Xterra Mexico

Wow, has it really been a month since Xterra Mexico!! I guess time flies when you are running around like a chicken with its head cut off.  You would think I would be a little bit more excited about getting back to racing after 9 months off.  Well I was and what a great race to kick off my abbreviated 2012 triathlon season.  I had heard great things about the race last year and it didn't disappoint.  The race was held in Tapalpa, a couple hours drive into the mountains outside Guadalajara.  The race organizers took great care of us, putting us up in a great lake front house right next to the swim course.  The area had been having a wetter than normal summer, so while that meant for some serious mud it did make the countryside incredibly green and lush!!!

View from out patio

The days leading up to the race were spent catching up with friends and checking out the bike and run course.  Shonny, Renata and I were rooming together and according to Renata I talk way too much!!! Ha-Ha, we are rooming together again at Xterra USA, so she is investing in a good set of earplugs ;)  Seriously though, we had a lot of fun.

Pre-riding with the gang

The body was feeling pretty good going into race day, though after 9 months off and being up at 7,000ft I was definitely nervous and hoping that race mode wouldn't be too much of a shock to the system!!!  Thankfully it was a non-wetsuit swim (the shoulder was still a little cranky and didn't like being constricted in the wetsuit) and even though we started with the top age group men in their wetsuits (always a bad idea) things settled in to a nice pace quickly.  My swim is definitely lagging a little behind but I was happy to be able to grab the feet of Branden Rakita and "Paco" Serrano and stick to them for the two lap swim.  I knew Renata, Shonny, and Fabiola were going to be super strong on the bike and needed all the time I could put on them.

Race morning 

The pre-ride had been pretty wet, then it rained the entire next day!!! Soooo can you say mudfest!! The picture below is when my bike actually got so gunked up it literally stopped moving.  Not being much of a mud specialist, since I live and train in Tucson, I was really happy with how well I rode, strong and steady the whole way, saving just a little in the tank for the run.  I stayed on my bike except for a small airborne incident when I went into a mud puddle just a little too fast.  Thankfully the landing was really soft.  Renata caught me near the top of the climb, just before half way, and I held off  Shonny, but saw her coming in right on my heels into T2.

Mud

Back moving again :)

The run is defintely where the lack of racing finally kicked it.  The legs were bordering on lead weights and it didn't help the run course was one hell of a tough one, truly Xterra worthy.  I headed out on the two loop course just ahead of Shonny and hoping to hold her off, negative on that one.  I did keep her close and held off Fabiola for third.  Super happy with the result, but more happy with getting that first one back out of the way!!!

Running through Tapalpa's cobbled streets

Podium

Post-race Mexico style!!!

The day finished off with a great awards ceremony in the town square complete with fireworks, and of course fun drinks!!

So fast forward a couple of weeks and here I am in Denver airport on my way to Xterra Canada in beautiful Canmore Alberta.  Can't wait to see what I've got now that the cobwebs are all dusted out!!