A Trip Through Time

Prelude: I wrote this about 2 weeks ago but didn't finish it and therefore didn't post it. My next post will be current! Keep reading... there are PICTURES! click on them to see biggy size :)

It's funny how something you haven't done, gets done by avoiding something else. This morning I'm prolonging a long run since it's raining. I decided to take an extra hour to let it warm up and drink my coffee. Yesterday was so warm. Oh well, that's the thing about this athlete thing... literally rain or shine... or hail, or thunder, or blizzard or tornado, you go out there because it's what we do. I would like to say I'm gung-ho about training everyday, but when bad weather hits, I'm glad I have teammates to go with. Today I may be on my own, but that won't be for long as team training will resume in a few weeks.  Until then we are going on a trip through time..

NATIONALS

We finished the season in Mont. St. Anne, Quebec. How do I sum up this week? ...(huge sigh)... FINALLY! I finally had a week of racing that I'm truly proud of this season. It hadn't been the most stellar year for me but things went much better and I skied to a few good races. This event hosts 5 races in 7 days, beginning with the Club Sprint which was one of the most fun of the week. I raced with team mate Mary Thompson as we represented our club roots at Team Hardwood. Before I go any further you have to know this week was the warmest I've ever seen at a National Champs. +10 easily each day, and sunny. Am I complaining? Not really... but it melts snow. And then it's all everyone talks about when it gets uber mushy and the track doesn't hold up. It's one extra thing to think about but I really don't mind skiing in this weather because A) I get a suntan,  B) Our wax team did a superb job everyday, C) I kind of secretly like skiing on klister for some reason I've yet to understand, and D) everyone has to ski in the same conditions.

Here's a rundown of the races:

5km Classic- Biggest surprise of the week. I hadn't gotten any splits out there to let me in on where I stood throughout the race but was pleasantly surprised when the results posted an 8th place,  4th Canadian. This turned out to be my best distance result as a Senior Women to date. I'll take it.

Photo Credit: Event Site

Photo Credit: Event Site

10km Skate- This day was a messy one. It was the warmest race I've seen and people were literally racing in their skivvies. My coach said to me right before the race, pace it like a 15km to start. The snow was so soft that poles punched through very easily and you had to ski light... or die. Dramatic, yes, but the probability of over heating/bonking/falling on the downhills in the mush were rather high.  At the end of the day I pulled out a 23rd. Nothing to get upset over, but it could have been better. I just tried my best to keep everything moving on this "special day." That's the thing, no matter the conditions, it's still a race.

Skate Sprint- The event staff injected fertilizer into the snow to help it firm up over night. And firm up it did! It was a brand new course by the time we began qualifications and I had some fast skis. Yessir I did. I came out in my best qualify position, 8th and 8.29 sec behind the leader and Olympic gold medalist Chandra Crawford. Exciting? Yep. Terrifying? Surprisingly so. I felt great and was pumped by the result but then I got a dose of the nerves before the heats and I skied a little too spastically to automatically move on to the semi-finals. I lunged for the line and got 3rd in my quarterfinal heat, but our heat was too slow overall to move on, and I was out. A mixed bag on the day, I'm racing fast but was surprised by my reaction to the success. Que something to address with my sport psych.

Sprint Qualifier. Photo Credit: Martin Kaiser

Quarter Final Heat. Photo Credit: Event Site

30km Classic- My 3rd 30km to date and wowweee what a race. Teammate Andrea and I worked together with Alysson Marshall to pull out a solid race. I came in at 9th, 7th Canadian, with Andrea right there in 10th. The course was 5x5km and by the end there were no tracks left. Even if there were it was faster to ski outside the track. For the last race of the year it was not too shabby.

A little shake for a job well done. Photo credit: event site

The efforts of the week put me in 3rd Aggregate for the Under 23 category. Part of me was sad the season was over because I felt like I was finally racing fast. At least it left me motivated for the new training season. But I took April to relax and work a bunch in Thunder Bay.

Team Hardwood girlies together again! L: Mary Thompson, me, Anna G-W, Alana Thomas

More to come on my current adventures in the next few days.....
E.