I ran the Xterra Appalachia triathlon at Yellow Creek State Park for the second time in three years. The Xterra is a .5 mile swim, 15 mile mountain bike, and 4 mile trail run and is the only off-road triathlon around here. It is really well organized by the team at American Adventure Sports and enthusiastic volunteers (including one woman who took these pictures.) I did this race two years ago and even though racing really isn't my thing (ask my wife....I'm never in a hurry), I found that having a goal like this keeps me biking and swimming throughout the summer to stay in 'relative' shape. If I didn't have something to train for ...I would just, well ....only fish.
 |
| Pre-race. I'm at the far right...hands on hips...serious mode. |
The race started with the swim, which is my least favorite part (until you get to the run then that is my least favorite.) No matter how much I train for swimming, you cant factor in getting punched and kicked in the pack of swimmers as you try to mow your way through a garden of lake weeds. This year I thought I did the swim much better by staying on the outside of the pack and actually swimming a few hundred yards for a warm up before the race - two lessons I learned from two years ago. The one thing I cant get over though is how crooked I swim without lane markers in a pool. I completely veer to the right and probably made a .5 mile swim closer to .75 mile. I finished this leg in 23 minutes.
The mountain bike was next up and I can say I truly love to ride. I have done this course a few times, so I remembered most of it including some previous crashes. Two years ago, I got caught up in the race and turned a relatively small bump in a downhill into a launching pad for an endo into a jagger bush. This year, I dialed it down some and didn't have one 'bad' wreck. However, about mid-way through the race, we had torrential downpours, which made the single track greasy and technical, but racing in mud is fun and I finished in 1:57.
 |
| My favorite part....the mountain biking |
 |
The last leg was a hilly trail run over roots, rocks, and logs. With a bad ankle and knee I dont run anymore, so my plan was to just grit it out and plug through the 4 miles. Good plan. After the first hill, my legs were tighter than a snare drum and my knee felt like it was going to explode. But I've been here before and just pushed through. The 38 minute run was pretty slow, but I did finish that last .5 mile strong. My overall total time was 3'06 and a little slower than two years ago, but at this point, I was truly happy to finish the tough race and enjoy the fun day.
