Xterra South Central Champs

I got to Waco on Wednesday so I have had the chance to ride the course a couple of times. It is a great course but certainly tough. Nothing but up and down and the short climbs are steep and some are pretty technical. On raceday, it is going to be very challenging.

We swam the course this morning and the river has a major current. We are swimming with and against the current for a one lap swim. We swam 350 meters in a touch over 4 min with the current and a little over 7 min against it...so, a pretty big difference! The water temp is 72 so no wetsuits for the pros but wetsuits are allowed for amateurs. Why they think pros have a higher tolerance for colder water is beyond me =) Truthfully, I think you would overheat in a wetsuit...I was 100% comfortable from the first step into the river. The current will definitely be a factor during the race. Swimming with the current for the first 350 means there will be less of a gap to the leaders but once we start swimming against the current it is critical to find some feet to draft off of to save some energy and get towed along.

I personally think the run will be a big deciding factor in the race. It is going to be hot and humid (92 degrees!) and the run is hard with a lot of short climbs. I wish I wasn't injured (it is getting much better after the decision to take 2 weeks off from running so hopefully we have turned the corner) and have been running but, at this point, there is nothing I can do except give 100% and be willing to "die" on raceday. Reto and his brother (1996 olympian in pentathlon) always told me you are going to "die" at least six times during a hard workout, meaning that at least six times you will be at your supposed limit and ready to quit. So, to do well you have to be willing to "die" and mentally dig out of that hole and keep fighting until the end. So, no doubt it is going to be a physical and mental battle on Sunday and whoever can gut it out and push through the challenging conditions is going to do well.

On another note, Renata and I have the BEST homestay! The family is amazing and they live right at the park so transition is literally a few minutes by bike. We had a great little dinner party last night at the house...tons of locals and other Xterra athletes. I am really impressed with the people here in Waco...the hospitality is top notch and people are such a pleasure to interact with. It is incredible how much the community is supporting the event and I am sure there will be a lot of spectators on Sunday. This has truly been a great experience so far and I look forward to Sundays race. Well, nap time for me. Have a a good weekend everyone!