July 2015: Training Ramblings......Motivation

By now we all know that I able to qualify for Xterra Worlds in Maui in early November so that reinvigorated my training for the remainder of the season, nothing like a bit of top notch competition to make you train hard! My main training goal is really to push myself, no holding back....this isn't going to be an annual event (Hawaii trips aren't cheap!) so make the most of the opportunity.

I raced just the once in July at the Xterra Ex2 Adventures race at Rocky Gap, you can read the race report here   It was a great test as to where the fitness was and where I was building from as I head towards November. The run felt good for the first time this season and showed that the higher mileage since Xterra East Championships had paid off. Down side was a shredded elbow that required some serious tegaderm, although I did seem to get my own lane in the pool that week!

So as we head into the build for World's training will revolve around a few things:

a) Consistency
b) Hitting the dirt on the MTB at least once a week
c) Going beyond the comfort zone

July was a very consistent month and in fact it turned out to be perhaps the biggest volume month since 2013. I was able to hit the trails more than I have yet this year and on groups ride I have challenged to give it "some welly"even if that means I put myself into the red zone.

Verb[edit]

give it some welly ‎(third-person singular simple present gives it some welly, present participle giving it some welly, simple past gave it some welly, past participle given it some welly)

1. (Britain) To increase fuel or power to an engine, as to a car by depressing the gas pedal.
2. (Britain) To apply great physical effort to (something).

I think that to often we settle into the comfort zone and are afraid of seeing what is beyond that. The local group rides are a prime example of that....yes I know that I can easily finish in the front group but am I really getting the most I can out of the ride? Probably not, so by going harder or having specific goals for the ride it will be a much better training experience.

One more Xterra race before World's is in August at Xterra Appalachia in Pa and then it is a little bit of 'cross season as preparation for the big day!



What I am drinking this month:
Coava: Kilenso Ethiopia - Kilenso Mokonissa is one of the smallest villages in the Borena Hagermariam District of Sidama. In the past the coffees coming from Kilenso would have been blended into larger lots and sold under the area’s catch all name “Ardi.” The farmers there use organic practices (though they are too poor to pay for the certification) so as to not waste anything they produce. Lavendar and grape jam balance this naturally processed coffee. It is a testament to the diligent care put forth by a very small group of people.

July Total: 533miles/46hrs 08mins/2955 TSS
Swim: 14.99m/8hrs 12mins/ 347 TSS
Bike: 396m/22hrs 56mins/ 1421 TSS
Run: 122m/14hrs 58mins/ 1186 TSS

Xterra Ex2 (Rocky Gap) 2015 Race Report

Since my last race at Xterra East Championships in Richmond I had gotten a pretty solid month of training done and with the added motivation of the World Championships in November, I was pretty amped for the Xterra Ex2 race at Rocky Gap.

The race was being held at the Rocky Gap State Park (adjacent to the Casino) over the distances of 1200m swim, 14 mile bike and a 5 mile run.  As you need to for Xterra (well you don't have to but it certainly is beneficial) we headed up the day before the race so that I could get a pre-ride of the course and a general lay of the land.  The lake looked great and was the central feature of the race, you start by swimming in it, you circumnavigate the lake on each lap of the bike and then also run across the dam on the run.  Pre-riding the bike course is critical as you really need to know what to expect and can save you minutes on race day.  The course was a lot of fun and as the name of the park suggests is full of rocks!  Again the riding over at Fountainhead paid dividends.

After spending the night in nearby Cumberland and reverting back to the tried and tested breakfast of granola and a muffin, we were at the race prepping for the 900am (so much more civilized than road triathlons).  As expected Daryl Weaver, the recently crowned National Champion, was present and ready for action as was Michael Welch (another recent convert to Xterra, much like myself) so it was looking like a fast day!

Bike prepped ready for the rocks

Mid July means hot lakes in Maryland and the swim was not wetsuit legal so on the horn we all jumped in and begun the first of 2 laps in the lake.  The swim felt great and coming out of the water for the short mid-swim beach run, I could see that there weren't many in front.  Ultimately I came out of the water in 12th and was just about 2mins off the front...a good start!

The bike course was a lot of fun and had a little bit of everything....rocks, roots, climbs and flowy singletrack along the lake. Michael was just behind me exiting the water so it was a good bit of motivation to push the first section on the bike hard.  By now I can tell how well I am riding or how well I swam by noting when Daryl comes past me on the bike. The longer it takes the better I have swum or the better I am biking.  Today was a good day, Daryl didn't come by until towards the end of the first seven mile lap, although it didn't take him long to forge on ahead.  The course also had a a couple of short sections of road that enabled nutrition to be taken safely and easily, not always ideal on the rocky sections!

The 2nd lap of the bike was a bit more challenging in that you had to make your way past slower riders, which in most areas was fine as they either yielded the trail or the track was wide enough to swing past to the left. The only real troublesome area was the final section of singletrack that was so tight that there wasn't really anywhere for riders to yield. I probably lost a minute or two on that final section but hey that's racing. My bike split was the 5th fastest overall (but still 5mins slower than Daryl's fastest split of the day)

I was off onto the run in 4th place and for the first time this year I felt really good off the bike.  The first half a mile was on the road and even as we entered the trail portion the legs were turning over well. Despite a stupid fall on a rock (and subsequent elbow wound) I was eating up the ground on 4th place and about halfway through up the climb of Ebitts Revenge, I passed into the final podium place for 3rd.  However on the technical and rocky descent Michael came flying by like a ninja and opened enough of a gap that he held till the end. I blame my longer and less nimble limbs! 

Showing the remnants of the fall

So I crossed the line in 4th place and 1st in age group, a good result that was proved the training is progressing (and I hadn't tapered). Better yet for me anyway, was that the racer who crossed the line in 1st had cut a significant portion of the bike course and with that penalty I had moved into 3rd place overall....sweet!

Overall Podium...

Onwards and upwards as the Xterra season moves on....still lots to work on but all moving in the right direction in what is a great learning season. Next race is Xterra Appalachia.

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.

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.

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.

June 2015: Training Ramblings.....Showtime!

The month of June was all about the Xterra East Championships down in Richmond, the first 'A' race of the year and an Xterra World Championships qualifier. One of my season goals was to qualify for Nationals, which I did at the Jersey Devil race and the second goal was to give it my best shot at grabbing a spot for Xterra Worlds that take place in November in Maui.

Leading into Richmond I felt as though training had gone well, not great but good . I knew that Richmond would be a tough course and really challenge my technical skills as it is known as being one of the hardest on the circuit.  My race report that goes into more details is here  Being so new to Xterra I am still learning loads on the mountain bike and the skills continue to come back. It is also a good learning experience as how to train and race Xterra, it's certainly not as 'simple' as road triathlon.

So what is different about Xterra compared to road triathlon?

 - Fitness only takes you so far in Xterra, technique is key!
 - You aren't a slave to your powermeter in Xterra, short term power as well as overall pacing is critical.
 - Take nutrition when you can on the Xterra course you never know when you will get the next chance.
 - Use the draft if you can and follow the lines of the more skilled riders. No penalties for following in Xterra.

 - Trail running isn't easy, especially not after a hard MTB ride. Xterra runs aren't a walk in the park.

 - Overall strength is important, climbing over rocks, trees and up ladders create barriers not seen on your regular triathlon course.

 - The whole Xterra atmosphere is wayyyyy more laid back. Yes it is competitive but it's not about who has the most expensive bike or a personal best time. Have fun, enjoy the course and race hard.

So with an "A" race I actually tapered for the race during the week prior and took a mid-season break afterwards for a few days which lead to a slightly lower monthly volume than usual.  The tough work now begins as I build for the goals races towards the end of the season which will either be the Xterra Nationals or Worlds depending on if I get that qualifying slot!

What I am drinking this month:
Holy Schmidt Coffee: Kenya Kayu - Salted caramel, dried cranberry, golden raisin and a juicy cup with a bright candied lemon finish.

June Total: 496miles/40hrs 55mins/2468 TSS
Swim: 10.54m/5hrs 49mins/ 209 TSS
Bike: 392m/22hrs 44mins/ 1416 TSS
Run: 93.3m/12hrs 01mins/ 843 TSS

Xterra East Championships 2015 Race Report....T'was hot and hard!

What a great race and weekend! Over the weekend of June 13/14 Sarah and I headed down to Richmond to take part in the Xterra East Championships race weekend, the 3rd stop in the US Pro Series. Yup we both took part!

We headed down on Friday afternoon and after spending a few hours on I-95 I was able to preview the Buttermilk trail section of the bike course. I had heard lots about the Xterra Richmond bike course( check out the course preview here) so really wanted to see the technical sections and prepare for the race on Sunday. I am glad I did as there are some gnarly sections that would catch you unaware on race day. It was probably at this point that I realized that my MTB skills are still gradually coming back after a 10 year layoff. I knew I would be losing time to the uber bikers on this course... Oh and it was a hot and humid 92 degrees that would hold over the weekend.

The exciting part was that on Saturday Xterra were hosting a 10km/21km trail race. Somehow I has persuaded Sarah to enter the 10km with the promise that I would run it with her. Not ideal prep for me ahead of the tri on Sunday but excellent that this gave Sarah the motivation of a race and besides it would be fun!

Sarah had nailed her training over the previous 6 weeks and really got consistent with her running.  Yes she was nervous ahead of the race having never done a trail race before and the threat of the Mayan Ruins wall and the dry rocks didn't help. We had a great time though and completed the race in 1hr 9mins which is awesome for a technical 10km.  Bad news is that she finished 5th in her age group just 4 secs behind a podium slot! She is already planning her revenge for next year.

Sarah on the Dry Rocks

After the 10km I got out onto the bike course again to see the rest of the trails. Good luck/bad luck happened halfway round as my chain snapped and I didn't have the parts to repair it. Good luck that it didn't happen on race day - bad luck that I was out in the sun and 3 miles from the race village. After a combination of running/coasting I got back to the village got the chain replaced and started the rest of the days recovery by binge watching Flip or Flop! With a 10km and too much time on the trail I was feeling pretty tired, not ideal ahead of the race.

Xterra races don't usually start until around 9am so the alarm on Sunday didn't come around too early. After setting up transition it was good to the lines that the pro field took through the swim course which you is certainly not typical. There are zig zags, sand bars, rocks and a mid swim run....definitely not your usual swim course. We headed off at 900am and I felt good in the water. I swam good lines, didn't get pushed off by the current and exited the water in around 20th place. Only down side was stepping on a rock during the middle of the swim which actually cut my foot. It felt bad to begin with but by the end of the swim I had forgotten and it wasn't until after the race that I actually remembered!

Walking on water

Through T1 and onto the bike! It was getting toasty and hydration and nutrition would be key for the 2 lap, 20 mile ride. The first mile or so is across the road bridge and then you dive onto the trails bordering the James River, the Buttermilk trails leading to Forest Hills and then onto the North Trails.  My aim was a) not to kill myself, b) enjoy it and c) keep it steady.  The first few miles saw the uber bikers whizz by and it really is amazing how they blitz the trails, I have a lot of work ahead of me but I think that will come in time. I have to remind myself that this is the first season of Xterra and I have probably ridden my MTB about 10-12 times since getting back on it in January.  

The course and atmosphere on the trails was great, at the most technical sections like the river crossing and the rock slab there were a bunch of people partying and having a great time

Party time on the Buttermilk Trail

Despite not being as quick as perhaps I would have liked, I stayed in the hunt and the 2nd lap got kind of lonely as the field was much more strung out. I also took better lines as I was learning the trail more, so much so that my 2nd lap time was almost identical to the 1st lap time.

On the North Trails

Having run the 10km with Sarah the day before I knew what I was in for and felt that with the hot weather and the tough bike course it wasn't going to be a day of laying it down on the run! Much like the bike course, it starts off tame along the canal and then throws you up the Mayan Ruins wall and onto the trails.

2.5 hours into a race this feels as bad as it looks!

My plan was to just keep it steady and to be honest I didn't have much left for the run at all....even if I had wanted to push the pace I didn't have anything left. The Mayan Ruins felt as bad as it looked and the Dry Rocks were both hot and hard.  Races are funny things though and as bad as you can feel you never really know how the rest of the field is feeling.  I made my way around the course at just over 8min/miles and crossed the line in 3hrs 04mins. 

Pushing it to the end of a hard day

Yes I was pleased to have finished a hard course but was a little disappointed in the time. It felt slow and I was totally spent. One of my goals coming into the race was to be close enough to the pointy end of my age group to see if I could grab one of the 3 automatic qualifying slots for the Xterra World Championships in Maui in November. With the race I had I didn't think I would be even close so it was with much surprise that I finished 4th in the age group and now have to wait on a potential roll-down slot if one of the top three do not accept. Again no matter how you are feeling it is always critical to push yourself to the end as you never know what is really going on with the rest of the field.

There are definitely some takeaways from this race and further work as I enter more Xterra races:

1 - Technical MTB skills are critical.

2 - Knowing the course really helps....next year at this race will be even better.

3 - Don't underestimate the overall effort needed in MTB'ing

4 - Despite my constant lack of swimming, I seem to be "ok".

5 - Overall strength needs to improve over simply swim, bike, run strength.

On-wards to the next Xterra race on July 12th at Xterra Ex2 at Rocky Gap.

Thank you goes to:

Parvilla Cycle & Multisport, Pactimo, Retul and of course Sarah!