Linda Gallo's Official Website

I woke up the morning of my FIRST Xterra a bit nervous about the unknown!  The lake was a balmy 74°F degrees (to match the expected high of 100°F for the air temp!) so this was a non-wetsuit swim.  Better for me!   The men and women started together which is good and bad.  Then I can draft off some of the faster guys, but the guys also start much quicker, so it’s hard not to go anaerobic in the first few hundred meters. Shortly after the gun went off there were two groups headed out to the first buoy.  Unfortunately, I was in the group that took the longer line and we arrived at the first buoy about 20 seconds behind.  I went to the front of my group of guys and spend the rest of the swim chasing the 2 swimmers in front.  I finally caught up with about 200 meters to go and was second person and first woman out of the water!    On the bike, I made it up the first little technical bit and felt comfortable on the whole ride, even the downhill rocky sections (once I remembered to get my weight back!).  I was able to hold my own on the uphill sections, but lost time on the downhill and single track. (Note to self: increase mountain bike ride frequency from 1 to 2 rides a week)  Towards the end of the first loop I rode a bit off trail and encountered some brush, before quickly getting back on the trail.   The second loop proved uneventful ( a good thing!), yet as I was headed down the short sandy hill and back to transition, I took a corner too close, had my weight too far forward and took a small spill/abort and fell to the side.  I was quickly up and on my way after turning my handlebars around and putting my chain back on.    The run started with a single track trail straight up the side of the mountain, which was a bit demoralizing especially with the heat and sun.  Once I got about half way into the run, I got a shot in and some electrolytes and started to feel better and hammered the second half of the run.    Overall, I was first out of the water, 10th off the bike, and finished 11th; and more importantly, had a blast!  Definitely a fun race and I look forward to a few more Xterra races the second half of the season.     Next up is Alcatraz on June 8th before a mid season break.

I got out to a great start in the swim when the gun went off and was alone after the first buoy. After following the lead kayak for the 1.2 mile swim I exited first and won the swim preme with a gap on the field. The bike had lots of long straight roads with a mix of rolling and steep hills. Saw a few cows along the way too! When I returned to transition after the bike, I reached down to grab my mango shots for the run and saw that they had exploded! As I started the run, I contemplated the physics behind how my shots could possibly get hot enough in their little package to explode until I got distracted by the large uphill between miles four and five. More running... and then around mile 9 of the 13 mile run, I got my mojo back and ran down 2 girls. Unfortunately, I finished one spot off the stage and out of the money! About 2 hours after the race I finally had a revelation that my shots didn't explode, but someone must have stepped on them on their way out of transition! There's a first time for everything! Bummer..they would have been useful on the run. A huge thanks to Avia for sponsoring a great event and taking care of me at the race. 

A week ago I decided to do a mountain bike race in Folsom, CA (about a 2hr drive north).   Since I plan to race a few Xterras this year, I decided it would be best to do at least one mountain bike race or mini Xterra before showing up in Temecula.   I was originally thinking of doing Xterra REAL in Folsom on March 29th, but that is the same weekend as California 70.3.  Since I have been feeling really fast in the pool and on the bike, I am excited to see how I will do in that race and hence I raced this mtb race.    I drove up early Sunday morning and got there with plenty of time to spare (I like it that way.. : )   I registered and got my bike ready and I still had an hour to spare.  The race was 3 x 6 mile loops for the Sport category.  (Sport category in mountain biking is in between beginner and expert - about where I am right now).   I decided to do a loop of the course partially as recon and partially as warmup.   Definitely a good decision.   The course was not too technical, but still had some rocky descents and lots of twisting single track.   Plus there was a water crossing and a big sand pit!   With one lap under my belt, I was able to go a lot faster on the three laps of the course.    I have been doing a fair bit more mountain biking so I felt really comfortable on this course.  As I said in the subject, this was the most fun I have had on a bike in years!  To be able to go fast and be on a trail in the woods is exhilarating, esp. more than just going fast in your aerobars...  I'm not ready to ditch the road triathlons just yet, but this mountain biking thing is a lot of fun.   I won my age group (sport 30-39)!   Not a huge accomplishment, but definitely progress over my last place finish in the same age group at Sea Otter last year.     After another good week of training, I am now starting to get ready to Ca 70.3 next weekend.  First though is the Luna Chix Photo Shoot and Camp which is this Tuesday thru Thursday in Mill Valley.    Then I'll start the drive down to  Oceanside for the race on Thursday afternoon.   Happy Easter, and more after the race!