I just finished my 3rd XTERRA triathlon and I couldn’t be happier with how this race went. Although I didn’t have as much time to train for this as I had wanted after my half marathon, I did have some quality workouts that really set me up for a good race. The most important of those were my tempo runs up Barr trail towards Pikes Peak and my 3 open water swims. I came into this race with more nerves than my half marathon 6 weeks ago, but I knew I was prepared enough to do well. With my sweet and supportive husband and fellow triathlete and friend, Dionne, I was nothing but calm race morning. My hope for this race was to not stop at all and to push hard the entire race. At Wave 5 of the swim I felt comfortable enough to swim without stopping. I finished the swim a tad slower than last time, but I didn’t stop and freak out. I did get kicked in the face by a swimmer swimming in the opposite direction who clearly crossed into traffic. It was a good thing I double capped like my friend Harley had told me to do. I was out of the water in the mid 18’s and had a much quicker transition to the bike. The bike was fun and tough. I was breathing hard 90% of the time. I got passed a few times by some faster male bikers on the first lap but then I passed quite a few people on the second lap. That was a clear sign that I should’ve been in a faster wave group. I ended up getting stuck behind a slower biker in a line of 7 people because this lady refused to let us pass for almost 5 min. That was really frustrating. Even still, I finished the bike 4 minutes faster than last time. My second transition was also faster off the bike. My run went surprisingly well, and I didn’t stop at all the entire run even on the steep switchbacks. All that training on Barr trail gave me the confidence to keep pushing slow and steady. I finished the run 4 minutes faster than last time as well, putting me in 3rd place for my age group. I was only 10 seconds behind the 2nd place girl. I couldn’t be happier that I overcame my fear of the lake once again and didn’t stop pushing hard the entire race. These XTERRA races are grueling and they push me to my limits, but I love it so much I will keep coming back until I get a 1st place finish in my age group.
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