Been waiting for this day for a while now. The first Xterra race of the year and an actual "Xterra" race in Saskatchewan, woohoo! The day started at 6 AM, a little food, coffee, pack the gear and drive to Buffalo Pound - uneventful thankfully! Got there early to make sure the first race of the year was not a rush or wishing i had more time to do this or that. Even got in a 45 minute bike to warm-up and was first into the water to get adjusted to the temp. Was about 16 or 17, not too bad.
The swim was so so, as i felt okay in the wetsuit and just swam at a comfy pace. Picked it up a bit in lap 2, but in the end, the swim was a necessary evil. It was a short 1000M swim and i was out in 16:25 - eh, just not good enough. But i was off to the races.
The bike was all about trying to catch Ryan Liebel and Shane McNaughton (sorry for the spelling guys). Once i got into Terminator, i was riding solo and looking for Ryan and Shane, but that turned out to be a hopeless cause. Never saw them until the run. The bike went as about as good as i could hope for. The odd error, losing the ability to shift into the big ring and riding solo resulted in a 1:31 bike. Not bad, i'll take it.
On to the run and a slight panic looking for my "Cramp Stop" - a product out of New Zealand that does just what is says. Not sure how good it works, but boy i am glad i hunted it down in T2 as i needed it on the run. Started out just running to see if could catch anyone and not over cook myself as the run is quite hilly with two good hard climbs and did I mention it was hilly. Got to the first aid station and my friend Emma was there and mentioned Shane was a 1 or so up ahead. Just keep a steady rhythm and fast feet (turnover, turnover, turnover). After running Barrels and coming out at the top of a gravel road, the gap was downto a minute. Just keep it together and you'll reel him in and maybe Ryan as well. After a long downhill i could see Shane - it is so true that seeing someone makes it easier to push the pace. Next up was the toughest hill of the run, the old ski jump hill, i don't know how steep this hill is, but near the top you almost have no choice but to scramble on all fours to get up it. When i hit the base i could see Shane and Ryan, i pushed it as hard as i could and ran half way or more up and kept up a steady pace over the top. Within in a minute i passed Shane and then set my sights on Ryan. Caught Ryan on the long swoopy downhill that comes out at Big Rock. But, no sooner than i caught Ryan, i got a cramp. A couple of squirts of Cramp Stop seemed to help, but i had to stop and stretch a couple of times and was worried Shane was going to catch me. Thankfully, he didn't. Once i got onto to the flat or up sections of the last part of the run, i could hold pace and was hoping i had enough time to catch Ryan. I caught sight of him again and soon i was right beside him and we were about 1.5K from the finish. I went by and looked back several times to make sure i did not have to sprint to the line - gladly there was no sprint needed - i was close to cramping again and kept throttling back to make sure i was good to the line.
Finished with a sub 50 run and a 2:36 overall time, good enough for 4th overall (fifth including teams).
Luke, Emma and Dalton post race.
The first race of the year and i am already feeling faster than all of last year. The first one went well, it went well in almost every aspect. Mentally, i had a few little things come up and i stayed focused and did not let them get to me or allow them to take over my mood. Thanks to Brie Ellard-Jedlic for helping me out with the mental side of racing - in a few short weeks she has already got me using a few techniques to stay focused and be prepared. Thanks Brie.
I also have to give a GREAT BIG SHOUT OUT to Luke Way, my coach. Luke has extensive Xterra experience and has a fresh approach to coaching, putting science into it and a personable demeanor that i am enjoying to the nines. Thanks Luke.
Lastly, Pedro, thanks so much for the home stay in Chile. I can't begin to say how much 30 days in Chile has made a better athlete this year. Thanks, thanks, thanks.
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