Countdown to Xterra Maui

Xterra Worlds are this coming Sunday.  I feel fit and feisty and as prepared as I'll ever be for the heat and humidity.  We've been having a freakishly warm fall with temps. in the 70's and 80's and I've been taking full advantage and doing my workouts during the heat of the day when possible.  If I have to prepare for a hot race in Hawaii in October this has been the year to do it. 

I leave tomorrow and mostly everything is packed and ready to go, including my bike which was a super huge hassle.  My coach gave me a spare bike box so that was a huge huge help but getting the bike apart and packed and the box shut proved a challenge.  I managed to do it without taking the fork off and I think this is what created the difficulty but reassembly will be so much easier so it was worth the effort.  So many little details to think of when packing for a race like this and being away from home in such a foreign place, this seems the most daunting part of the experience so far.

My aunt sent me some guide books that she had bought and I've been working my way through them.   I don't typically like to rely on guide books but I'm totally lost when it comes to Hawaii and they seem pretty helpful so far.  I think I finally have some ideas for activities while I'm there.  Though sadly my aunt won't be joining me, she had to cancel due to health issues and is really disappointed that she can't make it.  I am too, visiting with her was a major point of the trip.  But my roomie from Nationals has decided to go so I'll have some company though she comes later and leaves earlier than me.  Also my coach is in the same condo complex and her husband is super handy with bikes so if I have any problems she's offered me his help.  She's been super helpful in answering all my zillions of questions about logistics so that's taken a lot of the stress away.  And now that the bulk of packing and fretting is done I think I'm finally getting excited about it.

Here's a very important travel tip if you're planning a trip to Maui.  Don't go over to the Maui section of the City-Data website and click on the 'Shark Attack Today' thread.  Trust me on this one.

The weather report is showing strong winds (20-25 mph) the entire time I'm there and humidity in the 65-75% range so on the one hand maybe the heat won't be so bad but on the other hand those strong winds for 9 days could be super annoying.  Though I'll take wind over baking heat and humidity on race day though this could make the swim challenging.  I've never swum in high surf, at least I have some days to practice and Xterra is holding a clinic with some pros helping people learn to get in and out of the water.  Nothing I can do about it, just have to roll with the conditions and adapt as best I can.

Kind of hard to leave Colorado in a way, the weather is so perfect and fall is such a spectacular time of year.  We took Ruby on her first hike with in the mountains and she loved it.

West Magnolia Trails

I haven't made many trips to the high country this year for leaf viewing mostly due to training.  I've had some good long rides in the mountains but not in places that were good for leaf viewing and I was the slowest person riding with other people so even when there were a few good places for photos I didn't want to stop since people already were having to wait for me.  One thing about having a lot of skin in the game in terms of money, time, stress, hassle, etc. is that it sure motivates your training.  I put everything I had into all my workouts between Nat's. and Worlds.  At the very least I feel pretty fit, regardless of how things turn out on race day it's a huge benefit health wise.

I'll miss Jonny and the dogs.  Lola is hanging in there and Ruby has settled into life in her new home.  She's getting more sassy and confident by the day.

Her agility training has fallen to the wayside with my spare time and energy going towards my training and preparations for the trip.  Once I get back I'll start focusing on her training again.  We're also hoping to be able to make our move to Southwest Colorado this spring so lots of stuff to do on that front.  But for now I focus on Maui and Worlds.

So I Did a Thing

I registered for Xterra Worlds yesterday.  I know.  I'm not sure why I had a change of heart. exactly.  Part of it is the whole losing Strummer so unexpectedly thing has created a sense of urgency in me about not waiting too long to do stuff.  Now duh, I know, you shouldn't put stuff off that you really want to do, at least not for too long.  Life is short, you never know what may happen, and all that blah blah.  Thing is that Xterra Worlds isn't a huge major thing for me like it is for some.  Mostly because of the long, expensive trip to Maui and also Maui not being top of my list of places I want to go.  But there is a part of me that thinks it would be cool to experience a World Championship and Xterra Worlds are the big one of the off-road triathlon world.

I first saw Xterra Worlds on t.v. back in the early 90's and it seemed so cool but also such an impossible goal.  Watching the godfather of mountain biking Ned Overend struggle with running on the sand at the end of the race was inspirational but also off putting.  That race looked SO hard.  It was one of those thing where you think, 'That would be an amazing accomplishment but it's so crazy impossible that's it's not worth aiming for.'  I was in my 20's and had just moved to Colorado and was new to mountain biking so the thought of doing a challenging mountain bike race let alone a triathlon with an ocean swim seemed beyond something to consider.  But now at 52 I have many years of mountain biking and triathlon under the saddle it doesn't seem so daunting or even like such a huge accomplishment.  It will be hard and long but certainly within reach.  The course has changed throughout the years and has gotten a lot better.  More singletrack vs. dirt roads with stickers that caused a lot of flats.  The biggest challenge for me will be the heat. 

And while Maui doesn't call to me I'll be meeting my aunt who loves it so it'll be more of a vacation than just going for a race.  She wants to do some whale watching thing though I think we're not there during whale season so I'm not sure how that'll go.  But whatever.  I'm happy to see her and have the opportunity to experience a World Championship and an ocean swim.  And see someplace new that I wouldn't normally go, someplace totally different from the mountains.

On top of all of this I leave for Xterra Nat's. tomorrow.  Probably wouldn't have gone this year if I'd know I was going to Worlds but I had zero expectation of qualifying at Beaver Creek and actually signing up and going so I'd already paid my entry and made travel/hotel plans for Nat's.  Plus I love Nat's., look forward to it every year and it would be sad to miss it.  At least this year shouldn't be too expensive since I'm traveling with someone and splitting gas/hotel expenses.  But it feels weird packing and planning for this trip while also making arrangements for an even bigger trip, both to do races.

Ah well, you only live once.  Thanks to Ned for the inspiration all those years ago.  Looks like I'll be going to Maui after all.