It's Never 2 Cold 2 Race in Wisconsin

This winter I was looking for something to get my competition fix. Birkie was out of the question as I was not that great on the skate skis yet and arrowhead just isn't on my plate yet either, so I did what was the next best thing and close to home, the Badger State Games. Here's how it shook out.

Saturday: 10k XC Ski

I couldn't have been more confused on how this whole ski racing thing works. They started the classical (my class) and freestyle at the same time. This was such a mess once we hit the course in full stride as classic skiers searched for the track and the freestylers were looking to get by us and pick up some speed. I got tangled in this and lost a good 40 seconds or so trying to get my skis and poles untangled and back on my feet. I took on the challenge of catching up to the main group of classic skiers but with the clear track ahead of them and my navigating around the slower skiers they checked out and just continued to put on a huge gap. I was climbing super strong on a very aerobically challenging course. All in all I was very happy with the completion of my first ski race and look forward to the Birkie next year. Gold medal #1 completed 1st in class and 6th overall in the 10k classic.

Sunday: Quadrathalon (5k run, 5k bike, 5k snowshoe, 5k xc ski)

I was obviously sore and it was noticeable prior to the start of this one, but I had no clue what I was in for. After a confusing pre race meeting in which I trailed off in wondering what gearing I should have put on the singlespeed after finding out there was no single track. I immediately knew that 32x16 wasn't going to cut it. I took off from the start line in a comfortable pace for about 200 meters and then we hit the snowmobile trail. The trail was way to soft and was like beach running....we don't do this in Wisconsin so we don't understand how difficult it can be. After being gassed on the first stage I took to the bike. I wish I would have carried my cadence sensor on me today cause I was well under geared for this probably guessing around 120+ rpm this was mistake number two as the first was picking this day as the first time I ran since July 4th. I was obviously cashed out at this point and I still had two stages to go and out on the snowshoes I got out there and while it was a wild workout it was cool cruising through some of the singletrack. Finally I got out on the skis and at this point I'm at that stage where my focus isn't there and running on fumes I crashed before I even hit the tracks and once more on a sharp right hander which was the third mistake as I should have used the skate skis for more control when the focus wasn't there. I finished strong and gained a spot or two but I think I nabbed a top twenty overall and another gold in my class. Not bad for part timer. Bring on the heat, dirt, and mountain bikes.