XTERRA Whistler Race Recap
Of note, this is an unedited email I sent to my coach. I think the transparency of my message is important to share, especially as I navigate this dystonia rehabilitation journey. A significant shift has occurred in my recovery and I am moving in a positive direction. After spending a summer of racing paratriathlon, I decided to forego an attempt at classification in order to focus wholeheartedly on my progression and recovery. What doctors had previously told me was a was a life changing diagnosis is proving to be true in some ways but in others, particularly those related to getting better, I am proving every day that recovery from a traumatic brain injury and resulting neurological condition is possible. Hence, decided to close out my season with XTERRA Whistler. More to come for 2024, but for now, have a read. No apologies for the typos ;)
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I wanted to email my thoughts rather than load them into training peaks so they are all in one spot. First, I'll start with I have never been so tired (mentally, physically, emotionally) than I am right now! AND I have never been so JOYFUL, CONFIDENT and MOTIVATED. That is a summary of what we accomplished this year!
To summarize my thoughts on yesterday's race: I have mixed feelings for sure! I am incredibly proud of myself for executing MY race and trusting the process, but of course, the perfectionist in me wants more NOW, especially on the run. Someone asked me how my race went yesterday and my response pretty much sums it up: It went just about how I expected it to. As much as the concept of race day magic seems appealing, I understand that I wont be able to necessarily do things in racing that I've never done in training (with some exceptions of course). I think this logical mindset helped me immensely yesterday.
Additionally, my life has changed dramatically since having Emi. Traveling is more stressful, race prep is more frenzied and there are a lot of variables that having a child in tow at a race introduces. But I am ok with this knowing that a) there will be different phases to Emi's growth and right now is intense given her age and b) I wouldn't trade the experiences I am having with my family at these races for anything. HOWEVER, I still believe I can rise to the top considering all these circumstances. It's just going to take time, patience and persistence. So let's keep this journey going! If I never get there, well, I love that I tried!
And with that, I am beginning my PROPER off season because I know it will only help me get stronger, faster and rehab my dystonia. If that's the case, I'm all in :)
Now for the race:
Swim: Very chilly water and very cold air temp made for an uncomfortable swim and I just felt a little sluggish. It was a mass start with all the men and women so that was fun :) Two laps with an Aussie exit on the beach between each lap. I exited the water in 2nd (AG, they will not let me race elite until I have enough points and that's just fine with me. No shortcuts! I want to EARN this).
Transition 1: Went well and I opted to put on my MTB gloves and short socks on account of the cold. I was leaving transition and about to mount my bike when the technical official told me my rear tire was completely flat. I had already crossed the line so that extra time I spent in transition (about 5+ minutes) got added to my bike time. I had the mechanic help me get my tire sorted and in in the process my heart rate dropped and I got super cold because I was wet and it was 45 degrees out. I put on a jacket to try and stay warm and then wanted to ride with it so bad because I was so cold but knew I'd have no where to put it when I took it off so I dropped it in transition and headed out, focused on staying present and not getting frustrated with the delay.
Bike: I was shivering for the first 15 minutes then finally got my heart rate up enough to feel fine. Over the course of 5+ minutes in transition I lost my lead out of the water and a lot of competitors passed me making for a slower first half of the first lap trying to pass people and find those competitors who were riding at my speed. I LOVED the bike course. Two loops of 7.5 miles with techy rock and root ascents and descents, lots of twisty corners and long thin plank bridges. It also included a hike-a-bike section (completed once each lap) which was really difficult to climb with a bike (think huge smooth rocks in MTB cleats, not easy!) Overall I was pleased with my ride in that my technical skills were much improved from years past, but I did notice towards the end of the ride my mental energy felt low and I started to make a few mistakes here and there. This ride was just the confidence boost I need to take on the more technical XTERRA races like Victoria (hint, hint 2024).
Transition 2: Nothing eventful here other than I chugged a ton of sports drink because I went through my 1 bottle I had on the bike with 1/2 a lap left. Steven and I are going to see what we can do to get two bottle cages on my bike as I prefer to not ride with a camelback for XTERRAs where the course is short enough to forego it. There were no aid stations on the bike course. I walked through transition to try and assess where my right leg was and thought it felt pretty good so I was keen to test it out on the run.
Run: Again, so fun! So technical, so beautiful. I love Canada racing! I STUCK to our plan here going 30 seconds fast, 30 seconds easy/powerwalk to reset the leg and it worked splendidly! To average 11 minute paces on such a tough trail run with half of it walking is so promising! There were some tough super steep ascents that everyone was walking and I'd run them during my run sections. The other competitors were so encouraging and I had side conversations with many of them talking about my rehab. They'd simply cheer me on and say, "you're running so well when you run! Keep going!" Or "you'll get through this recovery! You're so brave." That meant so much to me and helped me stick to my plan. The run was a tad long at about 11K. With about 2K left my legs were screaming at me reminding me I had not specifically trained for an XTERRA this year but I could hear the finish line and the run was just so stunning that I didn't mind.
Finish: I got to see steven about 100 meters from the finish and he handed me Emi. I run/walked with Emi and helped her across the finish line. Hopefully she sees the photos back some day and realizes she can do ANYTHING! Future champion right there :)
And as for next steps. yes, yes, yes to the off season. Yes, yes, yes to coming back stronger in 2024 and continuing to improve in the way we have in 2023 and YES to doing scary things and setting big goals. That is what life is all about!! Like I said, I may not achieve all my goals but I'd rather live those experiences of trial and error, failing and succeeding than living a life of complacency.
I have a general idea of which races I want to do next year but XTERRA does switch up dates and races over the off season so we can sit down and make the final call once we enter the new year when XTERRA has their race schedule finalized.
I'm going to go ahead and put this out there. My goals for 2024 are:
Qualify for the World Championships in Molveno, Italy (AG or elite, depending on how things play out
Qualify to race elite (either in 2024 or after next year, not sure how many races it will take to earn the points)
Race challenging course that push me out of my comfort zone
Include the family and have fun
Continue the mental, emotional and physical improvements we have earned in 2023.
Let's go!
PS. This email is so long because it is also my race report to post on my blog. I don't have time to compose 2 summaries (because #momlife) so this will be the post. Thanks for bearing with me to the end of this novel ;) Also, not spelling checking for typos, because, again #momlife