World championship Xterra race

Kristi and I : Cool calm and collected

Okay maybe a little nervous! don't drown hugs.
Krisit and I come out of the water together... classic!

Brian raced great. His time was within a minute of the previous year. Given the run course being about a minute longer and harder this year, you could say his race was very equivalent. The men's field was STACKED with talent and the bar was definitely raised. Brian was 9th this year and 50 seconds behind the first American Josiah Middaugh. He had a great swim 22 minutes!! solid bike and as always one of the fastest runs. I think he was was happy.. He should be! The mens race was won by the Spanish mountain bike champion, 2nd was Michael Weiss a former under 23 World Mountain bike champion. 5th was Eneko Ylanos 2x World Xterra Champion and 3x ITU Olympian. I think you get the idea. Brian was less than 4 minutes back from the fastest bike time, truly not bad! 4Min's off World cup MTB pace?!!!

Me? I had a good swim, 24 Min's 15... was so psyched! This was a big goal for me, so I was really happy. My bike was solid and I rode up to 4th coming off the bike with Renata Bucher of Switzerland and 2 mins back on 2nd place at the time who was Shonny V. My run was crap. I'm sorry but its true. To my credit I hung in there and re passed 6th place then held off a hard charging Jenny Tobin to finish 6th.
All in all I'm just so psyched that the season is over. I got tired at the end this year, in a counting down the days of training kind of way, So the finish line was sweet, That's it I'm done for a little while no intervals and structure. I need a break.

Its been a good year though and I'm very grateful for all my good races, for my Achilles being healed and solid, for my 5th at USA Championships and 6th at Worlds as I realise they are very decent results, for Ann Trombley my coach for putting up w/ me, for my swim getting better, for my sponsors Trek bikes/Volkswagen MTB team, Salomon mountain company, JBL,Shimano,Rockshox,Bontrager,Xterra wetsuits. And a bunch of other stuff.. I mean...

We have it really rather good!!!! and now we're in Hawaii!!!! Wheres the ocean??

Kaua'i Time

The 2008 season's over!! YEASSS!!!!

Hanalei Bay... Puff the magic dragon lives by the sea... in a land called Hanalei... In the Cliffs Coming soon...You saw it here first!

Weekend before

Brian has been working at noon this weekend, so we've been braving the morning's and heading out at 9. Me cause I think its worth it to get the intensity of training w/ Brian, or maybe I'm just lazy and like drafting. It seems like one of those roles you slip into like who does the majority of the dishes or takes the token 'pull at the front' - that would be me. Out the door and I sit on Brian's wheel alternately appreciative, annoyed, angry or scared depending on whats going on.
Man: I'm excited for Maui and in that phase where I know its just one more week in the season. As I'm riding at Hartmans today.. I'm thinking how nice it would be to be hiking or trail running out there. I toyed with the off season and even sat on a rock for a bit! Mainly as I foofed up a rock on 'Josies' and then noticed my surroundings.. Its nice, its sunny, I should sit!
We seemed a bit dogged by bike issues today. Brian had seat issues, then when I was packing up my bike my rear derailleur broke. Oh well - not ideal but at least - it wasn't while riding and I have tomorrow to get sorted.

Counting down,getting excited,Trek/South Maui cycles and what a PB?!

Okay so the first one is really only exciting to me as I just took 5 seconds off my previous personal best 100 swim time. Do you know how encouraging that is. 1.22 ... Yeah!

Its been really cold in the mornings and so I've been grumbling a bit. (26 ( snow), 10, 33 (snow) and 15 have been the past four mornings.) But: today was absolutely gorgeous, sunny a high of about 60, so no more I had an amazing ride, cleaned the house and turned on the heat.
Warm is good!

Things are good, I've recovered from Tahoe.. I was really tired last week, am tapering (from recovering which is weird) and truly am feeling good. Its a mind game to taper... as an athlete I'm not used to it, I have been somewhat waiting all year to appropriately back off and peak for Worlds and now that its time there is a degree of insecurity surrounding the process.
Its really nice though to go through the process of feeling more energetic each day. Can't do much now.... just final touches in the next 10 days.

I started to pull out shorts and summer clothes in preperation for Maui today. Its pretty great that World championships is in Hawaii. The venue doesn't get better than that! Thanks Xterra!
Its deserved though.. as the race is and will be brutal. I keep thinking about details that put a nervous shot in my stomach.

Trek bikes are teaming up with South Maui cycles at Xterra World's. They'll have a booth at the Maui Prince next to regristration. Showcasing the 2009 fuel. These are the bikes Brian and I are riding there. They are great bikes, we've been raving about the performance and its deserved. If you're in Maui and at the event come over and say hello. Michael Browne Trek brand manager will be there Friday and Saturday, ask him all your questions, he knows the bikes. Brian and I will be there with our bikes also on Friday mid morning and Saturday mid morning.
enjoy
Jen

Uugh

26 this morning and trace snow, Crested Butte w/ 2 inches. This is not Hawaii training weather. I have a little wee poor attitude. The wind chill factor cut right though my cycling clothes and I cut the workout to the core and quickly got home. Of course I feel guilty but guilt sits easier than ill, Thank god I'm not hunting. Hope tomorrow is warmer.

Rooibos espresso

I am love love loving my new to me espresso machine. The coffee is the best! Yesterday though I decided its all heading in the way too caffeinated Jenny direction. I knew this would happen. Just because I want to joyously pull and drink shots all day long, that doesn't make a serene healthy me! ha ha.
So I decided to pull the plug on the pm habit developing from Wed and Thursday. Morning only coffee is the right amount for me.
Today I remembered the Rooibos espresso Laura bought us in Capetown. It was good. I have some rooibos still and even though its not finely ground, thought I'd give it a try. Worked awesome, tasted awesome. I made it flat white style with some frothy soy milk. How good is life! Thought about Sue H while I drank it! Now where to get more Rooibos when my bag runs out?

Elk

Brian is going Elk hunting on Friday. He's super excited. I think its a man thing. My vegetarian mother is appalled. She'd be more appalled at the Zip saw I purchased from bowhunters.com in case he 'catches' an Elk.
Anyway.. the bikes are still in their cases in the car and after masters swim this evening I went shopping for huntin food. Brian was working. I was kinda hungry so don't know if I really bought practical hunting food, but I did spend $168 so hope there's something useful. If not we are going to be eating allot of beans rice and variations of for a while!
I then made a batch of super cookies ( http://www.dirtbean.com/) and cooked up some Boulder sausage and rice for ... bean/rice/ sausage /veges burritos I'll make up tomorrow, Because I said I would..
Brian isn't really like the rest of us, for him this is perfect Xterra World championship preparation. relaxation. I wouldn't exactly say he's like a hunter either as how many do you know who ride their cyclocross bikes into camp and take running shoes with?
me.. The annual W mtn run is on Saturday. the house to myself and maxwell will be kinda nice. most likely I'll miss Brian, life is funny like that.
Jen

Rich Cruse Pic

Pics

Overlooking Incline Village Pre race interview

Good shot Julie...what exactly am I doing? I'll skip this pre race step in Maui... and swim faster!Tunnel Creek$25 all you can eat Sushi. We ate there twice... Of course.

Lake Tahoe

Brian and I just got back from a great swim in Sand Harbor Lake Tahoe. It was so amazing the October sun setting swimming through the rocks just off shore. I really love swimming and we've done allot of it in the past few days. In fact every day that we've been in Incline Village. Memorable. Wednesday's swim as the wind picked up making waves. Paled in comparison to Saturdays swim w/ white caps and 3 foot swells. Today's swim was the best. Calm, blue, glass, into twilight...
Yesterdays swim... . XTERRA USA championships. 300 athletes, alot of adrenalin. Aggressive. Brian had a great swim and came out in 35th. I got man armed/ a goggle full of water/ and a 31 minute swim time. WTF... I want to swear as I am so frustrated at myself. B says a little frustration is good to fuel me. I hope so for the future.
The rest of the championship race was good for us both, good bike legs took me into 3rd and Brian into 8th. The fuels where awesome, the bike course was fast I think I rode 2 Min's quicker than last year ( will have to check ). Bran's great run carried him up to 6th overall. My run dropped me to a 5th place. I had to frantically run with everything I had to hold onto 5th, 10 secs out of 4th, 10 seconds ahead of 6th.
Both fields where super competitive: Internationally stacked and A pre- World championships The US series where awarded yesterday too. I finished the 2008 US series with a 3rd overall Brian was 4th overall.
During the race Brian had his best splits in the swim bike and run in Tahoe/Us nationals... this bodes well for Worlds. 4th was also his highest US series finish. NICE.
cheers
Jen