Trying Xterra Triathlons
Mountain biking gets my adrenaline pumping because it scares me a bit. I don't have the skills riding mountain bikes like I do other road or trip bikes but you don't conquer the fear without facing it. I had a weekend open and just dove into the challenge of an off road race with the Xterra Jersey Devil. I borrowed my son's new Trek Marlin and packed the camping gear to drive to south New Jersey. I decided to do the race on a Friday, drove south on Saturday in time to ride the bike course once. It was unlike anything I'd ever done.
The course was sandy, had a few trees down, a couple rocks and some single track. Apparently this is one of the easier bike courses but still posed a challenging ride for me. I had not truly ridden a mountain bike like thais ever, though had some tame trails more than half a lifetime ago. I was nervous but excited.
On race day, I was up early with some of the other racers that camped at the race site, a Boy Scout camp. I had my 2 burner stove with me so we made coffee and oatmeal as the rest of the racers started to arrive at the parking lot to prep for the day. I loved not having a commute to the race site and will seriously need to look at an RV or rooftop tent for future races that allow you to stay on site.
As far as the race went, my swim felt stronger than most races I've done. I'm getting slightly faster in the water but better than being fast is being confident. I used to hate the water but now I've been considering long distance swim events. I was still one of the last out of the water but not the last. The bike course was great on the first loop but I did not have water or nutrition. Thinking "13 miles is nothing" was a reality check. Thirteen miles on a mountain bike is challenging. Lesson learned as I struggled on the second loop. I finally made it to the run which was more of an adventure race hike through swamps, short steep climbs and moderately wooded terrain. I finished in just over 2.5 hours and set a baseline for future races. It was not a stellar time but something I can shoot at breaking down the road. I kept the bike upright so that was a win in and of itself. There will be more Xterra races in the future and the races are only half the fun. The group of people racing these triathlons were so welcoming and there was a great sense of community around this race.
