Xterra West Championships

Quick summary:

• 3rd 25-29 Age Group
• 11th overall amateur
• 11min improvement or 2007

Swim:

• Non-wetsuit, 74 degree water - I really prefer non-wetsuit swims
• My 2xU Super Elite suit from Focus Cyclery worked and felt super slick and fast
• Got off to a smooth start and was with the lead age groupers the entire swim
• Came out of the feeling fresh and confident

Bike:

• Temperature started heating up for the two-lap course that had plenty of climbing
• Found bike legs pretty quickly (been working on swim/bike bricks and used silicone ear plugs to fend off balance issues)
• Kept leaders in site on first climbs, but started to loose ground once they got out of site as the descent started
• Maintained an ok pace while keeping focused and positive even though the top places had gotten away
• Nutrition and hydration was spot-on; 6 Cliff shot blocks, 2 GUs, 1 bottle of water, 1 bottle filled with PowerBar endurance mix and 1 bottle of Hammer Perpetuum

Run:

• Super hot by now and had to tackle one long grind that required a little walking followed by a two lap section with some steep rollers and fast descents
• Didn't feel like I could push until 3/4 of the way through
• Legs held up good on the step stuff by monitoring how high I picked my legs up and how hard I pushed
• Stopped at every aide station for a water and a splash of cold water on the head

What's next:

• My peak is on the way over the next couple of weeks
• I will leave it all on the bike the next races, the top spots are very close
• This weekend I will be taking some family time in Destin, FL
• Following weekend is a local race in Show Low, AZ, Deuces Wild
• Two weekends from now will start the East Coast adventure with the SE Championships in Alabama followed by the East Championships in Virginia