Momentum Health OatWell DualX powered by PeptoPro  held at Hakahana, Pretoria. Quality pix by Zoon Cronje. The rest- probably mine.

The other great thing about spending my first winter in South Africa (since 1991) is now I can do the interesting local races I’ve been missing out on. Been following the DualX  off road duathlon series from across the ocean via the interwebs and vicariously through Theo Blignaut. I’ve heard about the fantastic Advendurance organization, decent prize money, “real” run and bike courses… but mostly I heard of the “unbeatable Brand du Plessis.” I didn’t realize exactly how unbeatable until I learnt he hasn’t lost an off road duathlon in 6 years.

In a league of his own on the run,

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Pre race Caveman dinner tonight. Fresh gnocchi with herbs, pan seared Eland steaks, blue cheese, beet root (aka legal EPO) and brusselsprouts with garlic chunks for that special “GOOD LUCK” breath and propulsion off the start line…

Eat big. Mostly carbs, fats and protein. Go slow on the fiber. (Leafy stuff like salad, fruit etc)

Hydrate with colourant and flavourant free drink containing Sodium, Magnesium and Potassium. If it hot, start drinking a good amount of the sodium drink 2 days before. The sodium and Mg also helps with cramps.

I try to stay clear of the beer the day before.

But chocolate is pretty much a part of my DNA…

Last Supper desert message from  Princess Hotstuff.

Relax, go to bed the usual time, and dont think about the race till tomorrow. I have a semi boring book (At Home by Bill Bryson and anything by Herman Charles Bosman) and architecture podcast (99% Invisible) handy to put me to sleep.

“Tapering refers to the practice of reducing exercise in the days just before an important competition”- Wiki.

At this stage, no training – or specific training session – will make you any faster on race day. The only reason I dont spend all week in the hammock is beacause 1) I need to learn the course and stay updated with changes, 2) you need to do at least, some light training to stay loose and flexible.

What tapering does: (I’m not a sport scientist, so this is the Caveman-ed down version)

– You get fresher. Duh. (3-4 days hard taper for “normal” races and 4-6 days for “big” races. Add 1 day for every 5 or so years over 35.)

– Tapering restores glycogen and hydration levels. No carbo loading or over-eating needed. Just eat and drink like normal- the lower training volume & intensity will take care of the rest.

– Resting heightens mental alertness. Good time to do taxes, catch up on creative writing or learn the guitar.

– Gives you time to do other stuff. Like day dreaming about winning…

–

On race day you only want to pump your tyres, fill your bottles, and if you’ve been practicing- clipping your shoes in and lacing them up with elastics. (Seen here at XTERRA Worlds in Maui 2013) Pic Nils Nilsen.

Now that its too late to do much training, I’m going to help guide you- over the next 6 days- with different race preparation tips to help you prepare for XTERRA Grabouw.

Race day minus 6. Check bike and equipment: 

We’re doing this 6 days out, so there is still time to run out and buy stuff,(and try it out) and your bike shop dont want your “problem” on friday afternoon.

For some athletes some of the info my be XTERRA 101, but if you’re a newbie, some may be Greek. But everyone can learn. I’ll try my best to have this post apply to a broad spectrum of people.

If you’re new to the sport, or a roadie who’s borrowing a mountain bike, or an old hand, but your bike has been gathering cob webs in the garage, the following point will help.

1) Check your whole bike over so that it is 100% mechanically sound. If you’re not mechanically minded (its actually quite easy to get the basics) you should ask a friend or take it to a shop asap.

– Suspension pressure. If you’re an experienced rider, you’ll know your pressure settings or have them written down somewhere. Double check fork and shock pressure and add presuure if you need to. If you’re a rookie, go to a good shop TODAY and have them help set up your suspension properly. Good suspension set up is THE most important part of setting up a dual suspension bike. This is where the magic of the Brain technology in the Specialized bikes really shine.

– Tyre choice varies depending on the terrain, your skill level and your budget.

This Grabouw course is loose, sandy, rocky and has a few sections of dry loamy pine forest single track. A wider tyre run at lower pressure will help you float on top of the loose stuff, and will also give you better traction in corners and up hills.

I put fresh rubber on my bike before just about every race. Square knobs turn better. (Knobbies lose their edge with use) If you’re using “old” tyres, put the freshest one in front and look for cuts. (save dodgy tyres for training)

Tubeless is the only way. Put fresh sealant in wheels- it dries up quickly in dry climates. I like Stans sealant.

A tyre with bigger knobs (tread pattern) will also give you more traction, but the trade off is increased rolling resistance and added weight. This course has some hair on it, so dont come with skinny little bald “Europe tyres.”

This is an Africa tyre. Front: Specialized Ground Control 2.3.  In the Control casing. (stronger than Sworks casing) Wide, grippy, big air volume. Running at 22 psi.

Rear. Specialized FastTrak 2.2 Control casing run at 25 psi. As you can see, this tyre has seen better days (edges of center knobs are roundish and indentations are faint) I’ll ride on it once more and replace it tomorrow.

– Bolt check. Check all bolts for proper tightness. Remember to check cleats on shoes- it they’re not rusted tight already, tighten them till snug. New cleats need a 2nd tightning. Same with a new bike. Not all bolts are supposed to be tight, so dont just blindly tighten bolts…

Water bottle cages. If you can take 2 bottles- do so. Or carry a Camelback Its “only” 28km, but its a long, hard and possibly hot 28km. And then there’s the 11km run…

– Spares. Tyre plug, Tube, CO2 or pump, Allan keys. Know how to use it. If you’ve been training, you’ll know…

What to wear in the swim?

– Goggles. Duh. But do they fog up? Rinse them out with Baby Shampoo now and again 2 days before. Do they leak? Are tight enough? Maybe the wrong fit? – rush to the shop tomorrow. For this course tinted lenses are best- you’ll be swimming into the sun and there nothing to see under the Coke coloured water anyway.

The XTERRA “full” distance will almost definately be no wetsuits. Last saturday the water temp was 25.1C- and that was before the heat wave.  I cant see the Lite being wetsuit legal either.

Here is what to wear in order of speed. (and expense)

– Swim skin over your race kit. Take swim skin off after swim. (Swim skins are typically too hot and constricting to do the whole race in) I use the BlueSeventy product range and like the speedy Nero suit.

– Swim in Tri shorts or bikini/swim suit for ladies.  Put your top on in transition. Not recomended as dry top over wet shoulders results in wrestling match. But not everyone is in a hurry…

– Board shorts the whole way. Give or take a T shirt or “wife beater” vest. Rapidly becoming the new cool- (often by older sporting hard men making a comeback) demonstared at XTERRA Buffelspoort by Specialized’s Peet le Roux and this coming weekend by my coach Ian Rodger- who is doing his 1st XTERRA Lite…

“What?! I AM wearing my fast skin!”

Running shoes.

This run course is hectic. Long sections of loose rocks. Sections of sand. Single track. A river crossing- hip deep for most. Big climbs, a loooong downhill. Some shoe sucking mud and yes, wet quicksand, which had me sucked in above the knee! (thats almost a meter deep!)

Better to bring burly trail shoes with real traction and real cushioning. And tighten those laces properly or you’ll be finishing in 1 shoe!

I’m gooi-ing my Hoka One One “Rapa Nui” trail racers. “Yebo” for all of the above. #TimeToFly

Tomorrow we talk “the course”…

After working on your bike, you need at least an hours’ ride, to make sure all is good.