eXtri 2012 Race Recap

eXtri is an off-road triathlon organized by eXtribe Inc, the same people behind Whiterock Triathlon, Subic International Marathon, and Camp Run. It has been a long standing event that is aimed towards both seasoned athletes and beginners. The "regular" race is composed of a 1km open water swim, 23km mountain bike race, and 4km trail run. There is also a "RAW (Rookies, Amateurs, Weekend Warriors)" category which is broken down into a 500m swim, 20km bike leg, and 2.5k trail run. Don't let the distances fool you; though they might seem easy for most triathletes, this is one heck of a race!

Even though eXtri 2012 is only a week after Timex 226, I decided to sign up for it for a number of reasons.

First, it would give me a chance to let out some tension from 226. I find that having a "fun race"after big events helps me recover mentally. This is a race wherein I could let out some mental or emotional stress accumulated from 226. I had no expectations for this race; even though I somewhat knew what to expect, it was something foreign to me.

Second, I've been dying to get some good mtb/trail experience. Prior to 226, I had limited time off-road as I did not want to injure myself. Though there is definitely benefit in cross-training, I found the risk-reward trade off of mtb and trail runs to be impractical for my A race. Thus, I kept this to a minimum and focused on having a quality build and peak period instead. Now that my season is finally over, I took the plunge and joined this event. In my opinion this is one of the best races to get into off-road triathlon; despite being challenging enough, it still keeps you "wanting more" (as mentioned by Coach Mat).

Third, I convinced my old college friend Daniel to get into triathlon. Since I knew that this was a practical race both in terms of cost, logistics, and time, I asked him to sign up for it. To convince him further (partly using him as an excuse), I registered as well.

Lastly, this race also has a charitable side as some of the proceeds from the race would be given to the local community. eXtribe has purchased appliances such as electric fans for the local schools in the area. Some outstanding teachers were also given some awards for their efforts. Since we have been sharing their beaches, roads, and paths during our races, I think it's only proper to give back to the communities.

Pre-Race

Racing 226 exactly a week earlier, I was fortunate enough to have recovered fairly quickly. I had a recovery session with Peakform Manila a couple of days after arriving from Bohol. This gave me some mobility in my legs which consequently allowed me to do proper recovery sessions.

Since eXtri takes place at around noon time, one can go on a "day trip" for this race. We left Manila at around 5:30am and arrived there roughly 3 hours later. Upon arrival, we hopped on our mtbs and did a recon of the bike course. After riding the entire course, we were mentally prepared for what was ahead. I took mental notes of parts that had very loose gravel or sharp curves; I also made sure that I would not make any wrong turns and veer out of the race course.

Swim

The swim is composed of three 330m loops. The water in this area is very calm; I knew we were in for a fast swim leg and prepared myself accordingly.

I did the entire swim leg a couple seconds short of 18minutes. Good enough to be second out of the water but almost 5 minutes behind Coach Mat!

Bike

The bike course is half road, half trail. I decided to hammer the road portion of the mtb as my off-road skills were quite limited. Since mtb riding is more of an upright position, I crouched forward near the handlebars and assumed a more "aero" position. This was definitely not comfortable as my triceps and shoulders were tightening up only after 3km or so. When we went into Brgy. Bulsa, the off road portion began. I decided to play it safe and stayed within my comfort zone. I knew that some more experienced riders would catch up on me at some point. I foresaw this and my game plan was to let them pass and try to follow their lines and gearing. This worked well and I was able to push the pace for the second part of the bike.

Run

I have to say that this run course caught me by surprise. 4km would seem like an easy distance. But I have to say this is definitely the most difficult run course "per kilometer." This was literally 4km worth of pain!

Out of T2, one would go up "the stair master." I went out guns blazing for this part; however, I was huffing and puffing midway. I suddenly remembered race organizer and eXtribe president, Eric Imperio's tip during race breifing: "walk up the stairs." My calves were still shocked when I got to the top. The very steep hill a few meters after it also added to the pain. "Why the heck am I still running?" I thought to myself. I walked up the 20%+ grade slope and tried to get my heart rate down. My legs haven't recovered and were really close to cramping up. The thought of a DNF entered my mind; thus, I did my best to recover. I was so dehydrated and the fact that we were required to wear our helmets for the run course made things a lot more difficult.

Thirsty, tired, and over-heating, I was really reaching my limit. "Death before DNF" was something I kept on repeating to myself and tried to soldier on. My strategy of walking up the hills and running down didn't work as the downhill portions were too steep. I had trouble keeping my balance; I was even thinking of sliding/rolling down the hills to save time/effort.

When the mountain portion of the run was done, we went towards the shore for a beach run. Kudos to the Baywatch stars as running on the beach was harder than it looked! My shoes had no traction on the loose sand. It was like running on a treadmill. High leg turnover, high heart rate yet you were barely moving. The rocky stretch on the beach was also difficult. One would have to lunge over boulders and some of these rocks were quite slippery. I'm lucky to be agile and flexible enough to maneuver through these obstacles injury free.

During the stretch near La Luz Beach Resort, the finish line seemed so near but it was extremely difficult to reach it. Finesse was out the window! I knew the guy behind me was so near; I was powering myself through the sand. After I crossed, my heart rate was through the roof! I took off my helmet grabbed several cups of Gatorade and cooled down.

When everything sunk in, I was so proud of what I went through. It was something unique; something I had not prepared for, yet was so rewarding! I finished behind Coach Mat (that's a given) but I really had to fight hard for second place. 

Nicely designed Finisher's Towel

Moreover, to put things into perspective, doing that run leg once is already hard but the residents of the area have to walk that course everyday!

Mr Eric Imperio, Joyette (1st Women's Regular), del Carmen (3rd), Coach Mat (1st), Me (2nd)

After thoughts

There is benefit in training/racing with your mtb for road racers like me. It gives you a mental break; the change in scenery is always welcome. The fields, trees, and mountains are a far cry from the asphalt, pollution, and vehicular traffic we encounter on the road. It also challenges your concentration skills. Roadies have a tendency to "doze off" when riding open streets; once you get your rhythm going, most keep it steady and consistent. With mountain biking, you're always on your toes and you have to react to the terrain instantly. One must focus on what's ahead: "Find your line and commit!" Indecisiveness can often get you into more trouble. A mountain bike is also ridden quite differently. The cadence required is higher and one must have more power for acceleration and short hard efforts. I find this to compliment hill work and heavy gear riding for road/tri bikes. Obviously, handling is an huge part of riding the trails. It can give you more confidence on the road especially during slippery or wet conditons.

**Thanks Ivan Fojas for the pictures :-)