This is a few weeks late, but better late than never. A few weeks ago I raced XTERRA Curt Gowdy, put on by Without Limits Productions. They put on great races, and this was no exception. There’s nothing noteworthy about the pre-race – parking was easy, packet pickup was easy, setting up transition, again, easy. The biggest problem of the day was the heat. The late start combined with the June heatwave made for a painful day – and waiting in a wetsuit to start was rough. My goal for the day went from crushing dreams to just making it through in one piece.

I did relatively well in the water, as is often the case. I was out in front of most of my wave after the first lap, and had caught several people from the wave ahead.

Unfortunately, my calves cramped during the second lap, and I had to suffer with sore calves for the rest of the race.

T1 was uneventful. I brought knee and elbow pads (due to concerns raised when I pre-rode the course) but decided to not put them on – a good choice, because it seems quite a few of the trickier sections were sanitized before race day. Sophie was happy to lie in the shade.

The bike went alright – I somehow broke my chainguide, and my legs hurt thanks to the early cramping, but I made it through without losing too much time.

Sophie was getting tired from all the excitement.

The run was downright painful. I ran as much as I could, but after a few miles I cracked from the heat. 90F+, blazing sun, down on calories, and pretty dehydrated. I alternated walking and jogging, finally coming in 8th in my age group.

I took in a couple gallons of fluids over the following few hours (a couple bottles of gatorade, a couple liters of water, a milk shake, two giant sodas, and some more water) and started feeling a bit closer to normal. I’m still in the hunt for Nationals, and feel decent about my chances of getting there. Next race is a few weeks away, and I’m looking forward to it.