is stacked and I am still new to this Xterra thing. I'll need to evaluate some goals as I look ahead to the race and perhaps use it as a barometer for future races at Worlds (not that you can head to Maui every year, wouldn't that be nice?)
It's 14 weeks till race day.....I'm off to go mountain bike! More about the race in future posts.
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