Race Season is a GO!
The skate 10 km race in West Yellowstone, 2nd race of the season (new team uni’s and some Madshus rockets on my feet)
Happy Holidays All!
It has been 2 months since the last update and a lot has happened, not just on the national news. Fall training is my favorite of the year. It’s a time to step back the volume of summer training, up the intensity in preparation for the race season and get out in the perfect, crisp, dry air. I had a ton of fun combining every training session in a week into a minute long edit from my eyes (as in, what it looks like to be the one training), so watch it and consider yourself having trained 18 hours, go you!
We had a smaller version of the usual October US camp in Park City where I fearfully roller raced in the rain on the same course than claimed a large amount of my skin in August. After camp I spent 5 weeks back in Colorado for some much needed soul training and spent Halloween weekend riding mountain bikes in the desert. As per Nordic tradition, we spent 10 days in West Yellowstone over Thanksgiving with the best conditions I have ever seen at that time of year and started racing. It has been an unbelievable dry December (no snow and 57 degrees in town, kind of terrifying), but the silver lining is being able to spend the many, many hours needed to learn and prep a new ski fleet outside and avoid indoor wax rooms. I am very excited to be racing for Madshus now and am very impressed with their equipment.
I am 3 races in with my career best result in the skate 10 km in West right after Thanksgiving, a 5th place in the entire western US field. 2 races on deck this weekend in Sun Valley, ID and 2 more next week back in West Yellowstone. Lots of driving separately and no big team houses, but still out competing. Below I go in depth on how racing is happening this year. It’s different and not so different. And skiing is still so great.
Hope you are all enjoying the holiday season. Staying positive and testing negative.
Racing during a national health crisis
Decembers’ of past have been like this: The North American Nordic racing circuit kicks off with 2-3 weekends of racing before Christmas. Race weekends with hundreds of skiers, including Canadians, US skiers, kids, pros, national team members and first time racers. All breathing hard, spending time hunkered shoulder to shoulder in ski lodges, crowded in wax rooms and having a grand old time. Those are all situations on Santa’s 2020 "Not So Nice List" and so some structural changes have been made.
Despite the inherent challenges of healthy event planning, the National Governing Bodies of skiing and biathlon have been working extremely hard to ensure racing happens safely, fairly and as frequently as possible. It has been another showing of drive and love of sport from the Nordic community that never ceases to astound me. Unfortunately the surge in COVID has resulted in most events this fall and early winter being canceled for the majority of junior and citizen racing. Or gone virtual (we hear you Strava lovers and we all still don't care about your KOM's).
For elite racing, the season has started and is moving toward a full-tilt-boogie in the West. The Super Tour circuit has moved completely regional with no national events; this reduces travel, crowds and logistics. Race formats depend on local guidelines for the hosting community and here in the Western US, that varies hugely. Luckily there are multiple, very competitive, elite teams and individuals throughout UT, CO, ID, and MT and our races resemble more of elite Time Trials environment than National Championships. None-the-less, we are in bibs, on race skis, throwing down our hardest efforts and comparing ourselves to others.
As an example, our last race took place in West Yellowstone, MT. To comply with local restrictions of outside gatherings of 25 or less, we had 4 waves of skiers, throughout the morning. Each wave consisted of 20 skiers, starting 30 seconds apart for appropriate spacing with each wave beginning on the hour. This resulted in a wave of Elite Women at 9am, Elite Men at 10am, and so on for the following waves. Each wave of racers was done and gone by the next wave starting. No more than 5 coaches at the start and finish, all athletes warm-up and warm-down on other trails with face coverings worn at all times other than during the race. No crowds, no gathering, no popping of personal bubbles and most of all; ensuring we can do it again and continue to have the season all winter long.
Different? Yes, especially when looked at superficially. Still racing? Yes! and honestly, the core of what racing is hasn't changed at all. This season is making everyone clarify why they participate in the sport and what it means to them. To me, it is about being the best skier I can be. About pushing my personal, physical, mental and emotional limits - to re-write what I thought possible for myself. In many ways, this season is only encouraging and aiding me in this task and I'm grateful to be skiing at all. And of course my goals always include having as much fun as possible on skis and skiing as often as I can! So lets go race season, bring it on, throw it at me, lets see how much fun I can have chasing my limits!
Roller ski racing in Soldier Hollow, UT in early October
Graphing how my love of skiing and desire to train is un-impacted by the crazy year we've been through.