Completed first XTERRA

Sunday August 17th, 2008 - I got my A** kicked by a game called XTERRA. It was my first triathlon, however it will not be my last - even though I should be checked in to a mental home based on how I fared during the event itself.

So it starts with a 1500 meter (2 750 meter laps) lake swim. I will be the first to tell you that my swimming is as poor as it can be for someone attempting a triathlon. I was not the last out of the water, pretty close but not last. There was a lot of breaststroke and the freestyle needs a lot of work. There were no wetsuits available.

I get out of the water and am feeling good about the bike. So I take a GU, drink some water, and head out after changing. My biggest mistake was not having my camelback or taking any nutrition in besides the GU. I should have had a clifbar before I headed out of the lake area, but this was a good learning experience.

The bike ride was hell on wheels. It was very technical, much more so than I was prepared for. I did a lot of falling, walking, swearing, and crying (not really but I felt like it a couple of times :) ). Tree roots running at an angle to the trail are a pain and rock gardens when you are wasted are very dangerous. Another mistake made was having my tires too pumped up. I should have dropped some of the pressure out and it would have been better (A little not much more!). So 17 miles later and I am done with the bike and still have to hit a 5 mile trail run.

I was spent by the time I got off the bike. My legs cramped up in transition while I was trying to tie my shoes so I just left the right shoe untied and ran a while to loosen up. That worked and I tied my shoe down the road. Then came the uphill section and more cramping. Sat down for a couple of minutes, did some stretching, and drank some gatorade. The funniest part was that I felt stronger at the end of the run than I had since I got on the bike (This is where the nutrition/hydration part comes in because I was replacing some stuff with gatorade at least).

All in all I was very displeased with my performance. Would I do XTERRA again - in a heartbeat! Why - to prove to myself that I am stronger than the performance that I put in this date. It was a great learning experience, a great event, well organized, and the competitors were awesome to be around. The winners are studs!!!!