Xterra Race Report
Firstly, this submission is well overdue, but I just haven’t
been too motivated to write lately so it’s coming out now. Details will be a
little hazy, much like my brain for the first hour of the race, but I’ll give it my
best go.
The Journey Down
My first point to note, which may or may not be a bit
of an excuse, is that I started a new job about 4 weeks before this race and
due to the nature of it, I had very little spare time. Basically I’m saying I was
a tad unprepared for this race. Also, elevation is a bitch.
Anyway,
I drove on down to Canmore Friday after work and reached my hostel around
7:45pm. I checked in and asked if there was room to store my bike in a room
overnight as leaving it outside was not an option. The girl at the front desk
was a bit hesitant, but said I could give it a shot as long as it didn’t take
up too much room. I asked one of the guys in my room if it would be a problem
and of course no dramas. As I wheeled my bike in, the receptionist was all,
“ohhh that’s way too big,” I told her it was all good and wouldn’t be in the
way and carried on, of course with no issues to follow. Sometimes people just need to slow their damn roll.
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| View looking out onto the course, and the finishing meters right in front |
Race Morning
It’s
been a while since I’ve done a race that hasn’t started really early. A 9:15
swim start meant I didn’t have to get up too early. I was able to get my bike
to transition and set up in the morning with plenty of time to spare at the
Canmore Nordic Centre. I had some concerns with my bike because the front brake
seemed to rub intermittently, but I didn’t have the tools or time to fix
it…guess I’d just have to roll with it, or hopefully roll. It was spitting rain throughout the
night and into the early morning, but the mountain gods came through about
45min before race start the rain stopped making for perfect temperatures for
racing…..and some rather wet trails. One last point to make is that all racers
were required to carry bear spray throught the bike and run. I decided to go
with my day pack to carry as it is light and I didn’t really have anything
else. This ended up being a bonus as I wore the only other shoes I brought I
wore down to T1; in the bag they went to be carried throughout the bike. To make what could be an even
longer drawn out story short, I made it down to the perfect, perfect lake and
was ready to go.
Swim 500m
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| I am in the very right of this pic |
The swim is probably the only part of the race I actually
cared about. I’ve only swam 500m once before in a race and it was slow, I think
around 10:30 and I know I’m better than that. I positioned myself at the front
on the very right side. The lake is not big, but it is clear and a great
temperature, 18ish I think. They sent us off and I went out fast and strong.
Before long I was at the first buoy in this one lap triangular shaped swim. I
was feeling good and keeping up with the front pack, although I was working
very hard and my breathing was quite labored. I pushed on and didn’t start to
feel fatigued until about 200m from the finish. I went as fast as I could, but definitely
slowed a bit towards the end and could feel it in my shoulders.
Swim Time: 8:43min (1:45min/100m) 13th
Overall -> Very pleased
with this, I thought maybe I could get down to 8:15, but still quite happy.
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| Pretty sick swim venue |
T1
This involved a 250m run uphill towards our bikes. I still
haven’t become good at running right out of the swim, especially when I was as
labored as I was. I got passed by some folks, but didn’t care as my
expectations for the race weren’t high, I just wanted to experience an Xterra
and see what it’s all about. I donned my gear, including my “sunglasses” that I
put clear lenses on and headed on out.
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| Just out the water |
Bike 14km
This was without a doubt the hardest bike I’ve done, hands
down. We came out of T1 onto the highway and rode UP to the Nordic Centre where we entered the trails. The trails of
course led, UP, and up and up and
up. My legs were nowhere near prepared for this onslaught of climbing,
especially so soon after the swim. I had to stop after a few climbs and take of
my sunglasses as they were just fogging up like crazy.
Lesson 1: be
wary of sunglasses in an Xterra as you don’t get the same breeze/wind as you do on road
bikes to defog them.
Anyway, I
continued to climb very slowly just like everyone around me. I couldn’t get my
HR below 170 (which is above a sustainable limit for me) and my legs were just on fire. I had two thoughts on this first
ascent, the first was why did I even buy this stupid mountain bike, I should
just sell it and buy a new road bike. My second thought was, just keep pedaling
because if you pedal any slower, you’ll stop and fall off your bike. Finally I hit a
steep and slick slope where people were getting off and walking, I followed
suit. It was a nice “break” and my legs were already feeling like jelly, not a
good sign. Once I finally made it to the top, I started riding some nice double
track that had small ups and downs, finally some relief after the first 45min
of the race. I was already not looking forward to coming up that climb on the
second lap.
I carried on until I reached my first bit of single track,
something I am rather unexperienced with. It went well enough, turning,
pedaling and actually having a bit of fun finally. The roots were slippery and
I was certainly learning a lot about mountain biking. I struggled climbing in
parts but overall I was making progress. I hit an open meadow area and picked
up speed cruising on through, my HR was coming down a bit and I was enjoying
the scenery. I began to head back down the mountain through a few switchbacks,
which I took a bit too much speed into bringing me to my first wipeout.
Essentially my front wheel couldn’t gain traction and slipped out and I went
down, no major impact, just some sliding on the ground. I got back up, hopped
back and carried on. I re-entered the single track only to find myself faced
with a steep drop/turn/lots of roots…..definitely outside my comfort zone and
maybe outside my skill level. I approached it with hesitancy and paid the price,
wiping out two more times.
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| Some road rash from my first wipe-out |
Moving forward I continued to descend the mountain with the
odd sharp incline. By this time I was starting to enjoy myself, I can’t even
describe the difference of fun levels between ascending and descending. Lap two
went much better than lap one. My legs showed up a bit and I was able to climb
a bit easier. I managed to make the second lap with no wipe-outs, I took the
switchback a bit slower and when I hit the single track that I crashed on twice
in lap one, I paused, picked a line and just went for it…..and it worked out.
Bike: 1:18:59 (10.km/h) 41st Overall. Not surprised by this
as I wasn’t sure what to expect and haven’t ever ridden in true mountain
terrain. HARD, but FUN!
T2
I arrived into T2 with legs that were shaky at best, but
hurried in and out and was on my way for the last part of the race.
Run 5km
I left for the run thinking just enjoy it, you’re not going
to win so there isn’t really any point in absolutely crushing yourself. I took
off at a quick pace that slowly dwindled down as I entered the trail system. My
legs were just not there and I was still breathing quite hard. I was really
feeling the effects of my lack of training and the altitude (about double that of what I live and train at). I trudged along
running where I could and walked up the hills (I’m not much for running up
hills). I was only passed by a couple and found myself gaining on a few. I
found this run very very hard and early on acknowledged that I would just try
to enjoy it as much as possible, which included running at a comfortable
(aka: slow) pace. I caught on fellow that I ran with for a while and chatted
with about how hard this race was, it was both of our first times doing an
Xterra race. They just aren’t even close to the same type of race as a road
triathlon. Just past the halfway point I was passed by an older lady and man, I
tried to stick with them for a bit and then just didn’t care and let them go. I
exited the trees into the wide open grass area, the last 800m of the run. I
thought about making a really strong to push to try and catch a few people but
didn’t. There was no one close behind me or in front so I just made a nice
strong effort the last 300m, but nothing too strenuous. I rolled across the
finish line quite tired, but glad I had done the race.
Run: 33:39 (6:43min/km) 36th Overall.
Finish Time: 2:01:22 for 42nd Overall.
Thoughts and
Lessons
1)
So glad I decided to do the Sprint distance, I
couldn’t imagine putting in another 10km on the bike and 5km on the run.
2)
The bike is SO much more demanding than it is
during road triathlons. The climbing is much harder, although the climbs are
typically shorter, they are much steeper and there is much less traction.
3)
Descending does not equal resting. On the road,
if you have a long descent, you can relax and typically catch your breath.
Descending on the trails requires you to still use every muscle in your body to
ensure you maintain traction and balance. No recovery there.
4)
STRENGTH. Xterra demands that you be very
strong. It is a strength type race; you need good power to deal with all the
hills and varying terrain on both the bike and the run.
5)
Racing in altitude that is twice that of which
you live and train in will have an effect on you; this entire race I felt like
catching my breath was just out of reach; my breath was chasing the proverbial
carrot.
6)
To be perfectly honest, I can’t say I really
enjoyed the bike, I was just too burnt out; that being said I bought a mountain
bike because I wanted to be able to cruise around and do some trails. The
Canmore Nordic Centre would be an absolute BLAST to spend a day biking around
at, taking breaks when needs and just exploring instead of racing. I can’t wait
until next season when I can go out there and spend a day exploring. Great
race, great organization, and outstanding venue.
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