tri fit family: I got there one step at a time. Xterra West Championship 2012

I was hoping to get a race photo to add to this post, but just found out today that Xterra didn't have a camera crew on hand that day after all. So, this post comes with quite a few pre-race photos as well as a few after the fact. I snapped this photo of my sweet tri-kit though, and thanks to Kona, I was racing in style.

Heading into the Xterra West Coast Championship race I had two goals in mind: To swim consistently, without stopping to breaststroke.......and to place in the top 2 of my age group, which would secure a spot at the Xterra World Championship in Maui.

What a pleasure to spend the weekend in the company of such great people.
I laughed so many tears!

Luckily the patio had room for 5 bikes!

My body felt off on Friday, the day before the race. My mind was a bit cloudy and my stomach felt nauseous. It was raining and cold with a water temperature of 57 degrees, and during the pre-swim I actually felt like I wanted to vomit. I had not ever experienced a "pre-swim" that felt this bad, but really tried to remain calm about what was to come on race day. Tomorrow is a new day and I am ready for this race.

Remember what I said when I left? I left my fenders and rain gear HOME! I went to Vegas anticipating heat and sunshine. Oops, mistake #1.

We woke on race day to light rain and 44 degrees. I knew the water was cold, but was surprised to hear that it actually dropped a couple of degrees overnight. Luckily Mat had brought some extra gear with him, so I borrowed a pair of full finger gloves and a wind breaker, both 2 sizes too big.

The cold kept me from warming up too much and actually cut my pre-race preparations quite close as I almost missed body marking. My body felt good though, and my mind was calm. I made my way over to the swim just as the Pros were starting. I had 6 minutes until it would be my turn. I hopped in the water, careful not to get my head wet yet. I slowly paddled around, giving my body a chance to acclimate to the temperature. When the second heat had sent off, I slowly put my face in the water and took some slow strokes. 100% better than yesterday. I was feeling good, and I knew I had prepared well to make this 1 mile swim.

I turned in time to make eye contact with Karen and exchange a thumbs up. It was our turn, we were off. I took probably no more than 15 strokes when my mind started to race and the fear and anxiety took over. I had swimmers on my feet and at both sides, worry about not going fast enough and fear of being swum over. Mistake #2: I allowed my negative thoughts to take over and I spiraled down, and fast. I was having a hard time putting my face in the water at all, thought I was going to throw up, and seriously contemplated climbing out. I have no idea how long I remained in this state of panic and doom, but at the time it felt like FOREVER. I sat there and watched what seemed like the entire amateur field swim away from me, and felt completely helpless. I COULD NOT DO THIS. As I looked over at the dock, I watched someone else climb out and call it quits. I remember thinking to myself that this was just not my day and that there was no way that I could make this swim happen. If I could not do 15 strokes, how could I possibly swim a mile? Just as soon as that final decision came into my mind, the fighter inside took over, very gently.

Forget that I blew my goal of swimming the whole time. I was sitting in the middle of this freezing cold lake not swimming at all! I gave myself mini challenges. "OK Mel. Swim for 10 strokes" Done. "20 strokes" Done. "30" OK. "Now to that buoy", and so on. I had to let go of the negative thoughts that took over and focus on giving myself manageable steps to work towards. 31minutes 28 seconds later, I reached for the railing. I came out of the water last in my category but with a huge sigh of relief.

I ran to transition on two numb feet and fumbled while putting on my shoes and helmet. I decided against wearing the jacket though, not wanting to waste time I did not have. I was fired up to get on my bike and left transition on a mission.

My legs felt incredibly strong and did exactly what I needed them to despite the numb blocks that now were my feet. I enjoyed the ease and familiarity on the bike, knowing that now was my time to catch up. I began counting calves marked with a 35 as I passed, the women in my age group. I was seeing other racers that I knew and began to feel that maybe I was not as far back as I thought I was. A few miles into the bike, friend Mike Stepanek came upon me and we ended up riding pretty much the entire rest of the bike leg together. This was super fun, as we motivated each other to push the pace. I was able to fuel well, as I raced with my VelEau hydration system. This allowed me to drink all 42 ounces of Hammer Heed. I also carried a Hammer Gel flask in my jersey and consumed probably 4 servings. I was so happy that I decided to race with the VelEau. The added weight of the system is so worth the ease of fueling.

The Course was beautiful. About as anti- Willamette Valley as it gets.
This is Dan Hugo, photo from the Xterra site

About half way through the bike leg, my quads began to fatigue. Realizing during the pre-ride that my seat was too low, I forgot to make the adjustment before race day. Mistake #3. I would not let this slow me down but worried that I may be killing my chances of a good run. I needed my quads for the run. Other than my seat being a bit low, my bike, the Kona King Kahuna performed beautifully and I rode with confidence.

I came into transition feeling good. I had no idea how many women were in front of me, but I was heading out to find them if they were. The first few miles of this course are tough, with climbing ranging from gradual, to steep, to really steep. At about mile 2 a woman in my age category passed me with beautiful form. I'm pretty sure that this was the first time that this has ever happened to me. Right away it was obvious that this woman was going to slay the run. And she did. I enjoyed watching her stability and comfort as she navigated the climbs in front of me. By mile 5, she had pulled away and made her way to the finish a minute and a half before me.

Since I have no race pic's of myself, I thought I would put this one in. As I was beginning my run, I was able to give a shout out to Leslie Paterson, 2nd place Pro women who was in hot pursuit of Renata Bucher who was in the lead. The run course was in the shape of a lollipop, so the pros that were finishing crossed paths with those who were just getting started. I have never before been so close to these lead girls before during the race!

Lesley Paterson chasing down Renata Bucher

I was surprised to find Mat still on the run course, the result of riding 15 miles with a flat tire. Karen also flatted, but luckily had a few PSI remain allowing her to stay in contention for the podium. Mistake #4 NONE OF US CARRIED FLAT GEAR.

I placed 2nd, thus earning my spot to World's. Yippee!!!

35-39 podium

Although this was not the perfect race, I take from it as much joy as I would if it had been.
By overcoming the mini obstacles that pop up throughout each race, that finish line always looks good. And I say quietly to myself, "You did it".