It's less than a month away and the only way that I can contain my excitement is to recognize that there's a better than even money chance that I'll finish close to the back of the pack in the 2009 Xterra Challenge race this year on Brown's Island.
It's no cliche to say that Brown's Island is an oasis in the heart of downtown Richmond. Smack in the middle of the James River, Browns Island is just minutes from the Richmond Federal Reserve Bank, headquarters offices for Dominion Power and a slew of other office towers. This will be my first year competing in the event, although it's my third year hanging out on the island watching Triathlon pros and amateurs swim, bike and run. For my part, I'm only going to pound my quads into mush in the event's Fugitive 10K.
The Xterra is a great event, incorporating fun runs for kids and world-class tests for pros. The exhibit area is packed with the typical high-fat and carb food, but if you search carefully, the calorie worriers can find something lighter.
The first year I went to the Xterra (2007), I arrived late and just caught the winners accepting the trophies. This year the winners share in cash prizes of $10,000, and more importantly for the pros, real points on the way to national championships.
But prize money and ranking points aside, Xterra's a real gem because it takes place on Brown's Island, an unlikely green space surrounded by concrete, pavement and skyscrapers and urban land crawlers who couldn't care less about getting outside to get sweaty, dirty, tired and in touch with the environment.
It's no national park, that's for sure, but if you're looking for a place to go on an easy, flat hike or cut through relatively decent single-track, then Brown's Island is not a bad place.
Even better, if you've got children, Brown's Island offers good access to the James River. I know all about easy access. Three years ago I meandered across the rocks that make up the shore of the river and decided that I'll dip my toes in the water. The day's heat was strong and who wouldn't be cooled off by one of Virginia's greatest and most historic rivers.
I took off my Asics and socks and took one step into the water. With one foot on a stone and the other one in the air my brain sent a message that I had made an awful error. The rocks were slippery and I was going in. But the brain has a sense of humor. It sends you this message that you're going to fall as if your muscles have anything to say about it. The result is flailing arms and a near-stopping of time as you have an out of body experience that seems to have you watching yourself fall into the river.
Yep. Into the river, hard. Cell phone and all. The cell phone worked after a couple of days, but for a week or so it kept dialing my wife's phone. Hers was the last number that I called before taking the plunge.
I climbed dripping from the river, happy that I had on one of those quick drying running shirts. Too bad, though, I had on cotton shorts. I think they're still drying somewhere.
Some kids playing in the river laughed as I drip-dried on the rocks and one man decided to strike up a conversation.
"Happened to me, too," he said.
"What? You fell in, too," I said.
"Yeah. Those boys over there knew it would happen. They watched and fell out laughing when I fell in."
"You knew I was going to slip."
"Yeah, I tried to say something, but you didn't hear me."
"Uh huh," I said. Misery loves company, that's what.
But there's really no misery on Brown's Island during Xterra weekend. In addition to the triathlon, there's a kayak competition on the river. I don't understand what these guys do, but it looked like fun.
And the Xterra weekend on Brown's Island is fun, too. In fact, the Island's fun all the time, just like all of the outdoors in Virginia.
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