Time for some Spring Fun!

Well, the 2007/2008 racing season has officially come to an end! I spent the last week of February and the first part of March training hard in Sun Valley for Canadian Nationals and U.S. Long-Distance Nationals.

I was really excited for Canadian Nationals, seeing as we were racing at the new 2010 Olympic venue in Whistler! This gave us a chance to check out the trails, see the layout of the venue, and experience some of the typical crazy weather in the Callaghan Valley. We were greeted with a great amount of snow when we arrived and it continued to snow the entire time we were there. After our visit to Callaghan Valley, we have come to learn that the fresh snow fall in the valley is very wet and heavy. This type of weather made the waxing a bit of a challenge. Despite having difficulty with my skis throughout the week, each race got a little better and I managed to be in the top-10 in the sprint race. I was pleased with the result, considering that I was racing against some of the top world cup sprinters in the event.

On the starting line in the Semi-final sprint heat.

After racing in Whistler, we headed to Fairbanks, Alaska for U.S. Long-Distance Nationals. We flew into Anchorage and enjoyed a beautiful, clear view of Mt. McKinley on the drive to Fairbanks. When we arrived in Fairbanks, we were greeted with some frigid temperatures that we hadn’t felt in a while. Temperatures hovered around 0 degrees in the morning but warmed up to a comfortable 20 degrees in the afternoon. Not too bad for Fairbanks! This allowed for much easier waxing than what we experienced in Canada. Our first race was the 15k Pursuit. This means that we classic skied the first 7.5k and then we switched our skis to skate for the last 7.5k. The classic portion went really well for me. I came into the exchange zone with the top group of women. Unfortunately, I ended up loosing a couple places in the skate portion and ended up 5^th. Overall, I was happy with my effort.

Two days later, I skied the 30k classic race. The profile of the course had me a little scared, seeing as it was a VERY difficult course, with 3,000 feet of elevation gain! As I was warming up, I tired not to think about how tired my body felt from the previous 15k race. I went to the starting line feeling pumped and ready to conquer this race. I managed to hold on to a solid 3^rd American position throughout the race, until a big wall hit me on the last 7.5k loop. I felt my tempo slowing and the pop in my legs fading. Eventually, a few of the girls behind me caught me. As they passed me, I kept telling myself to stay with them and keep going. While my mind was saying one thing, my body was doing another. I dropped back, but was able to hold on to 6^th place to the finish. Whew! When I came to the finish line, I could hardly stand or see straight. I knew that I had put in my hardest effort and it felt good to leave everything I had on the trail.

The racing is over and now its time for some spring fun! I traveled back to Anchorage on Monday, where I am currently, and I’ve been spending time with family and friends. We enjoyed a fun day of back-country skiing in Turnagain Pass where there is over 4 feet of snow. We built a huge kicker and even I got persuaded to jump off it! I have to admit, it was pretty fun.

Building the kicker

In a few days, I am headed to Costa Rica for some fun in the sun. The beach is always a nice place to go to reward yourself after a long season of ski racing. I will keep you posted on my adventures!