Back to racing... and spring has sprung!

So I'm jumping back into racing after a mid-winter training break.  I left Alaska on Wednesday bound for the Canadian National Championships in Duntroon, Ontario.  I've never raced this far east in Canada and also have never flown into Detroit on a ski trip.  (We drove from Detroit to Duntroon, rather than flying into Toronto, since the ticket was really expensive flying into Ontario).

We left temps in the 20s F in Alaska and found mud, puddles, and lots of melting snow/slush here in Ontario.  The course is deteriorating fast, but the organizers are hard at work and have backup plans ready in case our snow melts before we get to race on it.  Considering it was 60F at the top of the course today, and with 2.5 inches of rain in the forecast, it is a distinct possibility that backup plans might be utilized.  It's also quite likely that we'll be racing in t-shirts!  Spring is coming here fast.

The Championship kicks off on Sunday, March 8th with a freestyle team sprint, followed by a 5km freestyle race the next day.  On Wednesday we race 10km classic.  Friday is the classic sprint, although I'll sit that one out to prepare for the 30km freestyle race on Sunday, March 15th.  Then I'm back to Anchorage for a week before the season finale, US Distance Nationals in Fairbanks, Alaska at the end of March.

I'm glad to be back to racing!  I'll try to post consistent updates, but without internet at the house we're renting, it's a little more challenging.