Cross Crusade at PIR

What I did on my bike today was not as much fun as looking forward to it. Like all 43 year old boys, I love play in the mud and today was a perfect day for it. It rained almost an inch over the last 24 hours so the course at Portland International Raceway was soaked and muddy. I had forgotten to pick my cross bike up at the shop yesterday and didn't think I would be able to race but thanks to Twitter, my good friend Gary from Athletes Lounge let me know he would be there early.

I picked up my bike around 820am and made my way to PIR. I got dressed, signed in, paid my money, and did a little warming up then lined up to race. Because of my number I started in the back. This suited me fine as I wasn't feeling all that great about my fitness anyway. The horn sounded and we were off. Around 55 heavy weights rumbled out of the starting chute and onto the course. Each lap was 2.5 miles and pretty flat. There were two or three run ups, depending on your bike skills, but that was it for hills.

My legs were tired quickly due to the amount of mud that made up the course. There was a nice puddle section which got deeper and deeper each successive lap. I tried to ride that section on the bank of the puddle but I ended up riding through the thick mud.

Upon starting the second lap, I began to realize that I was DFL, dead freakin last, and I wasn't even half way through that lap when I got lapped. I was having a lot of trouble getting back into my pedals when I had to remount after clipping out. I have ridden with these pedals a lot but have not raced with them until today. I also had not been on my new bike in a race yet either.

Upon trying to remount after a short run up, I tweaked my ankle again, rolling it on the soft surface. I got on again but wasn't able to clip in on the left but I did manage to swing my crank around, smacking my tibia with it. I started walking again, along the course but kept rolling my ankle.

I decided to pack it in and walked across the course in time to see the finish of the race.

On the drive home, I was thinking if I should even be doing this. I have fun, to a degree, but its no picnic. I enjoy the time on the bike but not so much the getting on/off all the time. Too bad Stacey isn't taller, i would just give her my bike and I would stick to events that I don't have to mount/dismount as part of the course.

Falling asleep, guess that means I should sign off. Not too exciting and I know I had more to say but for now, that's it.

XTerra USA Championships, Sept 26, 2009

"You can quit, and nobody else will care, but you will always know"
John Collins, Ironman creator.

I read that quote about a week after I finished one of the hardest races of my life. I had thought about packing it in many times during that race but although I had never seen those words, I had the same feeling, no one would probably think less of me but I would always know that I DNF'd.

I felt prepared for the US Championships as I got into Coach Grant's SUV and settled in for the long ride to Ogden Utah. My training had gone well in the weeks leading up to the race and I felt that I would have a good showing. We stopped for the night in Boise and thanks to Dr. and Mrs Folske, we departed the next morning well rested and very well fed. My other two traveling companions were Rob Jackson and Justin Bernard, the race directors for XTerra Portland.

We got to Ogden, checked into our hotel, and I went for a short run. Ogden is a pretty cool little town and I was able to check out some restaurants for later. Dinner, TV, bed. Not all that exciting but it was a Thursday.

Friday morning, Grant and I went up to Snow Basin to ride part of the course. This was when I realized just how much climbing I would be doing on Saturday. The single track at the base of the mountain was a lot of fun but it was basically all uphill. We rode for 30 minutes, went down to the reservoir to check out the swim area, then hit this bike store for some supplies. It also had a cafe attached to it and I had an awesome lunch.

That night was the "Night of Champions" dinner and along with 158 others, Justin and I were honoured as NW Regional Champions of our respective divisions. We were lei'd and got a shirt with our new title on it. After dinner, I finished preparing my gear and nutrition bottles and watched TV til around 11pm.

As usual on race eve, I didn't sleep well but felt pretty good when I got up. I changed my tri kit 2 or 3 times. I wanted to wear my Challenged Athletes Foundation kit but having just received it, and it being a little tight, I didn't want to chance some major chafing during the swim. In hindsight, I should have worn it anyway as I chafed something fierce from my wetsuit and it was nothing to do with my choice of jersey.

We headed up to T2, left our run gear, then drove down to T1. I had not done a point to point race before and I was nervous that I had not left something that I may have wanted later. Oh well, too late. I didn't end up needing anything extra but I hate that feeling .

Race time was 9am so I went for a short warm up ride around 815am. I got back and someone had taken my spot on the bike rack. Once I pointed out that my swim stuff was right there, he left.....no one takes my spot on the rack, no one.

I got suited up and realized I left my body glide in Grant's truck. We were told we had to put all our swim gear and any other items into a bag before we left T1 so I put everything I didn't need for swimming or biking away.... another reason I am not enjoying point to point racing. I borrowed some glide and went down to have a swim warm up. I ran into a couple of the other PC athletes, Andy May and Megan, both are BK amputees. The water was cool but just fine for a short sleeve wetsuit.

At 9am, the horn blew and everyone, including the pro's, were off. All the pro women were wearing pink caps so I guess for the first time in my triathlon career, I was responsible for ripping someones goggles off. Sorry for that pro woman triathlete, I didn't mean to do it.

I was feeling great physically and after checking my time right as I got out of the water, it read 27:20. There were no timing chips in this race and they included T1 in my swim time so I officially had a 34 minute swim. We had to run up a long boat ramp and part of the parking lot to get to the TZ and that obviously took me a while. I was happy to see people I knew coming out of the water behind me and shouting encouragement because on a point to point, I wasn't likely to see them again.

I got out of the TZ, jumped on my bike, and departed on what turned out to be a very long day in the saddle. They teased me with a mile on the flats, then we entered Wheeler Canyon and began to climb, climb, climb, climb, and did I mention climb??? Holy crap, it was tough on me. I think I still hear "on your left" or some derivative of that in my sleep. I think I can honestly say I climbed for 1.5 hours before I hit the first of only two downhill sections. The first downhill was fun but my body was so tired I almost cooked a few of the turns a little too hot. After that downhill section, the course climbed up to Snow Basin Lodge parking lot and turned into a cool single track section that Grant and I had done the day before. After that, unbeknownst to me, the course went up the ski hill, following part of the chair lift. I was exhausted and I didn't want to go on especially after the previous 2 hours of hell I had just experienced.

This is where my day got longer. I hit a very steep pitch and got off and started pushing my bike up the hill all the while trying to dodge the top age groupers that were flying down the hill on their way to finishing the run. Through the haze, I spotted an Ironhead jersey steaming full speed towards me. I high five'd Matt as he ran his way to a 3rd place finish.

I pushed myself harder, still hiking uphill, and crested the steep part of the climb and I sat down, stared downhill and for the second time, I talked myself out of quitting. While I was sitting there, one of the XTerraTV guys ran up to me with his camera. "How tough is this course?" he asked to which I replied, "a lot tougher than Vegas"....WTF I said that for, I will never know. I was so exhausted, I had nothing better to tell him.

Right after I embarrassed myself on XTerraTV, I got up and pushed on. I got on my bike, granny geared up, and slowly climbed the next pitch of about 6-7% (last climb was at least 18-20%, I'm sure of it!). Justin's dad passed me on his bike, giving me words of encouragement, Rob passed me, running on his way back to the finish, asking if I was OK. I smiled, gave them big props and stopped again. I stopped again, leaned on my bike, looked down the hill towards the finish line, and slowly my vision went bright white and I felt like I was going to fall over. I closed my eyes, took some deep breaths, drank some water, and waited for my sight to return. It seemed to take forever but it came back.

I wandered slowly to the medical tent at the top of the hill and told them of my symptoms but they just told me to walk around a bit. They didn't seem to concerned. I was actually hoping they would pull me from the course for medical reasons but I'm glad they didn't.

I got on my bike again for the last bit of climbing, looking forward to going downhill again. The rest of the bike ride was uneventful. I loved the downhill except for the fact that I was so exhausted, I almost bit it on some of the switchbacks.

I rolled into T2 after about 3:10 on the bike, convinced that I was going to pack it in. I got my running gear on and walked out of transition. I stopped at the timing area and asked where the medical tent was. I was pointed in two different directions. I started up the hill towards the run course and I looked over and saw the med tent. I walked over to it and stood there for a couple of minutes before someone asked if I needed anything. I again, told them my symptoms but no one seemed concerned. If someone wandered into my med tent at a soccer tourney telling me they were dizzy, seeing stars or other visual disturbances, or any other heat injury type symptoms, I would have had them sitting down and getting some ice on them and some water or IV or other electrolytes into them. I almost had to guide them to what I thought was wrong with me. I wont bore you with details but eventually I just got up and walked out (something else i would not have let someone do).

While I was in the med tent, I heard them announce the other 3 PC athletes finishing. I walked over, congratulated them, and told them I hadn't even started the run yet. I also saw Grant, Kaytee, Matt, and Rob in the food line. I told them I wasn't sure I was going to finish and without hesitating, Grant said no one would think any less of me if I DNF'd because of the toughness of the course. That was all I needed to push me on, I knew I was NOT going to DNF after that. I saw Justin while I wandered towards the run course, he said "its not that bad". I had doubts again..... I found a shady spot, sat down, put my head in my hands, stared at the cones that marked the run course, and cried (yes, I did, call me what you will but that's the kind of day I was having). I told myself that if I didn't finish, I didn't deserve to wear the Regional Champ shirt I won the night before so after getting control of myself, I got up and walked up the hill.

Most of the course volunteers were coming down the hill. I got a couple cramps on the way up the steep section but otherwise, I must have gotten my second wind, because I felt pretty damn good. About the 5km mark, I ran out of water and food. My stomach was growling and I was wondering where the next aid station was. A volunteer on a MTB came towards me and said the aid station was only a quarter mile away. I believed him but HE LIED!!! By my calculations, it was at least a mile but it was something to look forward to.

I got to the downhill section, the way home! I walked down the steep part and I could hear Whit announcing winners from the Sport race. He said there would be a 5 minute break and then they would present the pro winners and AG winners from the USA Champs. When I heard that, I broke into a jog. I really wanted to come across the line before he started announcing again.

I came into the finishing chute and Whit spotted me and it was really cool. He had the whole crowd up and cheering for me. It was very emotional, not because of the crowd so much but for the few members of the crowd that came to the finish line to greet me. All the other PC athletes were there, Andy, Craig, and Megan, all my Portland peeps, Grant, Justin, Rob, Matt, and Phil. It was so awesome. I timed my run at 1:50, but with all the messing around in the TZ and the med tent, my official time was 2:15.

I have to say, I will never attempt that course again. Its just too much climbing for me, my size, and my weak leg. I learned from this course and will benefit from doing it. Next season, I hope to win a Maui spot in Vegas so I don't have to try and make it on points plus I can skip the USA Championships which will be in Utah again.

Almost three weeks later, I am still sporting the sunburned arm tattoo of my number so I have something else, besides pain, to remember the race by.

Cyclocross season in full effect! Having fun at that, Im wondering if I will ever grow up.

Apple Triathlon 2009

For starters, I almost didn't get to race but my good friend Meyrick worked his magic and got us both in (he was a late registration too). Its good to know Meyrick, not only for getting me late entry into races, but he's very good at motivating people.

Stacey, the kids, and I, spent most of the week in Salmon Arm with my parents and celebrated Taggy's 7th birthday at a fun park in Scotch Creek. I had not been there in at least 15 years and it has changed a lot. So, I trained, did a little water sliding, a little lake swimming, and had a few cold beers between Tuesday and Friday.

On Saturday AM, we got up early, sent the kids out fishing with Grandpa, and set out for Kelowna, a mere 90km away (or maybe 100km, I don't recall). After stopping in Vernon and eating at one of the worst choices for restaurants we could find (The Pantry), we made it to our destination. I had forgotten to look up the details of the check in etc and we had to wait a couple of hours before packet pick up was open. In the meantime, I rode part of the course with Meyrick, Ashley, and Chelsea, some Innovative Fitness athletes from Vancouver. About 4 km into the lap, Meyrick blew a tire. I'm talking a huge gaping hole in the sidewall of his spendy Specialized tire as well. Of course, a little flat turned out to be an ordeal as Meyrick had misplaced the extender for the valve, a very critical component for the type of rims he has. Thankfully, Ashley had a patch kit, something I haven't carried for years (but will start), and he patched the tube and the tire. It took three times but he finally got it right.

We finished the bike course, got to packet pick up, got our stuff, and Stacey and I went to our host's house. Marni was a professional cyclist for years and I worked with her team last year. She retired this season but her and her boyfriend, Corey, are part of Total Restoration Cycling. Actually, Corey is the director for the team. They usually do local BC races but have come to the Pacific NW for some as well. Their garage makes mine look empty, of bikes that is.

We got settled then went out to eat at the Pheasant and Quail, a little pub near the lake. After that, I dropped my bike off at the TZ and we went back to our house for a rest. It was very strange to have the quiet. No dogs, no kids, just us, our books, and a fan.

Had some pasta for dinner at Mama Rosa's then back to prep my bottles for race day. I tried to go to sleep at 10pm but it was hot and the fan we had in the room didn't seem to work all that well.

Alarm went off at 5am, I drank my usual 700 or so calories and ate a banana. I didn't have my usual race day GI upset which was strange. I was very relaxed for this race I guess.

Got to the TZ around 6:15am, stood in line for about 15 minutes to get body marked, then set out my gear. The TZ for the paratriathletes is separate from all the other athletes. I kind of like this and kind of don't. I like that we have so much room and we get chairs and helpers, I don't like that we stand out I suppose is the easiest way to describe it.

Anyway, our coordinator, Tabitha, met us in the TZ and she explained the Tri Canada rules to Stacey regarding what she can do for me. Mainly I wanted her there to help me on the boardwalk so I don't fall down like I did last year but she was told she could help me on the entire run and help me pull my wetsuit off, pretty sweet deal as that part can sometimes give me troubles.

We were off at 740am. The water was perfect for a short sleeve but the wind was about 20kph at least which made for a choppy swim. The course was two laps of 750m. Last year I did it in 26 and change, this year, 31 min. I didn't think I was that much slower but then again, last year i was swimming a lot more in preparation for Ironman Canada. I swallowed a lot of water and got swam over a few times after some of the age groupers caught up with us but I survived.

T1 was pretty typical except I didn't have trouble getting my wetsuit off since Stacey helped pull it off. I think it was almost exactly the same as last year, around 3 minutes.

Unlike at XTERRA the week before, I felt great when I first got on the bike. Right as I got into aero position, I passed Marni and Corey and it was great to hear them cheering for me. Around 1km into it, you hit Knox Mountain. Its not that steep but its challenging. I think its a little less than 750m long around 6-7% grade but I could be wrong. This year they had timing mats on the hill to stop cheaters I guess. I had a few people pass me on the hill but I passed my share of the sprint racers that had started around 25 minutes before us. I don't care that they were on MTB's, I passed someone dammit!!

The bike course was the same as last year and on each successive lap, the wind gradually died down and I made around the same time for each lap. I was aiming for 25 min or less and I got 25:20, 25:15, and 25:04, for a faster bike split than last year. I ave 31.2 kph, almost 1k faster/hr than last year. Marni and Corey were on Knox Mountain for my last lap, the cocky kids had ridden their cruiser bikes up the hill. I would be lucky to get half way up to where they were but anyway, it was very cool again to have someone cheer me on personally.

T2 was faster than last year and I had motivation this year. Stacey was running with me. We had talked the day before about my run strategy and discussed run/walking. I wanted to run the first 20-25 min then walk if I needed it. She pointed out all the obstacles and although I already saw most of them, I appreciated the heads up. Just before we got to the board walk where I fell the year before, there was a ramp which Stacey said she would run around it, making a joke about not wanting to be on it at the same time as me (guess it didn't look stable), and she almost bit it, catching her toe on the lip of the stair. Being a good husband, I didn't laugh...hard.

We got to the board walk and I grabbed her left arm. I guess people must have thought I was blind, they cheered our "team" a little more than the other athletes. I hope I was inspiring to them regardless. I ran around 37 minutes for that lap, felt pretty good. We ran past the transition area and back on the course for lap 2.

Around 1.5 km into it, we started walking and some guy from behind us, asked if we were both in the race. I said I was and Stacey was my helper. He said she couldn't do that and I would be disqualified. As he passed us, I said, yes she could, he said no you cant, its against the rules, and to this Stacey held up the badge she was given and yelled, "Paratriathlete Assistant, YES I CAN!!". Of course, he kept running but he turned around and very sheepishly said sorry. I wanted to run after him and call him a few names and tell him to mind his own freaking business but I was polite. It did however give me a little more energy to begin running again, sooner than I was planning.

Again on the boardwalk, I held onto her left arm, apparently I sweat all over it, and we made it to the finish area where I ran on my own across the line. Unlike last year, I didn't start to hyperventilate or become short of breath, I calmly walked straight out of the finishing chute across the the Athletes Village, and tore into a PBJ and a coke but not before giving my "handler" a big kiss and a thank you (had to do it before, shes allergic to peanut butter).

My run was almost 20 min faster than last year and I placed second behind Meyrick but since he is in a different category, I guess I won my division, Les Autre. My total time, 3:09....last year, 3:16. I'm hoping to break 3 hours next year. I couldn't stick around for awards which might have been a good thing because they couldn't find my results so I would have waited around for no medal or podium. They have the correct info now.

Its a fun race and I plan on doing it for as long as I can. I qualified again for World's in Hungary next year. Hope I can make that one. Right now, I have to concentrate on getting my MTB legs under me so the TT bike is put away until after XTERRA US Championships, Sept 26.

XTERRA Vashon Island

Last weekend, I did my second XTERRA event on Vashon Island. Unlike the Las Vegas XTERRA, this was not part of the Cup Series so there is no automatic qualifying for Maui by winning this race, only points. I have two more XTERRA races scheduled this summer and I should get enough points to get to Maui should I be able to go. I have pictures and will try and post them later.

I had never been to Vashon Island but I do want to go back, not only for the race, but its a great place to bike around, sight see, and get eaten alive by mosquitoes....okay, that last one is not on the list of good things about the island but nonetheless, its a nice place.

I drove up in about 2.5 hours, drove right on the ferry minutes before it left the dock, and spent 15 minutes on the boat before it reached the island. I drove to the race site but the people from BuDu Racing had already packed up. After talking to a couple of people, I was a little nervous about the first part of the bike course so I parked and walked up the first 500m or so. I quickly realized that, although their description was fairly accurate about the conditions of the trail, they weren't very MTB savvy. It was steep in sections and it had some sandy sections but it was definitely ride able (except the first part with the switch back to the 26% hill).

Satisfied with my reconnaissance mission, I drove to my accommodations for the night at the AYH Ranch. I chose, poorly I might add, to sleep in one of the dorm rooms of the hostel. I was going to be sharing with 5 other guys. I dropped my overnight bag off in the room and found out only top bunks were still available, this was not good for me but I could do it.

I went back into the town, ate dinner then drove back to AYH for a late packet pick up. The people of BuDu were great. I was going to be their first PC athlete ever in one of their events so they were not sure if they needed to do much else for me but I assured them that unless something drastic happened on course, they wouldn't have to worry about me.

A hostel is a very friendly place. I was chatting with a few other racers and got cornered by one guy from Portland that was either drunk, stoned, or both but either way, he was a bit of an ass. I was rescued by another guy from Arizona that was a former Pro in Motocross. Turned out he was also in my dorm room. During that time, the rain began to fall and I was wondering about the sandy part of the race course and if it was a good or a bad thing that it was raining.

Everyone seemed to be disappearing and going to bed so I went to my room, grabbed my book and came back out to the common area to read. Another mistake as when I went back to bed, there were 4 other guys snoring very loudly. I should have gone to sleep sooner then I would have been one of those guys snoring loudly. Around 11pm I went to bed and shortly after that, our 6th room mate, the guy right under me, came in. He smelled like campfire and cigarettes. Within minutes, he was snoring even louder than anyone else in the room. Needless to say, I didn't get much sleep. Its amazing how much heat 6 guys can throw off. It was probably 80-85F in that room.

I didn't need my alarm, the one I had set for 6am, as I was wide awake due to the person showering at 5am right next to our room. The walls were basically just plywood so there was no insulation from the sound. I drank my breakfast, packed my gear, and just went out to the race site. The mosquitoes seemed to be less prevalent there.

My plan was to organize my TZ, then go back and rest in the truck. My start time wasn't until 9:07am and it was 7am when I got there. I got there, set up, then chatted with my new friend from AZ. I was on the first rack, closest to the bike exit, with two others. When I got there, they were just leaving for a lap of the course. I know its only a 5 mile loop but doing a pre-ride 1.5 hr before the start of the race seemed to be a little crazy. I decided to go on a short road ride at about 8am. I rode to where the bike course comes out to a paved road and back. I was looking forward to this part of the bike course as it was all downhill and it would be a good stretch of road to spin out the legs before the run.

The race course had changed since the day before due to some pissy neighbours. Instead of two 7 mile loops, we were doing 3 laps of 5 miles. The run course had also changed but since I didn't usually get concerned about a run course, I didn't know what the first course had looked like let alone the new one.

I had my short sleeve wetsuit on and in looking around, so did a lot of others. The water was around 62F, maybe a hair warmer but not much. The course was supposed to be 800m but when the turn around point was pointed out, there was no way it was going to be 800m. I swam it in 13 minutes and change which correlates to 1:40/100m if it truly was 800m and I know I'm not that fast. I only swam twice in the month prior to this race so I was looking at 1:50/100m or slower.....anyway, the water wasn't that cold and other than the few jelly fish that I saw, it was uneventful.

The exit point for the swim was onto barnacle covered rocks but luckily only for a few meters before the stairs then the grass. My typical slow T1 ensued and I was off to the bike part, my favourite.

The first lap didn't not go as I expected. I had to walk the entire first 3/4 mile or so. It seemed that each time I tried to mount my bike, my shorts got caught up on the saddle and I was not able to get clipped in and with the lack of momentum, I couldn't get going. Once I finally got on the bike, my legs were DEAD! It took about 20 minutes of riding to get them moving at a decent pace. One section of the course was not well marked and I went off course. Three of the lead women followed me, silly girls, but the race director was already aware of the problem and he was steaming towards us on his MTB yelling to turn around. There was some cussing from the ladies (bad girls), and it was back on course. I have to say, the bike course was so much fun that I wouldn't have minded doing another couple of laps. It was almost entirely single track and just technical enough to be challenging. I'm sure the pure road tri geeks were not as happy as me but I could look at this as an area I excelled in compared to them.

I pulled over for the fast people that were lapping me and the not so fast swimmers that were faster bikers and only had one fall during that. On the last of the three laps I felt that I was going much faster. I guess my legs were finally warmed up. I hammered that lap and caught a gal that had passed me earlier. About 2/3 of the way through the lap, it began to thunder and rain. The thunder was very loud and I think the race organizers were concerned about the lightening because as I went by the rent a cops that were directing traffic, they were shouting to us that we needed to get back to the TZ, no more laps on the bike.

T2 was shorter (according to my official times) than usual for me. I used a different ankle brace than any other race I had done and apparently, it was faster to get on than my lace up.

Leaving the TZ, the course went uphill for the first 3/4 mile. I actually ran some of it before dashing into the bushes to pee, then I decided to walk the rest of the hill. After emerging from that first uphill section, you went on a paved road for 20m or so, past the aid station, then back into the bush for a rolling trail run. I surprised myself and ran most of it. When the second lap was finished, all we had to do was run back down the hill..... not so easy for me but it was a fun little trail. Would have been more fun on my MTB but I survived. I had to carefully walk down some steep stuff but otherwise, I sort of jogged down. Didn't trip once I am happy to say. Well, now that I said that, I had to sit down rapidly on the last part of the trail, just before we got back to the paved road. It was extremely steep and pretty much sand. I got ankle deep, started to fall, so I just let my knees give and sat down til I slid to the bottom. After that it was a quick run down a dirt road, then across the finish line.

All in all, it was a great race for me. I had fun and I only fell down once. Since I was the only AWAD/PC/paratriathlete, obviously I got 1st in my division but as in all my races, my goal was to finish with a secondary goal of not being last....I'm not sure that's a good goal to have but they are my goals not yours.

Track fun

Got my new track bike a couple of weeks ago. Its a KHS Flite 100 with custom built wheels (Miche hubs, two sided, and some sturdy rims, not sure the kind), Tufo S3 Pro tubular extra sticky tires, FSA carbon track hubs with a 49 tooth ring, Deda Pista track bars, Ritchey stem, Terry saddle, and Speedplay pedals. Soon, I will be getting the Speedplay track specific pedals, that is providing I am good enough on the track to justify the expense. I have been fitted to the degree that the seat height is pretty good but I am heading out to the track to have the final fit done while being watched while actually riding versus doing it on the trainer. Not only are these tires extra sticky (my opinion, not something they advertise) but they are pretty spendy too so I would rather not do the fit on the trainer anyway.

I have spent approximately 2.5 hours on the track so far. The first ride on it was a Friday night, the first "Fast Twitch Friday" of the season and we did flying 200m sprints....2 laps, then the third lap was timed for 200m. I thought I was going much quicker than my time showed,16:19, the fastest was 13:26, novice my ass ;) Oh well, I beat the fastest novice woman. My trusty mechanic, Dean, the one that built my bike for me, said he should have flipped the wheel to the smaller cog for the sprint (vs the warm up cog) but c'est la vie, next time. Normally on FTF, they have 200m sprints where you go head to head with someone else. I am a little nervous about this but I would love to try it. If you have ever seen it done, its pretty much a chess game for the 2 laps preceding the actual sprint then you can use your opponent (if you are near enough) to draft and launch around them....in theory. My nervousness is only due to my inexperience and the fact that someone else would be on the track when I am and I don't want to crash or have the opportunity to crash. I must say, it felt a whole lot different than when I went to Burnaby (wood track, shorter straights).

Last week, I went out to the track twice. On Wednesday I spent an hour out there getting used to the bike. I didn't have a clear plan when I got there and mostly it was going around and around. I warmed up for 20 minutes, timed my average lap which was not very good, around 30 seconds, then took a short break, drank some water and pondered my next moves. My coach had told me to try and do my sprint intervals on the track and see how I felt. The interval entails riding at my 40k TT speed for 1-4 minutes then sprinting all out for 30 seconds. Attempting to sprint while trying to hit the buttons on my watch was not in the cards so I just went for it after the watch hit 4 minutes and figured I could gauge where 30 seconds was in my head. Um, NOT!!! The first sprint I did 3 laps. I know my lap speed was falling off towards the end but this gave me an idea of how I need to race the kilo, when I get to that point. My HR was up around 189 (after I DL my data from my watch, I will have a better idea of the actual BPM) and I was breathing very heavy. Another thing about a fixed gear bike, you cannot really rest after the sprint, your legs have to keep going even though they might be going slower. Not to mention the fact that you need the speed to stay on the bank or go onto the apron with more speed than you might want.

I rode on the track instead of the apron and kept my speed up just enough so I didn't fall off the bank but all the while watching my HR come down. Unlike being on the road, my HR came down ever so slow because I still had to put out the effort to stay on the bank. I rode for 5 minutes like that then ramped up for the next TT/sprint interval. I decided to only do two laps for this one but that decision was made during lap 2 and I felt I didn't have the gas to do three. Again, I have no idea what my time was but again when I looked at my HRM, I was pumping 186bpm. Another cool down for 5 minutes then another sprint session, this time only 1 lap. I did that one more time but with less rest for the last one.

I noticed a scary thing that I did on a couple of the sprints. I was trying to do the "dog humping a football" thing that Jeremy told us at the Burnaby track, and in doing so, I pulled the front end off the track. At whatever speed I was already going, pulling the wheel up and slightly sideways was very dangerous. I didn't lose control at all but it really made me nervous. I talked to coach and she gave me a few pointers as well as directed me to a video showing the proper technique.

I went out again two days later without a plan again but I just wanted to get used to the track and the bike. I did a long warm up, around 30 minutes, and then some 200m sprints. The HR got up there again in the high 180's, but it came down quicker this time, not sure why.

The track thing is fun but I still have heaps to learn. Tomorrow, I hope to get all the fit items sorted out and learn some techniques from some salty veterans of the velodrome. The folks at Bike Central are cool enough to let me come out to their track time/practice and I am eager to play.

Nothing new to update on the classification side of things. I was hoping to go to Nationals and get classified but as was suspected, the French seem to have the clout with the CCA and they swiped track nats from Burnaby. What is truly interesting and almost makes me want to become a US citizen....almost, is the note I sent to USA Cycling regarding classification was replied to in 3 hours, inviting me to US Paracycling Nationals a short 3 hour drive from me and it also included an email address for one of the US team docs who is an international classifier. I emailed him and got a response from him the next day.

I know there are more athletes etc in the US but I found it sad that in all the things i have sent to people that can help me within the Canadian system have been all but ignored (one response from a classifier back in March but nothing since). I will head to the US Nats, not to race but to get classified, then I will work on the new coach/manager for the Canadian High Performance program.

I often wonder if I am putting too much effort into this classification thing. I mean, I will be 46 by the time the next Paralympics comes around, is that too late? Ciao for now.

XTERRA Las Vegas, West Cup

Saturday was my first XTERRA triathlon. I have raced MTB for years and although courses longer than 15 miles were not my favourite, I endured them. I got to Las Vegas on Thursday and headed straight to the bike store to rent my bike. It was a Santa Cruz Blur, full suspension, XT drive train and Fox shocks. Pretty sweet ride.....for a TANK!! In its defence, I have beed riding my steel hard tail that only weighs 22lb for more than 10 years so I am spoiled. I think this thing weighed in at very close to 30lb. I dropped the bike off at my mom's place then went out to the race hotel to get things finished and go to the race briefing.

I orginially signed up for the XTERRA Cup race and after the race briefing, I was still convinced that was what I was going to do. I hoped I would get one of the Hawaii spots for the World Championships in October.....not that I can afford it right now but you never know what can happen in a few months. Went home after that, had dinner, got my stuff prep'd for the following day, then had a much needed good night's sleep.

I got up early the next day and went out to the race site to pre-ride the course. There were loads of people in the parking lot and being the friendly lot that most MTB riders are, a few of us chose to ride the course together. I had orignially planned on riding about 2-3 miles of the course and skipping the hard climb and just checking out the bike and its nuances but peer pressure and all got me to ride the whole thing. I rode all the down hills and walked up some of the steep stuff. The toughest down hill was around mile 3 and it was steep and loose. I made it down 75% then locked up my front wheel when I was trying to turn, hit a big rock and over I went. I landed mostly on my right side (I know this because of the numerous scratches and abrasions on my right side). As I was getting up and moving my bike off the trail in case one of my riding partners was bold enough to ride it, I heard the air escaping from the front tire. The rock I hit caused a pinch flat but thankfully I had a spare tube and quick fill cartridges.

I had the front wheel off and was changing it when the others made it to the bottom. A long time ago, when I raced MTB, I could change a tire in under 5 minutes but it took a while longer. After I put the front wheel back on and headed down the hill, I could hear the disc brake rubbing a bit but not so much that I was worried about it.

After that little mishap, I told my cohorts I was going to head back to the car, which I could see from my crash site but once again, peer pressure and all that had me riding the course again.....the hard part was over we convinced ourselves. The course, by the way, was very wide open and you could see most of it from the transition area.

After my crash, I took it very easy and tried not to push my effort too much. There were two other hills I ended up walking up and I skipped the last portion of the single track. I had to leave my Chamois Butt'R at home because I took everything on the plane with me and I didnt want to give it up when they searched my luggage and I was beginning to regret that BIG TIME. My nether regions were sore and I knew the next day wouldnt not be happy after the race.

After the ride, I went inside to the registration area to pay for my USAT one day licence and decided that one lap would kill me and I didnt think I could do two laps and still walk the next day. It was a tough decision as I most likely would have got a spot for the World Championships in Hawaii if I could have finished (there were not many AWAD/PC/Paratriathletes entered).

I got back to my car around 11am and headed back to Mom's place. I had originally planned on stopping at REI and buying some trekking poles but since I had changed to the shorter course, I skipped that idea too. I went back to the house, put my Skin's compression pants on and fell asleep. The pre-ride really took a lot out of me.

5pm, Mom wanted to go to Red Lobster for dinner.....otay Mom, sounds good. Had some scallops, rice, and chicken, drank a lot of water and skipped desert. We went to Target on the way home to get the boys something. AFter that, went home, got stuff ready, watched a movie, then went to sleep.....

I didnt really get much sleep. I kept reviewing the downhill where I crashed and my decision to go to the Sport race instead of the Cup race. Over and over, I kept thinking about my line down that damn hill. I woke up at 4am and downed my usual 720 calorie liquid breakfast and a banana. We were out the door by 5AM and at the race site by 540AM.

The transition was about half a mile from the swim start so after dropping my bike and run gear at the TZ, Mom dropped me off at the Hotel for the swim start then went back so she could take pictures of me getting out of the water. I made my way to the swim start and chatted with a couple of people from Boise that knew one of my team mates then got in the water for a warm up. The water was probably 67-68 F but everyone was saying it was colder....they should swim somewhere other than Vegas Im thinking, it was nice enough for a short sleeve.

I didnt expect my swim to be that great considering my lack of swimming over the past 4 months but I did expect to be able to get through the 750m fairly easily. Apparently, I did OK after seeing the results but it wasnt great by any means. I think it was longer than 750m but by how much, I dont know. My time was around 19 minutes. The wind picked up and after we turned broadside to it, the chop made it hard to breathe to the right.

My T1 time was slow as the TZ was set up on dirt and running from the water along that surface made me take a couple minutes longer to clean my feet and put my socks on (road tri's I never wear socks). Because of the amount of walking I was going to have to do, I debated whether to put on my ankle brace or not but adrenaline was surging and I just wanted to get on my "tank" and ride.

The bike ride was tough, coming straight out of the TZ into a lengthy climb then a short downhill followed by the climb called "Dave's Outhouse"....not sure why. It was around 23-28% grade and even some of the pro's had to walk it I heard. At the top of that 200m section (might have been 50m but it seemed long), you got to mount your bike for a short DH section then back up a 20% grade then down another short hill, very loose, to a 110 degree turn to the right and back up another hill.

This was the section I had been up all night dreaming about. Should I ride it or shouldnt I? I got down most of the hill then saw heaps of people going SLOOOOOOOOOOOW down in front of me and I decided that I would walk the steep part which I think was around 20-22% grade.

AFter that section, the really hard part was over and I settled in for the pain of the rest of the ride. A couple of steep hills which were rideable, a river bed which I didnt ride, and some fun single track right next to the lake. I wish they would have had more of this type of riding as it is what I am best at, technical single track with some rocks and roots, but alas, we were in the desert and that wasnt an option I suppose.

T2 was slow. I changed socks, put my ankle brace on, and tied my shoes while standing ( I usually sit down but I didnt feel like sitting down in the dirt and my back was beginning to seize). I left T2 and was running but it was down hill so it was easy. I ran for less than 200m then walked up, up, and more up. The run course was pretty much up hill to the turnaround then all down hill to the finish line. It was pretty uneventful except I got to see some of the pro's and the fast age groupers descending one of the hills on the MTB course. They made it look easy. I walked from the turn around, down a steep hill, then started jogging down the less steep section, up another hill, then all down to the finish. There wasnt much fanfare at the line (at least not as much as I expected) but since there were only 350 or so competitors, I guess it was OK. I crossed the line, got my finisher medal and went back to the car. I dropped my MTB off with the place I got it from; Im happy they were a sponsor so I didnt have to get dear old mom to haul this monster back to the shop in Vegas.

The host resort let the competitors use their pool which was very nice, so I got my gear, left mom with a book sitting in the shade, and I went swimming. The water was cold but welcoming as my feet were on fire. I had some gravel rash from the day before and this gal asked if I was OK.....truth be told, I was feeling very lightheaded and a little dizzy but I just smiled and said something about falling down while playing on my bike. I sat in the water for a few then sat down on a lounge chair and the dizziness was not going away. I got up, got dressed, and went and found mom. I needed food apparently.....first time this year, racing in heat and dry weather caught up with me. I thought I had enough calories in me but it wasnt til after I ate and had no more strange feelings, did I realize I was wrong.

Things I learned from my first XTERRA: a short MTB ride can be one hell of a lot harder than a long road ride; running up hill with foot drop, not so easy, running down the same hill with foot drop and a leg that doesnt catch up very quickly, really hard; racing in the desert requires more fuel intake than you think, especially if you train in the rain forests of the Pac NW; riding a rental bike isnt so bad unless it weighs 30lb but it was lots cheaper than bringing my own bike.

I highly recommend it to all triathletes..... come on Meyrick, you know you want to try it. The only other PC athlete in the race was BK. He did the bike course twice in 1:40, I did one lap in 1:15.

Racing 105

I recently wrote, Racing 101, so in the spirit of higher learning, the next course, entitled Racing 105, is not too advanced, but another learning experience nonetheless.

Got to PIR a little later than last time and still had to get dressed. Had not even put my number on. I got geared up and went out to sign in only to find a massive line up. I finally got to the front, after one of the officials called all of the Cat 4/5's up as our race was going to start in a few minutes. I found out that the team got a pass for the season so I wont have to pay for anymore races at PIR this year.

I got my bike and was going to do a quick warm up but they were staging us so I went to the line with "cold" legs. I started out at the front but before the half way point of the first lap, I was at the back. I tried to make my way up through the group but every time I got to where I wanted to be, there would be an acceleration. I took my coach's advice and started anticipating these surges and it worked great. On the second, third, and most of the fourth lap, I stayed on the wheel of the same guy who was on his team mates wheel. They looked like they knew what they were doing. The front guy kept making sure his buddy was behind him and he wasn't letting go of that wheel for nothing. Unfortunately, this guy, and a few other Cat 4's were using this race as a warm up for the Cat 3/4 race and before I knew it, the wheel I was following pulled off and I was on my own.

Like last time, I hammered with the little gas I had left but to no avail. I looked around for others that got dropped but apparently, all the people that hung out at the back of the field with me were all Cat 4's and they were staging for their next race. I finished my second Cat 5 race of my career albeit last again but it was another learning experience. Today's lesson, follow someone you know is a Cat 5.