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Xterra Nationals-Who needs brakes anyway?

Saturday, October 15th, 2011

Xterra Nationals has come and gone but the memory remains strong for me. Life seems to throw you challenges at a moment’s notice so I guess you need to learn how to roll with it or crash.

Dave and I arrived on Friday, September 23, 2011 and got in around noon. We headed to registration, got our goodies and had our race numbers put on. Gotta be careful with that wet paint on your arms while it’s drying or it will get all over your clothes if not careful!

I went and got a nice hair cut at the Paul Mitchell booth and met a really nice stylist there. Later on I learned that she was only 17 yrs old! We talked about children for some reason and how she felt pressured by her father to have them. I gave her my two cents about life and enjoying yourself before entering parenthood. She was so happy to hear my advice and thanked me.

We immediately got to our motel and were so time strapped. Dave got both bikes built in about 2hrs and we had just enough time to make it to the Night of Champions dinner. Let the stress begin! The night was awesome as usual. Dave went up to the stage area as he is an Xterra Ambassador. I was happy to win my 5th Regional Champion award. It’s such an honor for me. Each winner was given a cool maroon long sleeved shirt for recognition. We got home about 9:00am and finished up our race prep stuff and off to bed.

The alarm goes off at 4:30am and sleep was pretty lousy as I knew it would. Racing over the years has given me so much experience. I always make sure I get good sleep two-three days before a race. It really helps and you just don’t stress so much about it. Anxiety always creeps in and your head keeps thinking and going over things.

We head off to T-1 at 5:30ish and set up our gear. It’s dark and chilly and I was pretty cold. I did remember to bring my headlamp this year so I could see where I was going. The weeds seemed tall in the parking lot and I kinda chuckled to myself because the weeds were hitting my shins and almost to my knee. Shorty!

Everything looks good and we head off to Snowbasin and just walk over to get our T-2 set up. We even stopped and took a glance at Lance Armstrong’s shoes too as well as many others. Dave and I head in to use the bathroom and we sat on the sofa for a moment of peace. I closed my eyes and put my head on Dave’s shoulder and oddly enough, I sensed someone or something near us. I opened my eyes to see Lance Thatcher, one of my Melrad teammates taking a pic of us asleep! Very cute.

We took one of the first buses back to Pineview and it was nice and warm! We rechecked our gear and decided to go out for a warm up on our bikes. As we rode along, I started to notice that my brakes weren’t working well. We got back and Dave checked them and couldn’t fix it for me. It was time to get the wetsuits on and down to the swim start. So I literally had no rear brakes that were working and about 20% stopping power on my front. Here was when I just had to HTFU about it and worry when I got on my bike. I still had a swim to do.

SWIM: The water was warm for me and nice. It seems that I have been swimming in COLD water ever since the season started. I think Xterra Real was hovering in the low 50’s or less. Santa Cruz was cold too and lately, my master’s pool has been freezing. So upon entering the water and hearing it was around 65degrees, I was happy, happy. The start went fine and I was glad to not get swum over, kicked or hit as what usually happens. Even going around the buoys went well. I didn’t have time to think about the altitude and all since I had my bike problem. I finished the swim and headed up to my bike.

BIKE: Lucky we start on the flat road and then climb! My brakes, well, lack of them really had me worried during the climb in Wheeler Canyon. I kept pulling on the lever but it was just squishing into my handlebar grip. Focus Meiling….focus…I kept telling myself. I managed to slow down when I needed. Even unclipped on the hairpin turns. The downhill was very exciting to say the least. I wasn’t able to go as fast as I wanted but I made it and was thrilled. Dave knows my dh skills and I knew he’d be proud of me at the moment. As I was coming towards the bridge near the end of the bike portion, a guy in front of me suddenly stopped to let me by and so I went ahead and forgot how sharp the right turn was. Of course I put on my brakes and nothing so I kept going straight, crashing over and into the creek. I landed hard on my left hip and left arm onto some rocks. The pain sunk in so fast and I was so mad. I got up, climbed out of the creek, getting my shoe all wet.

Amazing how your focus just makes you more determined. I tried to check my leg because I was worried I had a wound but didn’t. Tough doing a body check while riding a bike. I got to the end and was happy to see T-2.

RUN: My hip was hurting me from the getgo and so I just slowly jogged out of T-2. The pain was there but I just kept going. Hoping it would just go away. I was proud to get through the moment and just did what I could. Of course I had to keep asking myself, “Why me?” but that served no purpose. My goal now was to just get to the finish line and take care of my injury afterwards. Of course it was a bummer to have women in my age group pass me on the run but there was nothing I could do. I was giving it my best at that moment. What more could I ask of myself?

The run towards the end seemed so long to me. I was elated to see Big Kahuna and the finish line a few hundred yards away. I walked around to get my HR back and just needed a quite moment to myself for a quick reflection of my “challenging” day. I met my challenge and defeated it. I am proud of that. It’s being able to deal with adversity that makes you a real champion.

I waited for Dave until he crossed the finish line before getting ice for my hip. I put the finisher’s medal over his head and he was pretty surprised about that. We enjoyed our lunch inside and relaxed and talked about our race day adventures.

A few days later in retrospect, I told Dave that I can now officially call myself “Bad-*ss.” If I was crazy enough to do a race like this without brakes I can call myself anything I want. Like my father would have told me as a young child when I fell down and hurt myself, he’d just tell me to deal with it. Daddy, I did just that and more! Next challenge…..Worlds!

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Let the good times roll with group training

Thursday, July 28th, 2011

Mountain biking, and Xterra can be an incredible challenge, a great adventure, a day filled with crashes or accomplishments that make you cry, laugh, or yell with excitement. Group training is what makes it great—someone to push you a little harder, hold you accountable to ride on days you’d otherwise go relax at the pool; someone to pick you up when you crash hard, or laugh with you on ridiculous falls; friends to share a cold post-race beer with and plan the next adventure.

In multiple states and many trails, my riding buddies have taught me how to descend (thanks Uncle Tom!), roll over logs (thanks Scud), chase wild pigs down the trail (Marcy), climb hills (Mike), push a little harder in a race (Leslie, Jill & Hannah), and most of all enjoy all the adventures on the trail. Through long weekend runs (Amy) and post-ride bricks (Posi-Chiro team), swims to the Mokes, and all the workouts in between, my training groups have made me a better athlete (and I hope I’ve helped them as well).

After a great group ride

Riding, and training alone is great some of the time, but I wouldn’t have nearly as much fun if I didn’t have my training buddies. So thank you everyone. And if you’re training alone, go finds some people to ride with—we do this because its fun, because we’d rather be on the trails than anywhere else—and without a witness, no one will believe that you climbed that mountain, made it over that log or rock pile, or saw that amazing view.

Posted in Whitney Houck | No Comments »

Three Weeks, Three Races, Three Wins…with a side of Humble Pie

Thursday, July 14th, 2011

Been a while since my last blog, as Mel has reminded me, so I guess the recent hat trick seems the best place to start as any….

Coming into 2011, I was pretty excited about the way my training and racing had progressed over the last few seasons. A solid winter strength program and some quality time in the saddle had me feeling really fit early on. But after a nasty stomach bug hit right before my first race of the season in Waco and then some hellish work travel that took me half way around the world, I was starting to get a little worried about the next month’s racing schedule. Three races in four weekends and there was no telling where I’d be in terms of fitness.

First up Pelham and the Southeast Regional Championships…one that I really, really wanted to win…was still struggling with a minor foot ailment courtesy of some pesky root or rock or gremlin that snagged me in Waco in the midst of a massively dehydrated suffer shuffle run split, but otherwise was feeling okay…race day was perfect, dry and hot. A couple of last minute scratches to the start list certainly helped me out, but I was super stoked to pull into the lead position halfway through the bike leg. After a couple of minor mechanicals that cost me a couple minutes, I ended up riding Casey Fannin’s wheel through a lot of the twisty singletrack on the back half of the course. Being his home course, it’s great to watch him rip through that stuff and made for a really fun ride… The run course change was a great addition I think. It’s still a tough run no doubt, but taking a couple of those crushing hills out and adding in some fast trails at the end sets it up for a great finish. Was able to coast it home for an overall amateur win!

The next week was a bit of recovery and then off to Bermuda for a work trip turned bike camp…got to spend 5 days getting crushed on the roads of Bermuda by the local roadies led by their fearless leader and all around good guy Greg Hopkins, owner of Winner’s Edge Bike Shop. These guys can really lay it down when the want to. This was great for my fitness and also allowed me to rest my foot a bit more.

Got back home and had a couple of days to gear up for Xterra Tsali, a small local(ish) race just over the border in North Carolina on some really fun and fast fast singeltrack. This was more of a sprint race, with an 800m swim in a cool lake, followed by a 5 mile run, and then finishing on a screaming fast 10 mile bike loop. Was out of the water and on the trails in first, followed by a few guys that were right on my heels. First race where we hit the run on the second leg, and I very nearly blew myself up trying to lose the guys behind me. By mile 3 I had put almost 2 minutes on them and just kept adding until I got to the bike and had finished the 5 miles in under 29 minutes. Must have been the Avi Bolts…Got to ride wide open with no one in sight and really enjoy those trails on the bike leg, but as it was only 10 miles, the wild ride was over in a mere 46 minutes. Got some interesting swag: raspberry sparkling malt beverage, a 26” tube for my 29er and a T-shirt for a local bike shop that didn’t even mention xterra…oh well, it’s not about the prizes, but the racing and camaraderie.

Final stop on the month’s tour was Richmond, 12-year home to the East Regional Championship…this is really a great race. Right in the heart of downtown Richmond and incredible fan support all the way through, complete with costumes and cow bells. Went with two changes for this race, no socks, and no gloves…sock decision was a good one, the Avi Bolts pretty much felt like socks and had no issues with blisters at all…no gloves, not so much…but we’ll get back to that. Swim start is always interesting, trying to jockey for space on the concrete pillar and figure out where to launch from. Watching Mel and a few other pros move way upstream and use the current to their advantage, I made a last minute move up there to follow. Had a decent swim and came out in 5th place. and about a minute back I managed to pick off the other 4 guys on lap one and was riding in first again. All was well, and then the humidity took hold and the hands got a bit slick. Twice in a row on a pass, I managed to let the hands slip and go endo into the woods…last time catching a pretty big lump on my back and an arm full of briars…second lap was kind of a fiasco, having to go through so many other sport racers and the back end of the championship pack…but then off on the run holding first and feeling really good. Hydration was spot on and I was able to run a hard pace, but not having to chase let me doll out the effort in control. Crossed the line with another overall amateur title and only 15 seconds away from the cheese…!

Hitting multiple races in a short stretch really makes you realize what a great group the Xterra community is. It is infectious for sure and makes all the rest of life’s issues seem less significant for a little while. Got to spend some quality time with my coach Mel and met some new MelRad teammates, as well as catching up with good friends on the tour….big props also to Audie Smith and Greg Swersky, 50 somethings and fellow Knoxvillians that made the rounds with me to the races and always finish with a smile…. always good to have drinking company on the drive home!

Now for the humble pie I spoke of….July 4th was to be spent with family in Breckenridge CO. Got married there in 2003 and was really excited to be back for my daughter’s first birthday and to take on the Firecracker 50, a 54 mile mtn bike race that climbs and descends over 10,000ft each…and the lowest elevation on the course was 9600 ft…yikes. You know you are in Colorado when women, on single speeds, pass you up on the climbs and aren’t even out of breath. Seriously, there are more elite athletes there than most of the southern states combined. A really great race to be a part of out there and always good to get it handed to you once in a while to remember there is always a lot to work on.

Next up is my first ever mtn bike stage race in the unforgiving mountains of Pisgah National Forest at the end of September….probably worth a blog whether I finish the race or go up in flames, so stay tuned. This was to be a short blog, so keep the wheels turning and for now…focker out.

xterra-tsali July 4th breck-2

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Snow at Xterra Tahoe City race

Monday, June 27th, 2011

This was a first for me. I have never had a chance to run across snow in an Xterra race but alas, now I have. Thanks Tahoe City!

Our adventure started with a 1:15am departure on race morning. Yes, you read that right. Trying to leave for Tahoe on a Friday night from the Bay Area is not nice and a waste of motel money so we opted to sleep in our own bed and leave early. Fun, not really, but it happens.

We arrived and took a short nap. That felt really good. Got registered, racked up the bikes and time to get the Profile Design Gold cell wetsuit on! The walk to the beach is fairly long so you can’t mess around much gabbing with other racers.

SWIM: The water temp was a balmy 51 degrees….oh, not another cold water swim for me. All season it’s been like this. I opted to do a dry land warm up instead. I get cold too fast so this works for me. The race starts and yes, the initial cold was unbearable. Think about putting your body into a tub of ice cubes/water. The pain hurts until you get numb. The best part was not getting hit by anyone and enjoying swimming in a lake where you actually see bottom! So cool….in so many ways. We did a 2 loop swim with a beach run. I got out and headed up to our nice long jog to T-1. At least it warms you up.

BIKE: The bike immediately starts with a cruel climb on the road. It’s tough getting on your gloves at this time. I finally did. There were some nice slushy wet areas/puddles along the way. The course has it’s rocky sections too and I was happy about handling them pretty well this year. Also a 2 lap course so you get to do everything again! Heading back to T-2 is hard because it still involves a fair amount of climbing….and you thought you were done. HA! Nice to get covered with mud spots all over your face and uniform! You gotta love mountain biking!

RUN: The worst part of the race is the RUN! Why, you ask? Well, it’s basically all up hill, rocky, and covered with snow banks to run over. That was pretty cool and I’m glad my Avia Stoltz shoes handled the terrain so well. You then get to run back mostly downhill and get that quad crushing pounding to really add to the challenging misery. Alas, there are a few more hills to deal with once you get back to the road.

Crossing the street with the aid of some nice policemen and down the short stairs (I had to deal with a lady walking her bike down it this year). Run some more and cross the finish line!

POST RACE: Another great thing about this race is the BBQ you get. I opted for the chicken/apple sausage instead of a burger. It was yummy as I was so ravenous after the race. Gee, cold weathre and racing in altitude got anything to do with it? The joy of racing is the pigging out afterwards.

I got 2nd place in my age group and received a nice beer glass for it. Dave enjoyed his day with a 13th place finish too. Tough race but worth it! We took some time to chill, enjoy the great weather and scenery before heading home. Rigor mortis did set in so we made many mandatory stops to try and stretch out the legs. It didn’t work too well but we tried!

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The Journey Begins Towards Worlds 2011

Tuesday, June 21st, 2011

Yes, the season has begun and not without the usual drama. I started the Xterra season with the Xterra Real race. My pre season preparation was quite different from year’s past. I did less mtb racing and did alot of core work/strength training to prep for the season. Change is good and you really need to figure out what will work for you each year. I think doing the same program year after year gets boring anyway. I’m lucky to have Mel to help me plan my season. I always had the mindset that doing more volume was always the way to go. As I get older, my body doesn’t want to handle it so switching to “less is more” maybe better for me now. We’ll see.

Xterra Real race is always a challenge because Folsom lake is ALWAYS freezing! I think the temp hovered around 49degrees this year. It’s more of a mental preparation when it comes to cold swims than anything else. I heard so many people psyche themselves out before the race started because of the cold water swim. I’m a pretty small person with little fat so getting into extreme cold water is not comfortable at all. I literally turn into a popsicle. It’s so miserable but part of Xterra racing. I just don’t think about it and focus on swimming well and just do what I normally do. I came out of the swim frigid and getting out of my wetsuit and shoes in T-1 was pretty slow. Numb fingers, frozen lips….hmmmmm. The bike went well. Not much mud as usual. I felt pretty strong on the climbs. I was happy to get on the run to thaw out even more. The hill repeats I did helped me pace up the hill even better this year.

I ended up with a first place in my age group. It’s nice to start out the season with a win and points. It was great to have Mel racing there too. TBF always does a fantastic job with this race. Thanks all. I’ll continue this journey with Xterra West Championships……

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