'24 Xterra Oak Mountain Race Recap

 

Greenville crew

The last race in our 3-week (15 day) racing block was Xterra Oak Mountain. For several years, we always dedicated this weekend to IM 70.3 Chattanooga (one of our favorite events) but with Xterra Oak Mountain being the same weekend, we went to Pelham, Alabama instead. Karel participated in Xterra Oak Mountain in 2021 (his first off-road triathlon) and in 2022 they didn't have the event. In 2023 we both participated (my 4th Xterra event) and I placed overall female amateur. When Xterra announced that Oak Mountain would be the home of the North American Championship, we knew that we couldn't miss this event. We love the trails at oak mountain, as well as the lake. It's a place that makes us super happy. The trails are proper mountain bike trails with rock gardens, technical turns, roots, climbs and descends but the trails are also nicely made with good rhythm and flow. 

As for training going into Xterra, we had intentions of riding our mountain bikes on Tuesday and Wednesday but it rained both days. On Monday we did a morning swim (3200) and an evening easy spin on the Swamp rabbit trail (1:06, 17 miles). We swam again on Tuesday (3650) and in the early evening I did a "system check" workout on Rouvy (1 hour) and followed it up with a feel good brick run (25 minutes, 3 miles). My legs felt surprisingly good just three days after Gulf Coast 70.3. Karel's legs were feeling heavy and he was not sleeping so great so he was careful not to overdo it in the bridge between Gulf Coast and Xtera. On Wed morning I did a 6.73 mile, 53 min run with a main set of 4 x 6 min tempo efforts w/ 90 sec EZ between. Again, my legs felt really good. I just got the Saucony Endorphin Pro at Run In and I really like them (I wore them at Gulf Coast 70.3). My other (and long time) favorite shoe is the New Balance Fuel Cell. In the evening I rode the trainer for an hour and did a mix of big gear and high cadence intervals to keep the legs sharp.

On Thursday we left our house around 8:30am to make our 5 hour drive to Pelham (we gained an hour) and arrived a little before 1pm. We paid $5/person to enter Oak Mountain State Park and when we arrived we noticed several professional Xterra athletes as well as professional triathlete Eric Lagerstrom.  

After we changed, we went out on the bike course and rode the 21-mile bike course (~1650 feet elevation gain). We rode easy and took note of certain sections of the course that may be difficult on race day. The weather was predicted to be 100% heavy rain on Fri and Sat which made me nervous about a repeat of Whitewater off-road triathlon where I had a lot of falls due to the slippery roots and tight turns. It took us ~2:17 to ride the course (~8.4 mph). I had a lot of difficulty in the tight turns and a few rooty sections as I felt like I had no confidence or skills. Karel helped me through these tough moments and as the ride went on, I felt better and better. When we got to blood rock (the most technical part of the course) we spent a little time looking at the trails to study the best line, even though I knew I wouldn't be riding all the way down blood rock. Karel didn't feel comfortable riding it all in training as we didn't spent a lot of time sectioning it. After blood rock, there is a super rocky downhill and then my favorite part of the course, Jekyll and Hyde. It's super flowy and covered in pine needles. I was really happy that we rode the entire course because I forgot about two drops that require the proper line choice so I was glad that we experienced that in our recon. 

After the ride, we went for an open water swim in one of my favorite lakes. I love how clean the water is and the water temperature is perfect.  Karel wore his short sleeve swimskin for the first loop (which he said felt really restrictive on his shoulders) and I wore my swimsuit. We swam two loops in 25 minutes (~1700 yards, 1:30 pace). We finished our swim a little before 5pm and I ordered Chiptole to be delivered to our hotel (Sleep Inn). We unloaded the car into our hotel room, ate dinner and worked on the computer until we were ready to go to sleep around 9pm. 

We expected rain all day on Friday but the radar was looking like the rain would hold off so we went to the park around 9am so that we could ride the first few miles of the course again. I felt so much better than on Thursday. After our ~30 min recon ride (4.3 miles) I went for a 10 min, 1 mile EZ run on the trails and Karel went for a 33 min (3.66 mile) shake out run with his friend Darren. Our athlete Danielle joined us for the bike. Although it was cloudy, it was very humid. We made a quick stop at Publix grocery before heading back to our hotel. 

We returned to the park at 2pm to pick up our packet and to meet up with our athletes who were racing for a course chat. Thankfully no rain all day which was great. We were excited for our athletes and team members who were participating in their first off-road triathlon. 

In addition to working on the computer all day, we got our things ready for the race, filled up our hydration packs and run bottle and went to bed around 8pm for a good night of sleep. 

With a 8:30am start, we didn't have a super early alarm. We woke up around 5:30am and ate around 6am. I had a bagel w/ PB and honey and Karel had oatmeal and OJ. We also each had a cup of coffee (Karel brought his aeropress). We did some foam rolling in the room and Karel went for a short jog. We left the hotel at 7am and drove the 2 miles to the race venue. There was a line to get into the park but it went by quick as there were two rows. We paid our $10 to enter. and parked around 7:15am. 

With ~400 athletes in the full and sprint distance, parking was easy. We found a spot on the racks for our bikes (first come, first serve) and set up our transition area. We picked up our chips and swim cap and spent the next hour getting ready for the race start. I watched our athletes in the swim for the sprint race (which started at 8am) and then put on my wetsuit (water was 75 degrees according to the officials but it felt warmer) to go for a warmup swim. I spent ~20 min in the water warming up, which I feel is one of the reasons why I am able to swim so well at this venue (or anytime I can do a swim warm-up before the race start). Karel also did a swim warmup. I watched the pros start at 8:35am and then we got ready for our start after the pros started their 2nd swim lap. I had a Never Second gel around 20 min before the start. Karel's wave started at 8:51 (49 and under males) and my wave (everyone else) started at 8:52am. 

I positioned myself in the front and to the far left and I was able to take out fast when we started. I had clean water for most of the race as I was able to swim past many of the guys who started in front of us. I went out really hard and tried to hold this pace until the 2nd turn buoy. I was able to settle into a strong rhythm for the rest of the loop and when I got out of the water to start the second loop, I was 2nd in my wave. I continued to pass the guys ahead of me and felt strong the entire swim. Sighting was easy in the lake. I wore my Roka goggles with a light tint. 

As I got out of the water, I saw Karel right in front of me. He said he felt good in the water but his perceived effort didn't match how he was swimming. He felt like he was swimming strong but he felt like he wasn't able to move up in the pack or pass other athletes around him. 

We ran to the transition and I gave Karel a big cheer. We racked our bikes on the same rack row but several bikes down and we both left transition around the same time.  

SWIM
Marni - 23:26
Karel: 24:21

T1
Marni: 1:50
Karel: 1:51

When we got on our bikes, I tighted my shoes (which I put on in transition with my socks, along with my helmet, sunglasses and USWE hydration pack) and then started working to keep my lead on the swim. I was first female out of the water but I wasn't sure how long this lead would last. 

The course can be broken down into 4 sections. 
The first section is a few miles and very twisty, tight and up and down. True single track. Karel has fallen in this section twice (last two times he raced here) as it's easy to ride too fast and take the turns too quick. My goal was to ride controlled and to make sure I kept my hands light and moved my body to offset my weight in the turns. I was passed by a few guys but everyone was very nice when passing. I would move over and let them pass. 
The second section is a ~3 mile climb on a jeep road. However, it's rocky and has a few dips. I locked my front suspension on this section and rode as strong as I could up the climb. My legs felt really heavy but I kept on pushing for ~18 minutes. When I got to the top, I looked behind and didn't see anyone. The next few miles were back on single track and a little more rocky but flowy. 
The third section is Blood Rock - which is the most difficult part of the course. I rode 1/2 of it and then got off my bike and walked the rest. Two guys passed me in this section but otherwise, I had been riding by myself for well over 20 minutes. 
The fourth section is my favorite - the last hour is so much fun. I didn't want it to end. I did have one spill where I took a tight left turn a little too fast and my weight was to much in the inside and I washed out but I got back up right away. I finished the ride with 2 other guys and they were really nice, letting me stay ahead even though they were better with their skills. I was really happy with my bike as I rode 5 minutes faster than last year. 
Karel felt like his fitness and skills were good but his hand cramped neart the top of the jeep road climb and he had to spend a few minutes unlocking his fingers so that he could hold the bar (and brake) before Blood Rock. This is a common issue for Karel in his wrist where he had surgery (and now has a plate in it). Karel was planning to ride the entire blood rock section but the guy in front of him (who he had passed on the climb but passed him as he was fixing his hand) got stuck on blood rock which caused Karel to get off  his bike. No biggie. Just a quick run down with the bike. 
I filled by USWE pack with 1 bottle + 3/4 bottle, each with 1.5 scoops INFNIT Fructose (~70g carbs per bottle). Karel filled his pack with 1.5 bottles (~37 ounces) of Maurten 320. 

BIKE
Marni - 1:50.35 (10.9 mph)
Karel - 1:38.30 (12.3 mph)

I was having so much fun on the bike that I didn't want it to end. I was careful in the final 2 miles as it was a tight and twisty single track section and I didn't want to crash. I was still leading the female race (I passed one female pro) and I wasn't sure how big my lead was so I needed to keep pushing it until T2. 

I heard some cheers from our athletes who raced the sprint which made me smile. I couldn't wait to hear about their race. I had a quick transition, put on my New Balance Fuel Cell shoes and grabbed my bag of my stuff to put on as I was running (flask in back tri kit pocket, bib number belt and hat). It was warm and humid but I was happy with the weather. 

T2
Marni -:40
Karel - :44

Karel and I don't wear gloves in most Xterra races (if it was raining or cold we would) and we have recently been running on less technical trails in our old New Balance shoes (road shoes). Karel actually wore his new New Balance Fuel Cell shoes for this race. It's a rooty up and down run but not too technical that you need a lot of grip. We were both planning to wear our trail shoes if it was wet/rainy. 

I really pushed myself on the run from the start on the road. I love bumpy trail runs and I couldn't wait to get into the trails. It was hard to push myself and not know how far my lead was. And after the first mile, I was all by myself for the rest of the run. I really pushed myself and had several moments where I thought "wow - 6 miles is loooong." I sipped my flask (1 scoop, 120 calories Never Second) throughout the run when I could get my HR lower on the downhills and I grabbed water at all three aid stations to sip and cool myself. 

Karel felt good to start the run and he was excited for the trails but as soon as he stepped foot on the trails, his legs felt very heavy and tired. He really struggled on the run but he never gave up. 

Run
Marni - 50:33
Karel - 47:34

RESULTS
Marni: 3:07, Overall female amateur 
Karel: 2:53.02, 1st AG

I crossed the line with relief as I gave it everything I could for the entire race. I felt very accomplished and I had so much fun. I was listening to a podcast during our drive and they mentioned that it's hard to have fun when racing because it hurts so much. Although off-road racing does hurt (it's challenging!) it is so much fun to race in the woods. You are in nature and it almost feels like you are playing. I ended up winning the overall title by 11 minutes. 

Karel and I received jerseys as North American champions. We each received a slot to Xterra World Championship in Molveno Italy but we won't be going this year due to our other planned races. 

We chatted with our friends and athletes and took a dip in the lake to "clean up." After the awards we changed and hit the road so we could return home to our furry crew. 

It was a fun and exciting racing block. Now time to recover and get ready for our next training block as we get ready for our upcoming XTRI events. 

2023 Xterra Oak Mountain Race Recap

 

Oak Mountain Alabama is a special place as it was the location of Karel’s first off-road triathlon in 2021. We actually drove to the race without his mountain bike as he bought a new bike online on race week and we picked it up in Birmingham, two days before the race. Karel had so much fun racing a triathlon off road. Karel’s excitement initiated my mountain biking journey (on Karel’s old mountain bike, until I got my own in 2022), which has been humbling and fun.

Although we were very excited to participate in Xterra Oak Mountain, we were sad that we wouldn’t be able to race IM 70.3 Chattanooga. However, since Chatty was a team race for our athletes, we would still be able to spectate the day after our event.

The days leading up to our Xterra event were a bit stressful. Campy wasn’t feeling so great, the night before we were supposed to leave, a tube got disconnected from our 70-gallon fish tank as Karel was doing a partial water change and it caused water to leak from upstairs to downstairs (this made for a very late and stressful evening). We planned to arrive mid day on Thursday to pre-ride the course but predicted storms changed our plans to arrive in the evening.

Once we finished the 5 hour drive (that took over 6 hours due to rain and traffic), we were so relieved to finally be at our hotel. I had Chipotle delivered to our hotel so after we unpacked, we relaxed and yummed. We had a somewhat restless night of sleep but we were both excited to get on the course on Friday morning.

We met a local friend Steve at Oak Mountain State Park around 9am and we went for an open water swim. We swam ~1500 yards (~2 loops of the course) and the water felt warm with our wetsuits on.
After the swim, we changed and went for a mountain bike ride on the back half of the course. We did a private skills camp with Lon in Feb 2022 and although I was somewhat familiar with parts of the Xterra Oak Mountain course, I had never ridden on Blood Rock (the most technical feature of the course). Karel and I biked to the Blood Rock section and I worked my way through parts of it but we didn’t have enough time and didn’t want to take any risks the day before the race, for me to section each part of this part of the course. Although I was able to make it 3/4ths down, I decided that I wouldn’t take any chances on race day and would only ride ~1/2 way and then walk my bike down the rest of the way. It was good to see the last 10 miles of the course and we were both really excited for race day. I often find myself making a lot of mistakes over rocks and roots when I pre-ride a course the day prior as I’m trying to not overexert myself but every feature requires a bit extra power – it’s a careful balance the day before an off road event. We rode 12.4 miles in 1:20 and it was a good confidence booster for the event.

Walking up Blood Rock to descend down.

We went back to the hotel, ate some lunch and a few hours later, we went back to the park to pick up our packet. Karel picked up some food from Publix for dinner and I had Amy’s No Chicken Noodle Soup + cup of 90-sec basmati microwave rice (my go-to pre race meal). We slept somewhat ok but thankfully, we didn’t have to wake up too early for our 9am race start.

I got my period the night before the race, which had me feeling a bit blah in the days leading up to the race. I never know how my body will perform when I have my period on race day so I just put it out of my mind and focused on what I could control for the day.

We woke up around 5:45am and had our pre-race meals shortly after. I made a waffle downstairs in the hotel breakfast room and had a yogurt with it and Karel had oatmeal. We did a bit of mobility/foam rolling in the room before packing up the car, checking out of the hotel room and making our way to the race venue around 7am. We had a short 2 mile drive to the race venue and parked around 7:20am. Originally we were supposed to start our race around 8:35am but they pushed it back to closer to 9am to let the pros finish 1 full loop of the 2 loop swim course.



I used the Epic Weather app to check the weather and it was looking to be a humid day with only a small chance of rain.

The transition is first come first serve so Karel and I set up our bikes on the 2^nd row near the finish. After racing 4 off road tris in the past 10 months, I am getting more comfortable and familiar with setting up my gear for mountain biking and trail running. I’ve also really improved my transitions and have made them a lot quicker with practice.



We picked up our swim caps and timing chips and spent some time at the car getting ready. I did a bit more foam rolling by the car, did a short jog (which my legs felt horrible), went to the bathroom and then got my wetsuit on around 8:15am. Karel was feeling pretty good before the race and he was really excited to race. He has a friendly competition with Michael Dorr from CO and he knew he would need to be on the top of his game to beat him (he has never beat him before). I walked down to the swim start to watch the pros start and Karel walked down to the other side of the swim start to warmup in the water.


After the pros started, I warmed up in the water. The water was a bit warm for me in my wetsuit but there was a short sprinkle of rain which helped cool me off. It was really nice to get in a good warmup before the race start – I always swim better when I can swim before the race. Since it was a two loop swim with an Australian exit (get out of the water and run back in) I wanted to see how the pros were getting out and back in the water for any shallow spots. I gave Karel a kiss before he lined up to start 2 min before my wave.

SWIM (1.5K)

Marni – 22:24
Karel – 23:48

Karel started with the 49 yr and under male wave and everyone else (including me) started 2 minutes later. My goal was to try to catch Karel but that would be a big ask. Karel had a good swim. He felt strong the entire swim but he wasn’t able to get up to the front group of swimmers. It was fairly easy to stay on course with only two turn buoys and a big arch at the exit. I really went hard from the start and my take-out speed left me really out of breath. I don’t think I’ve have ever swam that hard before to start a triathlon but Xterra racing is more like an Olympic distance than a half distance triathlon so it requires a lot of intensity, which means tolerating a high heart rate throughout the entire race. After a few minutes of take out speed, I settled into a strong steady effort. I wasn’t able to catch the front 3 guys who got away from me so I was by myself for the entire swim, passing a lot of athletes who started in the wave ahead of me. It was fun to get out of the water and get back in and the swim went by pretty quick. I was able to see Karel get out of the water as I was nearing the shore. I exited the water first female and quickly made my way to my bike.

I had a quick transition by putting on my helmet and sunglasses and then my socks and shoes. I don’t buckle the Boa on my shoes until I am riding to help save time. I also put on my UWSE hydration pack and didn’t buckle it until I was riding (which required me to ride with both hands off the handlebars).

BIKE – 22 miles (~2000 feet elevation gain)

Marni – 1:54
Karel – 1:39

After participating in 4 off road triathlons in the past 10 months, I’ve learned a lot. I was able to apply a lot of lessons learned to this race.
1) Don’t worry about the people behind you. They will let you know when they want to pass and you just move over when it’s safe/clear to do so. Everyone is always very nice about it.
2) Ride hard on fire roads and anywhere that is not technical, especially hills.
3) Controlled is fast. Reckless is not.
4) If something scares you or you aren’t able to ride over a certain feature, don’t.
5) Don’t get frustrated when you make mistakes.
6) It’s you against you. Your skills, your effort, your race.
7) Have fun!

I had so much fun on this course. It had the perfect amount of elevation throughout the course and included a 3.5 mile fire road climb. The 2^nd half of the course was a bit more technical than the first half but the entire course flowed well. This course kept me focused and I felt I rode stronger and better than ever before. I walked my bike down the bottom half of Blood Rock and there was one rocky step up in the first few miles that I didn’t clear and had to unclip but other than that, I successfully made it over everything and didn’t have any falls or issues. I’ve been working on my cornering and I could feel me improvements throughout this course. Karel had one hard fall where a tree attacked his handlebar in the first few miles of the ride. He flipped over his bike and scuffed his hip and upper back. Other than that, he rode really strong and stayed ahead of Michael Dorr throughout the entire bike. Karel was near the front of the age group race with only a few guys ahead of him and he was back and forth with one or two other guys throughout the bike. The course was really well marked and the volunteers were great.

Throughout the bike, I consumed 1.5 liters of fluid which had ~130g carbs of Never Second Berry (~520 calories). Karel had 1.5 liters of fluid with 320 Maurten along with 1 Maurten gel (~420 calories).

Although I was focused on myself throughout the ride, I couldn’t help but think that at any moment I would be caught by other females in the race. My mind was playing a lot of games with me as I wanted to be competitive but I also needed to focus on myself to have a safe race. I really love the dynamics of mountain biking in a triathlon because it’s the perfect combination of fun and competition. People are so nice, everyone is supportive and you can tell that athletes are having fun in nature.

Run – 6.2 miles
Marni – 52:23
Karel – 45:21

I dismounted my bike really quickly (I keep my shoes on but did a flying dismount as mountain bike cleats make it easy to unclip) and ran my bike my rack. I saw Karel’s bike hanging there and his run stuff removed so that was a good sign that all went well during his ride (minus his crash with the tree). I quickly put on my Hoka trail shoes and grabbed my visor, two Nathan 10 ounce flasks (each filled with ~3/4 scoop Neversecond berry, ~100 calories each) and my bib belt and put everything on as I was running. I stuck each flask in my back pocket of my tri suit. Karel opted no trail shoes for this run and wore his road shoes.

The run had a little less than 400 feet elevation gain for the 6 miles which gave the course a good amount of undulation. The first ½ mile or so was on the road and before turning on to the trail I took a look behind and didn’t see anyone. But as I made my way into the trail, I looked behind at the road in the distance and could see another female who looked like she was running very fast. I continued to run as hard as I could, which made for a high heart rate run in the warm weather and high humidity. I sipped from my flask around every mile (when I could get my HR to drop on a downhill) and used water from the aid station (2 of them) for cooling my body. I really liked this run as you could run it all and it had a few fun sections of going over wooden bridges, jumping over trees and zig zagging across roots and tight turns. Around mid way, I could see the other lady getting closer to me. I kinda expected it as I always get caught on the run but after a mile, I was surprised that she had not caught me yet. Part of me was thinking “2^nd place overall amateur female isn’t too bad” but then I would immediately think “but who says you will get 2^nd!” I decided to keep running as hard as I could so that no matter what happened, at least I knew I gave it my absolute best. As I passed mile 5, I didn’t see her behind me but I didn’t want to give up. The last ½ mile was fun as I ran by the lake and gave everything I could until I crossed the finish line. Karel was not expecting me so quick behind him so he was at the finish line when I finished. Karel had one fall on the run as he tripped when a casual biker was passing him and he was passed by Michael Dorr with a mile to go and he couldn’t hang with him. The fight to win his age group is keeping Karel hungry for more.

I immediately told Karel how much fun I had. We both really enjoyed our race experience as the Xterra Oak Mountain course has exactly what we love in off road racing – technical and fun.
Although I've improved my skills over the past year, this was one of those days when I just felt strong from start to finish. 

When we checked the results, it was official. I was the overall female amateur. Since I am new to the Xterra race scene, I was told that I beat “the legend” Deanna Mccurdy. I congratulated Deanna at the finish and we talked a bit more at the awards and I’m looking forward to meeting up with her in Breckenridge in August when I go to support Karel at Brek Epic. Karel finished 5^th overall amateur male and 2^nd age group (1 min behind Michael).

After we did a quick change and received our awards, we packed up the car and hit the road to make our 2.5 hour trip to Chattanooga to cheer on our athletes at IM 70.3 Chattanooga on Sunday.

RESULTS
Marni – 1^st overall amateur female, 10^th overall female. 3:13.17
Karel – 5^th overall amateur male, 22^nd overall male. 2:51.15

If you are searching for a new or different way to train and race, I highly suggest Xterra and off-road triathlon. It's so much fun! 

Xterra Oak Mountain 20K Trail Run - Race Recap (Marni)

Prior to bed, I told Karel that I was really excited to race but also nervous. Going into this event, had no prior trail racing experience and have only done a few off-road runs over the past few years. As a total newbie, I just bought a new (my second ever) pair of trail running shoes (On Cloudultra) on Monday - six days before the event. To break-in the shoes, I wore them on Saturday while spectating Karel's Xterra triathlon race. So much for not trying something new on race day. 

After a light night of sleep, I woke up at 5:45am and had a pre-race snack of a cinnamon raisin bagel with PB, banana and syrup (I didn't bring waffles - my typical pre-race/workout snack) and a coffee and water. I did some light foam rolling and mobility in the hotel room before we left for the race venue at 7am. 

With a bit less competitors compared to the Xterra race, we had no trouble parking. Each entry to the park was $5/person (cash only) but there was no line to get in so it was a smooth morning. 

We arrived shortly before the start of the trail marathon so it was fun to give them a cheer as they started their 26+ mile off-road adventure. 

After a short 1-mile jog warm-up, we met up with our athletes/friends Josh and Eedee who were also racing (Eedee also did the sprint off-road triathlon on Saturday!). Karel was there to cheer us on, along with Campy - the professional spectator. 

I opted to not wear a tank over my sport bra as I am much more comfortable running in just a sport bra and my tri shorts. I also had my Naked run belt for my hydration (1 x 10 ounce, 80-calories Skratch Orange and 1 x 10 ounce, 80-calories Skratch grape). I also had two gels and some chews in my belt as I wasn't sure what I would need during the event so I had back-up fuel just in case. Although there were aid stations on the course (water and gatorade), I wanted to have extra calories as the woods make it hard to refuel in an emergency situation). 

The 5K, 10K and 5 x 5K relay runners went ahead of us so we were the last wave to start. 

We lined up for the start and at 8:20am, we were off.

The start was fast and I was not liking that pace. It takes me a while to build into a strong effort and if you know me, I am not a sprinter. So right away my heart rate was up. I embraced being uncomfortable from the start and welcomed the new experience and whatever came my way. I found myself at the back of the front pack and there were three women just ahead of me. I had one female next to me and we ran together for a good two miles. I pass another female in the first part of the trail section so around mile one I was the third female - but the lady behind me made sure I kept on my pace as I felt like I couldn't slow down too much or else she would catch me. 

After a 1/2 mile of running on the road, we made a left turn into the first trail section. I passed a few males and everyone was really nice - there were a lot of back and forth cheers and "good job" to one another. I wasn't sure of the etiquette for passing on the trail so I just said "passing" to the person ahead of me. 

The first mile was a good introduction to trail running as I quickly realized that I was not quick on my feet (literally) running downhill. While I was ok uphill, I definitely found myself slowing down a little on the downhills. I felt like I got better as the miles ticked by but it was more of a "learn as you go" type of experience.

Once we got to the first aid station, I had a sip of water (you had to grab the pre-filled cups from the table and then toss into the trash can) and cooled myself off. It wasn't too warm out but the effort was making me feel a bit warm. I also kept my ROKA shades on my hat as it was hard to see the ground with the tint of my sunglasses (I forgot to bring the lenses that I use for gravel riding, which are a bit lighter).

After crossing a bridge and then running over a beautiful open section next to the lake, it was back into the forest. Next came a really technical section with a lot of loose rocks so I was careful running down as to not hurt myself. Just after around 2 miles in, I was surprised to see Karel and Campy there cheering for me. Karel always finds a way to be super creative with spectating and he continued to pop-up all over the course. 

The next three miles went by pretty quickly as I was hyper focused on the terrain under me. There were some short steep climbs but nothing too long. I really loved the dynamics of running on the trail as it felt like a rollercoaster - up and down, up and down. I only checked in on my watch here and there as the pace didn't concern me but I was happy to see that I was averaging around 9 min/miles (I was thinking I would be closer to 10 min/miles since Karel "only" ran 48 minutes for his 10K. The aid stations were nice as I had something to look forward to (3 on each loop) and it was also fun to run into the other runners from the shorter distances. I even ran into Eedee so it was great to see a familiar face. Josh, her hubby, was in the front pack so I never saw him after the race start. 

For the next mile (which was a loop before heading back to the pavement), I really enjoyed jumping over falling tree trunks and running on wooden bridges. I couldn't believe that 6.2 miles and 55 minutes of running had passed by so quickly! As I made my way on to the pavement, I tried to pick up the pace a bit to see if I could get closer to the other females but they were way ahead of me. But I still needed to keep my pace up to maintain my third female position. After making my way by the 2nd loop sign, I was onto the pavement again (after a short off-road section by the race venue) to start loop two. 

I took in half of a gel to see if it would give me a bit of a pick-me-up around 15-20 minutes later as I knew I would need it. Although I felt good on the pavement, once I passed through the first trail section and onto the exposed path by the lake, I could feel a low moment. I had a video camera man running next to me so that gave me a little incentive to stay focused. 

At this point, I was running by myself. I saw Karel a few more times near the end of the first loop and a few times on the 2nd loop and then there was a long section when I was by myself and I kinda convinced myself that I was off course. Thankfully I saw an arrow so I was relieved to be on the right course. Although the course was well-marked, it was easy to not pay attention as you have to be so focused on the ground under you. 

I continued to drink my flasks about every 10 minutes and water from the aid stations. My hips started to get really tired and my upper body was getting sore in the middle of the 2nd loop. I tried to slow down on the downhill sections but it didn't really help to loosen things out. I had one complete stop around mile 10.5 and it was a needed reset for my mind and body. I did have two gentle falls where I caught myself (only my knees and hands lightly hit the ground) - I guess my legs were tired and I didn't clear the roots. I never found myself wanting the event to end as I was having a lot of fun. I felt like my running endurance and resilience really helped me in this event. I enjoyed being competitive and feeling like I was racing but I also felt like I was getting in a really great workout. Whereas I usually have to take more walk breaks when I run to reset my form, I felt like my legs knew exactly what to do on the trails. 

I tried to pick it up for the last 1/2 mile and gave it all I could when I reached the finish line. I loved seeing Karel and Campy out on the course. 

When I crossed the finish line, I was exhausted. But the good kind of exhaustion. Unlike a road running race, my body didn't feel too beat-up and my joints weren't as smashed as I thought they would be. Even in the hours after the race, I was shocked that I was just tired but not struggling like in a road running race. 

I ended up first in my age group and 3rd overall female and I received a complimentary entry to the 21K Trail Race in Maui - in conjunction with the Xterra World Championship (which Karel just qualified for in December). 

After the event, we chatted a bit with Eedee and Josh and then made our way back to the hotel to pack-up and hit the road for our drive home. And speaking of our drive home, our 5-hour drive turned into a 10.5-hour drive because of an accident on I-85 (right before the South Carolina state line). Talk about a life lesson on discipline and patience! 

A truck with hazardous materials crashed three miles ahead of us and we were stopped on the road for over 2 hours. With the north and south bound lanes of I-85 closed, it wasn't until around 7:30pm when police escorted all of the cars on the grass median before figuring out how to detour our way back on the interstate. It took another hour to go a few miles due to all of the traffic and after a needed bathroom and gas refill stop, we finally got back on the interstate and arrived home just after 10:30pm. It was a loooong day but Campy never complained. 

This past weekend was just the spice of life that we needed. Karel is over-the-moon with the opportunity to race more Xterra events and I am looking forward to tagging along and participating in more trail runs. 

Xterra Oak Mountain Off-Road Triathlon Race Recap (Karel)

 

On Friday morning, Karel drove from our hotel to the race venue at Oak Mountain state park (~5 miles away) for his pre-race workout while I stayed at our hotel (Homewood Suites) to do a run (and to not be gone too long from Campy). Around 9am, Karel did a ~1000 yard open water swim followed by a ~1 hour mountain bike followed by a 2 mile run. He said the trails were pretty quiet and he really enjoyed being out in nature. He did just enough movement to move some blood and test out the new gear. Karel was having so much fun on his mountain bike that if it wasn't for the race, I'm pretty sure he would have spent all morning out on the trails. As for my run, I ran around our hotel area (which was very beautiful) on the hilly roads for ~50 minutes and included 5 x 20 sec strides at the end. 

As for the rest of the day, we worked for a bit in our hotel room and then went back to Oak Mountain State Park around 3pm so that Karel could get his race packet and for me to register for the 20K trail run on Sunday. The overall race vibe was pretty laid back and was a refreshing change from the 2000+ participants at an Ironman branded triathlon event. We met new people and saw a few familiar faces. 

I was craving an open water swim in the beautiful lake and with the buoys set up for the race, I swam the 1500 yard race course (~21 minutes) that Karel would do for his race on Saturday. The water was the perfect temperature in the low 70's (wetsuit legal) and I loved being in the murky waters surrounded by nature. After my swim we made a quick stop at Publix so that Karel could pick up some chicken to go along with the rice that we brought from home and then we headed back to our hotel. We had a nice kitchen in our hotel room which made it easy to prep food. 

As for the rest of the evening, we got a bit more work done and then we were in bed around 8pm. 

Race Day

The alarm went off at 5:45am, which again, was a wonderful change from the typical 4am wake-up before an Ironman distance triathlon. With the race not starting until 8:25pm for Karel (Full distance of 1.5km swim / 33km mountain bike / 10km trail run), it was nice not to feel rushed in the morning. We left the hotel around 6:45am and arrived to the race venue around 7am. Karel did a short jog before an open water swim warm-up and as we neared 8am, it was getting closer to the race start. 

As a first-timer, this was the first time that Karel set up his transition area for an off-road triathlon. He did a few looks around to see what other people were doing. Karel was not nervous but instead, super excited. 

He kept telling me how excited he was that he gets to ride his mountain bike and run on trails for a race. It was refreshing to hear the excitement coming from Karel as I knew this change of scenery would be so good for him - mentally and physically. The athletes were so nice and welcoming and Campy even got a few butt rubs from athletes. Although Campy can get rather feisty and protective, he was very chill and calm (likely due to being a bit tired from all of the adventures). Still at 13.5 years old, Campy is staying strong and lives for his adventures with us. It was great to see our athletes Eedee and Josh at the race venue and to see a few more familiar faces. 

After the shorter distances went off, it was time for the professional field of men and women, and then it was time for Karel's race start. Xterra did a great job keeping athletes staff and following CDC guidelines. This was the first race back in the US after COVID so the race staff was really happy to be back and to welcome the athletes back. There's something about these smaller races that make athletes feel so welcomed and cared about.

1.5K Swim - 21:10 (1:25 min/100meters)

Karel was a little worried about how the trail situation would be with slower/faster riders and having to pass or be passed so he lined up near the front of the swim. Karel was able to settle into his race rhythm pretty quickly and felt really good in the water. With just three turn buoys, it was easy to keep that rhythm throughout. Karel got a little bothered as another athlete was swimming right next to Karel and kept running into him. After several minutes of this, Karel made a surge to get away and to get back to swimming in clean water without disturbances. The air temperature was perfect - cloudy and in the 60's. 

T1 - 1:38

After exiting the water, Karel ran into the transition area and to his bike (racks were first come first serve and not assigned by bib number. This transition was a bit new to him with his camelback, mountain bike shoes and cycling gloves. He opted not to wear the cycling gloves but put on his hydration back, shoes, helmet and sunglasses and then made his way out of the transition area. He buckled in his camelback as he was riding as the first few minutes were on the paved road before getting on the trails. He felt like his transition was a bit slow so he will practice it to get it a bit smoother.

33K Bike - 1:38.43 (12.03mph)

Karel had a blast. He was able to shake off the swim pretty quickly and get into his element of having fun off road on two wheels. Karel is loving his new Specialized full suspension mountain bike (which he picked up on Thursday at Bob's Bikes in Alabama) and he really enjoyed not having to be in the aerobars (and "only" riding for a little over 90 minutes). The course was technical and included some water crossings, climbing and descending. There was a very rocky section that Karel pre-rode on Friday but opted to get off his bike on race day and run down the rocks instead of riding just to be sure he didn't make any silly mistakes. Karel's worry was being too aggressive on the mountain bike (aka having too much fun) but after not really riding a mountain bike in almost a year, he minimized the risks as he wants to practice a bit more to get the feel of choosing the right line and better handling his bike on the sketchy sections. The course was really well marked and the volunteers were great. Karel never looked at his computer but just stayed hyper focused on the terrain. He was really happy that he had the camelback as it made it much easier to stay hydrated and fueled. He did have one gentle fall as he was trying to pass two riders and asked to pass a few times but they wouldn't move over for Karel to pass. So Karel tried to squeeze by but he slide and fell. He was finally able to get by. Karel was by himself for a while and then got passed by another rider who finished just in front of him at the finish line. Karel actually liked having the guy in front of him on the bike as he could watch the lines that the guy took on the bike. Some guys were riding super hard and Karel was very impressed with the competition ahead of him. After dismounting the bike, Karel was wondering what his legs would feel like for the run. With so much torquing on the mountain bike, his entire body was tired as he ran in the transition area. 

T2 - 1:26
The bike to run transition was a bit quicker and Karel put on his new ON trail shoes (and socks), grabbed his flask of his sport drink and stuck it in his kit pocket and put on his hat and he was out. As he made his way out of the transition area and then on to the pavement, he instantly felt his quads. He said he never feels his quads when he runs but this was an entirely different run-off-the-bike feeling. With no specific training for this event, Karel was just learning as he went along. 

10K Run - 48:46 (8:08 min/mile)

The run course had a bit of everything. There were some short steep climbs but overall it was rolling. There were some technical sections with rocks, trees to jump over and wooden bridges but for the most part, it wasn't rooty. Karel was focused on the ground under him but his legs were aching from the bike and his entire body was sore and tired. He totally underestimated the difficulty of running after mountain biking but he also had fun experiencing something new. Normally the run is where he is able to run down the competition ahead of him but this time around, he was just trying to not get passed. Some of the guys ahead of him were running really fast and again, he was in awe of the fitness and skills of the other competitors. The run course had about 600 feet elevation gain (the bike course had about 1500 feet) and it went by really fast. Aside from the first few minutes of running on the pavement and the last few minutes of the pavement, the entire run was off-road, tucked under the trees and one exposed section by the lake. 

As Karel made his way to the last off-road section before the finish line, he was relieved that he was about to finish his first off-road triathlon - but more surprised with how much fun he had during the race. He had no idea of his finishing place or time so he was shocked to hear that he won his age group and was 5th overall amateur male. Total time - 2:51.41. Full results here.

With no expectations or pressure, Karel found himself in his element - being competitive and having fun. This was a welcomed change from the road as he is normally in a world of hurt during a long distance triathlon but this was a different type of hurt. It was such a joyful way to be competitive and there's something special about racing in nature (and loving what you are doing in the moment). 

With his first place age group finish, Karel qualified for the 2021 Xterra World Championship in Maui, Hawaii in December!

Here's a recap video of the event:        

 After receiving his awards, we made our way back to the hotel (with an exhausted Karel and an even more exhausted Campy), a quick stop at Arby's for Curly fries and a Rueben Sandwhich for Karel and then to watch the Giro. It was then time for me to recover from the morning and gear up for my first trail run on Sunday.

My race report coming soon....