Over 20 years ago during my second year of racing I found myself  in Northern Wisconsin about to take part in my first of many North American Birkebeiner Races. A couple of days prior to the actual event I went to watch a press conference at Telemark lodge with the Midwest Karhu Rep. Since I did not expect to be participating at such a prestigious event, I was dressed in an old t-shirt, baseball cap and worn jeans.  However, to my shock and dismay the moderator called me up to be part of the panel along with members of the top Marathon Teams.  Luckily I was invisible to the moderator and the press – until the end.  Someone got the Timex skiathlon rep to ask a specific question to me.  At this frontal assault I was more then miffed. The query was:  “Duncan what do you think about when you race a 50 km Ski Race?”

Well, I thought about it for a couple of seconds turned my Karhu baseball cap to be on correctly, stopped leaning back on the rear two legs of the chair, and I then leaned forward and grabbed the mike.  Staring decisively around the room, I a authoritatively uttered one word – “PAIIIIIN”

To clarify the statement I continued “ During a 50 km ski race I only ask myself one question: Can I feel any more pain???  If I can then the answer is push harder.

As you can imagine the room was quiet for a bit.  It appeared that the moderator was aghast, he then posed the question to the other members and got the appropriate responses of good technique, a song runs through my head, etc.

In my opinion, if one can ask oneself, any question in a race, they are not suffering enough!  Nirvana is attained when all you can do is push your body to near failure, with the caveat that it responds to what is asked/required!! ( Doesn’t one wish that was always the case!)  Stay tuned for what is thought about on all those countless hours of “mindless” training.

It has been so cold the Jury has postponed  the Classic Sprint for the last two days. The Montana Team Hanging out waiting to race has been indicative of the last two days. This afternoon they changed the 15 Skate race to a 10 km Skate race tentatively scheduled for tomorrow. Although there is a nasty rumor of changing that to a classic race and then doing the skate race at a later date. I have a flight tomorrow night, hopefully if that it is the case I will try to  change my ticket in order to be able to participate in whatever, whenever. Personally the 15km coarse is much more palatable. Hopefully it will warm up and everybody can stop sitting around and go race.  

Actually it has the tracks/trail is incredibly slow for skating so that racing on any coarse shall be a lung searing sufferfest.

Arrived yesterday in currently frigid Anchorage Alaska to contest the 15 m Skate National Championship Race. The race will hopefully Monday morning, weather permitting.  

Definitely living the dream 1. flew across the nation in 1st class 2. Arrived in Anchorage with all of my luggage. 3. Staying at the Anchorage Ski Hotel complete with Man Cave Wax Room, World Class Wax Technician, Sauna, and excellent cuisine.

Anchorage has awesome scenery and  impeccably groomed trails. This morning was spent waxing skis in the Man Cave. It is a spectacular place to work on your skis. Today waxed 4 pairs of MADSHUS skate skis with TOKO LF Blue to go out and test in the subzero temperatures. 

The local Anchorage Wax aficionado  has a 1-car garage accessorized with all TOKO wax equipment and waxes known to man. Waxing skis is really an art form. There are many components to transforming a ski into a weapon of speed. Such as ski, structure, wax, ironing, scraping, brushing, and the innate art of putting it all together.

The WAX MAN Cave is one of those places which it is possible to put it all together and create ski art.