Xterra East Coast Championship

For as long as I can remember, there hasn't been a day with more agreeable temperatures for the Xterra East Coast Championship. I used to tell first time participants that this race has 4 disciplines - swimming, biking, running & staying hydrated. Good weather favors those outside of Virgina but didn't seem to be too big of a factor for my race.

Xterra in Richmond seems to get bigger each year. 2008 brought a 21k trail run event companion to a shorter run & 2 different mountain biking events held Saturday. Shannon put in a solid run during the off-road half marathon, while Shawn, Dave, Nolan, Kevin, Christy, Ken and Jeremy completed the Urban Assault MTB races. Christy pulled another first place win, while Dave finished 4th overall and 2nd in his age group. Nolan finished well and was greeted by the press (see other blogs). Shawn finished, but felt awful throughout and Jeremy effectively demolished his bike... Can someone say tire taco? These events kept the Bike Factory Crew occupied, while I pre-rode Sunday's Championship Xterra course. Two others from New Mexico and I casually took to the trails to get a feel for the terrain; I hadn't ridden the course since the National Off-road Duathlon in June (w/ Dave, Christy & Shawn). The pre-ride proved fast, so I followed up the ride with a pre-view of the swim course before heading to dinner with Jeremy and Mel and eventually home.

Race day, Shawn and I drove up from Cville with Tucker (the St. Bernard) in the back. I set up for transition and headed to the water for the swim. The forth wave, I found myself swimming next to my friend Kate across the James. We both headed out of the water about the same time for the short run before swimming back to the start. I remember hearing her say, 'Did you see XXX.... let's go' and we jumped back into the river. The water was about bath temperature and shallow in parts. Although I got off course, I felt strong and was able to catch up to Kate from the exit to the transition.

The bike ride was fun; my mantra seemed to be pass, pass, pass. I was able to pull big gears in the flat and ride the single track, passing faster female swimmers and the male heats that started before us. There was an excellent female cyclist who I saw multiple times and grabbed my wheel whenever possible. She passed me once on the course, but I was able to get by her after she got stuck behind a rider having difficulty on a rooty hill section. Shawn and Tucker were found a couple of times just off of the singephotos cheering along the way, so were a number of Richmond locals on the course. Encouragement was greatly appreciated. After the half way mark, I saw one other female competitor and had no clue what place I was in... nor did I heading into transition.

Transition from bike to run was quick. Running shoes on, I belted my number into place, put on my hat and grabed a drink before heading out. The first steps felt awkward. I'm so used to my Garmin helping me to gauge my pace and speed; I had no clue how fast I was moving. All I knew was that there were no more women to be seen. Twenty five minutes into the run I saw a woman ahead of me in the distance. My friend Scott cheered me on and guarenteed that I was putting down a faster pace than she was. As I got closer, I recognized the woman as the strong female cyclist. I have no idea how she passed me. All I knew is that I was closing the gap between the two of us. One foot in front of the other... one foot in front of the other... my concentration on closing the gap didn't prepare me for the pint-sized speed demon in full Timex gear that passed me right before I passed the female cyclist. Smiling, the Timex girl cheered me on and headed to the finish line as the first place amateur. I passed the female cyclist and beat her to the finish line with room to spare.

All in all it was a good day. I finished first in my age group and #2 amateur (even beating the time of one of the pros and 1 second behind another)... hooray. The best part of the race was celebrating with my mom, fabulous boyfriend Shawn, oh... and of course Tucker. Kate also placed first in her age group... qualifying us both for Xterra World's in Hawaii and solidifying our standings for the regional point series.

My friend Maggie had major difficulties on the bike when she lost her seat; she still managed to finish. Mark R, Scott and Michele Co were all amazing; this was Mark's first time beating me this season (maybe the last?)... This was the first Xterra for Scott and Michele (I'm so excited for them!) Congrats to all. Great race.