Erin & Will's Adventures

Highlights from XTERRA World Champs

2009-10-31T12:24:00.000-06:00

Swimming in the James River

2009-10-05T09:25:00.001-06:00

More TransRockies Fun

2009-09-16T21:29:00.002-06:00

Don't miss out on days 4 and 5 of Will's TransRockies Run blog. Check out http://willkelsay.blogspot.com/

TransRockies Run Day 3

2009-09-10T10:56:00.001-06:00

Check out the pics and stories from day 3 of the TransRockies Run

http://willkelsay.blogspot.com/

Day 1 & 2 of the TransRockies Run

2009-09-08T21:45:00.002-06:00

Check out the blogs that Will wrote about the first 2 race days of the TransRockies Run that he did with fellow Timex Team member Toby Radcliffe.

www.WillKelsay.com

TransRockies Pre Race (8/22)

2009-09-01T11:34:00.003-06:00

This is the first in a series of many posts about my EPIC adventure that was the TransRockies Run. While in the Colorado Rocky Mountains for 7 days, I ran 113 miles, meet loads of amazing people, saw some of the most spectacular views ever, and walked away absolutely loving life.

Here is how it all started...

Packing turned out to be far more complicated than I originally thought. Adam Chase gave me load of tips and tricks for a race like this, and trying to fit in all the gear that could be quite crucial, was a challenge.

Maybe all those energy drinks were a bad idea!?!

We (my race partner Toby Radcliffe and I) picked up Jonathan Toker, creator of SaltStick (http://www.saltstick.com/) Saturday afternoon and made the almost 3 hour drive it Buena Vista. It would have been a lot quicker, but those guys had the bladders the size of peas, so we kept stopping to take a leak.

In BV, we checked in for the race and it turned out to be swag city. We got loads of sweet stuff (including a new Timex watch! My collection is almost complete!) Everyone had to get a competitors badge made up and the only picture I had around was one from my previous hair style.

Then came the fun part (not really)! We had to pack all of our stuff in plastic bags (in case it rained) and then pack those into our team duffel bags. It took us forever and we had to leave a bit of stuff behind.

After the first of many massive group dinners, it was off to a friend of a friends house to get some sleep and get ready for the race tomorrow morning.

This was the most comfortable (and I'm sure safest) way for me to travel in the back of a truck!

That night we all packed and re packed our bags trying to get everything in order. By the end of the trip, we were pretty good at it!

Check back soon (as in 1 day) for next instalment of Toby and Will's TransRockies Run

Feeling Big Time at XTERRA Indian Peaks

2009-08-18T11:04:00.004-06:00

At the XTERRA Indian Peaks race on August 1st, I have to admit I felt like a bit of a celebrity. I had tons of friends, family, and my runners there supporting me. Everywhere I turned, there was someone that I knew. It was a blast! This must be how Conrad feels all the time!

This is a rather unique swim because it is a time trial start. What that means is that every 3 to 5 seconds someone goes. I signed up rather late, so I ended up with #2. It wouldn't have been any big deal, except that #1 didn't show up, and they were doing the swim in numerical order. Yup, that's right, I had to go first! Felt kinda weird knowing that everyone on shore was looking at me, but I knew it wouldn't last long. I almost made it to the first buoy before Branden caught me, then I no longer had to worry about being in front in the one part of the race that I really suck at.

The bike was going pretty well for the first few miles. I caught a glimpse of Cody in front of me and thought I might have a chance to catch and hang with him. But then in typical XTERRA fashion, things didn't go as planned. All of a sudden, my shifting was gone! I had a malfunction with my cable housing, and I wasn't able to shift in the rear.

So single speed it was! I had to run all the up hills, and really stand to grind out the flats. On the downhills, there was no holding back! If I didn't want to loose to much time, I had to go fast when I could.

My dad was out on course and it was really fun to see him several times throughout the ride. It was pretty twisty and windy out there, so he had to do a little walking, but he could see the course in several places.

Rolling into T2 was my total rock star moment. There was a massive wall of spectators lining the approach to the dismount line and it felt like everyone of them was screaming and yelling for me! Faster than a speeding bullet, I was in and out and it totally helped having the crowd cheering me on!

Coming off the bike in 3rd, I held that position through the run. Once again great to have my dad out there letting me know where my competition was in front and behind me.

I crossed the line 3rd, but an age grouper who finished behind me ended up bumping me to 4th. That's one of the down sides to time trial starts, you don't know exactly how everyone stacks up till they ALL cross the finish line. Guess I just need to swim faster, so that that won't be a concern at all.

My best buddy Blake who ended up taking 2nd in his age group.

My dad, mom, their puppy Lil, my brother Travis, and me after a fun day.

Several of the kids that I coach at Centaurus High School came up to watch me race. It was pretty fun because normally I'm the one cheering for them. Thanks Torie, Val, Christa, and Derek! You guys rock!

Torie and Val had these awesome shirts on that they made for the race. I felt pretty darn special because how often do people make a shirt to show support?!? Usually its just a sign. That was soooooo coool!!!

AQUA SPHERE!!!

2009-08-07T19:00:00.001-06:00

XTERRA Mountain Cup - Will

2009-08-05T15:06:00.004-06:00

The XTERRA Mountain Cup was held in Beaver Creek, CO on July 18th. Yes I realize this report is super delayed, but better late than never... This race was race # 9 in 12 weeks and to say I was a little burnt out would be an understatement. Mentally I was completely toast. I've learned my lesson that there is such a thing as too much racing. With the coast to coast travel and hectic schedule of the summer, I went into this race just going through the motions.The interesting things was how well I did considering my approach to the race. I wasn't motivated to go hard and really hurt myself, when I knew that my fitness wasn't where I wanted it to be. So anytime things got hard, I backed it off (that will be the theme for the day).

With this approach, I somehow swam the fastest I have all year! My time wasn't anything amazing, but I was much closer to the guys in front of me than I normally am. Hhhmmm.... maybe I should not try more often?

As I started the massive 3000 ft climb up to Beaver Creek resort from the lake in Avon, I kept with my lack luster mentality. "This feels hard. I should back it off." The same as with the swim, maybe I should not try more often. Glancing behind me, I saw Brian Smith (http://wheresbrianandjennysmith.blogspot.com/) 20 or so meters behind me. "Here he comes, and there he'll go" I said to myself. But somehow, he didn't come flying by me as anticipated. I was holding him off!?! Brian is a uber biker and one of the fastest guys on the circuit. I was quite surprised that he didn't shoot past me as usual.

It wasn't until a long road section that he passed me and left me behind, but I was quite surprised that I had stayed in front of him for as long as I had. The rest of the bike was rather cruisy. As I said before - anytime it got hard, I just backed it off. Burping my tire on one of the technical downhills aided to my less-than-blistering pace.

The entrance to T2 was really fun because it was straight down a hill! I came blazing in so fast I almost ran into the fencing between the bikes and the spectators. I was in and out of transition so fast, that I didn't even have time to take my gloves off! A friend was just outside T2, so I tossed her my gloves so I didn't have to do the entire run with them.

On second thought, I don't know if I'd call this a "run." Anytime it got kinda steep, I would walk. And there was a lot of steeps. Anytime I got to an aid station, I would walk. And there were several aid stations.

As usual, I didn't see anyone on the run (other than Sport athletes). A spectator told me there was someone behind me with about a mile to go, so I did put in "a little effort" to finish things off (never did actually see the guy). I finished 10th and was a bit surprised that I did considering I wasn't even tired. Hhhmmm... maybe next time I should not care, but put a little more effort in, maybe I'll surprise myself again!

Summer Outdoor Retailer

2009-07-24T08:23:00.003-06:00

Will Kelsay and I flew into Salt Lake City on Monday morning to attend the Outdoor Retailer Show with the Timex Group.

Montage from Erin Kummer on Vimeo.

We gave a brief presentation and showed the video above to the entire sales rep team then headed to dinner at Squatters with the crew. A great introduction to fun week :)

Tuesday morning was the beginning to our 'modeling' adventure. We were supposed to run around the show advertising our beer party and let everyone see the new Timex licensed apparel by Sugoi. As you know, I don't really do pink, but I didn't have a choice. It sure did catch lots of eyes though. That, and everyone who saw me in it and knew me almost about fell over because they were laughing so hard...haha...very funny.

As always, I was told to go take my picture next to the Headsweats booth where my photo still displays proudly. Not really sure what I was thinking when I took this pic!

After running around the show all day, we went directly to the industry party where there was lots of beer and a dogdgeball tournament. Rob, Will, Jim and I were a team and totally sucked it up for the first 3 games but then we played 4 others from Timex and eventually won. I nailed Herbie to get him out which drew a big cheer from the crowd then the rest was history. We finally got our free Timberland shoes after a series of super fun and injury free games!

The day was wrapped up with a delicious family style dinner (chosen by Dave) at PF Changs! Mmmmm...so good :)

Day 2 was a little more 'hoppin' at the show. Because there were way less meetings and more play from each of the vendors, we went from booth to booth just having an absolute blast and attempting to get as many people as we could over to our side of the show for the beer party at 3pm. Since we became such good friends with the guys from Timberland (they sponsored the dodgeball tournament), we visited their booth where we got to cycle on a bike to blend our own smoothies. Of course Will and I had to have a friendly competition for the crowd. I'm pretty sure I got my butt kicked, but I swear mine had way more ice than his...haha. Good times.

We also visited the Technica booth where they were doing grafitti on everyone's calves to promote their new trail running shoes. We didn't waste any time on this one either and got all marked up to show off as we pranced around throughout the day.

Finally...BEER!!! We marketed a keg at our booth with the first 200 people receiving a free mug. It was a complete success and we had tons of traffic and got through those first 200 beers in no time. Not only was there lots of great conversation, but many great connections were made and we had an absolute blast :)

Guess What Time It Is?

2009-07-19T14:04:00.000-06:00

It's peanut butter jelly time!

XTERRA Northeast Cup Race Report - Will

2009-07-19T11:20:00.003-06:00

As far as courses go, this is one of if not the hardest XTERRA's I've ever done. At other races, the weather has made things harder or the competition, but at this race, it was the course that was hurting everyone!

I was really excited to see my good friends Cabin and Nic this weekend. Nic is racing on the World Cup Mountain bike circuit, so she and Cabin were in the area and decided to do the race. Cabin is one of New Zealands top mountain bikers, and Nic is well on her way to that same title.

The swim was standard 1500m, 2 loop course. The water was warm enough that pros couldn't wear wetsuits, but age groupers could. As usual they swam over the top of me within a few hundred meters despite my 1 minute lead.

With the rain the day before the bike turned into a ride/run, with lots of pushing the bike because it was too slick to ride. Once we passed the hike-a-bike section, it was on! The rest of the course was a muddy hurt fest. It was very difficult riding and that's why I enjoyed it so much.

Check out the homemade fender on the down tube. It was an old soda bottle that I cut up and zip tied on. It kept my bottle from getting to muddy, but other than that it was a rather moot attempt.

In the last section of the bike I could see up the road about 4 minutes and saw no one. As I reached the top of that section I looked back and saw no one. I was sitting in 8th place and knew that unless some one from behind had a fantastic run, I would finish in that same position. So this made the run a bit easier (which was good because it was freakin hard!). I ran the flats and down hills, but just "power walked" the uphills. Crossing the line in 8th, I earned a few more points in the points series.

At the expo, I wondered into the XTERRA Footwear booth and spotted a handsome young man with a mohawk on their banner. I gotta get one of those!

XTERRA Race at the Rez

2009-07-19T10:47:00.004-06:00

At the XTERRA Race at the Rez, I put on a clinic and then led a pre ride of the bike course. The clinic was a great success and we had 14 people for the pre ride! I had the helmet cam on, but unfortunately I forgot that the memory card was full, so I didn't get any footage. gggrrrr. Its a bummer because this course was SUPER TECHNICAL! I've done a lot of riding all around the country and this one one of the most technical courses I've ever seen. Rocks, roots, off camber sections, short little power climbs, this course has it all! Most all of it was ridable, but trust me it wasn't easy!

After the pre ride, I stuck around to help out with the kids triathlon. It was so cool to see all the little guys and girls going all out. I wish I could have got into triathlon when I was their age (8 to 12 years old). Way to go Max! Awesome T2 and run!

This was my 4th race in 4 weeks (Idaho then Richmond then Little Rock then this one), so I was a bit tired going into it. With the game plan of just have fun, it turned out to be a great day.

The swim was in a beautiful rez just outside of Essex, VT. After swimming in the some of the nastiest water I have ever swam in the past two weekends (James River in Richmond and the cesspool in Little Rock), I was over joyed to be in clean, clear, pristine water. I exited the 1200m swim in 8th place and jetted up to T1 intent on moving into 1st as soon as possible.

The bike course was a real doosey! I quickly caught up to the leaders and within 5 minutes or so I was in 1st. I pushed it pretty hard to catch those guys and I thought I would just keep pushing in order to build a big lead. About half way through the first lap I crashed and tweaked my thumb. As soon as I hopped back on the bike I decided to back it off and just ride smooth. This turned out to be a fantastic decision because the easier and smoother I went, the faster I went.

Sliding off the bike and onto the run, I decided to keep the same game plan of 'keep it easy and smooth.' This worked quite well and I cruised to the win with just under a 4 minute lead over Kristoffer Nielsen. He had finished a few minutes behind me at Richmond a couple of weeks earlier and is one of the fastest guys in the Northeast.

One of the things that I love best about doing smaller races such as this is all the cool people you get to meet. After the race, the race director Mark and his wife Robin, took me to downtown Burlington (which looks remarkably like Pearl St in Boulder), to meet up with some other racers (Paul, Sophie, and the boys) for some sweet pizza.

Now I get the 4th of July weekend to get a little R&R before flying back out to VT for the XTERRA Northeast Cup on the 12th.

XTERRA Northeast Cup Race Report - Erin

2009-07-19T08:38:00.003-06:00

July 12th, 2009

Warren, Vermont
7th Pro Woman

The Swim - The water temps had been hovering around 69* all week but after the big rain storm the night before, it was possible the water would be a little colder allowing the pros to wear wetsuits. Nope...70* it was on race morning, so no wetsuits for us. No worries, it was actually quite refreshing! We got a 60 second head start from the age groupers but by the second buoy, I had already been caught by several fast swimmers floating along. After a good start and a good build into my race pace, I swam up to another pro woman and was able to stay on her feet for over 75% of the swim. That was one of the first times I have been able to do that so I was super excited. We came out of the water 3rd and 4th position.

The Bike - Or hike should I call it?!? The course was comprised of a technical downhill trail (meaning you get shuttled up then ride it back down for normal people), but in our case, we got to attempt to climb up it. Since it had been raining for 4 straight weeks, the course was completely submerged under water and the biggest mudpit I have ever seen. Not only is this kind of riding incredibly foreign to me, almost the entire 3000ft of climbing was completely un-ridable. The bike was basically a hiking race to see who could run with their bikes the fastest up the steep, muddy and slippery trail.

This is the 'Erin is not a happy camper' face. The hiking not only killed my knee beyond belief, but totally stressed out my lower back making the final road climb into T2 quite painful. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE playing in the mud and being dirty, but it was really frustrating that because my knee was hurting so badly and I couldn't run through that crap fast that people were passing me left and right.

The Run - Or hike should I say?!?! By the time I reached T2, I was so far back that I actually got to witness the sprint finish between Seth Wealing and Conrad Stoltz for 2nd and 3rd! I got very distracted and almost forgot I was racing...oops! I finally slipped on my shoes and set off on the very difficult 2 lap course. As expected, the first couple steps were already sending shooting pains through my knee. I hobbled through as much of it as I could but had to walk A LOT. There was over 750ft of elevation per lap of steep, soggy, muddy terrain. I even lost my shoe in one of the mud puddles because it was so deep and sticky! All I wanted to do was finish, and in one piece. Several minutes later, I did and it was a huge relief.

After thoughts - Where to start? After crossing the finish line, my first inclination was to burst out into tears as 1) I was pretty sure my knee was going to fall off and 2) I was just an emotional train wreck. Luckily, Branden was the first person there to calm me down. I knew coming into this race, along with every other race I've done this season, that I was not going to be competitive and was just there for the experience. Toeing the line to a race with that attitude is NOT easy. This race was the culmination of all those emotions and the final push to make my decision to cut the season short pretty easy. Racing unfit and in loads of pain is not enjoyable and definitely not going to get me anywhere in the future so it's time to figure things out...for real.

On a more positive note, I will be missing all the camaraderie that comes along with racing XTERRA. Pre and post race activities are always a blast and everyone on the circuit is absolutely amazing.

Dog Tags

2009-07-15T13:53:00.003-06:00

Way cooler than getting a finishers medal, at the XTERRA Northeast Cup, they had XTERRA dog tags for everyone.

Will Kelsay being Will Kelsay - Version 2.0

2009-07-04T23:40:00.000-06:00

Will is a little special...

The Arkansas Experience

2009-07-04T12:29:00.004-06:00

The XTERRA South Central Cup was a real learning experience for me. I discovered how to NOT race in the heat. I learned the hard way what NOT to do then the water is 88 degrees and the outside air temp is pushing 104!

As we hopped into the bath water filled swimming area, I had a game plan for the swim. Start easy and stick on Erin's feet. As the gun went off, I set my plan into action and it seemed to be working splendidly until about 3/4 of the way through the swim, when I overheated and had to completely shut things down, so that I would be able to finish.

Pulling my muffin top out of the suit, I hopped on the bike and began to hammer. I knew Brian Smith was just ahead and I really wanted to ride with him. BIG MISTAKE! I went to hard, to soon in the race and had not let my body cool off from the swim (that's weird... usually I have to warm up from the swim). I immediately started to feel the affects of the heat.

As I started to fade, bad turned to worse. Finishing the first lap of the bike course, I began to see spots, my ears were ringing, and my head was pounding! I hit a little descent and BAM! Crash number one. Nothing to major, but it shook me up a bit. Jumping back on the bike I told myself 'Come on! Just keep riding!" Then BAM! Crash number two. Not one to be defeated easily, I hopped back on the bike and kept pushing. Attempting to really rail through the next corner, I burped both tires and lost most of the air in the front, and had very little in the rear.

That's when I decided to shut it down. That was the end of my race for the day. I was now just concerned with finishing. I hobbled my way to T2, sitting up along the final road section so that Erin could catch me. I figured if I wasn't going to have that great of a race, I'd still try to have some fun with it and help someone out if I could.

So out of T2, Erin and I ran side by side showing off the camaraderie of Team Timex. I carried a water bottle for us to douse ourselves with to help keep cool. Every aid station we passed it was a whirlwind of hands and cups flying everywhere trying to get as much liquid as possible.

Knowing that I would race again the next weekend (XTERRA Race at the Rez), I was content to head out for a fun run. I really liked running with Erin and helping to push her. Its so much more fun to run with someone than by yourself.

We crossed the finish line together, her coming in 6th for pro women, me 9th for pro men. It was a total eye opener, that the heat can totally destroy even the strongest of athletes. All of the top pros for the day said it was a real struggle out there, and going 100% just wasn't possible. Wish I had know that before hand! Live and learn...

XTERRA Northeast Cup Pre Ride

2009-07-02T18:01:00.002-06:00

Complete with commentary, here is a pre ride video of the XTERRA in Sugarbush coming up in just over a week.

Why the XTERRA in Richmond Rocks!

2009-06-30T23:08:00.002-06:00

XTERRA Atlantic Cup Race Report - Will

2009-06-30T21:29:00.002-06:00

The XTERRA Atlantic Cup in Richmond, VA (new name, same venue) is the bomb diggity when it comes to fun races courses. Crazy swim in a river, sweet trails that are right downtown, and a run with several XTERRA style twists.

So here is my new fashion statement. I've determined that rolling the top of your suit into the bottoms to give yourself a "muffin top" is totally hot. I'm gonna do that all the time from now on. Not only that, but if wearing your swim cap and goggles while trying to put gloves on isn't cool, then I don't wanna be! It helped me shave a few seconds off of transition, which is a good thing because I lost a couple of minutes on the swim to the leaders.

I'm always impressed that Brightroom Photography finds a way to get shots on the lamest sections of the course. Look for the section that least represents what we are riding, and they are there. If I'm not mistaken, this is XTERRA and last time I checked that means we ride and run OFF road. Most of the pictures they shot for the day were on the only road section of the entire course.

I was really excited about the bike though because there was this one section where I did this one thing, that totally saved me like 3 seconds (you know what I'm talking about Conrad). I was so proud, that I shouted a big a WOOHOO, when I did it (even though no one was around to see my righteous move).

One of these days, after I learn how to swim fast, I will eventually have people to race with. I did 100% of the run by myself. Its kinda fun to be out there pushing yourself on your own, but at the same time I yearn for the challenge of racing my heart out in some head to head competition.

I did have a solid enough race to finish 9th, which earns some good points for the Pro Points Series. Staying top 10 in the series has been a goal of mine for a while and it looks like it'll happen this season!

Its Richmond! It wouldn't be complete without a quick trip to the med tent. Nothings serious, just a case of wussy-itous.

It was great to see my old college buddy Farleigh at the race. We used to be on the University of Colorado Triathlon Team. We reminisced about good old college times. Such as when we snuck 2 people into a Mexican resort in the trunk of a car.

XTERRA South Central Race Report - Erin

2009-06-24T20:36:00.001-06:00

June 20th, 2009

Little Rock, AR
6th Pro Woman

Swim - Let me just start with saying that it was 87* at 8:30am and we didn't start until 10am! By the start it was in the mid 90s and freakin' HOT! The tiny body of water we swam in was not only murky and filled with who knows what, but it was a refreshing 88*. That's warmer than bath water! My plan was to swim as easy as possible and try my best not to overheat. I did just so and the funny thing is that I actually swam faster than I ever have. I really focused on the new things I learned during my swim stroke analysis and really stayed long and strong versus fighting the water and trying to catch up to the other packs. I was super excited and now have a much better outlook on swimming :)

Bike - Although I swam pretty easy, I was still exhausted from the hot water and the insanely hot air temperature. The course was really rocky and bumpy and really worked your whole body. My plan of freezing half my hydration pack the night before and filling the rest full of water to dilute the sports drink/calorie concentrate was an absolute disaster. The thermal pack didn't allow the bladder to melt and I only had a small amount of water and no calories! Talk about a bad time not to have fluid or sugar!!! At that point, I was already so hot that I just put it in cruise control with the goal of simply finishing the race. The two loop course was actually really fun, but the heat just made it 10x harder.

Run - As I was coming into T2, I saw Will soft pedaling into transition. He told me he had overdone it, crashed a few times and wanted to wait to run with me because all he wanted to do was finish too. WOW...talk about a teammate! By this point, it's already noon and well over 100*. The first 2 miles of the run were completely exposed and false flatish uphill. After that, you have a 300-400ft full body climb/hike up these crazy cliffs. Had Will not been with me and brought a water bottle, I honestly would never have made it. I was going off course, I was falling backwards, I was completley dilerious! At the top, we traverse for a good mile or so until you start to descend back down through loose, rocky switchbacks. I finally got my legs turning over, but was still suffering like a dog. The final part of the run consisted of another 300ft climb (a little more gradual) but very exposed. I almost cracked, but Will saved the day again and kept reassuring me I could do it. After another technical decent on the 'rock quarry', we hit the forest for a mile or so and to the finish...THANK GOD!

Finish - Holy crap that was hard. I am so proud of myself for getting through it and NOT going to the med tent! Yes, that is a huge step for me as I'm usually the first to head over. This isn't the first time Will has run with me in a race and helped me to the finish line and having a friend/teammate like that is absolutely priceless. Thank you sooo much Will and if I could do the same for you, I would in a heartbeat.

XTERRA Atlantic Cup Race Report - Erin

2009-06-19T05:25:00.001-06:00

June 14^th, 2009

7^th Pro Woman

After the crazy travel debacles and my stress levels beyond healthy, I went into this race with absolutely no expectations. Not only was there a potential for duathlon because of high water levels, this is probably the most technical course in the series and Erin ≠ technical!

The Swim – Yes, we did have a swim and it was absolutely hilarious. Although the current wasn’t nearly as strong as it had been the previous two days, it was still flowing pretty well. I honestly had to swim at a 45* angle just to keep myself from drifting down river. Even though the water was way higher than last year, there were still several gigantic rocks through the swim that just come out of nowhere. When your head is submerged in the James River you can’t even see your hands much less anything in front of you…ugh, so disgusting. I ended up having a killer swim coming out 2^nd with a pretty good gap. This was the best swim finish for me ever so I was super stoked.

The Bike – My 2^nd place lead didn’t last long. Over the next 30 minutes, just about every person behind me came flying by like I was standing still. I was excited I didn’t have any fit issues, but I still didn’t feel very comfortable or confident on the new bike at all. This is not my kind of course with lots of technical sections and windy, narrow trail. Luckily, I only crashed once but did ride very conservatively and SLOW as crap! I’m definitely looking forward to some good training and practice on the 9.9 once I get home and really dial it all in.

The Run – I knew the other girls in front were pretty far up there so I decided to just throw down as hard as I could for the first part of the run that is flat and straight. After climbing up the Mayan Ruins (a section of 2-3ft broken down stairs that go straight up and require full body use to get up), I got right back into a fast pace. As soon as we jumped into the final technical singletrack, I completely hit the wall. I might have run a bit too fast during the first 4 miles or maybe just didn’t eat enough during the bike, but all I know is that my pace slowed to a screeching halt and the technical sections seemed much harder than normal. I hate to say it but my knee was totally killing me too so that definitely wasn’t aiding the process of getting me to the finish line any faster:)

The Race – In the money Baby!!! Although this was yet another frustrating and nothing resembling ‘perfect’ race, I was happy with it. I had a great swim, learned a lot about the different things I need to do on the bike and gave the run the best effort I could. Racing week after week is really hard without having much base from the winter, but it’s such a great experience and with a healthy body, I know it can be much better!

XTERRA Northwest Cup Race Video

2009-06-16T08:26:00.000-06:00

XTERRA Northwest Cup Race Report - Erin

2009-06-12T18:46:00.000-06:00

June 6th, 2009
Coeur d'Alene, ID
8th Pro Woman

This is the first time I have ever had an afternoon start and although it was a bit awkward, it was kind of fun and definitely a new experience.

The Swim - Brrrrr and holy waves! We were told the water temp was around 55*. The worst part was that it was really windy which made for some super choppy water. No worries, I got through it just fine...slow, but safe. I did, however, learn a big lesson on the day. I knew the run from the lake to transition was on really rocky and steep terrain and because I didn't have any other shoes other than my race flats, I thought it would be a good idea to bring those down and put them on to run up. As I put one foot in, I filled it up completely with rocks and sand and remembered that Will told me to be careful of that because I didn't want any debris left in my shoes for the actual run section of the race. After realizing that it would be nearly impossible to get all the rocks out before the run, I decided to just carrying them. Ha...what a stupid move that was. Talk about disoriented! Trying to get your wetsuit off with one hand while running up steep, rocky stairs after swimming in freezing cold, choppy water is probably the hardest thing EVER!

The Bike - The first race on my new bike!!! Hell yeah it’s flashy, fast and beautiful, but let me tell ya, without the correct fit, it doesn't work well at all :( Because I had only done 3 rides on it before the race, I didn’t get a chance to dial everything in and I ended up being way too stretched out. I felt my lower back tighten up immediately after the first short climb and couldn’t get it to calm down afterward. Standing up on the pedals and thrusting my hips forward helped pop some things back into place, but having all the power coming from my back and not my legs definitely didn’t help me get anywhere fast. I swear one of these races everything will be just fine and I’ll be able to hammer and thrash my legs are much as possible…haha.

The Run – You’ll all have to see the video footage of this, but literally within 3 minutes into the run, I tripped and face planted right into a huge pile of rocks and sliced my ‘good’ knee right open. I didn’t think twice about it and got right up and started running as fast as my little legs would go. I’m not sure if it was the adrenaline pumping through my veins or that my ‘bad’ knee is starting to heal, but I honestly had no shooting pain throughout the entire run which was a first! Other than the blood gushing out of my right knee and the pain of running a super technical trail, the run couldn’t have been any better. I definitely wasn’t the speediest on the course, but I wasn’t the slowest either and I actually felt like I was ‘running’. WHOOOAAAA…this is good!

The Race – Things are finally starting to come together. Every race has been better and better and I can only imagine it will keep going in that direction. I am learning from the big girls and once I can get some consistent training in, I have a feeling the latter part of the season is going to kick butt! As for the venue, it was absolutely gorgeous and fun to be part of an inaugural race. Thanks to everyone who helped us out and a big thanks to Phaedra who hosted all of us at her wonderful home :)

Timex Clinic - Trek Store - Boulder, CO

2009-06-11T18:36:00.000-06:00

On Tuesday evening, 8 Timex athletes who reside in Colorado did a ‘Smorgasbord of triathlon’ at the Trek Store in Boulder. Not only was it great to see some of my teammates that I hadn’t seen since camp, we also had a great turnout. Each of us presented on a different topic and had great response from the audience.

Even though it was raining, I did bring the BMW out with the new bike on it :)

I would like to give a big thank you to The Trek Store in Boulder. Every employee there is absolutely amazing. They have consistently been bending over backwards for us and have provided such great service both bike and customer related. If you ever need anything from a local shop, definitely head over there. I promise they’ll get you all hooked up and ready to roll. Click on the logo above to check out their website!

XTERRA Northwest Cup Pre Ride

2009-06-09T14:18:00.000-06:00

Erin and Will were joined by Justin Barnhart (assistant race director for XTERRA Portland) and Matt Berg (top age grouper) for a pre ride of the XTERRA Northwest Cup in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.

Preview of XTERRA South Central Champs

2009-06-07T19:45:00.000-06:00

On his way back from the XTERRA Southeast Championship in Birmingham, AL Will rode the bike course for the upcoming XTERRA South Central Championship in Little Rock, AR. Below is the preview and a little silliness at the end.

Portland Triathlon Clinics

2009-06-02T15:07:00.000-06:00

After a crazy day of travel, building bikes, riding the XTERRA Portland course and a 30 second shower, we headed over to the Lucky Labrador to give the Portland Triathlon Club a clinic on 'Erin & Will's XTERRA Adventures'!

We had a great turnout and definitely convinced a few people to get out and try their first off-road triathlon which was really exciting! Check out some of the footage from the night :)

After a big day of swimming, biking and running on Tuesday, we went to the Gecko Tri Club in Portland to do another presentation. As always, Will and I were full of information and lots of silly stories.

Wednesday was a much more relaxed day. We slept in, did a hard swim then got lots of work done before we headed out for an evening 'fun run' with the Ironheads Triathlon Club. We met up with a great group of triathletes and did an awesome loop around a beautiful area. Afterward, we all joined up for a delicious BBQ and some good conversation.

XTERRA Portland Pre-ride

2009-06-02T14:57:00.000-06:00

We flew out to Portland yesterday morning from Denver to give clinics and lead 'fun runs' to various triathlon clubs in the area. Although XTERRA Portland isn't until August 15th, we wanted to be able to tell and show our audiences why this course is the absolute bomb diggity and that everyone should sign up! Click on the image above to reach the race website and check out the video below to check out the bike course.

Pre Ride in Bama

2009-05-31T08:58:00.000-06:00

Will and Mike Vine shot a little footage while riding the mountain bike course for the XTERRA Southeast Championship in Birmingham, AL.

XTERRA Southeast Cup Race Report - Erin

2009-05-30T15:58:00.000-06:00

May 23, 2009

9th Pro Woman

Back in Bama Baby!!! I'm not sure I could have topped my day here from last year by taking the overall amateur title, but it felt good to be back on a familiar course and remembering all the good times from the previous year. After the extreme heat from 2008, we were so fortunate to have temps in the 70s with a touch of rain near the end :)

Swim - The pros were given a 30 second head start because we were not allowed to wear wetsuits and the age groupers were. I immediately got into the group with the lead women and felt very comfortable right away. About 400m in I took about 20 or so strokes without sighting because I felt like I was right in the draft but when I looked up, I had veered straight left. DANG! I tried as hard as I could to catch back up, but no luck. I swam the rest of the first and second laps solo. I came out 4th woman by less than a minute, but definitely worked harder than I should have and could have been right up there had I just looked up...next time!

Bike - Oh the bike! I love the bike part of the race and I love this course. I know the terrain wasn't my forte with lots of tight turns, roots, and power bursting sections, but it's still fun. I was actually kicking butt for the first 12 minutes or so until my hips completely locked up, AGAIN. My saddle didn't slip so it wasn't because of that, but whatever it was, I lost all power and ended up spinining the entire rest of the course. Was it because my saddle was set too far back after the debacle last week? Is it because I don't do enough short and hard intervals? Is it the transition from swimming to biking? Neal and I are investigating the problem and will soon have it all figured out. So needless to say, I got my booty handed to me on the bike. However, I did ride 'Blood Rock' like a champ :)

Run - The course here is very interesting. The first 2 miles or so are the same as the bike course and super fun. Once you pop out of that section, you hit a fire road for 30 seconds then jump right back into the woods where you go straight up and straight down until the finish. I'm really not kidding when I say straight up and down either. I didn't have too much pain in the knee during the first section so I just cruised, however, once I hit the technical hills, there was a lot of power hiking and hesitation while trotting down. Steep terrain is not my knee's friend right now. Like last year, I totally used a few trees to pull myself up and not fall on my butt coming down. My time was still slower than the other girls and my run fitness is non-existent, but it's not far off.

THE RACE - I'm happy and pleased nothing disastrous went down. My transitions were way faster than last race and I feel like my knee is getting better every week. I still have lots of training to get in and lots more racing to do before I'll be in top form, but it's getting there and I'm excited to test it out at each of my upcoming races.

Loading the Van

2009-05-30T11:03:00.000-06:00

With some top notch organizational skills, it's easy to load over $40,000 worth of cycling equipment into the back of one mini van.

XTERRA Midwest Cup Race Video

2009-05-24T08:26:00.000-06:00

XTERRA Midwest Cup Race Report - Will

2009-05-23T14:15:00.000-06:00

Here it is. Short & sweet.

Water temperature great for wetsuit swim. Pretty cold once you got out, which made for numb feet on the bike. Super grippy and very tacky conditions on the bike course.

Would have made for a fast bike split, but my POS race bike (my old Santa Cruz), had problems the entire time. I broke my chain again. Grrrrrr :-(

The run was fast and flat with loads of curves, just like the bike course. I felt as though I had run fast, but was mistaken. I did run my way back up to 14th though.

I'm primed, pumped, and ready to redeem myself at the XTERRA Southeast Championship.

XTERRA Midwest Cup Race Report - Erin

2009-05-22T08:43:00.000-06:00

May 17th, 2009

9th Pro Woman

Where to start? It was the first race of the season, my first race as a professional and first time running over 30min in a very, very long time! Considering those factors, I went into the race with absolutely no expectations.

The swim - No only was it a brisk morning (32 degrees), the water temp was only 61 degrees...brrrrr! No worries, the faster you go, the faster you'll warm up, right?!? Haha, that was my plan of action. The start went well and I was able to settle into a decent pace after getting around the madness of the first 200 meters. I always forget how intense the beginning of the swim is, geez! I didn't have the best of swims (5th woman), but was pleased that I didn't go off course and beat Will Kelsay out of the water. He'll claim in was in front of my at one point, but it was only during the run section between loops :)

I told myself that this race was all about smiles so that's what I attempted to do :)

The Bike - T1 was absolutely hilarious as I had not done one transition practice nor taken my wetsuit off yet this year and it took me absolutely forever to get my crap together. This is where Will got his revenge...man, he's fast getting out in and out of transition. At any rate, this was such a fun bike course and I was really excited to get out there. The first part of the bike was super fast in tight trees with absolutely no sunlight. It was still really chilly and my hands and feet immediately went numb. The 2 creek crossings per lap didn't help warm the feet up much either! I was really hoping to get a killer ride in and either walk or trot the run, but the harder I went on the bike, the more my hips kept cramping up and I couldn't apply any power whatsoever. After coming through the first lap slower than my practice lap the day prior and feeling way more exhausted, I was really frustrated. I figured it was because I was cold and my muscles weren't firing, but about 3 minutes into the second lap, my saddle completely slipped and the nose pointed straight up. It had obviously been slipping the whole time pushing me backwards which was why my hips kept tightening up. I spent the rest of the lap pushing it back down every time it would slip up...which was every couple minutes! As I mentioned earlier, this race was about smiles and I immediately let it go because it wasn't worth being upset.

At least I didn't hit the big mud pit on the left of this picture before a creek crossing, stuff my front tire and fly straight over my handle bars and submerge myself face first into the creek. Seth Wealing had a fall similar to the dude below but unfortunately it wasn't captured on camera!

The stories from the guys behind him are absolutely priceless though!

The Run - T2 was even more comical as my feet were beyond numb coming off the bike. I was lucky to have the bike to hold onto while running into transition, but once I racked my bike, I fell right over attempting to put on my shoes! I hobbled out on the course and miraculously ran/trotted the entire course. Quite slowly of course and definitely not pain free but I did it.

The finish - Yippee, I finally made it. Because I wasn't even certain I would finish, I was thrilled. Deep down, I felt a little bitter as I wished I was healthy, fit, fast and running without pain, but I know it will come soon enough and Worlds aren't until October. I honestly couldn't have asked for a better day and it was so nice to have the support of my parents, little brother and grandparents! Thanks everyone :)

XTERRA Midwest Cup Pre-ride Video

2009-05-19T21:24:00.000-06:00

XTERRA Atlantic Cup Race Poster

2009-05-19T09:56:00.000-06:00

This is the race poster that is all round the Richmond area advertising the XTERRA Atlantic Cup. Who is that dashing young lad in the white race suit coming out of the water?

Dispronunciation

2009-05-18T22:06:00.000-06:00

Opps! Wasn't that ironical that even the title of this blogs is uncorrect. Check out the video that I was inspired to make while driving to the XTERRA Midwest Championship in Mighican last week.

Video Introduction

2009-05-17T21:27:00.000-06:00

Meet the kids

2009-05-15T15:45:00.000-06:00

Erin - She’s a 24 year old accountant by day and triathlete by heart. She grew up in Rochester Hills, MI/Strasbourg, France then moved to Boulder, CO in 2002 to attend the University of Colorado. Like most, she fell completely in love with the area and never left. After being a competitive golfer her whole life, she joined the CU Triathlon Team in 2005 and finally discovered her true passion. Under the guidance of several coaches and the support of the Timex Multisport Team, she has raced numerous road triathlons ranging from sprints to half Ironmans. However, after introduced to XTERRA in 2008, she has vowed to never leave the dirt. As a first year professional, she will be competing in the XTERRA America Cup Series as well as a few point series races throughout the country. She is looking forward to a season full of experience and getting ‘beat up on by the big girls’.

Will – He is a 27 year old professional triathlete and coach. Originally from Oregon City, OR he now calls Boulder, CO home. After graduating from the University of Colorado (where he first meet Erin) and figuring out that “working” was not for him, he decided to try out being a professional triathlete. So far so good. In 2007, he was named MR XTERRA for his “live more” attitude after traveling the country in a RV putting on triathlon clinics and racing XTERRA’s every weekend. Always looking for ways to further the sport and have fun, he got into coaching in 2004. Working with a local high school, he coaches cross country and track and field during the spring and fall. This year he will travel the country racing the XTERRA America Cup and with over 15 XTERR’s on the schedule it’s bound to be a doosey!

Here we go!

2009-05-05T19:59:00.000-06:00

Welcome to our new site! Throughout the season we will be posting videos, race reports, training tips and anything you want to see on a weekly basis. We are very excited to help support our wonderful sponsors as they support us in our pursuit of being professional athletes. Enjoy the ride :)