Training Log Archive: PrueD

La Transju classic world loppet race, in the hills north of Les Rousses France. The course wound through pine forests and visited villages. It was pretty cold (the forecast was for -1 to -4, with intermittent snow). The course climbed a mountain and was then undulating with some long slight downhill sections. I was going well for the first half, making some time on the downhills, but tired around the 25km mark. My skis still wouldn't glide on the gentle downhills (despite 3 layers of wax last night) and l lost a lot of places in those sections. Around the 45km mark l was really stuffed and started to be more cautious in the downhills, as my legs were a little wobbly. It then started snowing and there was a whiteout for one steep downhill and l had to ski blind. At this point my toes were starting to freeze and my shoulder blades cramped up (which continued to the finish). The last 10 kms seem to take forever and wasn't pretty. I had one big fall on a particularly steep down hill where a woman was standing in the carved out track with skis across rhe track. I had to swerve to avoid her and it failed. I was freezing cold when l finished. That makes 7 world loppet races completed and 3 to go to be a world master. 59 kms for my last weekend of being 59!
We head for home tomorrow, with an overnight stay in Doha. I think l've had enough of winter, snow and skiing for a while and am looking forward to thawing out and orienteering again.

I haven't done any exercise since the weekend, although wished l had brought my runners. We travelled from Germany via Austria and then to Liechtenstein, Switzerland, then into France down to Lake Geneva, where we stayed at Evian. We went for a day trip south up a river gorge from Thunon towards Chamonix, but it was freezing cold and my desire to ski was nil. We're now in France in a small hotel at Les Piards, a village miles from anywhere on snow covered plains. I don't really plan to do anything before the next race on Saturday, where the biggest challenge will be getting to the start line on time (followed by the challenge of skiing 56 kms classic-style and hopefully not coming last)! My skating is better than my classic, but skating us physically harder than classic and l don't think l'd make the distance. The forecast for Saturday at Les Rousses is -1 to -7.

C • Skiathlon? 5