XTERRA Tahoe City 6/27/09

 

On Friday afternoon I drove up to Tahoe to pick up my race packet and ran into a bunch of friends who made it up for the 3^rd annual Tahoe City Xterra. The weather was fantastic and the forecast was looking even better for race day!

On Saturday, after some breakfast I got the car loaded up before heading over to the race venue. The weather was perfect and I rolled in about 6:45 am and found a great spot in transition. After getting set up I went out for a warm up ride and got back to transition with plenty of time to grab my swim gear and head down to the beach to get in a short swim before the start. After a slight delay we were off a little before 8:30 am and I had a great start and found myself at the front of the pack as we rounded the first buoy.  It’s so satisfying to be swimming at the front of the group after all the work I did on my swimming throughout the off season and for the first time at altitude I had my best swim at elevation and maintained a solid pace throughout the swim. I exited the water alongside a couple of guys in my age group and we all rolled out of T1 together. As we hit the first climb I was rolling pretty well but then on the next climb I started to lose some ground as I tried to find my rhythm. I lost contact with the two and found myself in no man’s land and was eventually caught by last year’s overall winner. I managed to keep him in my sights for the next lap and a half and with 6 miles to go made my pass to move into 3^rd place coming into T2. I had a pretty quick transition and held off my chaser for the next mile before being reeled in on the climb and didn’t have an answer. I managed to keep him close for the next couple of miles but then he started opening the gap as I continued to chase. I managed to get past another racer as the course flattened out and we made our way to the long descent back to the finish but couldn’t catch the guy that had pasted me earlier and crossed the line in 4^th place for my age group and my highest overall placing at Xterra Tahoe City, 8^th.

With this result I’ve gained a few more points for West Regional standings and it is a very tight race. I’m sandwiched in between the two guys I came out of T1 with, Richard Blanco is 1^st with 209 points, I’m in 2^nd with 207 points and the winner of our age group in Tahoe City, Eric Ronning, is in 3^rd with 206 points. The series is very tight and it looks like Xterra Lake Tahoe (Incline Village), Aug. 29th will decide this year’s regional champ!

Next up is the Death Ride, July 11^th and the Mt. Tam Double Century, Aug. 1^st. In between I’ll be doing some local road TT’s and mtb races to work on my strength and speed for the next big races.

 

Thanks for reading!

 

Jeff  

Ironman 70.3 Boise 6/13/09

 

After the Xterra Northwest Championships I stayed with my friends in Coeur d’Alene until Thursday, June 11^th before leaving for Boise. After another long drive I arrived in Boise around 4pm and got checked in to my hotel before heading downtown to pick up my race packet. On Friday after breakfast I headed out for a short run from the hotel before driving to the venue to get in a ride and swim and drop my bike off at T1. I was stoked to hear that the water was a lot warmer than last year and the weather forecast, with rain expected later in the evening, looked favorable for race day.

This year the race organizers decided to have a late start with the pro men going off at 2pm with the age group waves starting in 5 minute intervals. My group was second from last to start so we all had a long wait with our wave finally getting started at 2:50.

The horn blew and we were off I settled into a good rhythm and maintained my position in the front of the pack as we quickly started picking off racers from the earlier start groups and this would be the theme throughout the whole swim. The weather conditions were changing rapidly and the calm windless conditions the pro’s started in saw the winds picking up and the rain starting. I had a much better swim than last year and managed to crack the top 100 for the swim splits out of 1186! I had a quick transition and rolled out of T1 across the Lucky Peak Dam to the long downhill from the swim venue. I allowed myself to let my body come up to speed on the bike and was feeling okay starting the day’s first climb, but off in the distance the skies were getting really dark and by mile 20 of the bike the rains came. We were caught in some heavy thunder showers which brought down the temperatures and even at race pace the chill was kicking in and the pace slowed, the rest of the ride was in and out of the rain. With about 7 miles to go I was passing a group of riders and hit a small rock with my rear tire and was hoping that in the wet conditions I didn’t pinch my tube, unfortunately a few seconds later my tire was flat and I had to make the change. After I switched the tube I started rolling but my tire had a serious hop in it so when I stopped to check it out I saw that the tire had not seated properly so I had to yank off the wheel and dig out another c02 cartridge and fix the problem. Before the flat I was looking at equaling my bike split from last year, which would’ve stoked me out considering I don’t do well in the cold, but the flat saw that disappear. I entered T2 topped off on calories from getting in some good nutrition on the bike and hit the run course feeling good. I settled into a good pace and was holding my position well and the first 6 miles went by quickly. For the second lap I continued to fuel well and my pace was real steady and I was having a blast! I crossed the line 15^th out of 219 in my age group and 116 overall. Considering that my coach and I did no specific training for this event and used it for training I was pleased with the day’s effort.

I’ve got a couple of weeks to recover before hitting up my next Xterra in Tahoe City.

 

Thanks for reading!

 

Jeff

XTERRA Northwest Cup – Athol, ID. 6/6/09

 

On Wednesday, June 3^rd I left Roseville at 5:30 am for the marathon drive to Coeur d’Alene, ID., for the XTERRA Northwest Cup and another crack at qualifying for the World Championships. After 13 hours of driving I rolled into Coeur d’Alene to spend the next week visiting with my friends Corey & Michelle Haustein - Corey crewed for me at the ’04 Furnace Creek 508.

On Thursday I headed out to the venue in beautiful Farragut State Park to pre-ride the course and get in a quick run. The conditions were perfect and the course served up a great blend of double & single track, fire roads and some pavement sections. They were playing around with the course set up in the days prior to the race but I had an opportunity to see all the sections so there were no surprises on race day. I finished up my day with a short run and a quick swim in the lake to test out the water temperature, which fortunately was relatively warm, in the low 60’s… I thought it would be colder. I traveled back up to the park on Friday to pick up my race packet and get in a longer swim followed by a short run.

We had a noon start time so this gave everyone a chance to sleep in and have a relaxed morning getting ready for the race. I arrived at the venue a couple of hours before the start and got a sweet spot in transition. After setting up I went out for a 20 min. spin on the bike to get warmed up and afterward spent some time saying hello to a few friends before pulling on the wetsuit to get down to the start. Now, last year at the half Ironman in Boise I was still working on my swim technique and that day the swim conditions were rough and I got my butt kicked. Fortunately my swimming has improved and I would rely on that today because it was windy and rough and because of the conditions and a tight start they started us in waves. We took off 3 minutes after the 1^st pro wave and I established a good position in the pack moving my way to the front after the first buoy and with the rough conditions there were people everywhere either wading in the water, breast stroking or swimming way off line. I was stoked to be putting in a solid swim and was swimming really straight staying in the top 5 of my wave and came out of the water in good position to start the bike. The bike course was a blast and really fast, I hit the first climb and was starting to come up to speed and throughout the first lap found some guys from the first few waves to work with and was flying! I always managed to grab a wheel through the flat and technical sections which kept the pace high and started to pick off some of the pro women. I came into T2 in second place in my age group and after a fast transition hit the run course establishing a good tempo. I saw a runner ahead of me and ran him down before the first climb and was alone until some of the faster runners caught me but I managed to keep them pretty close. With a mile and a half to go I caught another racer and we ran together for a bit and I managed to put in a slight gap before crossing the finish line holding on to my second place (13^th placed amateur) and qualifying for the XTERRA World Championships!

I’m so stoked to have qualified and my second place is the highest finish I’ve had at a Cup/Championship race ever and my best finish of the season! In ’07 I missed a spot for worlds by 15 seconds and in ’08 by 12 seconds so it makes this a very satisfying result and I have a great sense of satisfaction for what I’ve achieved after coming so close in years past!!!

 

Thanks for reading!

 

Jeff

Del Valle XTERRA 5/10/09

What a difference a week makes! Last weekend the Xterra West Cup – Las Vegas was rough, I went into the race with a total of 13 hours of sleep in 3 nights and needless to say was pretty strung out and flat on race day. I’d been fighting something for about a month that would make me feel flat and lethargic, affecting my sleep and keeping my heart rate elevated. After taking it light this past week I caught up on some much needed sleep and entered the weekend with a new attitude!

My cousin lives in Pleasanton (about 35 min. from the venue) so I headed down Friday for a pre-ride of the course and a short run. I didn’t feel that great on the bike and my short run afterward saw my heart rate elevating too easily. When I was finished I thought this weekend may be another rough one, but on Saturday I headed back to the venue for a swim/run and felt much better and my heart rate had stabilized! After grabbing my race packet I headed back to my cousins for lunch and spent the afternoon watching a pro/cat 1-2 crit in Pleasanton with my friend Ron Rel. The rest of the day was spent resting up and fueling up for Sunday.

When I arrived at the race site my attitude was a complete 180 from last weekend and I had a great warm up and was feeling good as I completed my pre-race swim. The gun went off at 9 am and I was firing on all cylinders right off the bat and was swimming smooth and strong and exited the water with the 15^th best swim split of the day! My coach and I weren’t taking any chances after last weekend though and after leaving T1 I rode at tempo allowing myself to build up to race pace which worked out well. By the time I hit the climbs I was starting to pick off some of the faster swimmers and was feeling good. I battled it out with a few guys throughout the bike and even though I wasn’t riding as fast as I would’ve wanted too I was stoked to be putting in a solid effort especially after last weekend’s death march! I entered T2 in 11^th place overall and had a fast transition to the run. The first mile was on walking paths and dirt trails before hitting the creek bed for a scramble over rocks and through the water (a true Xterra style run course!) and along the way I was blown away to see a Bald Eagle, that was too cool!!! I saw another runner in front of me and put the hammer down to reel him in and caught him before hitting the first feed zone and then climbing began as the course shot up for about ¾’s of a mile.  At the top of the hill we got our second feed and started the long descent back to the finish and I continued to open up a gap on the guy I passed. After crossing back over the creek I had a mile to go and didn’t see anyone behind me as I made my way to the line crossing 10^th overall and 3^rd in my age group.

I’m so stoked to have such a radical turn around after last week and this result gives me a big confidence boost as I take a break from racing for a few weeks before heading up to Idaho for the Xterra Northwest Cup (June 6^th) and Ironman 70.3 in Boise (June 13^th).

 

Thanks for reading!

 

Jeff

XTERRA West Cup – Las Vegas 5/2/09

 

Whoa, talk about a bio-mechanical! The week leading up to the inaugural Xterra West Cup was less than stellar for me, I was struggling through workouts and in the two days preceding the event my sleep patterns were jacked up, it wasn’t nerves just a restlessness I couldn’t put my finger on… hmmm?!?! On Friday we got in a pre-ride after picking up our race packets and the bike course was a challenging one with steep climbs and one mandatory hike-a-bike section.

Needless to say race morning was rough, I got up and made a stiff cup of coffee to jolt me back into consciousness but it wasn’t helping much ;0) After breakfast I met my friends at the truck to load up our gear and head to the race venue. After setting up transition we drove over to the swim start and I got a chance to get in a swim warm-up which helped clear my head but I had no delusions that my body would miraculously flick a switch and start firing on all cylinders, so I just got myself prepared for a long hard “training day”.  Our group started at 8:10 am and I established a solid swim pace and took advantage of lots of drafting opportunities. It was pretty windy, but the wind was at our backs for the first leg of the swim until we reached the halfway mark and turned into the wind where things got a little pushy before making our final turn to the swim finish. I exited the water with a 22:30 min 1500m which to date is a personal best in a race but once I hit the sand my body had no trouble reminding me of the rough week I had and I set my sights for a smooth transition as I prepared for the bike. Upon exiting transition I found a gear I could spin and allowed myself to ease into the bike. After the first mile we were greeted with a long loose uphill, which was the mandatory hike-a-bike, and I was hurting running up the hill before remounting for a quick descent before the next steep climb. The first loop of the bike was tough but by the end of the first lap I established a good pace and had some brief moments of the cardio system coming around and powered through some sections. The second lap felt better and my second run up the hike-a-bike felt much better and I managed to hold my own on the climbs. After a fast T2 I hit the run which quickly turned into a death march as the course went straight up out of the gate. At this point I was cooked and struggled through two laps of the run and continued to lose ground on the pack. I crossed the line 14^th in my age group and 60^th overall, not the result I was hoping for but I was pleased that I didn’t cave in and finished a very difficult course. Even 3 time Xterra World Champion Melanie McQuaid said it was one of the toughest courses she’s ever seen. I missed my chance to qualify for Xterra Worlds but will line up at the Northwest Cup race in Idaho, June 6^th for another crack at it!

 

Thanks for reading!

 

Jeff

Sea Otter Classic MTB 4/19/09

 

I was stoked to be able to head down to Monterey early for the race and was hoping to get in a little bit of training and check out the Sea Otter cross country course before Sunday’s race but all good plans can hit a snag and mine was a body that was not cooperating. I’ve been feeling pretty tired  the past couple of weeks and after getting to the venue I picked up my race packet and headed over to the Cannondale tent to say hey to the gang and of course along the way ran into a bunch of folks I know. The weather was beautiful and the forecast looked super nice for the weekend.

Heath Sherratt, owner of The Hub (my shop sponsor) had set me up at his mom’s house in Seaside so I had a great place to kick back and stay for the weekend… thanks Darlene! On Saturday I had planned a ride but was feeling pretty cruddy so I opted to cruise around the venue to stay loose.

On Sunday I woke up feeling alright but still a bit sluggish and had that “feeling” that today was going to be a rough one. I got in a good warm up and headed to the staging area and at 8:30 we were off. I maintained my position mid pack as we exited the race track onto the dirt but the legs weren’t coming around and felt heavy, then to add insult to injury I went into the first downhill section and my shock bottomed out and blew on the first big hit so I took that as the sign that today was not going to be happening. I continued riding but was pretty sketched about the technical sections and didn’t want to risk a crash so I kept it mellow and rode only one lap. I would hit the hills and get into a good rhythm only to have my pace slow and started feeling sick to my stomach which was the theme for the rest of the lap. My coach, Jack, was out racing as well and had started in the group behind me and towards the end of the lap caught up to me and was feeling pretty bad as well so I played domestique and tried to keep him rolling up the climbs bidding him farewell as he headed out for his second lap. I stopped at the timing tent and turned in my chip disappointed that my day was over but thankful that I stayed upright after my mechanical. Looking back it was probably a good thing that my race was cut short because after speaking to my coach he figured my form would be “sluggish” because the Sea Otter came into the schedule as my body was transitioning to a new phase of fitness.

After getting cleaned up I headed back to the finish to see my friends come in and got a chance to talk with a few friends that I didn’t get a chance to catch up with. Afterwards I headed up to my cousins place in the Bay Area and kicked back for the rest of the day and spent Monday resting and fueling up for the week ahead.

 

Update 4/28: After getting some good rest I ended this past training week feeling a lot fresher and had some good training sessions on the bike ending the week feeling stronger! Next up is the XTERRA West Cup - Las Vegas.

 

Thanks for reading!

 

Jeff

Xterra Real Triathlon 3/29/09

 

After a lot of training and tons of base miles the first Xterra of the season came to town to test out how all my preparations have gone to date and I was pleased with my race. Folsom Lake, the site of the Real, had been extremely low most of the year but after a bunch of storms blew through the area the Lake level came up even higher than it was at its peak in ’08 which was a welcome sight! Considering how fast the water came up the temperature wasn’t too bad and by race day was hovering around 60 degrees!

I got to the venue early to grab a good spot in transition and after grabbing my race packet headed out for a 20 minute warm up on the bike before heading down to the water to acclimate. I felt pretty good during the warm up and got down to the Lake with plenty of time to wade in the water and get in a few strokes before the start. At 9 am we were off in a mass start and I found my rhythm right away and settled into a good pace while battling it out for position. I found myself in the top 20 rounding the first buoy and held my position in the pack exiting the water in 19^th. After all the work I’ve done on my swim over the winter, I was so stoked to beat a lot of guys who have been getting me in the swims in years past! I felt okay running to transition but as soon as I got on the bike I felt heavy and couldn’t get the legs turning over and this would be the theme throughout the bike. I managed to pass a few riders moving me into the top 15 overall and when I came off the bike I found myself in 4^th place in my division. About 1 ½ miles into the run I moved into 3^rd but felt that heaviness coming back to haunt me with a mile to go, losing 2 positions by the finish. I crossed the line and was worked and definitely left it all on the course. I ended up taking 5^th in my division and 15^th overall, by far my best race at the Xterra Real to date. The competition was like a National Championship race and everyone was flying today so it was a great first test for the upcoming season! My finish time was 1:40, crushing my previous times on the course! Considering course changes throughout the years I probably was 10 minutes faster than in my previous 2 races at this venue! (In ’06 my finish time was 2:03 and in ’07 it was 1:59)

Thanks for reading!

Jeff

Cool MTB Race Mar. 15^th, 2009

 

The Cool MTB Race has the infamous reputation of being a slop fest of rain, snow, sleet and plenty of mud and this year’s edition was not too bad as we managed to avoid the snow and sleet… so we had that going for us – ha! On Saturday my coach, some friends and I drove up to pre-ride the course and the day was perfect and the course conditions were about as good as they could be. We did a loop on the “old” course which I thought would be the same that we’d be racing Sunday but the organizer’s made some changes so we were in store for a few surprises on race day but the changes were welcomed and made the course a lot tougher which made for a better race! After our pre-ride we picked up our race packet’s so on Sunday all we’d have to do is show up and race.

I arrived at the race venue around 9:15 am and got out onto the roads for my warm up and wasn’t feeling too bad. After about 25 minutes of spinning I got over to the start for the pre-race briefing and 10:30 start. Shortly after the particulars we were off, now knowing it would be a long day I allowed myself to settle in and relied on my fitness to carry me through the race. After the initial sorting out I found myself moving through some traffic and made my way to the longest climb of the day, which was one of the “surprises” of the course changes. We grinded our way up before a short downhill reprieve before starting the next climb and at this point everyone was establishing their position in the race. After a long descent we hit a long pavement climb and a couple of riders came around me as we established a brisk pace up the road and I just hung on. As we crested the climb I came around the other riders and started to ride away from them over the next rolling sections of the course. Starting lap two I continued to hold my position and made some passes and had some riders around me to battle it out with so it made for some good racing and kept the pace high. Now there were intermittent rain showers throughout the day but starting the third lap a steady light rain started coming down and was just enough to break the course down and it started getting slick and muddy. Fortunately the climbs were holding up and we had good traction but some of the flats and turns were really loose and the mud was flying up into your eyes adding a little “challenge” to the descents. As I crested the courses longest climb for the last time I made my way to the next climbing section and a rider had bridged the gap to and came around me but I managed to grab his wheel and passed him back before the descent. As we started the pavement climb he sat on my wheel and then took a short pull before we hit the feed zone. I tried to carry on a conversation with this guy but he wouldn’t say a word so we kept battling it out. I lead all the climbs and if he did get passed me I’d always get the lead back before the descents. We entered a long single track rolling/climbing section and my “buddy” made his final pass and I thought his move might stick as a slight gap opened up but I shut down the move and took the lead for good and dropped him with about 4 miles to go. I reeled in a couple more riders and worked with the second one till the finish. I crossed the line taking 3^rd in the 40+ expert division but as of today the final results have yet to be posted so I don’t know how I stacked up in the overall. The Cool MTB Race always gets a huge showing with some of the best racers in the area so it’s a great test to see how you’re doing and even after another race on tired legs I stayed at the sharp end of the race and I’ve got a great confidence boost going into my first XTERRA race of the season on March 29^th!

 

Thanks for reading!

 

Jeff

TBF Chanoko Duathlon #3 &

MTB Challenge #3 Mar. 7^th – 8^th

 Day One / Duathlon

March 7^th marked the date for the last race for our duathlon series which I’ve been using for my build up for the ’09 season. On Feb. 22^nd ‘s MTB Challenge I broke my bike frame so coming into this weekend the boys at The Hub (my bike shop sponsor) were putting together a back-up bike for me, courtesy of Tom Jackson at Cannondale. The bike wasn’t finished till the night before the race so I only had a chance to ride it during my warm-up for about 20 minutes and things were looking okay. After my warm-up run I stripped down to my race suit and got down to the start.

At 9 am we were off and I found myself hanging with the fast runners a lot longer than in the previous two duathlon’s and kept up a solid pace coming into T1. I had a quick transition and got up to speed on the bike and made my way through some of the runners that had flown off the front, but about half way through the first lap of the bike I lost my shifting and only had low gears to ride which had me spinning out on most of the course. I limped into transition and rode over to tech support to have the mechanic get my bike shifting again. After a 5 minute “break” I was back on course and managed to pass all the athletes that had past me while I was stopped. I came into T2, got out for the run and felt pretty good as I saw a runner about 250 meters ahead and I just dropped the hammer and pushed as hard as I could to catch him. With 400 meters to go I made the pass and just kept going till I hit the line putting in my best second run split of the series! I managed to get past 4^th place in my age group when I got back on the bike after my mechanical and maintained 4^th till the finish and 11^th overall.

The mechanical was beyond my control but the rest of my race felt good so this gives me a lot of confidence as I go into my final preparations for my first target race March 29^th, the XTERRA Real in Granite Bay, CA.

 

Day Two / MTB

 

I woke up a little tired and with sore legs after yesterday’s duathlon as I made my way to the kitchen to eat breakfast and get ready for the final race in the TBF MTB series. It was a beautiful morning but rather chilly as I arrived at the venue to pick up my race packet and get in my warm-up.

We lined up and were off, there were a lot of motivated guys out there and the speed at the start was blazing so I let a little gap open on the start loop as my legs came around and I started moving my way through the group. Even though I was sore and tired I was riding super steady and was having a good day after a rough start! About 2 miles into the second lap I came up on a racer in my age group (Greg) who just came out of cyclo-cross season and had been finishing ahead of me at previous races and I was stoked. I passed Greg and as we came through to start the 3^rd lap Greg passed me and I jumped on his wheel to let him burn himself up as I planned to make my move when the opportunity arose, I figured if I caught him I was going pretty good and it was just a matter of time before he fell of the pace. As we came into the feed zone I grabbed a bottle clean and as I reached out for a gel hand up a volunteer walked into me clipping my handle bars and I went down HARD!!! As soon as I sat up blood started dripping all over the place and about a minute after that my coach rode up and was like “dude your eye is busted open!” I was so bummed because my day was going so great and I didn’t know if more stuff was wrong with me. After I gained my composure I got up and walked around and everything seemed to be working fine… thank God!

I went to the medical tent and got cleaned up before heading to the hospital for stitches. On Monday I woke up and was surprised that I wasn’t that sore. My coach called me up to check in on my status and I told him I was feeling pretty good so I’ll be back out training on Tuesday and will be able to race this weekend at the Cool MTB race on March 15^th!!!

Thanks for reading!

Jeff

TBF Chanoko Duathlon #2 &

MTB Challenge #2 Feb. 21^st – 22^nd

Day One / Duathlon

 

This week my coach had me backing off the hours but adding more intensity as we continue to build for the XTERRA at the end of March. Saturday morning I arrived at the race site early and had plenty of time to set up my transition and got out for a ride and followed that up with a run throwing in some pickups.

We lined up just before 9 am and were off, I felt better holding and establishing my position then in the first duathlon of the season and entered T1 in the top 7 spots. I had a smooth transition, got my legs turning over and was really motivated to hammer the bike and take off some time from my race a couple of weeks ago. I passed a couple of riders inching my way into the top 4 and held off a chaser until the last mile and a half where the rider jumped around me opening a gap coming into T2. As I started slipping on my shoes for the second run my calves cramped a bit slowing down my progress getting out of transition but once I was on the run I found myself up to speed and trying to chase down a couple of guys ahead of me but with only 2 miles to make up some ground I found one runner slipping away and closed on the other by the line. I managed to take a minute off of my previous overall time and, even after some intense running sessions this week, I was faster on my first run and tied my time from the second. I took 3rd in my age group and placed 5th overall.

I’m pleased with my progression and even though I’ve been tired going into these early season training races I know that with some rest and a good taper I’ll be in good shape going into my priority races this Spring!

 Day Two / MTB

After a descent night’s sleep I got up and grabbed some breakfast to the sound of rain coming down and the beautiful mid 60 degree sunny day on Saturday was replaced with a rainy but warm Sunday.

I got to the venue and with the wet conditions decided to warm up with a quick run to stay a little dryer before the start of the race. After my run I got the bike set up and spun around a bit and through in some jumps as I made my way to the start.

At 9 am we were off and I was not feeling to bad after yesterday’s race but about 10 minutes into the race my body was like “what the heck are you doing” and I was forced to back off the pace a bit, even though I maintained my position in the top 15. Starting the second lap I could hear and feel my rear wheel rubbing against the frame so I stopped to see if I’d broken a spoke but the wheel looked ok and I jumped back on only to feel the problem getting worse. I stopped again to make sure the quick release was secure and everything looked tight and straight but the problem continued. I figured that with all the adrenaline I was just not seeing what the problem was and with the tire rubbing against the frame I thought the wheel was bent and had to drop out of the race. After I got cleaned up I headed to my sponsors shop, The Hub, and was explaining the problem to one of the mechanics and as I grabbed to wheel and the frame and flexed it I noticed that the frame was broken… yikes! I was so happy that I stopped when I did, even though the bike was holding together I would hate to think of what could have been if I didn’t stop.

I’m hoping to get the replacement frame in the next week and half so I can get it set up and ride it before my next races on March 7^th & 8^th.

Thanks for reading!

Jeff

Total Body Fitness Chanoko Duathlon #1 &

Mountain Bike Challenge #1 Feb. 7^th-8^th

 

Day One / Duathlon

 

The day before the race found me in the gym doing a full body weight workout to failure, 1000 yard swim and a 15 mile bike with pick-up’s, so needless to say looking towards Saturday’s race I was like “oh man this is gonna hurt”. I arrived at the race site around 7:30 am to beat the crowd cueing up at the entrance to the park and to get a good spot in transition, but with rain forecast  for the days leading up to the race a lot of folks were scared off and there was plenty of room and no lines! I got set up and went for a quick spin and followed that up with a short run with a few strides before lining up for the start. We were off at 9 am and after yesterdays workouts I had no delusions of hammering off the front and just let myself settle into a nice painful pace ;0) I stayed towards the front of the pack and was pleased to bust out 6:24 miles for the first 2 miles of the race before hitting T1 and was stoked with a quick transition. I found my cycling legs quickly and made up a few positions towards the end of the first lap, making my last pass with about 2 miles to go to move into the top 5. After another fast transition I hit the second run and once again my legs came around but after yesterdays efforts the legs started getting heavy and about a half mile into it my pace slowed but I managed to keep my heart rate steady throughout the run. I crossed the line 3^rd in my age group and 5^th overall.

After the race I headed home and stuffed my face with some pizza and took a 20 minute ice bath to get the system ready for day two!

 

Day Two/ mtb

 

I got a good night sleep and woke up laughing about having to go out and put the hurt on myself again. After breakfast I could take my time getting to the race site since I didn’t have to worry about setting up transition and made it with about an hour to get ready. I grabbed my race packet and got the bike set up for my warm up and was surprised to be feeling as good as I was, I mean I was feeling the legs from yesterday’s efforts but had a good attitude and was getting the legs warmed up well. We rolled up to the line and boom we were off again, I settled into the top 15 and managed to hold my position through the start loop as we headed out for 4 laps around the course. The group splintered and the day’s winners broke away on the first climb but I didn’t fight it and stuck to my race plan for the day to not go out to hard and blow up. I was playing cat and mouse with a few riders which made the racing super fun and half way through the second lap I spotted my coach about 25 seconds behind me and I was like no way Jack’s getting past me ;0) but didn’t do anything stupid to push too hard and blow and managed to put more and more time into him and the others I’d been battling with throughout the day. With two and a half miles to go I caught 4 riders that had been off the front from the start and we stayed together to the finish swapping positions. With 500 meters to go I waited too long to make my move and like I figured we all picked the same moment to attack but by that time I was cooked from yesterday’s and today’s efforts so I brought up the rear of our group. After crossing the line I went straight out to cool down and get changed. I rolled back into the expo area as the awards were under way and was totally stoked when they called me up to the podium for taking 3^rd in my age group and 13^th overall!

Considering I went into the weekend tired I was very pleased to get 2 podium spots in as many days! It’s also great to see that all the training is translating to the racing and that even though I’m tired I’m still hanging with the fresh guys.

 

I came across this on one of the mountain bike schedule/forum pages. A short video of the race site and Sunday's podium...

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGjkAumQOH8

 

Thanks!!!

 

Jeff