I am doing my first Xterra this weekend after 8 + years and 35 or so regular sprint / oly distance tris.
I am curious what people who have done a lot of Xterras do differently vs conventional tris.
I did some mtn bike / trail run bricks and already noticed how it is harder to maintain a consistent pace on the MTB, so my legs definately felt different than regular tris.
My questions are:
Socks? Yes or no?
Should I do a camelback on the bike(12 mile Mtn bike, 5 mile run)?
Other ideas?
Thanks!
Socks only if you’d normally wear them for an Olympic
Camelback depends on whether you feel you can comfortably get a bottle out of the cage at any point on the course/how many you can carry/if there’s a bottle exchange. Definitely bring something though, 12 mi/5 mi will take longer than you expect
Preview the course if you can, which helps decide the camelback question. Bring an “emergency gel” on the bike too. The irregular pacing makes you sometimes burn more matches than you’d otherwise expect.
Which race are you doing?
Socks? Yes or no?
That depends on if you can ride in your MTB shoes without any problems. If you can then no. If you are going to wear them on the run then it’s really a toss-up cuz they are going to get really dirty on the tops and that may interfere with your run shoes. Personally I don’t wear them on the bike.
Should I do a camelback on the bike(12 mile Mtn bike, 5 mile run)?
Yes, 24 ounces an hour should do. It doesn’t have to be a big camelbak but it’s really convenient and safe to drink from. I put my flat kit in mine as well.
Since this is your first Xterra, go easier on the bike than you think you can go. It will take a lot out of you and really slow your run down. I typically watch my HR and Average HR on the bike and keep it in a reasonable range. For me that’s a little higher than HIM effort and just under Olympic effort. If you had more time I’d practice efforts and see how you run afterwards.
Since this is your first Xterra, go easier on the bike than you think you can go. It will take a lot out of you and really slow your run down. I typically watch my HR and Average HR on the bike and keep it in a reasonable range. For me that’s a little higher than HIM effort and just under Olympic effort. If you had more time I’d practice efforts and see how you run afterwards.
+1
Much like the difference between road riding and trail riding, a trail run also takes different effort than running on the road. Depending on what they throw at you it can be hard to settle into a pace with uneven terrain, short power climbs, steep descents, and twisty single track.
Slow is smooth, smooth is fast
Yes to Camelbak, unless you’re confident about being able to use bottles
Understand the dynamics of passing people on trails…not sure how competitive you are or what your swimming prowess is but trying to ride through the field is a recipe for disaster on most Xterra courses
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First, welcome to XTERRA! I think you’ve got really good advice from the first replies and I’d echo them.
Socks: I don’t usually wear socks, but I don’t wear them in road tris shorter than HIM anyway. That said, I have occasionally had blisters, worst in muddy and sandy conditions (like Maui, etc…). YMMV.
Fluids: I’m a decent MTB rider, but I still typically opt for a small Camelbak, usually the 1.5 liter size. I just find it’s so much easier to sip out of frequently and even in semi-technical sections. Also, on the “easy” sections where you might want to drink out of a bottle, I find that I’m often surging to pass the slow folks who swim faster but aren’t very technically proficient riders, so drinking from a bottle isn’t a good choice for me there.
Pacing: As you’ve discovered, your power will surge all over the place with technical spots, maneuvers, little climbs, and passing people on double track. Compared to road tris, you’re be anaerobic and burning matches much more frequently. Just a reality with the explosive efforts that are sometimes required. Budget your energy and ride a bit more conservatively than you might normally do on the road, especially for the first race. Then you’ll have a lot more basis on which to judge for the next time around.
Gloves: if crashing is a real possibility for you, it’s probably worth putting on a pair of gloves, unless you don’t really care about coming in to work on Monday with scratches and abrasions on your hands…
The other big challenge about XTERRA is that if you’re not a FOP swimmer but are a decent biker, you will inevitably be stuck behind a crowd of folks when the single track sections start. This can be frustrating, and it is quite helpful to be aware of any passing sections in the course, and plan for them, ready to surge the moment you get the chance. Also, if there are any technical spots, be prepared that half of the riders in the race won’t be able to clear them, and will often be off their bikes and frequently standing right on the good riding line. Just a reality to accept and anticipate.
In the end, though, the XTERRA vibe is pretty chill and relaxed, and there is much less yelling at one another compared to some other types of events. Mostly everybody helps one another out there, and it tends to be a LOT of fun.
My $0.02.
I usually wear sunglasses for the bike and run- you’ll want to think about lense tint and whether you’ll want a yellow or amber tint, especially if the course is mostly wooded (I assume most are) and if the light is low. It gets dark in the woods on cloudy days. Many racers use electrical tape to tape gels to their top tube. I’ve done this before and it works well. Just tape them by the tab and tear the gel off leaving the tab taped to your tube.
Wilburforce hit the main points perfectly. I’ll expand:
12 mile mountain bike ride = 1 bottle. No way would I mess around with CB hydration.
I wear socks in bike shoes, which I don’t do for regular triathlons. Your front wheel kicks up dirt, which some goes in shoe. Socks help with comfort. Pour some foot powder on socks and they will slip on instantly after the swim.
If T area is in grass, don’t clip shoes. Faster to put on and run with them.
I am a MOP swimmer but extremely strong mountain biker. It’s miserable on the trail, especially if you have a lot of roadies or newbies. They do not understand trail etiquette when it comes to passing. They also fall down…a lot. I’ve come out of the water first in only one Xterra and it was glorious.
Gloves: no. I found them to be a PIA to put on in T1. Practice, maybe it’s faster for you. With that said, be extremely careful when your hands are wet from the swim. Grips can get slippery.
Don’t bring anything on the run. The run should have support. No reason to bring your own on a five mile run.
I’ve done a doze Xterra’s and these are the things I’ve learned. Some of my best memories are from Xterra’s. The best being the 4min mile pace I ran when somebody pissed off an entire bee hive and they all came after us. We each tried to outrun the other so they bees would get them. Good times.
Keep in mind that your bottle could end up mud covered and may not look like something you’d want to drink from when you need to.
Other than the one person saying a bottle is better than a Camelback, I agree with just about everything above. Socks is kind of a wash. At that distance I probably wouldn’t bother, but make sure your running shoes are laced pretty tight.
The bike can really, really zap you with all the surges on a technical course. Try to maintain momentum as much as possible and refrain from too many attacks. Passing will take it out of you too which is why this might be an okay time to really push the swim. The Xterra bike course is an area where communicating with those around you really makes it better for everybody. If you are passing somebody, phrase it like “Is it safe to go around you here” instead of yelling “passing” and diving in. If somebody is riding your wheel hard, it’s going to end in you making mistakes and them getting slowed down so try to help them get by you in a safe spot. If your race is multiple loops of a bike route, this becomes super critical with lap traffic.
The run will be one of the hardest runs you have ever done if they did the course right. Have lots of fun!
Keep in mind that your bottle could end up mud covered and may not look like something you’d want to drink from when you need to.
Very true. I do about a dozen mountain bike races a year and the majority I do use a CB. However, if I’m trying to get out of T1 fast I’d stick with bottle. Also, the course is only 12 miles. That’s a very short ride (45 minutes to an hour). Most MTB races I do are 20-30 miles, thus the reason for using a CB.
I’ve been racing mountain bikes over 10 years and never lost a bottle or had real issue with mud/dirt. But it’s all trail and weather dependent.
Personal preference. You have to go with what your more comfortable with. For me, I’m comfy with bottles or CB.
Which race are you doing?
I am doing the French River in Mass. I think I am going to go with a small camelback that I have. I raced mountain bikes a lot in the late 80s early 90s, so I am looking forward to this race.
I am not going to get to pre- ride but looking at some of the video clips and elevation profile it looks pretty tame compared to what I normally ride.
I think it will be fun.
I am an MTB newbie and did Xterra a few weeks ago and it was so much fun that I most certainly will do more. Distance was 500yds - 15mi - 6mi.
I seeded myself in a slower wave as I am not an MTB’er, however it turned out:
I always use socks (all my no-sock runs failed miserably); I don’t own a camelback so I had two bottles of energy drink on the bike (and sipped while riding on the wider forrest trails); and I had two gels with me. I had done some course research and learned there was a approx 2mile section on wider gravel roads, so I as soon as I hit this part I had a gel, drank a lot and then rode the MTB in aero (roadie-style with the lower arms on the handlebar) 
On the run there were aid stations every 1.5miles, but I just ran through while I cursed at that sadistic “#%#€%” that created the run course
I raced Xterra Mine Over Matter this past weekend and for the first time in my career I got blisters on both feet. I put rode pedals with tri shoes for Xterra because the courses generally aren’t that serious. I think it was because the trails were in rough shape and I was slipping all over the place. If I could do it differently I would definitely wear socks. It would have been a much better experience.
The run will be one of the hardest runs you have ever done if they did the course right. Have lots of fun!
This!!! I did my first off road tri 2 weeks ago and this hits the nail on the head!
I was going to do that race last weekend but I just wasn’t recovered yet from Triple T.
How was it?
jaretj
Hmmmmm maybe I should re focus on my swim and get into xterra
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That’s about right, I’m normally out of the water in pretty good shape in an Xterra event
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Socks – yes: no detritus next to my skin on the bike or run
Camelback – yes: a really small one (they make very low-profile versions) unless teh course has a couple of flat and straight sections. You might also be able to shove your repair kit in there (I did)
Other advice:
LOTS of MTB training and trail running. There’s so many more max efforts (if even for 10-30 secs at a time) in an XTERRA race, it’s almost a different sport. As someone said, the run will suck.
Especially on the bike, practice many short and very hard hill repeats if you can’t get to an MTB course to train.
If you’re a road triathlete, be ready to win the swim and get passed by all kinds of people (who are great technical MTBers) you would probably never see in a road race.
I see it’s this weekend – preview the bike course if you can. For the next one, see above.
Andrew Moss
Socks – yes: no detritus next to my skin on the bike or run
Camelback – yes: a really small one (they make very low-profile versions) unless teh course has a couple of flat and straight sections. You might also be able to shove your repair kit in there (I did)
Other advice:
LOTS of MTB training and trail running. There’s so many more max efforts (if even for 10-30 secs at a time) in an XTERRA race, it’s almost a different sport. As someone said, the run will suck.
Especially on the bike, practice many short and very hard hill repeats if you can’t get to an MTB course to train.
If you’re a road triathlete, be ready to win the swim and get passed by all kinds of people (who are great technical MTBers) you would probably never see in a road race.
I see it’s this weekend – preview the bike course if you can. For the next one, see above.
Andrew Moss
This was also very well written. The detritus in the shoes is a good point, but I think if you keep them laced tight enough that’s a short enough race that you may be okay.
One note about a Camelback I forgot (and is likely more applicable to other readers). I race with a children’s Camelback; the Skeeter. I have a 42" chest, but there’s no problem wearing it. Mine is a liter, but the new ones are 1.5. Simple, no pockets and fairly lightweight for a Camelback. I bought mine at a shop for $25. Backcountry is getting rid of the newer version for $25. It’s basically just a bladder with shoulder straps. 2 seconds to put on in transition and much safer to drink from. Water bottle related wrecks are not uncommon.