Not bad for the first 15k

Nov. 26, 2010

Training: Race day 2 - 15k skate. Total time: 2.5hr

     To start out, I want to say that West Yellowstone courses are both difficult and easy at the same time. Terrain-wise one would say that the courses are relatively flat with no really tough hills, but the kicker is that we are at 7000ft and on flat courses like this, you are working the entire time. There are not a lot of places on the course where you can tuck and recover. So compared to some bigger courses such as Canmore, AB, this course is pretty mellow, but the constant work can drive you into the ground pretty quick.
     I have a history on not fairing to well on the distance courses here due to the constant working and I think its more body type than actual fitness that plays a role in results up here. I don't use that as an excuse, but in terms of courses, I tend to do much better with those with big climbs and more undulation. Muscle composition and weight play a big role at altitude. All in all though, this was one of my better distance races here in West and I'm fairly psyched.
     I had a race plan for myself today and I almost followed it. I really have to temper myself and try to ski even splits for the laps otherwise my body tends to tank. I wore my heart-rate monitor to keep better control and stayed relaxed and well within myself for the first lap. My plan was to allow a moderate increase in heartrate each lap and be able to ski well the last lap and avoid the "barely making it to the finish" technique which seems to happen to me here. The trouble with my plan is that i'm too competitive and the racer starting 30 secs behind me caught me going into the second lap. I ditched the plan and latched onto him. We skied well through the second lap even though it was harder than I was intending to go. The third lap was more of a struggle as the 175lbs of Brent was screaming for more oxygen. Tough luck buddy. Halfway through the third lap, I ran into some trouble trying to pass two skiers (on different lap #s) and tripped myself up a bit which allowed the racer i was holding onto to get away from me. When i collected myself, I worked hard to try and make up the lost time and I went for broke going up the long steep hill about 1.5k from the finish. I was done and barely was able to stay on my skies through the last bit of the race. Everything was blurry and wobbly. I managed a half-ass "speed increase" through the finish and was crushed as I crossed the line.
      The result was a solid one for me here, 15th and 1:25 out of first. It was a sure improvement from last years depressing 27th place. Tomorrow is a 10k classic and a technique i'm a bit more comfortable with. I look forward to another day of pain!!!!