Don't count your chickens...

Well, what can you say. There's a reason you run the race. And that's to see who wins. I just got home from Xterra DeGray Lake. We had an excellent weekend. I traveled with my good friends Don, and John and Cynthia Bradley. Don, Cynthia, and I did the sprint course Xterra off road triathlon. John, did the Epic long course. We also met friends Justin Hough, and Jeff Daniels. When we showed up to packet pickup it was cold and overcast and the thought of swimming the next morning was not too appealing. Still that evening we had a good meal and as usual looked forward to our individual races with trepidation. The next morning we loaded up and headed over to set up our transition areas and don wet suits. After we set up our gear, we tried to stay warm before start time. When the announcer called one minute to start time, I knew we had put it off long enough. The swim was a deep water start and I had never done one of those. You tread water at the start line until they blow the horn, then you fight your way through the spanking machine that makes up a mass start. I tried to time my entry so that I got to the line as the horn sounded and intended to minimize the time I would have to tread water. It worked pretty well. The horn blew and we were off. Navigating this course wasn't too bad, as we swam between two docks and you could use them to keep yourself relatively straight. I'm always happy to see the first turn buoy of any open water swim. It signifies that you're making progress. I hit the first and shortly after hit the next. This turn buoy was even sweeter, it meant that I was heading back to shore. I got to the ramp and put on my water shoes for the run up the ramp to transition. When I got there I found Cynthia already getting her stuff ready for the bike section. I was a little behind her and stripped off my wetsuit. I stifled my urge tho shiver and shake as I swapped shoes and put on some long sleeves and my Camelback. I ate a gel and got a drink. I escorted my bike to the mount line with my glasses in my teeth. Once there I put on my gloves and took off. I'd had a good swim and felt pretty fresh. The first section of the bike was on pavement. I hit it pretty hard until I got to the single track. The bike is a nice flowing trail without a lot of technical drops or aggressive climbs. It does have some switchbacks and berms, with a few jumps sprinkled along the way. I was making good progress and passing lots of folks. Etiquette on single track is something I'm learning. I asked permission to pass and it worked well for the most part. I was having a good bike and making progress and then it all went to hell. After chasing and finally passing Cynthia, we came to a paved section. At the end of it was a section where you were supposed to enter a gate and cross back over the road. I got confused about the direction and wound up going around a two mile section for the second time. Had I looked back at any point I would have seen that Cynthia was no longer behind me. I knew I had screwed up when I saw Jeff ahead of me. I knew I was out of the water before him. My wrong turn cost me easily eight minutes. Maybe eight and a half. I was now riding pissed. Pissed at myself for making such an error. Pissed the course for being, well there. Pissed at the volunteers at the gate that let me make a bad turn. In the end, I bear the responsibility for it. Navigation is part of the game. I continued to ride hard even though I knew I was behind. I thought about shutting it down and relaxing. I decided against that and decided to make the most out of it. That was the right thing to do. Not only because it's a race and you should do your best, but because I thought there might be an outside chance I could make up the time. I rode into transition and saw Don's bike next to my area. He was ahead of me now too. I changed quickly into trail shoes, shed the long sleeves and trotted out the run exit gate. The first part was a steep uphill to the pavement and then a steep downhill below the dam to the turnaround. Along the way I saw Don, Cynthia and Justin. As I passed Cynthia, I yelled, "Did you see what I did?" She signified that she had. I yelled to Don, "I blew it Don!" No worries, I ran the rest of the way to the turnaround, collected the hair scrunchy that signifies that you made the check-point. I made my way back to the steep incline and had to slow to a walk. Once I was to the top I was on the run again. A trip back across the dam and I hit a technical down hill trail to the finish. From the edge of the woods I could see the Finish gate. I made my way around the winding rocky trail and trotted through the gate at 2:12. Cynthia, Don and Justin were there waiting, along with Jeff's girlfriend, Tracy and Justin's wife Katie. We all congratulated each other on our finishes as we knocked back water and Gatorade. Shortly Jeff crossed the line. We all got a little rest and talked about our different experiences during the race. It was pretty much unanimous that it was a fun race. I was still pretty dejected about my navigational gaff, but I didn't let it diminish the mood. Some good natured ribbing took out some of the sting. After we had all had a chance to rest and cool off we gathered a few things, put on warmer clothes and went about the business of supporting John in his efforts to crush the Epic course which had started thirty minutes after our own. Over the next hour or so results started to roll in. My friend Don had gotten 2nd in our age group, and I had managed to hold on to a 3rd place. It was terrific to share the podium with the friend that had started me down this road not too many years ago. Cynthia got a 1st place finish in her AG, and Justin got a 2nd. John finished the Epic in an awesome 4th place overall nail biter finish that won him 1st place in Masters. This is a great race and I would do it again tomorrow. Crystal clear water, fast flowing single track, rocky wooded trail run. What's not to like?