06/13/2010 Xterra Southeast Championship- Pelham, AL
I think this might be the most calm that I’ve ever been before an Xterra race… which considering this was a Championship race and I was trying to qualify for Worlds…. was a bit strange. I got up early and ate my breakfast… loaded up the car and we headed to Oak Mountain State Park. I set up my transition area, went to the bathroom 80 times…. (stupid nerves), and sat down and was able to just chill for a few minutes. With about 40 minutes to go till start time, I went for an easy jog then headed over to the swim start for a short warm up swim. The sport race was starting about 30 minutes before our race started, so there were racers in the water, and then our group warming up. The swim consisted of two laps with a very short run on the shore between each lap. Just looking at the swim course it looked really LONG! They reassured us that it was about 750 meters for each lap. I had estimated that this swim would take me under 30 minutes. I chatted with a few of the girls that were in my category and then we were ready to go. I was able to get in a good spot to start… not too many people kicking me, but I was having a hard time getting my rhythm down. I finally got it when I was about to the first buoy (approx 350 meters in). It is pretty hard to get a good feel for where you are in the group while swimming. From what I could tell I was about mid pack. I came out of the water after lap one and headed back in for my second lap. My shoulders were a bit tired at this point, but I still had lots of energy left so I tried to pick it up a bit. My second lap was much calmer than the first one and I feel that it was faster. I came out of the water and headed to transition. The water was really warm, so we didn’t have to wear our wetsuits… which made me happy. That saves me some time in Transition for sure! My coach had advised me to slow up in transition and try to get my heart rate down in the 120’s before heading out on the bike…. Uh… yeah…. That didn’t happen. I got my shoes on, my helmet and I bolted out of transition like it was on fire. There was about ½ a mile on the road at the first of the bike, so I knew that I would have some time to put my gloves on, put my glasses on, take a gel pack, and breathe for a minute before heading into the trail. This first part of the trail was fast and fun. I was still trying to calm down a little so was trying to take it a little slower and cautious. The trail came out to a fire road and I spotted a girl that I wanted to try and catch. We went back and forth up and down the hills. I came up to “blood rock” and decided that it was in my best interest to walk it. I know… I know…. It’s faster to ride it. But I was not feeling confident about it and decided to go with my original plan (after the pre-ride) to just walk it and be safe. I’ve seen some pretty scary photos of wrecks through that section!!!! I tried my best to haul through the rest of the trail and was passed by a few girls that were not in my age group. When I came in to transition, Stephanie told me that I was 17 minutes behind the lead girl in my group. Ugh… I’m not sure how I’ll be able to catch up on the run especially after not running for nearly 6 weeks pre-race due to injuries. But I’ll give it a good shot! I head out for the run and the first part of it was on the same trail we biked on. It was twisty and not too much climbing. Then it took us into another part of the trail that seemed to climb up forever! The next 6 miles consisted of steep climbs, steep descents, and very little flat trail. There were a total of 3 aid stations out on the trail. We had been told the day before that there was one every mile and a half or so. I made it to the first aid station fairly quickly, but the second one seemed like it took FOREVER!!! It was really hot and humid out and I had decided not to bring a bottle with me since there were so many aid stations out there. After the second aid station and taking one cup of water for my head, one cup of water to drink, and one cup of Gatorade I felt a bit better. After about 10 more climbs I came to the third and final aid station where I was told that I was only half a mile from the finish. WHAT??? Really??? That girl just made my day! And it was all pavement back to the finish. I had not been passed by anyone in my age group on the run, nor had I caught up to the leader… so I was praying that I had held on to second place. I come through the finish line in just over 4 hours with a smile on my face. I did it. I achieved my goal of finishing top two in my age category which qualifies me for Xterra Worlds in Maui!!!!!! I still can’t quite believe it! Thanks to Steph and Brooks for coming out and cheering me on and being a great crew!!! What a great race! Next stop: Jonesboro, AR for the Xterra Iron Will!!!!
