Yesterday was the 15km pursuit here at US Distance Nationals in Fairbanks, Alaska. We race at night again, this time with women starting at 5pm in a mass start format- meaning we all go at the shot of the starter's gun. We raced two laps of a 3.75km classic loop before switching to our skate skis in a "transition" area and heading out on a different 3.75km skate loop, which we skied twice.
(Photo credit: Lance and Danny Parrish- as seen on Fasterskier.com)
After a winter of odd weather patterns, Alaska has continued to surprise us. This week athletes have had to deal with delays in air traffic due to the eruption of Mount Redoubt. A few of our APU University Team athletes had their flight from Anchorage delayed because of the continued volcanic eruption. They were planning on racing yesterday, but their flight came in too late and they were unable to make their start. Other athletes racing here arrived later than expected because they were rerouted and many had their ski bags temporarily lost in transit. On top of that the local weather threw us another curve ball. We woke up yesterday morning to newly falling snow- a rarity for Fairbanks, especially this time of year. Usually it snows in October or November making for decent season of skiing, since the frozen ground keeps the snow preserved until it melts in the spring. Fairbanks isn't know for lots of snow, but for cold, well "refrigerated" snow.
Despite the minor surprises, the pursuit went well. Once again, I had solid skis- good kick and glide, and for the first time I had a decent transition from my classic to skate gear. Just as both the classic and skate legs of the race are timed, so is the transition that takes place between. In the past I've had some disastrous transitions, accidentally kicking a ski out of the transition box, grabbing the wrong pole, etc., etc. Yesterday I had the 5th fastest transition time- a rank better even than my overall finish. I went in calm and collected with a very well-thought out plan, and finally I was able to pull it off without giving up any extra time to my competitors.
The race itself was another solid performance. I got off to a slow start in the classic section, struggling somewhat to find my rhythm. I got stuck behind people, boxed out and was generally a little frustrated. I skied relaxed, but not as fast as I wish I had, so when it came time to skate, I put the hammer down. I felt really strong in the second portion, dropping a few of the women who I had skied with in the classic and passing a few of the people ahead of me for a final place of 7th overall and 6th American. Even with 15km of trails out there, I still feel that with a little more time I could have finished even higher. At this point in my career, longer is better. People ahead of me were dying, and I was just coming into better form as the race progressed.
With the pursuit completed, we have one more race to go. Tomorrow is a brutal 30km classic race. The course is going to be incredibly hard, with lots of steep, challenging climbs, and I'm getting mentally prepared to suffer! With 24 hours left in my season, I have mixed emotions. I'm finally feeling pretty good and really enjoying racing. I'm also really excited for the spring and for some adventures.
Skiers in the shadow of Denali at the 2009 Oosik Classic Race in Talkeetna, Alaska (my backyard).
(Photo credit: Arthur Mannix)
Yesterday my dad sent me this great photo from the Oosik classic race, which makes me excited for an April filled with outdoor excursions. I'll be sad to be done racing, but at the same time really happy to get out into my backyard for some crust skiing and backcountry adventures.
Stay tuned for my last race update... less than 24 hours left in the 2008-2009 race season! Man, time flies when you're having fun...
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