Training Log Archive: AliC

Awesome times playing ski-o training on a great trail network + map (narrow trails of various sorts - both snowshoe and narrow-track for classic). Although I guess we have to make the map reflect the trail network a smidge more. But seriously, kettle-morraine stuff is fun for ski-o- the contours matter, but are tricky!

Thanks to Ari, Pete, and everyone who actually made this happen, last ski-o training before world champs!!

Event: American Birkebeiner
 

7th overall woman in the Birkie!

My first Birkie and totally great fun. I had a good race, staying with the lead pack for nearly the whole race (dropped and recovered twice, actually), until 10k to go, when the lead ladies decided they better pick it up and figure out who was actually going to win (turns out the 5 of them finished within 10 seconds, so was a battle all the way to the finish!).

The rest of us in the original pack of 12 were left straggled out behind from that point on. I started in 12th of the bunch and worked my way up to 7th, picking off girl after girl, besides 6th, who was also moving up the ranks with me.

A ski marathon is such a different race than orienteering. Maybe it's like a road marathon, I don't really know. But it's very tactical, because drafting is so helpful and you have to keep checking in with all body systems - can I keep this pace up for another x kilometers? You can ski with slightly different technique if certain things seem about to go. For instance, my untrained-for-hills quads didn't feel super happy, so I actually opted to hop into the classic tracks and double pole some slightly down hill stretches of the race.

The absolutely only thing that is a bummer about the 7th place finish is that it's the first place that doesn't win any money. Ok, gotta try to step it up at least a little bit for next year! =)

C • Great job! 15

Ari whisked me away from MSP for some snowy driving up to Hayward (commentary both helped me learn about the culture of northern WI + much about the Birkie itself). We got bibs, saw a bit of the Birkie scene (oh my gosh, so many people!) and then headed over to Mosquito Brook to meet up with Pete + crew for a little preview of the Mosquito Brook + Bitch hills.

This was a very good part of the race to know, kinda where the mental game gets really important!

Easy peasy morning ski, trying to get the body used to an early effort (women's Birkie elite wave is at 8am). Snowed lightly on me and saw my officemate walking his kid to school. My right quad is *almost* recovered from Sunday's threshold insult. I think I haven't been running enough to recover from hard running efforts quickly....

Oh Toledo. Rollerskiing while it lightly, lightly snowed, such a tease!

Anyways, one of the last rxcs of the season, some specific strength on each of my 4 neighborhood mini-hills. I read maps from Euro Ski-o Champs which were last week. The top 3 in the women's races weren't very repetitive - a bit surprised that Polina M. wasn't ever up there (could be sick of course) and Tove wasn't running away with it as she did in a lot of races last year... Ski WOC around the corner, gosh-a-roni!!!

Incase folks are vaguely interested but don't feel like looking up ESOC results:
Middle
1 - Yulia Tarasenko (RUS) / Hans Jorgen Kvale (NOR)
2 - Anastasiia Kravchenko (RUS) / Staffan Tunis (FIN)
3 - Mervi Pesu (FIN) / Andrei Lamov (RUS)

Long
1 - Tatyana Kozlova (RUS) / Peter Arnesson (SWE)
2 - Josefine Engstrom (SWE) / Hans Jorgen Kvale (NOR)
3 - Tove Alexandersson (SWE) / Staffan Tunis (FIN)

Sprint
1 - Tatyana Kozlova (RUS) / Stanimir Belomazhev (BUL)
2 - Mervi Pesu (FIN) / Peter Arnesson (SWE)
3 - Tove Alexandersson (SWE) / Hans Jorgen Kvale (NOR)

C • Hans 3

C • Tove... 7

Zumba times! Although, it was a super-nice day out I discovered on the run on the way over, should have probably made it a rxc day. Ah well. Good to get my groove on =)

Legs feel pretty used, mostly in a good way from the weekend. Right quad is the most testy.

Stayed for Core 15, this time led by a woman, not sure of her name yet. Liked the previous version more, she only worked on abs, ignoring side stuff and back... Anyways, a good ab workout!

Little bit of erging just to round things out.