Last Sunday, September 27, I appeared out of my one year racing hiatus and competed in the first of 7 Xterra Race Series at Pt. Mugu State Park.
I was confident going into this race. Over the last two months I had built up a pretty good base mileage and felt fresh. Doing this race in the past, I was always unprepared training wise and performed poorly, but not this time. Though I haven't introduced speed into my training this early in the season, I was much better off than before and surely my time will end up proving it.
What I can't explain is this? Here are my previous course times including this year's:
2007: 1:30:58
2008: 1:31:16
2009: 1:33:28
Somehow my time has gotten worse at each attempt. I don't get it. I know the course well. I had more mileage in me. I was confident and motivated, but still I bombed.
Miles 1-4
The race started out well. I instantly let a group of seven take off. There are certain individuals who make up this stud pack in which I don't have membership in. What I try to focus on is being number one in the second pack. Top ten in the race overall will be fine with me...for now.
The first four miles is a lot of climbing. I sat into a pace which was comfortable. Coming out of the climb I was 13th. Fine. The next two and half miles was flat and somewhat descending.
Every year this is where I crumble!
The Next Two and a Half
My pace dies and the masses catch up and begin passing me. My morale plummets and so does my placing. My stomach was acting up this time. Every other second I was looking for fine place to jump off the trail, handle my stomach issues, and then reappear light, fresh, and ready to go.
The problem was, I couldn't fine that perfect spot. My problem also had not developed into an all out emergency and I couldn't quite justify losing a minute or two along with an extra 15 runners.
So I trudged along at a 10 minute pace on the flattest portion of the race.
The Reset
Somewhere near mile 6.5 the 18K race in which I was in, merged with the 11K race that started 30 minutes after us. This benefited me a great deal. I started passing tons of runners and that built up my confidence and motivation. Faster and faster I ran up another ascent. Even though I was passing the slower folks of the shorter race, it still gave me that instinctive predator attitude.
Descending Home
The last 1.5 miles was my strongest part of the race. It was a wickedly steep treacherous descent in which I always thrive on. While most were putting the breaks on not to blow out their knees, I flew. At the end of this race I was flying down at a 6:20 pace. That's not fast for the flats, but on this uber steep descent, it was screaming.
Because of this late effort, I was able to finally catch up to the 18Kers that ditched me at my lowest point.
At the end I placed 24th overall out of 162. I placed 2nd in my 30-34 age group and scored some good points. Though getting 2nd and a medal in my age category is fine and all, I really want that top ten overall. I wish they got rid of age categories. It places our focus on sub par performances and sub par victories. I can see why race organizers do this though. They want us to all feel like we are studs so we keep signing up for the next races.
It won't be until November when I race my Xterra fellows again. Let me add speed into my workouts and see where that takes me.
Race Recap: Pt. Mugu Xterra #1
A Long Season
Since my earliest days as a competitor, whether on the track, road, or dirt, I have been accustomed to racing seasons that lasted 4 or 5 months long.
Pre season workouts usually built up base mileage and just before the first races commenced we would introduce speed workouts. Throughout the season we would then build upon our workouts to heighten our speed and aerobic threshold.
There was a mathematical method to such training. By the end of the season, our bodies were fine tuned to their best of abilities and were now ready for the final large races. If timed just perfect, we would peak at the championships.
Off season then rolled in and we would cut our mileage, slash our speed workouts, and began to go into recovery mode. Year in, year out, this is how it was and it worked just fine.
This brings me to my current dilemma. How does one train for a racing season that stretches over the course of a year? How can one maintain a competitive being, but also avoid burn out?
This is a large complaint I have with the Xterra Trail Racing Series. It starts at the end of September and at the same time (even on the same weekend) the previous year's National Championships concludes in Bend, Oregon. Basically, one must peak at Nationals on a Saturday, fly back South later that day, wake up at 5am on Sunday, and race the first competition of the new season.
Where does one rest the body to fend off burn out and injury? To make matters worse, one is already on their third race of the new season when the World Championships (in Hawaii) from the old season takes place. Good god!
The solution to this problem is not the best, but I have concluded to consider the Xterra Trail Series as a means to an end, instead of considering it the end itself. Meaning, I will not train for the series, but I will use the series to train for other races that I will place higher on my priority. I will define the trail season to start in June and run through December. At that time I will mellow out for awhile and then begin to prepare for track.
This brings on another problem. How does one prepare the body for an ultra marathon in the mountains in the Summer/Fall months, but then quickly adapt it for the 1500 meters on a rubber track in the Winter/Spring months?
