Xterra USA Championships

A few days after what was supposed to be my last race at the TBF Granite Bay Triathlon I found out that I qualified for Xterra USA Championships in Ogden, Utah.  Invitations are handed out based on points earned at Xterra races during the year.  I wasn't sure about going, but when I found out that my brother also qualified I decided to make the trip to Utah.

It was a short, activity packed trip. I loaded up the car and headed out after work on Thursday, arrived Friday afternoon, raced Saturday morning, left Saturday evening, and made it home on Sunday morning before lunch.

I put together a short slideshow with music:

2013 Xterra USA Championship

The race course was fun, scenic, and hard.  I finished 248 of 342 overall and 30 of 39 in my age group.  The highlights of the weekend were racing and spending time with my brother and his wife, and spending time with some of my extended family.

Back to Back Weekends

Part 1 - 2013 Xterra Lake Tahoe

I have a love-hate relationship with this course. It is a great venue. Swimming in Lake Tahoe is amazing. The water is crystal clear and the setting is very picturesque. The bike course is mountain biking at its' best incorporating two famous trails - Flume Trail and Tahoe Rim Trail. The run is classic Xterra - rolling course on dirt trails complete with logs, rocks, stream crossings, bridges.

On the other side of the coin is the difficulty level. The bike course is just hard; there is no other way to put it. The climb up Tunnel Creek Fire Road seems never ending. There is time for fun on the Flume Trail, but the course gets hard again at the turnaround at Marlette Lake. From there the climbing resumes as the course follows the Tahoe Rim Trail back to Tunnel Creek Fire Road. By the end of the bike, the run is all about survival. I had a good swim, tried to maintain good pacing on the bike, and struggled with the run. The finish line photo does a good job capturing my state of exhaustion.

Splits:

Swim (1.5km) - 0:29:19 (~1:47/100; includes a long run from the beach to T1)
T1                    - 0:01:51
Bike (22 mi)    - 2:30:33 (~8.8 mph; I said it was tough!)
T2                    - 0:01:03 (where are those salt pills)
Run (6 mi)       - 1:09:28 (~11:34 m/mi; survival mode)
Total                - 4:12:12

Placing - 9/16 in my age group.  65/113 overall.

The highlight of the day was watching my brother Eric cruise to a win in his age group! He made it look easy.  Here's his podium shot:

Twins:

Part 2 - 2013 TBF Granite Bay Tri

I raced again the following weekend on September 24 at Granite Bay.  This race felt good.  TBF Racing really did a great job putting on this race.

I started the swim near the front, then dropped to a comfortable spot between the leaders and the main pack.  I was the first person in my age group out of T1, and had the 12th overall fastest swim time.  The water was lower than I've ever seen it at an event at Folsom Lake, so they offered a wetsuit drop at the water.  I borrowed a page from Brother Eric's playbook and took advantage of the wetsuit drop.  It is MUCH easier to run without the wetsuit, and it is MUCH easier to take off while you are still wet!

I enjoyed the bike leg.  It's a nice winding, rolling course.  I was passed by one person in my age group on the bike.  I left T2 in a hurry and all alone.  I ran hard and it was at least 1 mile before I saw anyone else on the run course.  Eventually the fast runners started to catch me.  I gave it all I had and managed to secure second place in my age group.

Splits:
Swim (0.75 mi) - 0:19:46 (~1:29/100; fastest in age group)
Bike (13 mi)     - 0:44:58 (~17.4 mph; good enough)
Run (5 mi)        - 0:45:28 (~9:05 m/mi; just enough to hold on to second)
Total                - 1:50:12

In the end, I managed to beat 3rd place by 13 seconds.

2013 Auburn Triathlon

This Sunday was the Auburn International Triathlon.

This is a great race venue, and I love this course.  At this race, the swim-bike transition (T1) is several miles away from the bike-run transition (T2).  It adds a logistical component that adds to the excitement.  As the results show, everything went well for me at this race.

The 1.5 kilometer swim is at Rattlesnake Bar at Folsom Lake.  The swim course was changed slightly from last year.  I am not sure why, but it didn't make a difference to me.  I got hooked onto the swim leaders through the first buoy, then I dropped off their pace a bit and finished on my own between the leaders and the main pack.  I figured I was 7th or 8th out of the water; and I was pretty sure I was the first or second guy from my age group - it's a bit hard to tell ages in full wetsuits, caps, and goggles.  Long run up the boat ramp to T1, quick change, and off on the bike.

This 40 kilometer bike course is hard and very scenic.  It is mostly on rural roads around Auburn, with scenery featuring lake views, oak woodlands, and pine forests.  It also features lots of climbing.  We climbed from 466 feet elevation at the lake to 1,660 feet elevation at the bike turnaround, and finish at 1,300 feet elevation.  I got passed by one person in my age group somewhere during the first third of the course.  At the bike turn around, I looked at the gap to the riders behind me and realized that I was having a good ride.  Entering T2 at Railhead Park in Auburn, I figured that I was the 16th male; and second or third in my age group.  I was starting to believe that I could podium.

I had a very fast transition and was off on the 10 kilometer run.  I know this run course very well, and I knew that I could run an 8:00/mile pace for the first 7k.  I wasn't sure about the last 3k.  Like the bike course, the run course is also very fun.  It is a down and up course that goes down into the American River Canyon and back out.  It is entirely closed to vehicles with a good mix of trails, gravel roads, and pavement.  I ran hard and really had to push myself to finish the last 3k.  After the run I was fairly certain I was the 18th overall male and second or third in my age group.

A picture is worth a thousand words (almost):

I finished second place of seven in the 40-44 year old age group and 20 of 94 (including women and relays).  I was originally awarded third place as shown in the photo, but later they realized that the first place finisher had raced in the wrong age group and moved him up a bracket; bumping me up to second place.  For my efforts I received a finishers medal, a "winner's" pint glass, and a handshake from the guy that beat me by 22 minutes(!).

Splits:

Swim - 0:23:25 (~1:25/100) (right at my threshold pace!)
T1      - 0:02:36 (long run from water)
Bike  - 1:35:27 (~15.6 mph) (hills!)
T2      - 0:00:53 (fast!)
Run   - 0:52:32 (~8:28 m/mi)
Total - 2:54:54