Xterra Tapering

The taper has started - the best part of training!

The off-road triathlon World championships party has started. Four days of pre-race festivities on Maui at the Xterra Expo with all the sponsors and vendors showing the latest and greatest gear or technical clothing. It is all with a crowd of 1000+ athletes super anxious and happy to be here. It's funny to see some athletes scrambling to get a race advantage with a "lighter water bottle holder" or "less rolling resistance tire tread" and arguing which is best. I know I have the best so I don't need to argue... Haha kidding. Or maybe not.

I was able to scope out the beach where the swimming portion of the race happens. There was a big storm that was pushing 8-10 foot waves crashing on shore and it looked quite dangerous to try and "practice" a running entry & exit without doing some personal damage or getting sucked out by a riptide. The water is forecasted to calm in the next few days. I rode the bike course, well the first 5km and the last 8km, today and enjoyed it. It has tons of climbing and a bunch of quick switchbacks and narrow zigzags to get through. The mud is slimy and very slick - it is called "Maui ice" and I can see why.

The big reason why I wanted to get on the bike course today was because I unfortunately severely sprained my ankle two days ago... I was out on a very easy run finishing up a course Recon and on a mini downhill and a slippery root I ripped myself a new one and crashed head-first into the thick forest. I instantly felt nauseous with that body grip of pain, I checked my ankle and it had immediate swelling and throbbing with pain. The scary thought was that I felt and heard a snap or pop. Is it broken? Are the ligaments torn? My mind was racing and not sure what to do. After a few minutes I was able to hobble out the last kilometre and put my ankle in the ocean to cool off a bit.

Bruising and swelling showed up the first day, as expected. After ruling out a full fracture or worse- a ligament tear, I have hit the full gamut of Sports-Med protocols for fast recovery: P.R.I.C.E. Protect, rest, ice, compress, and elevate is the topic of the last few days and my wife is tired of hearing about it, I'm sure! I've also done some light effleurage massage and graston therapy to flush the swelling out. I've been heavily supplementing with Fish oils, Vit. B's and tons of veggies. My last approach is with hydration: Water...and some ice cold brew. The last item might be the best for my mind- I have to realize I'm here on vacation. On a side note my new favourite beer is the Maui Brewing coconut porter! 

Two more days and it's go time! It's all just tapering now and enjoying the experience. I'm going to test out my ankle running tomorrow to see if it's even possible. For now, I'm enjoying time with my family here.

Off Road triathalon Worlds

The Xterra Off-Road triathlon World Championships will be in Maui on Sunday, Nov. 1st, 2015. For the past few years I have been hoping to qualify and attend. This year has come together and I have booked my ticket. I have spent most of the spring and summer getting out for a few rides and runs but now it is time to get serious about putting it all together for the 1500m Ocean swim, 32km mtn bike, and 10km Trail Run. In training for this race a few important items need to be addressed. The first, being the possibility of excessive heat and humidity:

Not that 26-27C is that hot, it is with the 72% humidity that I'm a bit worried about. Trying to train for this has been including the regular Mtn bike, and running sessions, along with some swimming and strength training, all while wearing too many layers. I want to train my body deal with sweating excessively - and being able replenish lost fluids with hydration.

I can hardly contain my excitement for this trip. I want to train all the time... however, I do have other priorities including family and a recent newborn son (that likes to party all night, and sleep all day) and a business, Fit Chiropractic, to keep moving forward. Luckily my amazing and supportive wife has given me the thumbs up to compete and train for this big race (as long as she can join me in Hawaii).

A recent hill working in Cumberland I spend shredding my legs trying to get used to accelerating uphill constantly.


I have been trying to lighten the load with regards to biking (instead of actually loosing weight) I purchased a very light weight bike, a 29" tire hardtail for specifically cross country riding from Mike at The Broken Spoke in Courtenay
In the swimming side of things, I try to get to the pool a few times a week but I feel the open water swimming would be better. It is, though, getting quite cold in the lake or River, and tough to force myself for a workout. Hopefully the week of acclimatization I have given myself in Hawaii to practice open water will suffice.