A Long, Cold Sprint
· Jan 9, 04:48 PM
US Nationals 2009 are done. Well, technically it’s only short distance nationals that are done, but nobody really gives long distance nationals at the end of March quite the same weight. Well, not yet anyways, I suppose that could change if they re-schedule some canceled races from this week for up there. Sprint relay in Fairbanks anyone?
Yesterday was only the second day out of six tries where the jury let the race go off. Perhaps “let the race go off” is not the right phrase, the jury was in a tough spot, and if you accept the FIS premise that we’re not going to race below -20° C, they didn’t really ever have a choice. I think the high for my 9 days in Anchorage was -18 (or 0 F), and that came today now that the warming has finally started. It is however, slightly ironic that yesterday was by far the coldest feeling day of the week. Yesterday was (thankfully) the only day of the week where there was any wind. Was it ever nasty. It may have been -19.6 at race start, but being outside was miserable – the wind just cut through everything. It was the first time since Bill Koch League I’ve considered racing in my warm-ups. The boot covers and over-mitts stayed on all day, there was no thought of taking them off.
Anyways, after the initial shock of having to race (when the “the race is on” announcement came through a little after 1 the whole lodge was shocked. Anyone who had been outside thought racing was about as likely as it would have been on Wednesday (when the high was around -25). So with an hour to start all I had to do was put on ski clothes, get my bib, wax and test my skis and warm up. Hallsey did a great job taking care of my skis yesterday (actually, he and Roger did a great job all week, but he was a particularly huge help yesterday), and I hit the start line warm enough to put out a decent qualifying effort. I was certainly helped by the length of the course (30th/last qualifier was around 3:50), good skis and having a fair bit of striding out there. I qualified in 22nd, and since my goal in qualifying is always just to get in, that was a huge success.
I was up against Kuzzy, Rodgers and Sletten in the quarters and I was hoping that they’d drag me along to a very fast heat and I could sneak in as the second lucky loser. I got gapped off the line (I’ve never felt as slow at sprint starts as I did yesterday), but made it back up to 4th by the top of the running climb. I was still a little off the pace going behind the scoreboard, but then we hit the gradual climb over the tunnel, and the three guys in front did me a huge favor by double poling the whole thing. I was able to stride right back into contact. They did it again up the final climb and I got past Sletten there, then on the last downhill I snuck past Colin and Garrot. I hit the final 100m in the lead with Colin right next to me. It was not a position I expected to be in, but really, it was tactically perfect. Even still, I could only manage 3rd in the heat, both Colin and Sletten went by. But I did make it in as the second (or luckiest) loser. In the sprint two years ago in Houghton I was the third fastest lucky (unluckiest) loser, so I figure this was fair turnabout.
My semi was a total disaster. I didn’t get warm enough and spent about 45 seconds shivering on the start line. I was gapped immediately and never got close. I gave up on that race halfway through and cruised in 30 seconds behind Bird who won the heat. The good news was I got warm, and only had 10 minutes to the B final so I just kept moving.
The B final played out a lot like my quarter. I was last off the line, moved up on the climb and then hit tunnel climb in fifth. Leif pulled away with Reid and me in behind him. I was looking pretty good for third in the heat until Reid went down on the last descent. I’m not sure what he did, but one second he was double poling and the next he was bouncing off his face. He either missed his poles or his skis stopped. Given the quantity of rocks on the course, I’m guessing the latter. So then I was in to second. Tyson came by me in the finish straight, but then he got DQ’d so I ended up 8th.
So, after that sprint I had to decline my WC start in Friday’s sprint (I don’t need to get last in a sprint qualifier). The good news is I also got a distance start, so I’m racing the 30k Pursuite next Saturday. Should be fun. Well, it will be really hard, hopefully the experience will be fun.
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Congratulations on the WC start later this month! I’ve been reading your blog for years now, trying to pick up training tips and such, but it’s also been great to watch your progress. I hope Callaghan treats you well.
— Christopher Tassava Jan 10, 08:41 PM #