As far as all the races at Nationals, the only one I need to reminisce about is the 15k classic. I mean the 10k was great, don’t get me wrong, but I just spent the entire race pacing myself and trying not to hit the wall like I have done in so many skate races in the past. The sprint race was extraordinary, but all I really did there was qualify for the heats and be one of three people that didn’t crash in the quarters to move on. The classic race on the other hand was definitely worth remembering. Here is what I recall:
The clocked counted down as I settle into my start position, and all I could think about was catching the man 30 seconds ahead of me, bib 190. 3 . . . .2 . . . 1 I strided out of the gate and focused on staying relaxed and watching the distant racer half a minute ahead. In the blink of an eye I was coming through the stadium finishing my 1st lap, after passing three men and closing in on the fourth. The feeling that was surging through my body at this point was amazing. It was almost as if I had endless amounts of energy. Each winding downhill, I actually looked forward to the hard work of the next uphill. I felt as if I could continuously push harder, ski faster, and my body would not fatigue. Early in the second lap a cxc skier from the A seed passed me on his way through his first lap. Now there are things I like doing in races and people passing me is not one of them, so this unidentified cxc racer lit a fire beneath me and there was no way in hell he was going to escape. Slowly, ever so slowly, I pulled him back. And at the 10k mark, finally, I skied past him and started to put as much time between him and myself as possible. Over the next two kilometers I got two splits (my first two of the race).

First Split: “You are in 35th”

Second Split: “You are 45 seconds into first place overall”

Now I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty sure that going from 35th to 1st in 500 meters isn’t all that possible. As I learned later, the first split was for the first lap and the second split was up to date. But at the time it was more confusing than finding coconuts in Antarctica. Anyhow, as I was attempting to figure out what these splits meant I was nearing the end and I finished the race off with everything I had left, crossing the line with racer bib #181, I had caught ten people . . .

This isn’t the classic 15k, but its colorful and I like pictures

Looking back at that race I would have to say that it was almost the perfect race. The skis were flawless; I didn’t hit the wall, no crashes, and no broken equipment. All in all a perfect day. I was also the only skier in the top 30 to ski a faster second lap. I was seriously considering retiring after that race. End it with a perfect result, ya know?

Training – 600 hours a year

Taking a year to do nothing but train eat and sleep

Trip to Houghton - $1500

Getting 12th place at Senior Nationals 2008 as a second year OJ . . . . PRICELESS!!!

Tags: Reid, Senior Nationals

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 9th, 2008 at 7:52 pm and is filed under Ski racing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.