MTB Race in Flagstaff this Weekend Plus a Whole Lot More

The next couple of weeks will be real busy and fun.

 

This weekend I will be racing in the local AZ MTB series up in Flagstaff.  I hope there is a bunch of climbing.  My goal is to move up to Cat 1 after this race. 

 

Then for Memorial Day weekend and the following week we will be over in San Diego taking a half play/half working vacation.  I am excited to get some training in with James Walsh and Trevor Glavin.

 

Sunday after San Diego, we will hit the local Deuces Wild Xterra Triathlon.  Coach Grasky has the course record and I will gun to take it.

 

...and last but not least, Wednesday after Deuces I am heading to Idaho for the Xterra Northwest Championship.

 

I also found a training jewel this morning, the Monday morning group ride.  I usually hit the Wednesday and Friday 5am group ride that rolls through NE Mesa and was under the impression that Wednesday was the toughest option.  Not so much.  I was told to try Monday, so I did this morning.  Yee-Ouch!  1hr 40min. 275w norm power.  It's on the sched now.  I can't tell you how valuable this type of training is for me come Xterra race day. 

Final 2008 USAT Rankings

Find the comprehensive list here

I was honored with All-American in the off-road, 25-29 age group. Wow, road tri is crazy big compared to off-road. 90, 25-29 All-Americans for road and only 4 for off-road.

I've never heard an off-road guy talk about points or honors from USAT....maybe the roadies do.

2009 Xterra West Cup Results

2nd place age group. 4th place overall amateur. Results are posted here.

>>the following was written prior to seeing my splits<<

I am mostly satisfied, but there is still lots of work to do. I needed ~:30 to win my age group and ~1:00 to win the overall.

Without seeing my time yet, I think the swim was ok. The water was crisp at the start, but was an ideal wetsuit swimming temp. My Zoot Zenith 2.0 wetsuit was great and flowed effortlessly with my stroke. There were four waves which is untraditional for Xterra. Pros went first. My group went second 3min back. I am not sure which I prefer; mass or waves. I did the entire point to point swim solo / no group or drafting which is my preference although potentially not the fastest or easiest. After about 200m and leaving the little beach cove at the Lowes Lake Las Vegas hotel, the start melee was over and it was smooth sailing. We had a nice tailwind which kicked up some small waves for the longest straight stretch. It felt real fast and kind of like riding a wave into shore while at the beach, sometimes. Following the fast section we doubled back and had to fight the waves for a couple 100m. I switched up my stroke a little to get over the waves and stuck to breathing from my right side as the waves were coming slightly from the left (about 11 o'clock). Nearing the end of the swim I started getting my mind right for the bike. T1 was real slow for whatever reason. I need to practice. Again, look back to the top of this post...I only needed 60 seconds or so.

I got into the bike quickly and started passing people right away. I didn't know where I was in relation to the comp, but I wanted to be first, so I had to pass everyone. The first half of the course had most of the longer steeper climbing and felt slow going at parts (had to hike-a-bike twice). After cresting the high point of the course there were a couple of flat/loose/big ring sections and steep descents. The 2nd half of the first lap was more flat with some loose/sand areas and a number of short hills that were ideal for standing and jamming (that's how I ride at least). My Cannondale Scalpel was a good choice for the course. I had the rear nearly locked out/on its stiffest setting and locked out my front fork on-and-off throughout the race. Due to some pre-race crank issues, I swapped from a triple to a double (thanks Focus Cyclery) and the gearing seemed to be fine even for the steep stuff. I got passed on one of the flat sections on the first lap by a guy in my age group. I wasn't prepared to battle with him...bummer....at he road away. After rolling through a twisting/beach-ish section along the lake's shoreline one more guy in my age group caught up to me. I didn't let him go though. We completed lap 1 of the bike together and tackled much of lap 2 together. We climbed mostly together. I think I took too much comfort in riding with him and should have gone a little harder. It's a fine line though. Once back onto the 2nd half of the lap again, he road away from me on the same flat section as the other guy. No excuse. Totally mental. Can't and won't happen again...if I want to win. Talking to a number of guys at the end of the race, they all commented on how the back/flat/easy section was tough mentally. Going into T2 I knew I was in at least 3rd and had no idea how the guys ahead could run. T2 was a bit quicker/not bad.

I felt ok/fine going into the run, but knew I was dehydrated and low on calories as I only drank about 25oz of First Endurance EFS and two servings of First Endurance EFS Liquid Shot. Right as I started the run Conrad and Josiah were coming by starting there second lap (yeah, they were a whole lap ahead of me) battling it out shoulder to shoulder. I hopped on their heels and settled into their pace for a little. They were hitting the climbs faster than I was and I couldn't hang. About 1/2 way through each lap of the run course there was a section that doubled-back where you could see the comp.....crap.....there were more age groupers ahead of me than I thought. I felt bad for myself for a second then decided to see what I could do....one problem....I was starting to crack. I knew I was hurting when I couldn't run downhill or the on the flat fast...a strength. Cruising the long downhill into the start/finish to start my second lap, Lesley Paterson came flying by me (and Shonny) and I though my day was done. Little did I know that she thought the run was only one lap. I ran with Shonny and Lesley for a while....and then ....poof...I started feeling good. I put my head down and decided to stop feeling bad for myself. I saw my comp ahead of me and knew I could catch them...although I didn't spot the guy who won my age group by :30. I only got a drop of water at the 3/4 point due to water station backlog, but knew what was ahead and figured I would be fine. Between the water and the last climb I picked up it quite a bit...enough to catch who I thought was 1st. Looking back I should have let if fly 110% there. Once I caught who I thought was 1st place at the top of the last climb it was all downhill and I blasted it. I saw a couple more people a ways ahead and caught them just in case for good measure. As soon as I crossed the line I saw a guy with age group number on his calf being congratulated by his wife....crap!! I didn't win. Come to find out a 40yr old that started a wave behind us beat us both by a little.

I will dig into my splits once they are posted, but here is where I need to work before the next race:

1. Keep making incremental improvements on the swim. Endurance and speed were ok/fine, but everyone will be getting faster as the season moves on and so must I.

2. Transitions have to be faster. I need to simply work on them. Not rocket science here. Seconds count.

3. Keep pushing the bike. I raced aggressively mostly, but showed signs of passiveness on a couple of occasions. I need to keep focusing on increasing sustained climbing power while working on that "race" mindset by continuing to do mountain bike race series and lots of group rides on the road. The Colorado competition has barely come out of hibernation and will come on strong as the season wears on. I have to keep pushing. The bike is still the area of most potential for me.

4. Not quite sure what to do on the run. My speed and power seemed good, but the time to enlist these things took too long. Not sure what is mental and what is physical. Endurance was fine, so probably do more of the same mileage. I did lots of race-paced bricks after tough bikes in training too. Perhaps I need more...or something slightly different. Something that teases my brain to engage / beat the potential mental hump of getting the run going. The run is clearly my strength, but I can't wait until the last 30% of the run to charge it. I need to go for it from the start.

I have a local Xterra in Arizona next followed by the Northwest Championships in Idaho. I can't wait.

Zoot Zenith 2.0 Triathlon Wetsuit

Today I tested my new Zoot Zenith 2.0 wetsuit at the pool. I wore the suit for the main set of 3x1,000m and boy, was it sweet. As I've become accustomed to, the week prior to a wetsuit race, I'll break out the suit and get adapted to it. As was true with both of my last two suits (a Zoot Zenith 1.0 and a Blue Seventy), I had to modify my stroke a bit and had to get adjusted to the increased power needed to "muscle" the suit through the stroke. Totally and pleasantly surprised how great the new 2.0 is. I am of course glad that I am "pre-swimming" the suit, but I would have been fine come race day had I not....stroke was totally normal and no noticeable fatigue to speak of. Sweet!

Zoot made some noticeable changes with the 2.0 vs the 1.0. First, the used a much thinner and perforated neoprene on the tops of the shoulders that also wraps around the upper back. This significantly improves range of motion. Second, the collar has been made of a thinner material and is cut a bit lower thus making it much more comfortable and makes breathing easier. Third, the "catch" pads on the forearms are made of a similar perforated materials as on the shoulders. I can't say if my catch is any better 2.0 vs 1.0, but it seems to grab water. Fourth, the materials around both the wrists and ankles was thinned out similar to the neck material. In my prelim trials this made getting the suit off quickly much easier. Fifth, they've molded the pieces together differently and integrated the flotation pads differently. I can't quite nail down exactly what they did, but the suit fits better, moves better and feels less bulky. And....finally....it is fast. I love the feeling doing a set with a wetsuit on, then taking it off for some additional swimming....you really notice the benefit the wetsuit provided in both speed and buoyancy.

I will train in the suit a couple more times before Saturday's race.

Gearing Up for Xterra West Championships, Lake Las Vegas

This weekend is the first Xterra Cup Series race at Lake Las Vegas.  I'm pumped and ready to race.  I've been doing a whole mixed bag of different training this season and I feel the mix will produce a big smile.  We will be driving up to Vegas from Phoenix on Thursday to get in some pre-riding and to preview the venue.  The course looks to have plenty of climbing on the bike and the run.  That's what I've been training, so it will be fun.  I am not doing a full taper for this race, but am changing up the typical training plan a bit to ensure a solid performance.  I am making final prep to gear tonight which includes breaking out my new Zoot Zenith wetsuit and putting some new Specialized SWorks Fasttrack tires (which I'm finding extremely difficult to get onto my Stan's Notubes ZTR Race wheels).  See you in the desert.       

Grasky Endurance Triathlon Camps - The Best

Grasky Endurance puts on the best triathlon training camps around.  I tagged along during one of their recent camps down in Tucson and it was great.  Excellent locations with epic swims/bikes/runs.  Of course the camp had plenty of strategically staged volume as most do, but the details are where this camp and other Grasky Endurance camps excel.  If you have never considered a camp or are out searching for a camp I recommend thinking through these things.  Personal attention - How much will you get from the top/headlining coach?  Will this personal attention include getting to know you personally, understanding your strengths and weaknesses, listening to your race ambitions and actually formulating a plan to immediately improve your success during the camp?  Added value sessions - In addition to just training, what additional events are part of the camp's itinerary?  It is common to have a nutrition talk and maybe a race strategy talk, but what about bike fits, stroke analysis, gait analysis, physiological testing and in-session, real-time discussion and commentary?  Support - Having a SAG vehicle might not seem like a big deal to you...until one day you need it.  You are never alone at a Grasky Endurance camp.  Through a committed and thoughtful staff and great product supplier partners your needs as an athlete are taken care of so you can focus on training.  Need a gel or tube?  Covered.  How about an entire tire or PowerTap loaner?  Yeah, covered too.  What about a ride back to the hotel when your legs give out on a ride after a 30hr training week.  Of course Grasky Endurance has your back!  Also, don't underestimate the value of camaraderie amongst campers.  Grasky Endurance camps builds social events into the camp schedule to foster an exceptional atmosphere and experience  You will not only meet great people, but you will make great friends.  

 

So, if you missed the Tucson camp don't worry.  You have a couple of Grasky Endurance camp options on the horizon that will be sure to be awesome.  First is the Grasky Endurance High Altitude camp in Flagstaff, Arizona.  Starting May 17 the 7,000ft elevation camp will boost your fitness to the next level.  Plus, the scenery is hard to beat...ever seen the Grand Canyon?  Well, you will get to ride there and check it out.  Get more details here:  http://graskyendurance.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=23&Itemid=14.  Another exciting camp to check out is the Grasky Endurance Wine Country camp in Santa Rosa, California.  This camp is the week after Vineman and starts July 20.  Start the second half of your season off right with an unbeatable mixture of training, resort accommodations and vineyard tours and wine tastings.  Learn more about this one here:  http://graskyendurance.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=24&Itemid=16

 

 

 

 

Prescott Punisher Result - NO DNF!

3rd time's a charm. I finally finished my first MTB race of the season. My goal was to be Cat 1 by this race, but that didn't quite work out. I did end up winning the Cat 2 race though. I'll take it.

The Prescott Punisher took about 1.5hrs and had, maybe, 2k worth of climbing. The temp was cool in the high-40s, but fresh at 6k ft elevation in the pines. I heard plenty of details about the course beforehand, but nothing beats a pre-ride. Fortunately, I did squeeze in one lap prior to the race. Great move! The course had a couple of medium-ish climbs and lots of little pops. I'd say it was an exercise in cadence and shifting. As in, high cadence and lots of proper shifting. The course was loose and dry.

I got to the trail head in 3rd position, waited for the first 3min, then surged to the lead. I got a pretty good gap going into the first downhill section...then took a crappy line and had a super subtle crash. Fortunately no injuries or bike issues! 2nd place passed me, but I was right on his wheel. Coming up to some traffic from other waves of racers, I took advantage and surged again. That was that. I road the second lap faster than the first, but had some mechanical issues on the third lap. Coming through the feed zone prior to the final lap, I noticed my front fork air was getting low. Typically if this happens it goes dead flat. I decided to go for it anyway. Charge the climbs and keep it upright on the descents. Fortunately, the shock held enough air & firmness to finish off the race. Phew. I would have been mucho pissed with another DNF.

I am really loving the bike right now. Road. Mountain. Whichever. Let's race. I want to move up to Cat 1 on the MTB to test my luck, but the next race is on the same weekend as the first big Xterra of the year. Vegas....which is what I am training for after all. So, yeehaw. Let's do some Vegas off road triathlon. I hear there is some serious climbing on the bike and the run. Uphill is my friend