One race down, two more coming up fast... PLUS weird weather and fun on the road!

Canadian Nationals continues to be somewhat unpredictable, but a good time nonetheless! When we arrived on Thursday it looked like the sun and warm weather might melt the snow away before the first race even got underway.  Since then we've experienced downpours of rain, high winds, and fog, as well as colder weather and fresh new snow, and all these weather variations continue to frequent our forecast. On Sunday my teammates raced the team sprint, despite flooding in the stadium and start postponement.  I had anticipated racing, but sat out due to a head cold and sore throat that latched on following our two days of travel.  No points are awarded for that race, since it's a team event, and it seemed best to get over the worst of the symptoms before the distance races.

Monday was the 5km skate race.  The course was changed from a hilly, rolling one to a super fast course that felt like it was over before it even started.  It was decidedly a cleaning-out-the-cobwebs race.  My body was pretty shocked when I demanded it go fast, especially for a short 5km, which right now feels like a sprint.  It would have been nice to use the team sprint as a warm-up for the rest of the week, but instead the 5km served this purpose.  Considering the course profile- only two hills to speak of, the first and only major one being in the first 500 meters- it was a decent race for me.  My body finally started getting into the racing groove by 4km, and then there was the second, and final hill, and 200 meters later, the finish line! Finish times were in the realm of 15 minutes, a short effort for the long distance skier that I am.

So tomorrow is the 10km classic.  The course is supposed to be the one we were scheduled to do for the 5km free (hilly with technical downhills), plus we get to do it twice!  My head cold is still hanging on, but I think it shouldn't impact my performance much.  The biggest frustration is that it's hard to sleep at night.  Being horizontal doesn't do great things for my sinuses- and I don't feel super good in the morning.  But after going hard on Monday, I'm really looking forward to a longer, more challenging race.  Each race on the schedule for me is progressively longer, so good things are on the horizon.  If nothing else, this is a great warm-up for US Distance Nationals in Fairbanks later this month.  Plus, with the tricky conditions, I'm getting to test/race on skis I haven't had the opportunity to use this winter.

So the trip has been fun so far.  The team has had some great experiences, from dining in Detroit and getting slightly lost driving up here to skiing in 60F one day and 40F and pouring rain the next.  We're a pretty flexible, fun group, and we have incredible, hardworking coaches! In fact, my skis in the 5km freestyle yesterday were likely some of the fastest skis I have ever raced on in my life!  Mostly it's just fun being on the road again.  I love this lifestyle and really appreciate the hard work of the people that make this possible- the race organizers and hosts, my coaches, and my family, supporters, and sponsors.  

Thanks for your interest.  I'll do my best to keep frequent updates coming!