Maui is less than a week away and my nervous excitement is undeniably here. Concerns regarding the transport of Vandy, navigation on the island, and logistical challenges abound in my worried mind. I am for the most part ready physically. One thing I constantly struggled with this year was doing we
ll in two of the three disciplines. This past summer, my shortfall was the run section of a triathlon. I flew on the bike and surprisingly learned to swim correctly for the needed distance in the Xterra circuit. For what it's worth, I believe this will not happen at Maui. I have refined my technique and equally practiced the two disciplines I seem to tradeoff in terms of falling short. (Running and Swimming)
The bike section could be tricky but I doubt this honestly. Based on what it looks like in the videos, I foresee lots of double track in hot scorching sunshine. I can manage this effectively from my training in the burn sections of Buffalo Creek. The choppy lava rock should be manageable on the FS Vandy 29er and its' ubber strong Maxxis Crossmark tires which I love so much. Certain races like the Firecracker 50 or the Fat Tire 40 has taught me that the Vandy can make up for my lack of skills on the descents. It climbs great for a full suspension bike so no concerns there. My legs are diesel at the moment so the infamous "Ned's Hill" does not intimidate me. Not when I have had Mt. Falcon to train on these past few days. In fact, I am sort of looking forward to bagging a l
ot of placement on the climb come go time.
Tomorrow is my last long ride of the season. I am planning on riding at a race pace up Mt. Falcon, over to Lair of the Bear, Bear Creek Park in the morning. Should be an epic ride that will break down a lot of my muscles prior to a few days of recovery. I am tapering off the running and swimming as well.
My philosophy on Maui is pretty surreal. It is the World Championship and the highest level you can achieve in the world of offroad multisport racing. I don't intend to win since there are much more devoted people than myself, however I do intend to finish strong. It has been almost four years since my first Xterra in the frigid waters of Buffalo Creek. I have changed a lot and grown over this time with grad school, my career, and ambitions. Maui marks a pinnacle in terms of hard work to reach this point. When it is all done, I have this sort of calm satisfaction in terms of knowing that I am ready for whatever is next in life. Buying a house, expanding the competitiveness of Free Wheel Coffee, and attending to things I have put off these past few yea
rs are higher up on the priority list. It is time to grow up a bit. I am still going to keep my fitness. In 2011, I will return to the team ranks with Bach Builders, a well known ultra distance team consisting of World Champion 24 hour athletes and adventure racing veterans. It is a significant achievement and I hope to back up these words with a high level of performance. But that is another chapter for another time.
For now, it is a beautiful fall day here in Denver and I have an evening to myself to relax and attend to packing for Maui. More to come as Maui looms closer and closer. And if for anything else, I am glad to take my turn in Maui with the many other Coloradans who have made this journey. Let's bring it!
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