I had forgotten how darn hard Xterra’s are! After having a great build up to Oceanside 70.3 , I had a few troubled weeks leading into this race where I didn’t quite get the speed work in that I know you need for this style of racing.
So, off we went. The heart rate shot up and I plowed through what felt like a long choppy swim. I came out a good minute behind Mel which was not ideal but I quickly got through transition and onto the bike!
This course is a tough one. Steep climbs, pegged heart rate and a few technical descends. Still, I felt strong and kept plugging away. Shonny blew past me like I was standing still, about 3/4 of a lap into the bike. She dusted it and I never saw her again! Go girl!
I felt solid throughout, enjoying the scenery and being back on my mountain bike again – in fact my new Jamis which is super smooth by the way! I figured I would have time to catch up Mel and Shonny on the run but boy was I wrong. Shonny won it out the park and I got within a minute and a half of Mel.
A good start to the Xterra season but plenty of speed work needed on my end to get back to these girls!
Well done to my best pals Jess and Tam. Tams placed first in her age group and Jess was 2nd. Must have been those pre-race puddings and boy talk that did it! If only you knew what goes on in our hotel bedrooms……
Hey and well done to team-mate Conrad Stolz – he rocked it out the park!
Off to Wildflower it is!
