Nordic Skiing race (Classic) 46:04 5.91 mi (7:48 / mi) +31m7:40 / mi ahr:166 max:184 slept:6.0
First classic race was a relative success! It was supposed to be 7.5k, but they upped it to 10k due to a lack of snow (no, it makes no sense). We started in pairs at 30 second intervals, and I quickly dropped the (15 year old) guy I started with. Throughout the first few k’s, I was passed by a number of people, and I noticed how much they were relying on double poling, rarely kicking at all! So, I modified my technique to double pole more often, although I’m not convinced it actually helped me much. In the second half of the race, which was much more hilly, the guy I started with passed me back on an uphill, with much more glide than I was getting. I made up ground on the subsequent downhill. We did a yo-yo like that for a while, and then I pushed it hard the last 1.5k to get a gap large enough to keep him at bay on the last significant uphill. Fun to do, but I think I’m more of a skating fan.
Nordic Skiing warm up/down (Classic) 17:49 1.37 mi (13:00 / mi) +2m12:56 / mi ahr:133 max:149
Crystal with my sister and dad. Met up with Shane, Tom B, and Aaron for bits and pieces of the day. Unfortunately, there's been a recent trend of the skiing being notably better before lunch vs. after it. Today, for instance, as soon as we came back out in the afternoon, the upper lifts were all put on wind hold. We caught nearly the last chair to the top, and there were MAYBE 1mph winds. Ridiculous and disappointing. My solution: stop going in for lunch.
Rollerskiing46:28 5.56 mi (8:21 / mi) +69m8:03 / mi ahr:147 max:180 slept:8.5
New Year’s roll around the regular loop. This was skating, although I’m signed up for a classic ski race on Sunday. I’ve classic skied three times, and only ever received real instruction on it once. There might not be enough snow, but if there is, it’ll be a very interesting time.