NCAA Recap
I made it safely home Sunday night after a long Steamboat-Denver-Pasco-Walla Walla-Wenatchee trip to find the whole family home AND a chocolate, heart-shaped birthday cake for me! Now I am being lazy and happily suffering a soar throat, perfect timing for getting sick.
The 5km classic race on Thursday was super tough and uneventful. It was cold enough that the waxing was straightforward with hard wax and the tracks were well set. I had intended to take the first kilometer easy, go hard on the second km, sprint the thirds km, and use whatever I had left for the fourth and fifth kms (mostly downhill). I tried to start out easy, but I was worn out after the first kilometer and struggled the rest of the way to the high point of the course, gasping for breath and muscles burning. I recovered enough on the downhills to sprint across the finish line to tie for 13th place with Ali Crocker. I was pleased with my effort; I skied as hard as I could on Thursday, and that's all that I want from a race!
In a mass start race it's crystal clear how fast you have to ski to win. You get to watch the other racers and see how they ski each section of the course. Watching the top college skiers racing with me in the mass start races has helped me improve my racing. In Saturday's 15km skate I got to put some of the race strategy that I've learned into practice. I was seeded tenth so I got to start on the very edge of the front row, which was relaxing since it was easy to avoid other skiers for the starting stretch. Unfortunately, when we narrowed down going up the first uphill someone skied over my left ski and I went down. When they skied over my ski, that ski stopped but the rest of me kept going so when I got back up my left ski was pointed backwards down the course. When I swung it forward another person skied over it and I fell down again. Oh well, it happens.
So I ended up starting the race in the back of the pack but I gradually worked my way up during the climbs so by the top of the course at 3km I was in the top ten and well placed to react to any moves. I realized that my skis were faster than most of the other athletes so I didn't have to worry about getting dropped in the last 2km- I just had to make it to the high point of the course on the last lap in a good position. Things started to break up in the second lap. Jana and two other women broke off the front, since I knew (or at least believed) that I wouldn't be able to pace Jana for two more laps I decided not to go with them and hung out behind the second clump of skiers. By the top I was in a group of four skiers: two CU women, Ali Crocker & myself. One of the CU girls, Lenka, was looking strong and I knew that she was a good climber so I let her lead up the climbs on the third lap and came around on the flats to keep the pace up. We weren't that far ahead of the rest of the field so I was worried that if I set the pace up the hills we'd get caught. By the 3km mark on the last lap we had dropped the other CU girl and had a gap on Crocker. I knew I could out sprint Lenka and I knew that if Crocker & I sprinted either of us might win so I picked it up the last two km, throwing in short sprints to get me over all of the little hills and flats on the way down. I did such a good job on the downhill (why am I not an alpine racer?) that no one was around to challenge me for fourth place at the finish.
So overall it was a great nationals experience. I was expecially delighted to have a large cheering squad: My parents, Peter & Susan; my adorable sissy, Kirsten; My coaches, Tom and Nathan, plus Nathan's wife Shannon (who happens to be a massage therapist so I got a wonderful massage earlier in the week); Tara Gregg, Emma Catmur, Charlie Erdman, and Jodi Brown drove down to watch on their way to Crested Butte for spring break; Jim and Jan Gregg were down from the Methow to watch Brian race; and Hugh Owen came down to watch Kristina, but I still counted them as part of MY cheering squad! Plus most of the Western skiers & coaches cheer for each other, it's like a big family out on the ski racing circuit. I'm going to miss collegiate skiing but it has been an great life for the past four years and there's still a lot to look forward to for next year.
Just be patient, I'll let you know what precisely next year holds in store when I figure that out!
The 5km classic race on Thursday was super tough and uneventful. It was cold enough that the waxing was straightforward with hard wax and the tracks were well set. I had intended to take the first kilometer easy, go hard on the second km, sprint the thirds km, and use whatever I had left for the fourth and fifth kms (mostly downhill). I tried to start out easy, but I was worn out after the first kilometer and struggled the rest of the way to the high point of the course, gasping for breath and muscles burning. I recovered enough on the downhills to sprint across the finish line to tie for 13th place with Ali Crocker. I was pleased with my effort; I skied as hard as I could on Thursday, and that's all that I want from a race!
In a mass start race it's crystal clear how fast you have to ski to win. You get to watch the other racers and see how they ski each section of the course. Watching the top college skiers racing with me in the mass start races has helped me improve my racing. In Saturday's 15km skate I got to put some of the race strategy that I've learned into practice. I was seeded tenth so I got to start on the very edge of the front row, which was relaxing since it was easy to avoid other skiers for the starting stretch. Unfortunately, when we narrowed down going up the first uphill someone skied over my left ski and I went down. When they skied over my ski, that ski stopped but the rest of me kept going so when I got back up my left ski was pointed backwards down the course. When I swung it forward another person skied over it and I fell down again. Oh well, it happens.
So I ended up starting the race in the back of the pack but I gradually worked my way up during the climbs so by the top of the course at 3km I was in the top ten and well placed to react to any moves. I realized that my skis were faster than most of the other athletes so I didn't have to worry about getting dropped in the last 2km- I just had to make it to the high point of the course on the last lap in a good position. Things started to break up in the second lap. Jana and two other women broke off the front, since I knew (or at least believed) that I wouldn't be able to pace Jana for two more laps I decided not to go with them and hung out behind the second clump of skiers. By the top I was in a group of four skiers: two CU women, Ali Crocker & myself. One of the CU girls, Lenka, was looking strong and I knew that she was a good climber so I let her lead up the climbs on the third lap and came around on the flats to keep the pace up. We weren't that far ahead of the rest of the field so I was worried that if I set the pace up the hills we'd get caught. By the 3km mark on the last lap we had dropped the other CU girl and had a gap on Crocker. I knew I could out sprint Lenka and I knew that if Crocker & I sprinted either of us might win so I picked it up the last two km, throwing in short sprints to get me over all of the little hills and flats on the way down. I did such a good job on the downhill (why am I not an alpine racer?) that no one was around to challenge me for fourth place at the finish.
So overall it was a great nationals experience. I was expecially delighted to have a large cheering squad: My parents, Peter & Susan; my adorable sissy, Kirsten; My coaches, Tom and Nathan, plus Nathan's wife Shannon (who happens to be a massage therapist so I got a wonderful massage earlier in the week); Tara Gregg, Emma Catmur, Charlie Erdman, and Jodi Brown drove down to watch on their way to Crested Butte for spring break; Jim and Jan Gregg were down from the Methow to watch Brian race; and Hugh Owen came down to watch Kristina, but I still counted them as part of MY cheering squad! Plus most of the Western skiers & coaches cheer for each other, it's like a big family out on the ski racing circuit. I'm going to miss collegiate skiing but it has been an great life for the past four years and there's still a lot to look forward to for next year.
Just be patient, I'll let you know what precisely next year holds in store when I figure that out!
posted by LAV at 11:03
3 Comments:
I abandoned my camera when my mom showed up (since she carries around 3) but I will look for some pictures to post!
Your cheering squad was actually anchored by your parents (father, who is cheerleader; mother, who made you the heart-shaped chocolate birthday cake; and sister Kirsten who was proudly wearing your western hat when I met them at the Wenatchee airport on their return). After driving over those snowy passes from the Denver airport they deserve a mention!!!!
Thanks for pointing that out, I thought for sure I'd already mentioned them.
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