2011 proved to be a great year on the racing scene and on the home-front. My off-season racing (is that an oxymoron?) consisted of some local snowshoe races and select winter multisport races. It was an undefeated winter with victories at the USAT Winter Triathlon National Championship, the Jeremy Wright North American Snowshoe Championship, and the Mt. Taylor Winter Quadrathlon.
The XTERRA US series started earlier than normal and it was a demanding early season schedule with the ITU Cross-Triathlon World Championship in Spain thrown into the mix. I started off strong with a solid victory at the XTERRA West Championship in Las Vegas, after a long winter of nearly 100% indoor bike training. In Waco, my lack of technical riding proved to be a factor, losing about 3 minutes to Conrad on the bike and then regaining nearly all of it on the run to finish 2nd by 8 seconds. My trip to Spain was memorable but the course was not very favorable with close to zero feet of elevation gain. I finished 4th against some great competition and it was reassuring to see all XTERRA regulars ahead of me. It was tough to be stuck in the drug testing room while the top 3 podium finishers were allowed to leave for the awards. I had a hard time balancing so much early season racing with family, work, and school and felt like May was a bit of a rough patch.
In June I successfully defended my title at the Teva Mountain Games by winning the Ultimate Mountain Challenge for the 4th consecutive year. I also dabbled with the half marathon distance with the Lubbock
Texas 70.3 where I finished 3rd in 110 degree heat. The highpoint of July was my big win at the XTERRA Mountain Championship in Beaver Creek (finally) and a fun family trip to the outer banks. August was a time to regroup and put in some consistent training.
In September I defended my title by winning the XTERRA Canada National Championship in Whistler. The XTERRA US National Championship was an exciting race with a disappointing flat tire late in the bike. I went on to finish 3rd with a strong run. After last years multiple flat tires at the XTERRA World Championship, my primary concern was to ride bulletproof tires and allow my fitness to decide the race. The course was tough and so was the competition, but I was satisfied with my effort, finishing 4th.