Eat. Tri. Venture.

Trashed:  When things go bad and the paddler gets tossed around like a rag doll and spit out by the river.  Not usually life threatening, but not very pleasant.  Source:  watergirlsatplay.com

Long overdue race report from Xterra Whitewater...

Pre Race:

With a family vacation in South Carolina scheduled for the second half of July and racing opportunities being a bit thin during the beginning of the month due to the July 4^th holiday, it seemed like the off-road triathlon, Xterra Whitewater, near Charlotte, NC on July 18^th would be a great opportunity to get a race in en route to seven days at the beach.  It was held at the U.S. National Whitewater Center, which offers “700 acres on the Catawba River for guests to enjoy whitewater rafting and kayaking, flat water kayaking, stand up paddle boarding, rock climbing, zip lines, ropes courses, canopy tours and 25+ miles of mountain biking trails.”  From the race’s website, this USAT triathlon promised to test my swimming, mountain biking and trail running skills in a rugged off-road environment. “Off road” = more chances to get hurt.  Great, sign me up.

Here is the official course description:  The race begins with a 1K flat water swim split between the Catawba River and our man-made channel, followed by 23K on mountain bike across all difficulty levels of the USNWC trail system, and concluding with an 8K trail run to cross the finish line.

JMac and I drove down to Charlotte on Thursday.  We spent Friday visiting some friends in the area and eventually made our way to the Whitewater Center midafternoon to check out the course and pick up my race packet.  

There is no entrance fee to ride the mountain bike trails at USNWC.  Rather, MTB guests pay a $5 parking fee, unless they have an annual parking pass.  When we arrived at the park, it was hopping.  There were lots and lots of people partaking in the many activities offered by the center.  We located some restrooms, changed into our cycling kits, purchased a bike trail map from the gift shop and got on our way. 

After comparing the race course map to the trail map, we figured out a good starting point to maximize seeing the bike course.  I have only a limited amount of experience mountain biking in North Carolina, having ridden a wee little bit at Bent Creek and Dupont.  But based on my understanding of “North Carolina single track,” I would say the MTB trails at USNWC are atypical of North Carolina.  They’re hard packed, flowy, and sandy with no significant climbs or descents.  This isn’t to say they’re easy.  But rather, they are very tight and windy with lots of sharp turns, often into a short, punchy climb or descent, with roots and loose pine needles thrown in for good measure.  For any local NE Ohio readers out there, I would say they are very comparable to the trails in Medina at Huffman and Reagan Park, but with sand.  JMac and I ended up pre-riding about seven miles of the course.  I had hoped to ride more but between frequent stops to confirm we were still on the race course and not a side trail and the insufferable heat, it was in the mid 90s, I was getting worn out.  We shut it down and took a walk around the park trying to figure out the swim and run courses.

Packet pickup was a snap.  The only disappointment was that my women’s specific race t-shirt wasn’t available due to some sort of mix up and instead I received yet another men’s t-shirt doomed to a life in the bottom of my dresser drawer.  Note to race directors:  I am not a small man!  But I digress.

Race Day:

After an early bird breakfast of instant oatmeal and fruit, courtesy of the Fairfield Inn Northlake, we left for the park.  Arriving early, I was able to nab a decent spot in transition and get set up.  The sun was out and the temperature was already rising.  I did a light run to check out the “whitewater” part of the swim, now completely flat in the manmade river.  During this time, the race organization continued to make announcements including the fact that all racers were to have a red swim cap.  Hmmm.  I had been given a white swim cap with the USNWC logo.  I checked with a Check In Person and he said I was fine with the cap I had been given.  Okey dokey.

About a half hour before go time, the race director began herding us to the swim start.  The swim portion of the race was actually in two parts with a ¼ mile trail run in the middle.  Race organizers suggested bringing an extra pair of running shoes for this portion.  So I wore an old pair of running shoes over to the swim start in the Catawba River and left them for the mini trail run between the swim legs.  With the water temperature in the 80s, this was a no wetsuit swim.  I warmed up in the very warm water while everyone gathered for the in water start.  Just before the start, the race director went through a series of race reminders.  He then announced that the racers who had been given the white swim caps (i.e. me!) were the first winners in a series of door prize giveaways.  My prize?  A coupon code for a new pair of La Sportiva shoes.  Excellent!

We lined up across the river.  Our route was down the river and around a buoy, which for some unknown reason, was placed really close to one side, back up the river past our starting point and around another buoy and then across the river in a diagonal line to swim start/finish #1.  I placed myself to the far side of the river, away from the crowds.  But when the gun went off that didn’t seem to matter.  Large men materialized out of nowhere to swim over me.  Sigh.  The first buoy caused a huge traffic jam as everyone was forced to funnel into a very narrow area to get around it and start down the other side.  But after that, traffic seemed to thin down some.  I settled into a groove and without too much excitement, I was back to the start and heading up the stairs to grab my shoes. 

While not everyone wore shoes, I would highly recommend it.  The trail surface is hard packed dirt but there were definitely rocks.  Then, once you exit the woods, you are on a gravel path.  You could stay on the grass for this part, if needed, but it was just as easy to put on the shoes.  Arriving at the manmade whitewater river, now flat water, thank goodness, I pulled my shoes off, left them at the designated shoe drop and jumped in and swam across to swim finish #2.  

One thing I had neither practiced nor considered was trying to swim coming off a run…it took me a few seconds to get my swim breathing under control.  The second swim was pretty cool as I could see the hydraulic equipment placed beneath the water which would be pumping whitewater in just a short time after the last racer exited. 

True to its word “rugged”, to exit the swim, everyone had to pull themselves up on some large rocks and then cross to the transition area.  I was only one leg in and had already swam, ran, swam and rock climbed? 

After an uneventful transition I was onto the bike.  I rode the gravel path around the manmade river and entered the single track in a group of about five to seven people.  In the past, this would have terrified me, particularly on a trail that I had only ridden once.  But with a little more experience now, I resolved to ride hard, forcing anyone who wanted around me to pass on their own accord.  And I was able to maintain my position for the most part, being passed by a few and passing a few myself.   

Unfortunately, the fast clip of the group I was in caught up with me about halfway in and my legs started to cramp.  This was also about the time I was entering unknown territory on parts of the trail I had not ridden the day before.  Goddamnit.  I came off my bike on a short but steep and rocky climb.  I got back on for a fun descent through a section of trail called Toilet Bowl but then had a typical Marsita superman-style crash coming in too hard on a turn and wiping out on some pine needles.  Lucky for me, 1. I had an audience as another racer was right behind me and got to witness the whole thing (he was nice and asked if I was ok) and 2. I yard saled some old empty gel packets out of my bento box upon impact, which took me a few extra seconds to clean up. 

With just a few miles left to go, I was feeling like a whitewater kayaker getting trashed in a foamy river and was ready to be done.  It was hot and felt even hotter to me after the incredibly mild summer we had had up north to that point.  

I had consumed almost all of my Osmo and was down to sucking drops out of my Camelbak.  Fortunately, after this the trail turned into some nice double track.  Unfortunately, it turned into some nice double track which allowed racers behind me with more energy to catch up and pass.  The trail then dropped us onto one final section of fun single track where we whizzed along under the hum of zip lines above us.  Then we were back to the gravel road and transition.

Based on how my legs were already cramping, I knew the 8 km trail run was going to be a painful slog.  I followed the gravel path back out around the whitewater river and up and down and across the gravel parking lot in the now completely blazing sun.  Ugh.  Shortly after entering the woods, I began a walk/run routine, walking anything remotely looking like an uphill and jogging the flats and downhills.  Despite my misery, I have to say the run course was a very fair offroad run.  It had some short climbs and descents but mostly meandered through the woods.  I wasn’t the only one suffering in the heat, though, coming across several runners who were in worst shape than I.  I muscled out the miles and turned for the finish line.  Even the run to the finish was incredibly painful in the blistering sun.  

Poor JMac got to witness almost the whole thing, taking pictures and being the faithful supporter on course.  Local brewery Noda Brewing was at the finish and gave every entrant a tasty beer as they crossed the line.   Although it was tasty, my stomach wasn’t ready for it and JMac got to enjoy my beer for his efforts.

Conclusion:

Despite my rather lackluster performance, this was a great race and I would happily recommend it.  It was very well-organized.  The course was very clearly marked and very fair.  While some of the mountain bike trails are labeled difficult, I think they would probably be considered medium difficult in other areas.  There are no significant rock gardens or other difficult obstacles on the bike course.  The post race food was a pleasant surprise of veggie quinoa wraps and fruit.  And don’t forget about that beer!  For the fast among you, there were actual prizes for the top finishers…I believe Suunto Ambit sport watches were given out.  Not too shabby.  Finally, there are a ton of activities going on at the center so the family can do something besides watch you race, not that they would ever want to do that.

For me personally, this race served as a reminder to be weather strategic in my race selection criteria.  While one can never guarantee the weather, I don’t race well in the heat and need to plan accordingly as best as I can.  Also, I’m happy that I didn’t willy nilly concede my place to anyone on the bike.  I have a habit of asking people if they want to pass me on single track and this invariably leads to no good.  Finally, this was my first non-wetsuit swim in a long time and although the water was completely flat, it was a nice reminder that I can swim in open water without one. 

Special thanks to my local bike and run shops and team supporters Bike Authority and Fleet Feet Sports.  I also have to give a special shout out to Sound Probiotics for helping to keep me healthy—90% of your immune system is in your gut!  And finally, thanks to JMac for his support and all the great pictures from the course.  Until next time, work hard, play harder.

 

WARNING:  Long race report ahead!

After spending the second half of 2014 sidelined with knee distress, I was looking for a new challenge for 2015.  Something I hadn’t done before.  Something that would push my boundaries.  Something that I could prepare for while spending time with hubby JMac.  I settled on the Mohican 100k mountain bike race as that something.  I even managed to convince JMac to race it, not just train with me. 

From the race’s website:  Cris-cross four counties along a single loop, climb more than 11,000 feet, and go toe to toe with the top pros on this legendary ultra-endurance loop in Northeastern Ohio. The Mohican 100 features both a 100 mile and a 100 kilometer option with five fully stocked aid stations plus self-serve water stops.

Fortunately for me, the 100k version only has about 8,500 feet of elevation gain.  Wait, 8,500 feet of elevation gain?  This is Ohio, right?  Well, just like Race Director Ryan O’Dell says, the elevation profile for the course looks like an EKG.  You get your 8,500 feet in 350’ increments, which makes for a lot of pitchy, pumpy climbing.  To get ready, as soon as the weather broke for the spring season and the trails dried out, JMac and I began making almost weekly pilgrimages to Loudonville, riding the state park single track and surrounding back roads.  We found a great loop of the back country roads that largely approximated the gravel road sections we would see on race day.  (Check out the map here http://ridewithgps.com/routes/2278764).  We also did a weekend climbing camp with my coach, PG, and training crew in the hills of Central Pennsylvania in April.  For race prep we opted to head back up to Michigan’s Barry Roubaix to see our JTree peeps and drink beer.  Wait, I mean, race the 36 mile course at Barry Roubaix.  We decided to skip the OMBC mountain bike race at Mohican in April, instead racing the 50k Amish Country Roubaix that same weekend.  My thought behind this was that I could ride Mohican for free and AC would provide more options for challenging climbing and descending.  While this was certainly the case, I think now that putting an additional actual mountain bike race on the calendar pre-Mohican 100k would have been a good idea.

But rolling into race week I was feeling tapered, rested and ready to go.  JMac and I drove down to Loudonville Friday afternoon, checked in at our tent campsite at Mohican Adventures and then went over to pick up our race bags.  We set up camp, made dinner and just relaxed, enjoying a quiet evening and the opportunity to just sit for a change.  We did go back over to packet pick up for the pre-race Q&A.  There weren’t many people there but I was glad we went.  In addition to learning that several large snakes (supposedly harmless, if there is such a thing) had been spotted on the course that week, I learned exactly where the hike-a-bike sections were.  I had heard the hike-a-bike sections were tough but didn’t really appreciate that sentiment until I heard the almost pleading tone of a race veteran asking if any of them had been removed for this year’s course.  The answer?  No, followed by some uncomfortable chuckling.  Ok, then, beware of the hike-a-bike sections.  JMac and I returned to camp, prepped our food and bikes for the next day and turned in early.

We were up early for a quick breakfast of coffee and overnight oats (prepped at home the day before).  Bikes, nutrition and hydration packs ready, we rolled over to start in downtown Loudonville just a quick ride from Mohican Adventures.  I didn’t check race morning but the forecast the day before was predicting (I kid you not) 91% humidity.  

I’m guessing it was up there.  We lined up about halfway (?) back in the group and waited for the start.  

(We're somewhere in there.  Photo cred:  Butch Phillips).

After a few quick announcements we were off.  

 (Photo cred:  Butch Phillips)

The race starts with a punchy climb out of town followed by a couple of more miles of rolling roads to spread the group out before entering the double track and state park single track.  

(Photo cred:  Tim Cristy)

A prime is offered for the first rider to reach the city limits.  To say the least, I wasn’t going for that contest.  Instead, I sat back and let things sort themselves out.  My concern was going out too hard and then being too burned out later in the race.  Well, as has happened in just about every bike race I have done, I sat back too much and got behind a massive slow moving mass going into the single track.  Bah. 

We rolled through the single track to A1 pretty uneventfully.  The trail was wetter than I had expected and I was a little off my lines with race jitters, but nothing too terrible.  

 (There I am.  No, wait, that's legendary pro Tinker Juarez.  But I'm sure I look just as smooth.  Photo cred:  Tim Cristy)

Upon arriving to A1 I could not believe the massive number of racers who appeared to be there, just hanging out.  I dropped my bike, walked over to a volunteer who offered to refill my hydration pack, grabbed a few pieces of fruit, downed a kiddy applesauce (just like the PowerBar pureed fruit packet but 50% of the cost), refilled my bento box with an Amrita bar from my pack and took off, hoping to leave the mass of riders I had been following behind.  I was excited to be on my favorite section of trail.  There was a chatty guy following me, singing and talking about Grassman for some reason.  I must have actually been listening to him because after a few miles I realized all of the food from my bento box had fallen out somewhere after A1.  D’oh.  At that point I was following a girl who I knew had gone sub 8 hours (my goal) in 2014 and so I opted to stay with her and grab my emergency food out of my pack when I got to the top of the first hike-a-bike section.  I continued trading places with a few folks until I saw the volunteer pointing me towards the section of trail connecting the single track and gravel roads.  I turned left, came to a dead stop and looked up.  Straight up.  Seriously?  I’ve climbed routes that steep in the mountains with a rope on.  I pushed/slid me and my bike up the “trail” to the top, took a breath, refilled my bento box and hopped back on my bike.  This lasted a few minutes until I began the nasty water board descent to Rt 97.  It was then on to some horse poop double track, another hike-a-bike and eventually up to the gravel roads.  Since JMac and I had ridden this section in training, I was back on familiar ground.  Unfortunately, it was also around this time that I ran out of water…I had noticed the volunteer only filled my hydration bag about 2/3 of the way full at A1 but didn’t think it would be a big deal.  Well, it was hot and humid and I *apparently* was drinking a lot.  So, no water until A2.  Just keep going.  I pedaled away from the group I had been riding with and rolled up and down and into A2. 

 A lovely little girl came running up to me with my drop bag just as I was stopping my bike.  Sweet!  Same as A1, I grabbed some fruit and refilled my bento box from my drop bag while a volunteer refilled my water.  She apologized for getting her fingers inside my hydration pack as she tried to hold it.  I let her know that I was pretty sure I had just splashed horse sh*t up my legs riding through some muck a while back so I really wasn’t concerned about her fingers.  Feeling re-energized, I left A2 for more gravel.  The next section had some good climbs and good descents.  The sun was shining and although I could feel the day catching up to me in my legs, I enjoyed the ride.  I just wanted to get to Mohican Wilderness and get that section of single track out of the way.  It was the only significant part of the course I hadn’t seen and that made me nervous.  I had been told it was “old school” i.e. more technical and rocky and less flowy, definitely not my strong suit. 

I climbed Big Hill Road (yes, that’s really its name) and turned into the woods at Mohican Wilderness.  Let’s get this b*tch over with.  It started out ok but then rapidly degenerated into rain forest-y, overgrown, twisty, rocky ickiness.  I laughed to myself, knowing that JMac would have laughed to himself coming through this, knowing how high the Marsita Unhappiness Level would be and being grateful he wasn’t there to experience it.  I wanted to be done—done with the single track.  The only thing that made me feel better was that the guys I came across were struggling worse than I, offering to let me by without me asking. 

“You can go.”

“No, seriously, I’m going to be off my bike in another minute.  So you can go.”

“No, seriously, you can go.”  (Managed to pass on all the goodies and stick with my nutrition plan.  Photo cred:  Tim Cristy).  

Where in the hell am I going to put all this sh*t?  In asking this question as I stared at the space I had selected for myself in transition, I had inadvertently answered one of life’s deepest questions: What sport could possibly be more complicated that the complicated sport of triathlon?  The answer:  Offroad triathlon.

The Xterra World Tour is a series of trail running races and offroad triathlons held at various venues around the world.  In the triathlon series, professional athletes compete for a prize purse while amateurs race for national titles and spots in the World Championship via a points system.  In an Xterra (offroad) triathlon, competitors swim, mountain bike and trail run as opposed to the traditional bike and run on the road.  Last year I started taking mountain biking a little more seriously and began racing in the Ohio Mountain Bike Championship Series.  This year I decided to take it a step further and combine mountain biking and triathlon to see what would happen.  Xterra at East Fork was my first step into this realm.

The Xterra World Tour makes its stop in Ohio at Xterra at East Fork.  East Fork is an Ohio State Park just outside of Cincinnati.  The race was on Saturday, June 21st and consisted of a 1000 meter swim in the park lake, 12 mile mountain bike ride and 6.5 mile trail run.  To the best of my knowledge, there is no set distance in Xterra triathlons although they can be roughly condensed into three distances, America Tour Races (East Fork), EPIC races (long distance) and sprints/super sprints.  The sprints and super sprints do not count towards the points series.  Since I had never been to East Fork and knowing the course is a huge part of mountain biking, JMac and I drove with our number one dog, Holly, down to Cinci on Friday in order to stop at the park and pre-ride the mountain bike course.  On the course maps we had printed out, the course seemed to be a pretty straightforward loop of the “marked” mountain bike trails.  The problem was that the mountain bike trail seemed to intersect with itself and other hiking trails.  We made slow progress finding our way around.  I’m pretty sure there is a color coding scheme to the madness but we did not have that information at the time.  What we did get was a basic feel for the trails.  In doing my own research via Quickdirt (http://quickdirt.com/2014/02/01/2014-ombc-races-top-5-lists-race-summaries/ ), my go to source these days for the nitty gritty in Ohio mountain biking, I learned that the East Fork trails were fast, flowy and less technical by Ohio mountain bike standards.  My only caveat to this would be that if the trails are wet, they become more technical as there are many roots and turns which can become slick.  I know this because about forty minutes into my pre-ride it started to downpour.  While I escaped without incident on Friday, I would not be so lucky on Saturday.  I cut the pre-ride short and we packed up to check into our hotel. 

For dinner I had located a small local brewery called Fifty West not too far from where we were staying (and oddly enough near Route 50W).  They had a nice selection of small, medium and large plates for dinner and a nice range of beers from which to sample. 

Saturday morning dawned overcast and humid—like chew the air humid.  Ich.  I had the standard hotel continental breakfast (oats with raisins and almonds and coffee).  We checked out, took the H Dog for a walk and drove to East Fork.  This race had a late start compared to most triathlons—9:00 a.m.  In an effort to be more spouse-friendly I did not insist that we get there as soon as transition opened.  Instead, we arrived at the late hour of 7:00 a.m.  Well, offroad triathletes must take after their mountain bike cousins because I was still the fourth or fifth athlete to arrive and get into transition.  I checked in, picked up my tech tee and a smattering of sample schwag.  Note, I was asked to produce my USAT card, which although I think that’s the rule for USAT races, I don’t know that I have ever been asked before at a “local” race. 

I surveyed the transition setups around me and tried to take my traditional setup with my tri bike and adopt it to my circumstances for the day.  This is what I figured out:  

JMack had left to go for a ride of the mountain bike course himself so once transition was set up, I did a warm up run, including my new favorite dynamic warm up.   http://triathlon.competitor.com/2013/08/training/your-best-10-minute-run-warmup-2_46795   This warm up seems to help the tightening in my hips quite a bit.  I then went to hang with the Holly Dog until JMac returned.  I meant to eat a banana during this time but wasn’t up for it.  I think the humidity was staving off any urge to eat.  JMac returned with a course description:  wet, slick, two smaller loops instead of one large, well-marked and eat on the road section between the loops.  Got it.  We headed down to the beach for the start.  It was a small crowd.  In the end I think there were about forty-five participants in the offroad tri with an additional eight or so in the kayak division (paddle a kayak instead of swim).  These numbers were down about twenty from the previous year.  I think the wet conditions scared some folks off.  The water was calm and pretty warm but I decided to go with the sleeveless wetsuit.  I hadn’t been in open water all season and in the event of a mid-swim panic, wanted the buoyancy of the suit.  I warmed up in the water while they sent the kayaks off.  Then, it was a mass, in water start.  The horn sounded and we were off.  

I stayed to the outside but quickly found my groove.  The water temp was perfect.  It was a simple out and back course (19:19 including the run to transition, 17^th).  This was the best open water swim I have had in a while and I ran into transition feeling pretty good.  I navigated transition fairly effectively and hopped on the mountain bike (1:22, 9^th).  The ride began with a sustained climb on the park road to get to the trails.  I tried to spin it out in an easier gear as to not use up those matches in the first half mile of the ride.  I headed into the woods on the tail of a couple of guys.  As mentioned earlier, the trails really are very flowy and generally non-technical in the scheme of things.  But due to the rain the previous day and overnight, they were very wet and very slick.  I tried to be assertive, sticking with the guy in front of me but unable to decide if I should take the pass.  Unfortunately, in my hesitation to pass I allowed another female to catch me and pass both of us.  I subsequently passed the guy too and found myself in kind of a no-man’s land with not a lot of other racers around me.  I hopped off my bike for a couple of log and sketchy-looking , rocky stream crossings but managed to ride everything else.  Unfortunately, I realized pretty quickly I had not set up something correctly on my watch and I was not getting any heart rate data.  I rely on this quite a bit but had no choice to just try to go with how I was feeling.  I popped out onto the park road and took in some fuel before my second lap.  Since it was hot and humid I opted for a few salted dates, which tasted awesome—sweet and salty at the same time, and some margarita Clif shot blocks.  I was also drinking constantly from my Camelbak.  After my nutrition meltdown in the heat last summer at Musselman I have tried to be super conscious of drinking and getting my electrolytes. 

Apparently, I was the only competitor interested in refueling on the road section because as I slowed down, I was passed by a couple of male riders.  (Note to self:  Need to learn to eat faster on mountain bike).  As I entered the trails for the second loop I was hopeful that the trails had dried out some as it had warmed up considerably in the last hour.  The trails near the lake edge which could catch a breeze had dried out but the ones lower, and completely covered by foliage seemed to be in worse shape.  In a momentary lapse of judgment my handlebar caught a piece of hanging vine, turned sharply and flipped me off on to my left side.  I jumped up, flipped the bars back around, refused a polite offer of assistance from a passing competitor and jumped back on my bike.  Whew.  Nothing appeared to be broken, bike or otherwise.  A little while later, while making a sharp turn I misjudged again, braked when I should not have on a slick hump of mud and went over again on to my left side.  Seriously?  Ugh.  This one hurt.  While I was muddy, it did not look like there was an excessive amount of blood so I flipped my bike over, hopped on and raced toward the end of the course.  At some point during this time I had bumped my watch and stopped the clock entirely so I had no real idea where I was or how much longer I had to go.  It turned out to not be that far.  I popped back out on the road and headed for transition (1:41:13, 31^st). 

Transition was fairly uneventful even though it seemed to take an excessive amount of time to tie my shoelaces and take my biking gloves off (1:08, 13^th).  I grabbed my new handheld water bottle and trotted back up the hill before turning into the woods.  Two items of note here:  First, I opted for the handheld water bottle after listening to Zen Tri’s Ironman Texas report http://www.zentriathlon.com/home/2014/5/18/podcast-ironman-texas-2014.html .  Brett suggested carrying a water bottle on the run just to splash yourself off in the heat between aid stations.  While this (obviously) was not an Ironman, I thought the idea was a good one as it was hot, humid and there were only two water stops on the course.  Given this was a trail run I thought I might be out there longer than normal.  Second, despite my time, I really enjoyed this run.  It was a true offroad course.  I felt like I was running through the Amazon.  The trail was mostly narrow singletrack.  It was rooty, up and down and included log-overs, stream crossings and even some short, steep sections where I could almost put my hands down to help myself up.  There was also a section of very muddy, horsepoopy horse trail and another section of paved multipurpose trail.  But the majority was singletrack.  I had not done a lot of singletrack running in my training so I was worried how my ankles and knees would hold up but they seemed to do fine.  I tried to maintain what felt like a consistent pace and get through.  Looking back, I probably could have gone harder but in the heat, I think I felt more maxed out than I was.  Also, the course was a lollipop with only a little bit of lollipop stick at the end.  So I held back a little bit on the loop section not knowing what would be coming next (1:14:17, 32^nd).  JMac and the H Dog were waiting for me at the aid stations, giving me a nice boost.  

The final section was a reverse of the original climb so it was downhill to the finish.  In the end, I finished 2^nd AG, 5^th female and 27^th overall (3:17:21).  I had been hoping for a time closer to three hours but every race is a learning experience.  Also, this race served as a reconnaissance mission for the OMBC race to be held at East Fork later in the season.  So, I’ll be back.

All in all, this was a very fun race and I would recommend it for anyone thinking of going off road.  It did not attract the crowds that your typical triathlon does.  But it was well-organized and fun.  I enjoyed the more laid back atmosphere.  The post race food was pasta salad and gourmet-type sandwiches and wraps.  Final thoughts?  Transition continues to be my best event.  If only there was some sort of transition-focused race to capitalize on this. :)  Nutrition?  I’m heading in the right direction.  Course?  Knowing the bike and run course in an offroad race is very, very important and a huge advantage.  Tactics?  I need to work on my bike racing tactics.  Unlike typical amateur triathlons, which are not draft legal, mountain bike success relies heavily on getting in a pack, taking the draft and being courageous in passing when necessary.  These are all things I can continue to work on throughout the season.  Work hard.  Play harder.

 (Obligatory selfie from a short stop at Seventh Son Brewing in Columbus on the way home.  It's just a quick jog off the highway and has outside pet-friendly seating!)