Hitting the wall...Bonk!

I was going to postpone this update until tomorrow since I have barely been able to keep my eyes open all day long and as luck would have it now I can't seem to fall asleep.

Last night provided a rather dubious run up to the race as Mason was up for about 15 minutes at 1:40 and then Brenna got up for the day at about 4:55 am. She was later joined by Mason at about 5:40 am. So the sleep and recovery box on the checklist could not really be ticked. Below is a picture of me trying to get ready with Mason's help as I eat some of breakfast which included an apple, a banana, and a bowl of harvest crunch with chocolate milk. (Yum-Yum, the thick chocolate milk very slowly seeps down into the granola's interstitial spaces until it is the consistency of a delicious bog or swamp).



I got out the door into a crisp clear morning at about 7:30 to make my way to the race for about 8:00 am. Upon arrival at Hardwood the trails looked the part with a fresh corduroy finish on the fine granular snow. The view below shows the mid lap turn around point with the finish hut on the left. Beautiful skies and beautiful snow.



I picked up my race bib and got changed in the building where Jeff Buchan (Jodi's cousin's husband who was also at the fall cyclocross races) picked me out and we wished each other the best. Jeff went on to finish 3rd in his category in the 20 km so I guess my wishes to him worked better than his would ultimately prove to do for me. I do however believe he was sincere and that my performance could be chalked up to other factors.

I made my way up to the 9:00 am start and managed to snap one last cool pic that shows the beautiful day and trails pretty well I think.



On the line it looked like there were a little less than 50 starters for the 40 km distance and they all looked pretty serious. I started right at the back so as to be out of the way and I hadn't really warmed up much so I wanted an easy start. In the first 10 km I passed a number of people and felt pretty good as the wax was working well and the conditions were fast but safe and fun. I skipped the first feed station which was stupid but that is a common theme that I seem to employ anytime I race on skis. The next 20 km went by pretty well and I passed a couple more people while mostly keeping pace with a younger female skier who was obviously a much better skier than I am but I was stronger on the climbs.

As I made my way into the final 10 km loop, I made a good push to start off strong but as I hit the first steeper hills it all started to go pear shaped. The tank was empty and both my legs were knotting up as some 15 year old girl who I passed earlier went sailing by. Demoralizing to say the least. That set the tone for the remainder of the race which became a trial to finish. I would have loved like nothing else to have just sat down and dropped out but it would have been a bummer to relay that sort of and ending to the endeavour. I ended up losing one more spot over the course of the lap and finished with legs, shoulders and arms that would barely move.

My finishing time was just under 2 hours and 25 minutes for 40 km which I'm not that unhappy with overall. I definitely skied harder than in Gatineau but I wish that I could have finished in better form. My second 20 km was 6 minutes slower than the first and all of that would have been in the last 10 km. That is a fair bit to slow down over that short of a distance I think.

Now for my rant. Nordic skiers are freaks. Those bastards are not human. The fastest time was fully half an hour faster than mine. While this was only my second race and I did beat one guy in a skin suit, I can not even conceive of the level of fitness that most of these people are working at. I finished outside of the top half of starters overall and if I had been racing in the 50-59 age group I would have been second last. That is utterly mental. Further factor in that this is not a big race and wouldn't draw really top skiers and it becomes even harder to imagine how fast people can get. Generally, on a day of cross country skiing at Hardwood I feel much better than average. My technique is very rough but my fitness seems good relative to the recreational skeirs. But compared to people at a ski race they must be wondering why I would bother getting out of bed so early in the morning to show up and race. This is not a recreational, participation sort of sport. These guys are serious.

On the way home I myself was wondering why I would actively seek out the opportunity to pay $45 to do a two and a half hour workout that would start with some fun and an elevated heart rate and end in almost excruciating pain as all my leg muscles tried to simultaneously seize up. Having said that I'm already looking forward to the Paris Ancaster bike race which will almost certainly end the same way.

I may still ski a few more times but I need to start to prepare seriously for biking. It is a 60 km race that is supposed to be hard. It is only 6 weeks away and I need to get hard miles in my legs so I can try to finish in something other than a dazed stupor. I will try to give further updates as they seem necessary.