Training Log Archive: AliC

Cold, cold, cold! (-12C?) But I tried at least a brief warm-up. Then realized I needed to take the bag of my non-race layers over across the road and then start!

Marathon de la Clarée- 4th place

A smallish (~600 racers) French ski marathon in the Southern Alps. So so so much fun!!!!

I started in the 2nd line, because I have no French marathon ranking points. But I caught the 1st line by the end of the double pole zone and was happily skiing with the top 5 ladies after the first few hundred meters.

Top 5 of us skied together for the first quarter until Planchenet (not spelled right...), then Elisabeth, who ended up winning took off, very strong. I didn't try to follow, didn't feel like that was a pace I could keep. The remaining 4 of us were together until Névache where many spectators were and where you actually ski through little winding streets of the town- fun! Then on the big uphill aftewards, we lost the woman who came in 5th.

I led on the uphill and was feeling really strong, but on the downhill I couldn't keep up!!!! Which brings me to the really annoying point that my skis weren't as fast as the other women. So frustrating! So I couldn't break with the woman who came in 2nd, she just glided away on the downhills. Then was skiing with #55 for the whole rest of the way- she would put on some distance on the downhills since her skis were also faster, but I could easily keep up on flats/uphills. We kept switching the lead, and unfortunately, she had a bit more clue of where the finish was than I did. As it was, she passed close to the end, then we had a downhill, she pulled away and I couldn't catch her in the finish chute.

Was totally a blast nonetheless!!! Want to do it, or perhaps the Transjurassiene next year...

C • Congratulations!! It reall... 6

After buying a new strap in a ski store in the ski station La Féclaz, out to ski with Frédéric and Séverine and Emilie (their baby). Emilie was being pulled in a pulk. Wonderful skiing. Maybe the first time this season I've been able to ski without worrrying about rocks?

After a hearty and delicious lunch at a restaurant we skied to, back out. I did a half hour with the pulk- made it much much harder to go uphill! Good training, although possibly not awesome for technique.

There were tons and tons of people out on the trails- it's French school holiday! Unlike in the states, skating is really the norm for everyone- I think only about 5% of folks out there were classic skiing.

From hostel over to the Hotel Denner, where I dropped my bag with laptop at the front desk for my supervisor to bring up the mountain. Then over to the end of Hans Bockler Strasse to wait for Cassie an American grad student who knew the trails up to the top of Koningstuhl.

Went up up up, first on stairs, then more gradually. Wasn't super fast, but a lovely run/hike with more and more snow as we got higher. Fantastic way to commute to work! And great to chat with Cassie, she's a cool girl.

5 min abs, 1 min back at MPIA- they have a little mini gym and showers. Perfect!

Cold morning run, across the bridge, through the university a bit (who knew they had stables?) then out a bit further along the Neckar river and also back around the river. Mixed in some 6 x 1 min intervals, but not feeling the speed. Haven't done things shorter than 1 mi in some time...

Arrived in Heidelberg, checked into hostel, then went out for a run. There was a tear-off city map at check in, so I made myself a little o-course exploring bits of the city. Made it lots more fun! Got a few strange looks, and one guy started running along side and said "Look I'm faster". What I'm most mystified by is how he realized I was English-speaking from how I ran. Or maybe carrying map -> tourist -> speak in English?

10 min abs on hard floor

I have resolved I'm not going to let this be a totally crap training week despite being here for work. Will have to wake up early and run likely, as evening gets taken up by dinners with colleagues.