XTERRA Curt Gowdy Triathlon - TriathlonOther

I had been practicing in open water this year and felt comfortable but did not feel fast. I would estimate 2min per 100 yd/m, but with my slowness I thought I might be closer to 30 min.

From the start kept with the pack. Not too bad.

Was trying to change my mentality from "please don't hit me" to "get the f$%k out of my way". I was somewhat successful changing my mindset! ;-)

Second lap was much better paced although my time was about the same. Was happy with time.

Keep that face in the water!! Try to get a better warm up in...but not sure how with 40 min in between.

I don't know if this is an XTerra thing or at most races, but the transition area seemed pretty dirty/rocky. I'm not really complaining but this adds a step of cleaning off my feet prior to socks. I don't regret as a rock in my shoe could have ruined my day.

Also my wetsuit is old. I would imagine a new one would be easier to get out of.

I don't ever do the "shoes attached to the bike" thing. Making sure they are on right seems more important.

Forgot to reset bike computer...messed with it for 15 seconds too long. Try to clean feet faster.

Felt pretty good on the bike. Sometimes people were walking sections I knew I could ride that made me dismount...little frustrating.

Was not feeling the flow at the end. Fatigue was keeping me from being active in the cockpit and almost washed out (or braked too much).

Eating is tough in XTerra! Had to stop twice to eat a Stinger Waffle. I think each stop was 40 sec or so. Had two GUs taped to my bike and ate one.

Even though I felt good and passed a lot of people, my rank is not as high as I expected. I knew there were many sections where going anaerobic is the only way through so I went too easy most of the time. Next time I will push myself harder in the easier sections.

I think because I was passing people I thought I was riding hard enough.

Also need to make sure I have my loose surfaces game on...slacking in the fast easier sections cost me. Need to keep the speed up. This will be a must for Lory.

Need to figure out how to eat and keep moving better.

One thing I did for this race that I never have before is I changed my socks here. I run with minimalist shoes and wanted a bit more cushion than my cycling socks provide.

Also had a small packet of sunscreen and was able to reapply neck and shoulders. Will definitely do that again. Even with this the neck was red at the end of the day.

Not sure on the sock change. I did have a good run so I can't say it was worthless but I think it nearly doubled my T2 time.

This ranking surprised me honestly. I am not much of a runner but to see a better ranking than my bike is frstrating. I am trying a new low impact method of running that is a slow shuffle. Several people passed me going much faster only for me to pass them back later on.

It was pretty hot...I pulled my trisuit off my shoulders to get as much cooling as I could. Much better!

One 30 yr old guy came bounding past me. 10 min later I passed him, then he was back, then I lost him again, finally he caught up to me and I said "holler if you want to pass" and he said "no thanks". He must have thought my pace would get him home. I took off with 1/4 mile left and never saw him again.

I can only assume that the bike course kicked a lot of good runners' butts forcing them to go slower.

I think I could run faster. Was worried about the heat and blowing up. Didn't do as much run training as I should have but I think I could have run a full minute per mile faster.

Not sure if the sock change had any impact but I do know I had a great run.

Walked in circles and ate pizza! Sure wish I could have gotten in my car right away where I knew I had a cooler full of ice.


This is my first race where the transition area and the finish were in different places. I wish I would have thought about this in where I should have kept my car keys.

I had a great race at the first Curt Gowdy XT. Will be back next year for sure. Glad I have a decent benchmaark to improve upon.