Training Log Archive: AliCIn the 1 days ending Feb 23, 2013:
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Saturday Feb 23, 2013 #
Event: American Birkebeiner
8 AM
XC skiing 2:32:35 30.72 mi (4:58 / mi) +611m 4:41 / mi
ahr:168 max:177
7th overall woman in the Birkie!
My first Birkie and totally great fun. I had a good race, staying with the lead pack for nearly the whole race (dropped and recovered twice, actually), until 10k to go, when the lead ladies decided they better pick it up and figure out who was actually going to win (turns out the 5 of them finished within 10 seconds, so was a battle all the way to the finish!).
The rest of us in the original pack of 12 were left straggled out behind from that point on. I started in 12th of the bunch and worked my way up to 7th, picking off girl after girl, besides 6th, who was also moving up the ranks with me.
A ski marathon is such a different race than orienteering. Maybe it's like a road marathon, I don't really know. But it's very tactical, because drafting is so helpful and you have to keep checking in with all body systems - can I keep this pace up for another x kilometers? You can ski with slightly different technique if certain things seem about to go. For instance, my untrained-for-hills quads didn't feel super happy, so I actually opted to hop into the classic tracks and double pole some slightly down hill stretches of the race.
The absolutely only thing that is a bummer about the 7th place finish is that it's the first place that doesn't win any money. Ok, gotta try to step it up at least a little bit for next year! =)
My first Birkie and totally great fun. I had a good race, staying with the lead pack for nearly the whole race (dropped and recovered twice, actually), until 10k to go, when the lead ladies decided they better pick it up and figure out who was actually going to win (turns out the 5 of them finished within 10 seconds, so was a battle all the way to the finish!).
The rest of us in the original pack of 12 were left straggled out behind from that point on. I started in 12th of the bunch and worked my way up to 7th, picking off girl after girl, besides 6th, who was also moving up the ranks with me.
A ski marathon is such a different race than orienteering. Maybe it's like a road marathon, I don't really know. But it's very tactical, because drafting is so helpful and you have to keep checking in with all body systems - can I keep this pace up for another x kilometers? You can ski with slightly different technique if certain things seem about to go. For instance, my untrained-for-hills quads didn't feel super happy, so I actually opted to hop into the classic tracks and double pole some slightly down hill stretches of the race.
The absolutely only thing that is a bummer about the 7th place finish is that it's the first place that doesn't win any money. Ok, gotta try to step it up at least a little bit for next year! =)