Race Report: 3 Legged Dawg Mtb Race

The next day was the 3 Legged Dawg mountain bike race on the same course. I was going to race CAT 2 since I hadn't done any mountain bike racing and didn't have an annual license. The course was rough, but since I did well yesterday and I was already there, I decided to go for it. Some of the kids sprinted right out of the gate on the road to the trail. I wasn't all about using that much energy right out of the gun, so I settled into about fifth position as we hit the trail. One guy stumbled over the rock garden and I rode past him. Picked another one off pretty quickly too. Keeping on, I came up behind a guy and asked to get around. He said I was in his age group so he wasn't going to let me. So about 20 feet ahead I surged and passed his slow ass on a rocky section. Stubborn kid. There was one more guy in front of me and I closed in on him pretty quick and just followed him for a while. I yoyo'ed a bit but mostly set on his wheel for a while. I didn't want to use too much energy this early in the race to get in front of him and just give him a reason to go faster. We were starting to pass the single speed guys that started in front of us and some unusually slow CAT 1 guys. As we approached the back section of the course, my section of the course, I passed the CAT 2 kid and two more CAT 1's in a wide corner. We were on gravel path for a bit and I was keeping my lead. I gave the three of them the look back. I guess I really like doing this and giving people the challenge to follow me. While it wasn't intended to be a hard-ass move, it was. I wanted to check the guys number plate and make sure he was a CAT 2. He was. We hit the dirt single track and I was gone. I began pulling away and really establishing a lead. I came through the first lap well ahead of the entire CAT 2 field, dropped my bottle, grabbed two more, and headed back out for lap 2.

Lap two was more of the same. I knew I was leading so I didn't push as hard or take as many risk as I did on lap 1. I still had my lead and knew that I was the fastest on the back section of the course and could win it there even if someone did catch up to me. They didn't though. I was still catching and passing CAT 1's. That felt pretty sweet. I caught and passed Boomer who won yesterday's race. He was on a single speed, but he is seen as a great rider and one of the great Memphis Xterra athletes when I first started and I looked up to him. I was feeling pretty sweet and untouchable on the bike. I was closing in on the finish and getting ready and visualizing zipping up my jersey and riding across the line, hands in the air, dominating the field. I was also really looking forward to finishing so I could get some more water and cool off.

About half a mile before where the finish was supposed to be, I somehow got off course. I dismounted and trekked through the woods to where I thought the trail went. It wasn't there. So I trekked up to the road that I could see ahead. I saw a marshal and an entrance back to the trail. It was the wrong section though. As I started riding it, it looked really familiar. Too familiar. I came up on some more CAT 1's and asked if this was almost back to the finish. I knew it wasn't but I didn't want to face the truth yet. I was doing my third lap on the second half of the course. CRAP. I rode up to another section that I could see a gravel road from. I left the course and started trying to find my way back to the finish. Completely out of water by this time and really getting hot, this was hurting, both physically and mentally, searching for the trail that I had already ridden. I found my way back to the last section of trail before the finish and began to embark on the journey again. Little deja vu. I was approaching the finish this time and made the right turn. I don't know where it was or how I missed it the time before. It's just how it goes I guess. Really hurting by this time, but I found it in me to sprint past two guys in the finish line chute. After which, I collapsed and laid down under the sprinklers for a while. Very frustrating race, but for a while there I felt on top of the world. I felt fast, two days in a row!

Anyway, Live on to race another day and improve next year. Next race is in Gallatin on July 17th. I like that course so it should be a fun time. Look forward to that.
Finished 3rd in the CAT 2 19-29 age group.

Race Report: XTERRA Dawg Dayz

Venturing over to Little Rock for my fourth race of the season was a little rough. I had gone out the night before and was still feeling it on the car ride over. Thankfully my mom was driving and I could "rest" in the passenger seat. The effects were obvious when I was pre-riding the course. It was a sloppy ride, but I also wasn't the biggest fan of the trail. It was really dry and dusty and had many off camber sections with loose rocks. Combine this with the dust and mountain sides and it gets a little hairy. I slide out a few times and dropped my chain twice. The ride could have gone better.

Pre-ride done and packet picked up, I was headed to Luke Porter's house in Conway. He so graciously offered to let my mom and me stay with him for the weekend while we were racing. What a house! His family was very welcoming and made the trip a really good time. Everything I needed was taken care of and it was great. Dinner was awesome and the concoction of powdered peanut butter, almond milk, agave, banana, and oatmeal was a delicious post dinner/ pre race snack.

Up at 5:15 and we were ready to race. I managed to still get a good spot in transition even though I only got there an hour before the start. Having set up, kitted up, and hydrated, it was onto the warm up. I started by pre-riding a section of the run course. There was a pretty good hill at the beginning that would later come back to haunt me. Anyway, it was race time. Treading water for about 7 minutes while the race director talked wasn't the best way to start out, but I still managed to get off a good swim despite my lack of swim training since Southeastern's over a month ago. I came out of the water right behind my friend Steve Coal. I gave him a pat on the back and helped push him up the boat ramp so we could get out and onto the second part of the race. Running into transition, I saw Boomer Leopold putting on his shoes and getting ready to ride out. As I ran passed him, I gave him a slap on the butt and told him "Let's get after it." He made it out of T1 before I did, but as he went to mount his bike, his shoe stayed on the ground. He had to stop and re-lace the strap. I was off. When I covered the mile on the road and was hitting the trail I could see two people behind me and I asked the marshals how many were in front. Only One. Sweet deal. I started the ride out pretty hard and settled into a good pace. I had sections of fast pumping and sections of recovery. I could see the dust fill the air on the corners and knew I was closing in on the guy in front. I passed him before half-way through and was then just building on my lead. I knew the guys behind me were gunning for me though. There were several sets of switchbacks and I could hear and see people closing in at different times. It didn't matter. I kept them at bay and managed to have the fastest bike split of the day. More importantly, I accomplished my objective. Mission: keep the bike tire side down was a success. Amazing how fast you can go when you aren't stopping on the side of the trail to put yourself back together. I came into T2 by myself and headed out on the run in first place.

Starting out on the run was rough. It was hot and I was getting dehydrated. When I approached the first aid station at the top of that long climb, the person working the station was sitting in his chair across the road telling me which way to go as I was yelling at him where was the water. I had to grab my own cups and fill up my own water. The same thing happened at the next aid station too. Wasn't very happy about that. I kept trudging along though. I was suffering though and stopped at all the aid stations and dunked my head under the coolers and drank a good amount of water. I was over-heating and crashing. My lead was dwindling quickly. About 2 miles in, Boomer passed me. He was running well and I couldn't. I was starting to have to take walk breaks. I hadn't had a run this bad since Southeastern's. As I continued to get passed by more and more runners, my hopes kept dwindling. After I got passed by three people and I knew I wasn't going to podium, I really started slacking. It was hot and this was just not my race. I killed it on the bike and it killed me on the run.

I ended up finishing 5th overall. Not my best, but not terrible. I had a 36 minute run. That was pretty awful, but I felt like crap. I really have to focus on that if I want to be a contender in the future. This year just wasn't a good year running wise for me. I need more winter base miles and to not have surgery that takes me off my feet for two months in January.

After treading water for about 7 mins...

Not too shabby on my form

Riding side saddle

Host and competitor, Luke Porter

Race Report: XTERRA Lock 4 Blast

Lock 4 BLAST is absolutely right. I feel pretty confident saying this was the most fun I've had doing a race. Mostly because of the thunderstorm that occurred during it, but also the great trail systems and just having an all around good race.

Saturday I got off to a late start and didn't leave Cordova until 3:30 pm. I was pushing it to get there by 7pm for packet pick-up. I made it. Barely. I almost peed myself twice. After packet pick-up, I changed in the porta potty and headed out for some pre-riding. I felt kinda bad because it had been raining and I was expecting the trail to be pretty muddy. It was, but not as bad as I was expecting. It was fun to slide out in corners and in switchbacks. The few rock drops were a blast and super cush riding on 25 psi. I rode the bike course and the run course so I could refresh myself of what to expect. I rode up to my car at about 8:15 and was ready to load up, clean up, and grub. Damn.....I checked my saddle bag and it had come unzipped and my two gu's and my keys were gone. I usually carry my keys in my jersey pocket or leave them under the car, but I figured to be safe I should zip them in the saddle bag. Wrong. I started riding around the peninsula and looking for the white rubber keychain that held only two keys. It was quickly getting dark and I was getting desperate and about to panic. No luck, I headed back to the trail to start riding the first part again in hopes of finding them. About .5 mile into the trail I found my first gu. My hopes grew. I kept riding and searching the ground. About a .25 mile later, I found my other gu. Hope is rising. At this time it is too dark to ride and look, so I begin walking my bike leaning over the bars so I can see the ground as best I can. I kick or touch everything that appears white on the trail. I'm not going to miss them. As the music goes off at the race site and he is packing everything up, I finally find my keys. I am thrilled and so relieved. I start biking back out which at this point is night riding without a light; somehow, I was successful. I got back to my car just after 9 and began to load up. I washed the ridiculous amount of mud off my arms and legs with the water from the spicket of the water buffalo the director brought since there is no running water on the peninsula. Having done this, I stripped down by the car, dried off, and put my clothes back on. That was my shower, and I was off to Subway for some dinner.

My great pre race night of sleep was going to consist of whatever hours I could grab sitting in the front sit of my car at the entrance of the park. I had a friend I could have stayed with, but I didn't realize he lived an hour away from the race site. It just wasn't going to be worth the drive and getting up that much earlier for a real bed. I brought my camping stuff, but the place I was at had high grass and was already wet, more thunderstorms were supposed to be coming in too. So I leaned the seat back and turned on the ipod. Sleep didn't come easy. Between the heat, uncomfortable position, car headlights that tried to get into the park after hours, the storm that came through and having to get out and pee twice, I somehow got enough sleep to still race well.

I was up before 6am with the sunrise and the director coming into the park to get things rolling. I loaded up my stuff and headed down that way. I was the first one in transition. SCORE. Huge perk of sleeping right there at the race site. I took care of my pre race business and was set to go. About 30 minutes before the start, the director announced that the swim was going to be wetsuit legal. Score again. I hurried back to the car and grabbed my wetsuit. The rain was good for something at least. As the morning storm was approaching, the director hurried through the pre race meeting and got us into the water in hopes of finishing the swim before the lightning and rain started. It worked. I had a pretty good swim with the wetsuit. Saw just a few people beat me out of the water.

Now it's on to the bike. Being a wet trail and trying to ride too aggressive, I went down....quick....hard....and several times. I laid my bike down pretty hard 3 times within the first 1.5 miles. I would pass people only to crash and get passed right back. I eventually passed them all back except for one, supposedly he's going to be racing for the US team in Switzerland for World's. Who knows. So, after that last crash that moved my shifter and brake lever to the underside of my bar as I hit a tree and almost fell down into the lake, I decided to cool it and not break my bike, save something for the run. Well, I still went down two more times on that lap, but not quite as hard and mostly just because of the water and mud. On lap number two the storm was really hitting. And it was AWESOME. It was like being a kid and playing in the water and mud. The trail was flooding in some sections and it was just a blast. I went down once on the second lap in the same spot I went down the last time on the first lap. It was a tight, slick corner.

Anyway, coming into T2 I see another racer right in front of me. He enters before I do and I can hear him talking as he is changing shoes. "You're moving slow. You're moving slow." I'm pretty sure he was talking to himself. I hope. I beat him out of T2 and lead him on the run to the trail. At which point I expected to start losing it and watch him run on by. He didn't We kept running and splashing through the mud and twisty trail. As we exited the first lap, I was shocked that he was still right behind me. I don't run this well. How am I pacing this guy? We are side by side on the pavement to transition when I asked him who he was. Casey. Yes! I was hoping this was the famous Casey Fannin. I was pacing a great Xterra athlete the whole way on the first lap. I didn't expect it to last though. I figured he would run off around the peninsula and leave me behind. He didn't. We stuck together. We saw Craig exiting the woods and heading for the finish as we were heading back up the hill to hit the top of the trail for lap two. He was pretty far ahead. Casey and I chatted a bit and decided we were running for 2/3 behind Craig. What a race. Somehow I was still pacing him and he never made a move. I tried to play it smart though and hit some parts hard, climbs some hills fast on the balls of my feet, free fall down some hills, and slack and recover on certain sections. I wanted to have enough to out sprint him at the end. We splashed through puddles all the way out of the trail. I was beginning to feel confident. I had felt my quads starting to go towards the beginning of lap two and thought that was going to be it. It wasn't. I felt my right pinky toe begin to blister and the skin rip off. I thought that was going to be it, but it wasn't. I was running awesome. As we closed in on the finish line I began to pick it up. I looked back and asked him if he was ready to go. He didn't have it. He said go on and take it, so I did. I sprinted up to the finish and was uber stoked.

The final results: I won, well not really. I thought I was going to be, but Craig beat me. Officially he is a pro and doesn't race in my category, but not having a pro cat at this race, I consider him winning. On the podium it was Craig, me, and Casey. Great podium. I'll have to wait for another race to try for the ever fleeting overall win. Second for the second time this season. It's okay though. They didn't end up having a cash purse or even any special awards/plaques for the overall winners. I did win a free pair of Xterra trail shoes though. All in all, it was a great time.

Shout out to Blake Amos and his family for hosting me for the afternoon and feeding me. It was some great family time with someone else's family for the Sunday afternoon.

Back on the Horse

It's been a while since I've ridden my mountain bike. She has been neglected since the Southeastern race: over three weeks! However, it was a great time riding Azriel today. I also tried something new. I road with 5 fewer pounds of pressure in the tires than I ever have. It was pretty weird at first. It felt really squishy, but I was really digging it by the end of the third lap. Not sure if it was my time away from the trail, or if the lower pressure actually made me faster. Either way, there were times it felt like I was flying through there. Definitely, will stick to this pressure on future rides and see if my times improve; cornering felt a little more stable too, but then again I didn't push it too hard, i.e. I didn't crash.

I will note that I might have been poisoning myself on the ride just in case I get sick later tonight. The camelbak I took with me had been just as neglected as Azriel. I hadn't touched it since I brought it home from the race in Alabama. It was still sealed up with the remaining HEED I drank that day. I didn't see any large spots of mold in it, but for good measure I rinsed it out a few times and then put some bleach in there. After shaking that around for a minute, I began rinsing it out again. I don't know if it was the stagnant condition, mold in the bladder or bite valve, or too much bleach left in the bag, but it tasted pretty funky. I didn't care though. It was cold water and it was hot. My clothes were soaked and after three refills and a Powerade I still didn't have to pee.

And as always, I take note of the animals I see. I can't help it; if I see a snake on the trail, then I always get off and play with it for a bit. I saw two turtles in the middle of the trail too. The second one was as I was coming around a corner and had to pull some quick maneuvering skills to avoid him and not crash. On my "run" I saw a rotten out turtle shell and eventually a tick. The tick was lodge into my right thigh. I let him get his fill while I traveled back home, then I roasted him and picked his dead body off with some tweezers .

After the great training I fired up the grill and made some dinner. Uber success. The grilled squash and zucchini brushed with extra virgin olive oil, season salt, and fresh crushed pepper was amazing. The fish was pretty good too.

After I fried him with the lighter. Hair was collateral damage.

I like the head wind

Heat acclimatization put up a great fight today, and finally got me to cramp in the last 15 minutes of the 3 hour ride. I had run out of water at this point though. In the end, I made it my bitch.

After a relaxing morning, I settled into the saddle around 12:30 for some warm training. I need to be able to ride and race in the heat and this seemed like the best time. The winds and travelling over 19 mph really helped keep my body cool. By the end, it wasn't helping enough though. It was getting hot. But like I said earlier, "Today, I will get tan lines. If it doesn't hurt, it doesn't count. Should be fun" Well, it counted. My legs still feel weak and shaky. It's a great feeling I haven't had in a while. I also accomplished the tan line mission. It takes hard work to look that good. 


I also found out that the fire station is not the best place to stop and refill on water. They were pretty unwelcoming and never said a word to me, just stared. I think I'll stick to stopping by churches where they asked me to come inside and cool off and drink from the fountain. It was a nice break. 


A ride is never complete without some encounters with nature. I love when bright, blue finches fly in front of me. It's fun to follow their colors through the trees. I also saw a large hawk gliding and blue bird. The snake was most fun though. Doing a second lap on a road, I noticed something black laying across my pathway. After entertaining me for a bit, he finally dashed off into the shrubs before I could take his picture. 

Why I Need More Days Off

Today was another great day off. I woke up at 5:26am; my alarm is set for weird times. The clock is also set about 7 minutes fast; nothing is precise in there. After turning the coffee on, Scrappy and I went out to breath in the morning air. Breakfast done, I was on my way down to the U of M pool for an early morning swim. The swim could have gone better. As I noted earlier: "My shoulder joints feel like they are filled with mud and my arms are moving through sand, not water." But the day goes on. I traveled down to the American Red Cross to begin my CPR / 1st Aid training that I need to complete for PT school. The program went a little long due to some recent changes with the Red Cross and a lack of updating the website. 


I managed to make it back home in time to head out to the Millington Navy Base; although, lunch consisted of pretzels, peanut butter, and nutella eaten in the car on the way out there. I made it close to on time for my eye doctor appointment. After an hour there and having my eyes dilated, I headed over to the Millington DMV. It was a challenge trying to read my phone or fill out the forms at the center. I had to hold the forms out at arms reach to try to read it, but I still had to wait an hour or so before I could manage to squint to make out all the words and fill out the form completely. 


I got home after 6 and really just wanted to sit down and take a nap. Instead, I went out to the garden to improve my cucumber situation; they are growing all over the place. I set up some more frames and tied up some of the plants. It looks better. I also found two decently sized cucumbers. They could have grown more, but I couldn't hold back. I had to pick them. The first one was delicious and the whole back yard now smells like cucumbers after working out there for over two hours. 


I went for a four mile run to get in a little more mileage and then cut my hair on the back porch. Maybe now I'll get around to eating another solid meal; probably just another cucumber and then some sauteed squash and zucchini. The garden is flourishing!


Only one thing could make today even better.....

Race Report: XTERRA Southeastern Championship

Well it's been a few days since the race so I've had some time to look back and think. I've also had time to forget. Always a nice thing of endurance racing. I raced hard, it could have been better, but it always could have been better. The swim was pretty good; I came out about 50 yards behind the first guy in my age group. Somehow, I made it out of transition faster than he did though because I saw him on the road before we ever hit the trail. So, the race was on. If I was going to beat this guy, then I had to do it on the bike. I knew the course and hopefully he did not. There was a pack of three riders on the trail together. Pro Matt Boobar was leading the pack, next was Michael Keith, my competitor, and then me. Keith found a way around Boobar at a spot on the trail. I was still behind. I couldn't get around and Keith was taking off. I finally found a spot to pass and laid down the hammer. Too much I guess because I took a corner too hot and slid off the trail a little bit. I allowed Boobar and another rider to pass me as I remounted my bike and got back on the trail. Now I had some time to make up, but there is still a lot of racing left to do. That's what I kept telling myself. I got to the fire road climb and started picking people off one by one. I made it to the top of the mountain successfully and was ready to take the plunge down Blood Rock and the rest of the mountain. I passed two more people struggling through Blood Rock and a switch back before I aced it! Score! Now the the white knuckle, death grip, downhill bombing. I cut both of my thumbs on my shifters because my hands were bouncing around so much.

Boobar climbed better than I did, but I caught him again on the last 6 miles of trail. I was on his wheel for bit before he let me pass, at which point I hopped over a log and dropped my chain due to some front derailleur issues/ bad timing. I came off my bike and Boobar went back in front. About 1.5 miles later when I caught back up with him, I hollered "I sure do know how to yo-yo," as I passed for the third time. I came hauling into T2, but I never passed Keith again. I was told I was in first in my age group, but I disagreed. I started out on the run hard. I was feeling pretty decent for the first 2 to 2.5  miles. Boobar caught up with me around 1.75 and never looked back. He told me that an athlete crashed around Blood Rock. I was beginning to think this was Keith. I felt a little better about myself. That feeling was quickly replaced as I got to the first death climb. It was walking time. It was the better race strategy: don't blow up on this and run hard at the end around the lake. It never got any better though. I met up with Blake Voges the soon to be winner of the 25-29 age group. We stayed together and encouraged each other for a bit. I kept having the fear that Keith was going to be right over my shoulder though and it would have all been for nothing. I had to keep pushing on. It was really hot. It was really hurting. I knew I was really giving it out there when all I wanted to do was lay down on the side of the trail for an hour or so and then walk the rest of the way in. I never stopped though. I kept moving. Some, okay a decent amount was walking and I finished with a longer run split than I posted in '07 when the course was "harder" and supposedly longer. It was rough.

I finished and knew that I had not won. I could just tell. Keith had not crashed. Seth Wealing had and pulled out of the race. Keith left T2 before I ever got there; my spotter just missed it. So I got second in my age group, 11th amateur, and 29th overall. Results I was pretty disappointed at first and am still not really satisfied, but I have accepted it. Keith is a great athlete and if I had to lose, he was a worthy competitor to lose too. I talked with him after awards and found out he just moved here from South Africa on a student visa so he could race in America. He won the Xterra World Championships in Maui last year in his age group. So, I guess he is pretty good. He was a nice guy too. Glad I met him. South Africa went 1-2 in the pro race and Keith wrapped up 3rd amateur for the 1-2-3 for RSA.

On another note, I did win something that weekend. I won an Xterra Wetsuit Transition bag by winning the post race push-up contest. We went on the director's count and I racked out 59. Two more than any one else. Keith was also in the competition. Not to brag or be an ass, but I was not going to lose that competition. Not to Keith. I wasn't going to lose to him again. Around 35 to 40 I looked over at him and gave him "the look back," challenging him to go the distance with me. After a few reps of staring at him, I went back to ground and continued on to victory. It kinda made me feel like a badass for a few minutes there. Then I remembered he still one and I was only going to have 90 points from the championship race.

Oh well, another month, another state, another race, another day. Live On, Live More, Ride Hard

You can find the rest of the photos on my facebook here: race photos