I’ve spent the last ten days waiting to feel better.  Post clot-busting surgery, the prognosis for recovery was a week of laying low and then a gradual start back into some light exercise.  The first day out of the hospital I was pretty sore.  Having a catheter jammed up your leg is bound to make any vein cranky.  Day two was more positive, I felt better, and walking around was much less painful.  “Sweet,” I thought, “I’m on the mend!”   Then day three was a step backward.  My leg was swollen again and much more sore.  I figured I had probably overdone the amount of walking around the previous day, and resorted back to the couch with my leg up.

On day four, I went in for a follow-up visit with a cardiologist.  My leg had been very achy and painful through the night and I shared my concern with the doctor.  He felt the pain was normal for recovery from such an aggressive procedure, and told me that I should expect the leg to be painful for the next week or so.  The treatment from here on out would be focused on getting my INR (International Normalized Ratio - a way to measure the thinness of the blood) into a therapeutic range.  Dealing with the pain was no problem once I was sure it wasn’t causing any harm.

The next several days were pretty similar.  My leg continued to be achy.  I just had to be patient.

This past Thursday, one week post surgery, I went in for another follow-up visit.  The results from the blood tests performed in Fairbanks were back.  It turns out I have a genetic mutation called Factor V Leiden that makes my blood more susceptible to clotting.  This would factor into my treatment plan, and I was referred to a hematologist for more answers.  An appointment was made for Monday.

On Saturday I attended a ski clinic put on by my friend Lars Flora. Usually I head out onto the trails with the little kids and have fun goofing around on the snow.  This year however, I was stuck in the lodge.   I spent my time inside explaining to parents and friends how I was feeling and what the prognosis was for recovery from my clot.  Everyone has been so caring and supportive, it’s amazing.  I missed being out on the trails, but at least I could still see the excitement in the kids eyes when they returned in from their ski.   It was a fun distraction.

By Sunday I felt like my leg was actually starting to feel a little better.  I could walk with less of a limp, and I could stand for longer without the tired, achy feel.  My spirits lifted a little.

Then we come to Monday, and the much anticipated visit with the hematologist.  The first part of the visit was very positive.  Despite having the Factor V Leiden disfunction, I would most likely be off Coumadin (a blood thinner) after six months.  By correcting some environmental factors (i.e. staying off hormonal birth control and  by staying active and hydrated during travel), I should be able to avoid future clots.  The doctor recommended that I go see a blood clot specialist in Oregon that has worked with athletes, as an added measure.  Then, just before leaving, he recommended that I get a follow-up ultrasound.  So I headed to the other end of the hospital and checked in with the Radiology department.

A friendly ultrasound tech then performed the ultrasound procedure up and down my left leg, while Jeff tried to understand what he was seeing on the monitor.  Having no clue how it went, we went back to the hematologist and waited for a report.  It took a little while for radiology to call back, and we ended up grabbing lunch in the hospital cafe while we waited.  Then finally we got the news:  the clot had reformed, and I needed to go back in for another surgical procedure of lytic therapy to once again break up the clot.  An appointment was made for 11:30am the following day.

So, I’m headed back to the hospital tomorrow.  The catheter is going back in the leg, along with the angiojet and more clot-busting drugs.  The doctors will again try to widen the compressed vein with the angioplasty balloons.  Due to the poisionous nature of the clot-busting drugs, I will most likely spend another night in the ICU, and then begin the healing process all over.  It’s back to square one.  Doh!

We’re crossing our fingers that this next procedure is more successful at removing all the clot and that this next recovery period will move a little faster.

Thank you everyone for sharing your stories and words of encouragement!

I just got out of the hospital for the second time in a five days. The back pain I encountered earlier last week turned out to be a massive blood clot in my left leg extending from my hip down past my knee, a condition called Deep Vein Thrombosis, DVT. I spent last Saturday and Sunday in the emergency room in Fairbanks where I received the initial diagnosis and started on blood thinners to prevent any more clots from forming. The doctors told me I would have to wait for the body to naturally take care of the clot. Fortunately, I was able to get out just in time to watch the men’s 50km classic race, and it was very uplifting to see my longtime coach Frode Lillefjell take third overall and win the National Championship.

Monday morning I flew back to Anchorage and mostly stayed at home with my leg up. My leg had swelled to almost twice the size of my other leg over the weekend. Thankfully the swelling went down a little after resting. (I think the blood thinners kicked in). On Tuesday I got an appointment to see a vascular surgeon. Upon reviewing my case he immediately suggested a surgical procedure called lytic therapy where they send a catheter up the vein starting behind the knee and go up into the clot and spray out a drug that disintegrates the clot (like Pac Man). The other alternative was to leave the clot and let the body take care of it, but because the clot was so extensive there was a good possibility that some of the clot would turn to scare tissue leaving me with an ineffective, painful leg for the rest of my life (which would have made skiing very difficult). So as you can imagine, I chose to go for the lytic therapy.

On Wednesday morning I headed to Providence hospital and checked in to the heart center. After checking my vitals, I was carted down to the radiology wing to the cath lab for the procedure. I was laid flat on a skinny bed, face down on my stomach. They gave me some sedatives and I only came about every once and a while to see the wire being pushed through the clot on a screen ahead of me. It seemed like only a few minutes but the procedure took four hours. When they were done I was taken up to the cardio intensive care unit. I was pretty sleepy, but I guess the doctors explained to Jeff and my parents that they were able to get about 70% of the clot out. The clot had actually been older than originally thought. Instead of being a week old like my symptoms, it appears the clot had been in there for a lot longer, perhaps all season.

I spent the night in the ICU still sedated and pretty sleepy. In the morning, I was taken back down to the cath lab for a second procedure to try and get out the remaining clot. I was on the table again for another two hours. This time they were able to clean out almost all of the clot and a balloon was used to widen parts of the vein that had been compressed.

Then I spent a few more hours in the ICU while they took the catheter out and made sure things were stable. Everything looked good, so I was discharged. When I first got up to walk, I thought the leg would feel much better. However, I found the leg actually hurt worse. I was given some crutches to walk around on.

A big lesson was learned here! The doctors seemed just as concerned with how the clot started as they were about how to deal with the clot itself.

At first it was hard to understand why someone my age, in such great health could develop such a blood clot. However, over the last week it’s been quite an education for me, learning about how clots form and what the contributing factors are. From what we can determine, the initial clot started months ago. Although we still don’t know what caused it, there are a few categories I fall into: May-Thurner syndrome, on birth control, and long periods of travel. Additionally, we are still waiting for blood tests to come back to determine whether I have any genetic predispositions for blood clots. These are some of the categories explained:

1) May-Thurner syndrome: a rare syndrome that happens in young, athletic women. May-Thurner syndrome is compression of the left iliac vein by the artery crossing over it, causing a narrowing of the vein.

2) Birth control: Women who use estrogen-containing birth control pills are at a 3- to 6-fold increased risk of developing blood clots. Since November, I have been using a product called NUVA RING. Currently there is a national class-action lawsuit against NUVA RING, as it has been linked to other instances of blood clots and DVT like I had.

3) Travel: This incident brings to light the need for more education for athletes about the risks with blood clots and DVT. We all spend so much time traveling, cramped on long flights. We often travel after competing which contributes to dehydration. We are healthy most of the time and we don’t respond to symptoms right away. This clotting has been in my iliac vein for a while, it just took a string of unfortunate circumstances (falling, sitting in a car and plane for hours without moving, and possible dehydration) to cause the clot to build up to a noticeable (and painful) point. I’m lucky I discovered the clot before anything really bad happened.

I hope we can all learn from this! Remember to get up and walk around every couple hours while traveling. Stay hydrated! And a note to all you female skiers taking estrogen containing birth control medications. Please talk with your doctor about the risks involved with blood clots!!

I hope to move on from this and get back to my normal self pretty soon.

Cheers,

Kikkan

Hey.  I left BC this week with high spirits after a great week of competition at Canadian Nationals and hoped to carry the momentum into the final races of the season, US Distance Championships in Fairbanks this weekend.  Unfortunately my plans have been derailed for the moment.

Near the end of my workout on Sunday, I crashed and packed into the snow pretty hard.  Other than my face tingling for several minutes I didn’t think anything of it.  My back started to get sore later that evening and has been getting sorer and tighter ever since.  Instead of racing in the classic sprints last night, I spent the evening on the couch.

This morning I headed out for a ski in hopes of getting my back to loosen up.  It did a little bit but then more pains started to appear.  I tried a little harder skiing, only to find my legs heavy and burning.  After consulting with Erik, we decided to air on the safe side and sit out tomorrow’s race.

It’s tough making the decision not to race.  On one hand it’s the end of the season and part of me feels like why not!  But then I remember it’s been a great season and there is way more to loose if I race and end up making myself worse.

So tomorrow I will cheer on my competitors and teammates, and hope to recover quickly in time for Sunday’s 30km classic.

 A few days ago I arrived in Squamish, BC for the 2008 Canadian National Championships.  The races are being held at the new 2010 Olympic venue, the Callahan Valley.

A shot looking back toward the stadium from the first corner.

 On Sunday we raced a club team sprint in the classical style.  I teamed up with Laura Valaas and we were able to ski to the victory for Alaska Pacific University.

Laura and I after the team sprint.

Today the women raced 5km classic, 2 laps of the 2.5km Olympic classic loop.  The weather was just about the worst you can have for a classic race.  Temperatures just above freezing and fresh snow falling.  I thought I was in trouble when I had no kick in the tracks going up the first hill.  So I resorted to running outside of the tracks where I was able to get a little grip.  I proceeded to run up all the hills and double-pole the flats.  While the running was not as pretty as a pure classic striding, it paid off and I won the race by 47 seconds over Chandra Crawford.  I was happily surprised with the win.

Women’s 5km podium.  Kikkan 1, Chandra 2, Liz Stephen 3.

Great American showing, 1,3,4

Tomorrow we race a 10km skate.



March 5, 2008

2008 World Cup
Drammen, NORWAY
1.4km Classic Sprint

Cliff Notes:

Classic city sprint in Drammen, Norway. Over 50,000 people came out to watch. Snow is packed on the city streets forming a loop around a historic city church. Rock bands are playing trail-side. It’s a pretty sweet race venue.

Unfortunately I had some tough luck today. My pole strap came undone in the first 50m of my qualifying round and having to ski without my strap threw me off just enough to miss the top thirty by four tenths of a second. I finished 33rd. Otherwise my skiing felt strong.

This race concludes my 2008 World Cup season. I still have a few more weeks of racing in North America before the season is totally finished, capping it off with US Distance Nationals in Fairbanks during the last week of March.

The Full Story:

Every year Drammen, Norway hosts a classic sprint race in the middle of their city. Snow is trucked in and laid on the streets, and it’s actually clean, white snow compared to most city sprints (no gravel and ice like Stockholm). The race always happens midweek and yet there are still over 50,000 people packed along the 1.4km course that goes up and around a historic church. It’s one of the most exciting atmospheres on the World Cup tour.

I did my first Drammen sprint at the end of the 2006 season following the Olympics. It was one of the biggest crowds I’d ever seen packed into such a tight area. I didn’t qualify for the heats, finishing in 39th place, but I watched the race action from the sidelines and looked forward to another shot the following year. Last season I competed in Drammen for my second time, determined to make it into the rounds. Despite a valiant effort however, I finished 34th place, less than a second out of the top 30. Chandra Crawford (who had finished 38th to my 39th the year before) also just missed qualifying along with an Italian friend of ours, Magda Geniun. We all vowed to make it in 2008.

Coming into this year’s Drammen sprint, I was counting on the third time being the charm! The course was in the best shape I’d ever seen it, my skis were running well and I felt good about my chances. So I lined up as bib #3 and took out onto the course as if it was mine to take.

I built good momentum over the first few meters and then began to double-pole up the gradual slope that serves as both the start and finish area. I had only made it 50m up the track when my right hand pole strap came flying loose. I panicked for a second and then just gripped the pole with my whole fist. It wasn’t ideal but I continued on. I pushed hard up and over the top of the course and then quickly tried to refasten my pole strap as I headed down a long tucking section.

I thought I had it fixed when I came around the next turn and started double-poling aggressively, but my pole strap came undone again, and this time I almost lost my pole. I was able to grab it just as my hand slipped out of the strap. I kept up my momentum as best as possible, clenching the pole with a tight fist while the strap flapped wildly in the wind. I powered up and over a bridge and tried to reattach the Velcro down the other side. It was halfway on as I powered the rest of the way to the finish. I crossed the line 3rd( out of 3), 8 seconds back.

While the rest of the women finished, I jogged around the finish area listening intently to the announcer. My name began to slip down the list, but it was holding for a while in the late twenties and I thought I might still have a chance! Then finally I heard him say, “And Randall is out of the top thirty.” When results were posted, I ended up 33rd for a second time, just four tenths of a second out of the top 30. Shut down again!!! My Italian friend Magda had a similar fate, finishing 32nd. Chandra however managed to make it on in 23rd place, breaking her own Drammen curse.

This year’s Drammen result was particularly frustrating because I was skiing strong enough to get into the top 30. It just took a silly problem like my pole strap coming loose to throw me off just enough to loose the precious fractions of a second needed to advance to the rounds. I had even checked my straps (like I always do) right before the start, but I guess my strap was getting old and worn and the Velcro wasn’t strong enough anymore. Needless to say I will be replacing that strap!!!

This experience has proved to me once again the high-level of racing on the World Cup. There is no room for error. While I’ve had some incredible success this year, there is still plenty of room for improvement and many big goals to strive for.

With the conclusion of the Drammen sprint, my 2008 World Cup season has come to a close. I had originally intended to stay in Europe for two more weeks to race the Holmenkollen and Bormio World Cup distance races, but have decided to head back to North America. In two weeks I will be racing at the Canadian National Championships (on the 2010 Olympic courses) and then I will finish off my season in Fairbanks, AK at the US Distance Championships during the last week of March.

It’s been wonderful to share this year with you and I look forward to sending out the final reports in the next few weeks!

Cheers,
Kikkan



March 1, 2008

2008 World Cup
Lahti, FINLAND
1.3km Freestyle Sprint

Cliff Notes:

World Cup action continues from Lahti, Finland with a skate sprint!  Qualified 15th to start the day. Won my quarterfinal by leading from the front.  In the semi-finals I finished a close third but because our heat was the fastest, I moved on to the A final.

In the A Final I had an okay start but got stuck in 6th place after a tangle with Marit Bjorgen on the first hill.  I waited patiently in the back and then accelerated around a hairpin turn to sling-shot myself up through the pack.  Going up and over a steep bridge, I charged into the lead going into the final uphill, where I tried to drop the field like in Rybinsk.  Unfortunately I was missing the extra gear that I had in Russia, and Chandra Crawford (Canada) was able to hang with me.

Coming back into the stadium off a fast downhill, Chandra was able to draft me and then sling-shot around with impressive speed.  I was still holding a strong second position coming around the final turn before the last 100m, when Petra Majdic (Slovenia), who had also caught up with the draft, charged into me and ended up pushing me.  The push shot me in the complete opposite direction I was going and I almost lost my balance.  Just as I was regaining my momentum, Marit Bjorgen came charging into the back of me.  She ended up falling and I came across the line in 5th place.

I was happy to make the A final today, but disappointed to miss the podium.  I was a bit unlucky to get tangled up so close to the finish.  The opportunities for freestyle sprints is few and far between, so I will have to wait until next season for my next chance.

One more classic sprint to go in Drammen, Norway on Wednesday.

The Full Story:

The spring tour of World Cup races has really shifted into high gear.  After racing in Falun last weekend, and then Stockholm on Wednesday, the tour moved to Lahti, Finland for this weekends’ races.  I have been looking forward to the Lahti races for a several weeks, to get another shot at a skate sprint (the last of three for the 2008 season).  It was nice to see upon arrival on Thursday that there was actually natural snow on the ground and that we might not have to dodge rocks this time around!

We spent our first night at the Veirimaki, the Finnish version of an Olympic training center.  While the rooms were nice and the food was not bad, it was a 30 minute drive into the race courses.  So after training on Friday morning, we opted to move to a hotel in downtown to be closer to the venue.  Lahti is a bigger city by the standards of the World Cup tour and it was fun to get out and check out the town.

Friday’s pre-race training went well.  It was fun to get reacquainted with the sprint course, and relive a few memories from my first World Championships in Lahti in 2001.  The stadium area serves as a track venue in the non-snow months, and with three gigantic ski jumps at one end, the venue really has a “big event” feel.  I kept my workout pretty short, doing a little ski testing and a few quick sprints around the critical parts of the course.

Race day
Anxious for race, I slept restlessly through the night and found it hard to choke down a bowl of porridge come race morning.  On the way out to the venue I listened to iPod, using the tunes to convert the nervous energy into positive vibes for the race.  My warm-up went well.  First, Peter and I tested three pairs of skis and found the fastest pair.  Part of the course was closed to keep the snow in good condition, so I made several trips up and down the main climb.  My body felt good and I headed to the start eager to see what I could do.

I started bib #12.  After accelerating out of the stadium, I charged up a gradual section and then up and over a steep bridge.  The snow was already loose and sugary with a layer of ice underneath, making it hard to stay on balance.  I V2’d aggressively up the next gradual section and then got thrown a little wider than expected around the hairpin turn at the far end. I stayed low and skated hard back toward the bridge.  The snow was loose and deep.  I jump skated over the top and carried a low tuck coming into the main climb.  I was able to carry good momentum into the hill with a few hard V2 pushes and then I jump-skated as hard as I could.  My legs felt a little empty of power, but I was able to make it over the top with a quick tempo.  I held a low tuck as I sailed back into the stadium and then accelerated around the final turn and sprinted for the finish.  I crossed the line in ninth place, just under three seconds back.  “Good enough,” I thought to myself.  (when all the women had finished, I ended up in 15th).

In between the qualification and the rounds, I did a short cool down ski and then headed down to the stadium to hole up in a small dressing room reserved for the athletes.  I found myself a cozy little spot on the cement floor, and laying on top of a couple jackets, I put on my iPod and closed my eyes.  My thoughts drifted between relaxing images of what I will do when the season is over and flashes of the course and how strategy might play out in the rounds.  Time passed quickly and with 30 minutes until start, I headed back out on course.

The snow on the main climb had gotten pretty chewed up during qualification, so before the heats started course workers were shoveling off the top layer of sugary snow. I had to dodge the shovels a few times as I completed my warm-up, but the snow-removal made a big difference.

With bib #15 this time, I was in the third women’s quarterfinal.  I chose middle lane #3.  The start was clean and I got off to a good start.  The two skiers to my right had a shorter line to the first corner and I had to go wide to stay even.  I sprinted hard to try and take the lead and was able to sneak in front on the inside of the next corner.  Once in the lead, I skied a strong, relaxed pace, slowing up just slightly before the hairpin and then accelerating around the other side.  I led up the main climb and then slowed again just before the tight corner at the top.  By slowing and then accelerating it caught the other skiers off guard and I was able to get enough of a lead going into the stadium to keep from being drafted off of.  I stayed in the lead all the way to the line and moved on to the semi-finals.

After getting my warm-ups on, I changed into my running shoes to jog out the lactic acid.  I had about 30 minutes until the next heat.

Lining up for the semi-final I once again took lane 3.  The gun went fired and I got off the line fast.  This time I was not able to get into the lead right away.  I hung in third for the first half of the course and then accelerated hard on the outside coming into the bridge.  I carried good momentum up and over the top and glided into the lead over the other side.  I powered up the main climb and tried my slow-then-accelerate trick around the top corner.  Chandra Crawford was not fooled by my move and as we sailed back down into the stadium she was able to get a good draft off me and sling-shot around before the corner.  I jumped in right behind her and followed her into the finish stretch.  Just as I was about to enter the lane to her right, she suddenly changed direction and cut in front of me.  I had to skid slightly and change direction to the left.  I lost a little momentum, and as I approached the finish, another racer was able to sneak up on the inside.  I ended up third.  Thankfully, our semi-final was faster, and I was able to move on to the final as a “lucky loser.”

Being the lucky loser, I got fourth lane choice, and only the two lanes on the far left were available.  I chose the inside of the two.  The introductions were quick and soon we were called to the line.  I crouched and waited for the gun.  BANG! I jumped off and accelerated.  I came out of the pine boughs even with the other racers, but because I was on the outside, I had to slip into the back of the group.  We were tightly bunched going up and over the bridge, and poles were getting stepped on all over the place.  Marit Bjorgen was just in front of me and after her pole got stepped on I got tangled with her for a brief second.  The others took off and I had to chase in sixth.

As we approached the hairpin turn, I took an extra wide line and then cut hard to the inside.  Several of the girls in front of me got thrown wide into each other and I was able to sneak up into third.  I kept accelerating hard down the hill and went for the outside again on the bridge.  Chandra was pushing wide, and Petra Majdic was going wide around her.  There was only a silver of room left to get through and I had just enough momentum to make it.  I glided into the lead over the other side.

Coming into the main climb I decided to go for it like I did in Rybinsk.  After a couple V2 pushes, I jump-skated as hard as I could.  Unfortunately I didn’t have that extra gear that I had in Russia and Chandra  was able to hang on.  This time I did not slow before the corner.  I continued hammering and skated into the downhill with a few more pushes before dropping into a low tuck.

Despite my efforts, Chandra came sailing by.  I tried to tuck in behind her but she had a lot of speed from the draft and she pulled away.  My legs were starting to give out, but I kept free-skating all the way to the turn.  I was still holding second midway around the turn when I felt a skier off to my right.  I moved over slightly to counter and then noticed a skier sneaking up on the inside.  Coming out of the turn, I started to head into one of the left lanes.  But Majdic (the skier on the inside) was now charging right into me.  While she was still a stride behind, she was trying to force me out of the way.  I held my ground, there was contact and yelling.  Then all of the sudden I got an actual push that sent me sailing across the lanes to the far right.  The push caught me off guard and I lost my balance.

Just as I regained my balance and began sprinting again, another skier collided into me from behind.  It was Marit Bjorgen.  She ended up falling and with only a few meters left, I crossed the finish line in fifth place.  When I tried to stop, I hit a patch of ice and fell to the ground.  I laid there for a minute, breathing like a freight-training, trying to figure out what had just happened.

What a crazy race!  I was in last, then in first, then leading the climb, only to be passed on the downhill. I was in second coming into the final 100m, before all the contact and pushing.  The finish line came too soon.

I was definitely disappointed to miss out on the podium, but satisfied to have been in contention.  I put out my best effort, tried to make a break and then got a bit unlucky coming into the finish. I guess that’s sprint racing!

While I didn’t reach the podium, it was still a great day for the USA!  My US teammate Andy Newell finished second, taking a place on the men’s podium.  Andy won the qualifying round by an impressive margin (almost two seconds) and skied confidently through the rounds to get his best ever World Cup finish.  Congrats to Andy for an awesome race!

With the final WC sprint race of the season coming up on Wednesday, I opted to skip Sunday’s distance race.  From Lahti we now travel to Oslo, Norway.  Wednesday’s race will be a classic sprint in Drammen.  It’s one of the most widely spectator-attended World Cups of the season, drawing crowds over 50,000, all tightly packed around the 1.4km course.   Rock bands are playing trail-side, and the large crowds make it feel like a “Superbowl” of sorts.

In my previous two attempts at Drammen, I have finished just outside the top thirty, missing qualification by tenths of a second.  I am hoping that the third time is a charm, and I will try my best to make it into the heats this year.

I look forward to sharing the story with you.

Cheers,
Kikkan



February 23, 2008

2008 World Cup
Falun, SWEDEN
15km Duathlon

The Short Version:

The World Cup tour moves back up to Scandinavia, first stop, Falun, Sweden. This weekend included a 15km duathlon and a 4×5km relay. Since Laura and I are the only two US girls over here, we had to sit out the relay.

The weather was warm, sunny and windy for the race. I had a good start and hung mid pack for most of the classic leg. After the transition however, the hard effort set in and I was unable to find my race gear. I gave up a couple spots before finishing 46th place.

I was frustrated to break my steak of improved distance races, but it was a hard workout and a good learning experience.

Now the fun begins! Wednesday we will race a classic sprint on the royal palace steps in Stockholm. Then Saturday a skate sprint in Lahti, Finland followed by a 10km classic on Sunday.

The Full Story:

After a rather interesting experience in Liberec, the whole team was excited to head up to Scandinavia where we knew the conditions would be good and the accommodations comfortable. We took a short 1.5 hour flight from Prague to Stockholm and then jumped on a tour bus for the 3 hour drive to Falun. We arrived in the dark, but Freeman and I snuck out for a quick 30 minute run to get the blood moving after a long day of sitting!

Falun is having a warm winter, like so many other World Cup venues, but the crew here is very experienced. The skiing has been excellent. The sun has even peaked out a few times and it’s starting to feel like spring time.

Most of the World Cup teams are staying at the Scandic Lugnet which is a nice hotel about a 10 minute walk from the stadium. This is my third time to the Scandic Lugnet and it’s nice to be somewhere familiar and friendly.



A view of the tracks. Photo by Laura Valaas.

Training went smoothly through the week and soon it was time to race. I was looking forward to the mass-start format of the duathlon because I wanted to challenge myself to ski with some girls that are usually a little faster than me. On Friday I tested skis and did a little faster paced work up the big climb called the Mordarbocken (Murder Hill), a three-minute long hill that is it’s steepest at the top and one of the more challenging hills seen on the entire world cup.

Saturday’s race time for the women was 12pm. That meant a relaxing morning. I ate breakfast a little later to keep from feeling hungry on my warm-up. Since the duathlon included both techniques I had to take extra time for ski selection. First I tested my skate skis, choosing a pair that would be good as the snow warmed up and got soft. Next I worked on picking my classic skis. Two pairs were feeling very similar and it was a hard decision. I ended up going on a brand new pair of Carbonlite klister skis.

With my arms full of equipment, I headed through the ski marking tent and down to the start. I placed my skate equipment in the transition box marked with my bib number, double-checking that my poles were the right length! The wind was blowing through the stadium pretty good.

We all lined up in the start lanes with a minute to go. The announcer played a sound effect of a clocking counting down. Then the gun fired and we were off!

The first 100m was free and clear, but as the pack hit the first uphill, everyone ran into the back of each other and the group came to a total standstill for a few seconds. Then it was a mad, running dash to get back into rhythm. The course climbed gradually up and out of the stadium and up another gradual stretch. Every lane was full of skiers and I stuck to the outside left to avoid trouble. The leaders were really charging and the pack strung out faster than usual.

I picked a few skiers that I wanted to stay near and tried to keep close contact. That meant I also got a couple face-fulls of slush! My skis were fast on the down hills and I made up ground each time the course turned downward. The first 5km loop went pretty well. As we came through the stadium, I was skiing in a group of six. While my double-poling was strong, the others were getting more momentum out of their striding and it was hard to keep touch. Some of the skiers started to pull away. The hard pace was setting in and I wasn’t even halfway yet.

Going up the classic portion (halfway) of the Mordarbocken for the second time, my body was feeling pretty tired. I reminded myself that I could soon switch to skating, and perhaps some fresher muscles. I got a good draft coming into the stadium and glided into the transition zone. I took a few skate pushes as I pulled out of the straps on my poles and ran a couple steps into my box. My bindings released easily and I was able to jump onto my skate skis without any problems and head back out on course. At first my poles felt so long, and it took a minute to get my balance.

My legs actually felt pretty good heading up the first hill, but my mental game was hurting. The skiers I had hoped to hang with were already out of sight and I was feeling tired with 7.5km still to go. One racer passed and I didn’t respond. Going up the Mordarbocken for the first skate lap, a couple more skiers came by. Their pace wasn’t that much faster, but I just couldn’t convince myself to stay with them. I was making it up the hill, but I wasn’t getting much momentum out of each stride. My mental tenacity was waning big time!

For the rest of the first skate lap, I was having a battle in my head. One voice was trying to convince me to quit the race: “I’m so far out of it, I’m tired and since I’m a sprinter, why do I need to do these races anyway?”, while the other, more rational voice countered with positive affirmations. I had to remind myself that I wasn’t in any danger, and that quitting was not an option.

Coming through the stadium, I took a quick glance over at the finish stretch before heading down the lap lane. “Wish I was going that way,” I thought. One more lap, one more time up the Mordarbocken.

The effort was really uncomfortable but I tried to convince myself to go a little faster. Focusing on my technique allowed me to escape the pain of the race for a few seconds. The coaches and service men were yelling encouragement from the sidelines and I wanted desperately to be giving them a better performance. I was so frustrated with myself.

As I approached the bottom of the Mordarbocken for the last time, a Swedish girl in a club suit caught up to me. My mental state had been pretty passive for the past several kilometers, but somehow I managed to make a sudden switch. This time I wasn’t going to let another racer ski away. I needed to stick with this girl. When she passed, I matched her pace. It was faster than I had been going, but somehow easier.

The hill was long and tough, but following this girl gave me a renewed energy. When she put on a boost at the top, I matched her speed. We crested the hill and then I tucked in behind her down the other side as we safely navigated some technical turns and caught air going over one of the bridges. Finally, I felt like I was racing again, completely focused on the task at hand. She set a good pace up the final climb.

My skis were running fast and coming back into the stadium, I pulled around the Swedish girl and charged for the finish. I couldn’t tell if she responded to my move, I just focused on getting to that finish line. I sprinted up the final rise and slid across in 46th place.



Cooling down after the race, Swedish fans in background. Photo by Laura Valaas.

Over the next several hours, I had to re-live the race in my head, sorting through the disappointment to find some positive notes to take forward. I was frustrated that I had lost my mental edge during the race and hadn’t been able to squeeze out all my potential for the day. But I also had to remind myself that doing these longer distance races is more about capacity building and experience for me than the result. Some days are going to go well and some days are going to be tough. Today was a tough day. The more races I do, the more I learn, the stronger I get.

I can put this race behind me and look forward to the opportunities coming up. This next week brings great opportunities, back to sprinting!! On Wednesday I will be racing a classic sprint on the steps of the Royal Palace in Stockholm, and then on Saturday I get another shot at a skate sprint (my best event).

More to come!

Cheers,
Kikkan

Hey there!

Quick video from the classic team sprint in Liberec today. No footage of the women’s semi-finals, we were too busy racing. Laura and I just missed advancing to the finals by five tenths of a second.

A little preview of where the 2009 Nordic World Championships will be held next year.



February 10, 2008

2008 World Cup
Otepaa, ESTONIA
10km Classic and 1.2km Classic Sprint

(pictures included!)
Cliff Notes:

I’m back in Europe for the third period of 2008 World Cup season. Conditions are quite different here in Otepaa than the winter wonderland we experienced in Canmore. The tons of snow and clear skies have been replaced by grass, ice, rain and misty clouds. While it hasn’t been the most ideal conditions for racing, the World Cup goes on, and two races were contested this weekend.

The first race was an individual start 10km classic, 2 laps of a 5km loop. I started bib #11. Over the first of two laps, I worked my way into a solid rhythm, pushing through the slush and dirt spots. A large crowd had gathered on one of the toughest uphills and was cheering “hup, hup, hup,” to every stride. On the 2nd lap I was able to hold a steady pace and pull back some spots. I finished the race in 42nd place. It was a solid day.

Race #2 was a classic sprint. Conditions continued to get even warmer causing the course to slowly disintegrate. Rain was coming down and a stiff headwind was blowing down the finishing stretch. I started midway through the Red group and gave the course my best effort. The last 200m into the wind was very challenging, especially coupled with the patches of standing water. I crossed the line for 22nd position and a ticket onto the heats. In the quarterfinals I held fourth position through most of the race and just got out double-poled in the last 100m to finish fifth. That gave me a 25th place overall for the day.