10k classic: After a 3 hour delay to the start of the race due to cold hanging on a little longer the race went off without a hitch. I started as fast as I thought I could handle and since the early portion of the course had a bit of double polling I had to just try and get into a comfortable pace so when I hit the hills I would be ready to put the hammer down. I felt as the race was going on that I was not my best, I was feeling sluggish on the first lap and a little better on the second lap. By the end of the race I had been able to pick up the pace to where I felt I was skiing very fast, it just took 5k of skiing hard to get there. In the end I had finished in 5th place. 5th is my best ever Super Tour finish, so nothing to really complain about except for feeling that I had the ability to go much faster.
10k skate: The next day after the classic race we had a skate race at the same distance, but on a different course. The new course is actually one of the harder courses we see in terms of steep hills. I was pretty excited for the race, my skate races have been a little better this season and I had gotten my bad race out of the way already so I figured my body was ready to get moving. With my hopes high I started hard again and attacked the hills like it was a 5km race. I soon realized my mistake but there was nothing I could do about it. The hills were too long and steep for me to recover well on and when we hit the downhills I was just getting worse. I knew it was not going that well when the guy who started 1 minute behind me caught me with 2 k to go to the finish. At that point when I knew the race was not a good one and everything hurts you just have to put everything you have left in your body and try to make up any of what you already lost. I was able to ski a strong last couple of k's mainly because it was mostly downhill. In the end I finished in 9th place. It was not nearly close to my goals for the race, but that is the way it goes somtimes, you don't always get what you want. I figured I am here for a while so I have plenty of time to get some good races.
Skate Sprint: So just 3 days after my disapointing skate race we had a sprint race held at the Telemark Resort just outside of Cable WI. It was a small but very stong field signed up. So my chances of doing well were pretty much up in the air. The course started down a short hill then climbed up and down some very hard hills groomed into the side of an alpine ski hill. The first hill was about 100 meters long and was very steep, steep enough that it is not possible to ski easy up this hill. Then you turn a sharp 90 degree corner at the top and shoot back to the bottom of the hill. At the bottom of the hill you then start up the monster hill that was probably over 360 meters long and streight up the alpine hill. It was not so bad at he bottom, but near the top, the course curves left and gets way steeper. It was a beast. At the top of the long climb you turn streight back down the hill to the base and shoot across some flats and then up a short steep hill into the finish. My preliminary went well, I was able to qualify 4th fastest. In this race they were only taking 8 into the semi final heats so things were going to be done faster and not so many races. I was then placed into the first semifinal heat of the day in which I started hard and took over the lead of the pack and proceeded to lead them up the first hill then halfway up the second hill. I then eased off the pace a little and let someone else do the work. Then down the hill we went and I was able to sprint into the finish into 2nd place for a spot in the A final of the day, so the race for places 1-4. I was happy with that so far, I could not get worse than 4th. It was a pretty loaded final, I had to beat Leif Zimmerman, Garott Kuzzy, and Colin Rodgers if I were going to win this race. We stared out very slow, it was crazy slow, so slow it felt like a walk. It was not the way I like to race, just waiting. Zimmerman was on the front just holding us back, I was thinking that Kuzzy was going to pass by any time and pull the race back up to speed but it never did. By the time we hit the middle of the long climb I did not know what to do anymore with a race going that slow so I attacked up the left side of the hill and took over the lead into the steepest hardest part of the hill. It was a good move and I was able to break away a small amount over the top and heading down. The one thing I did not count on was my skis being a little slower than everyone elses and I was passed on the bottom of the hill and going into the finish I was not able to move up. I was very close and I think if my skis were slightly better I could have been able to pull out the win. Oh well that is racing, at least I know I can ski with the best of them. I was the only one in the final that had to wax my own skis and I did ok due to the fact that I did not even test any glide waxes or powders. It is nice sometimes to have a coach to wax your skis to make sure that they are good to go before races. So I ended up 4th overall. so my 3rd top 10 this week and 4th top 10 super tour result this season.
Next up is a 10k classic on Saturday and a 15k skate race on Sunday this weekend. I am hoping for some results near or on the top of the list, but only time will tell how they actually pan out. I am feeling good and fit right now, I am ready to turn some heads this weekend. I just hope that my legs are able to recover sufficiently by Saturday. |
