America's Uphill Recap 2012

It has been a while since I've updated the blog. Mostly I've been working, training, eating sleeping and once every two weeks racing. This week was America's uphill. Race day was very bizarre I woke up early and while stretching threw out a rib. This is something that has never happened before and I hope never happens again. After a bit more stretching and a bowl of granola I pulled it together and tried to think about the race. Pete picked me up at 6:10 and we drove over Owl Creek to Lift 1A. After a quick warm up skin to the gondola my rib was starting to feel better. It was a fast check-in  and bathroom stop before a little jaunt up the hill before it was time to line up and kick off at the start. 7:00am came and we were off. Three steps later I became tangled with myself, another racer and was flat on my back legs in the air with my skis crossed.

Thankfully I was able to get untangled and get in good position on the first pitch. Looking ahead I spotted  Sari Anderson charging hard.  Still working with-in the crowd I was able to get just a few steps behind her and hold on and try to keep pace. The pitch of Little Nell came and went and before I knew it I was halfway up spar and Sari had put a full 20 seconds on me. Feeling better and noticing my rib was pain free I held on and watched her boots. Her feet clicked like a metronome keeping a steady beat.  Usually this is the part of the uphill racers when she speeds up and I see her at the finish. This time was different. I kept watching her boots and how her economy of movement. There didn't seem to be single wasted move. It was a great lesson in how to skin up fast. I just watched and hiked. At the top of Spar Gulch I had made up the 20 seconds. At the aid station I held on and kept breathing. I kept looking at the back of her boots and hearing the rhythmic click, click of her steps.  A few lung burning minutes later we were rounding the corner of Silver Bell. Sari ask if I wanted to past and I declined, her pace was great and just below my absolute max. 30 seconds later she seemed to steer right and I was on my own. I passed and pushed. The last 3 minutes were by far the most painful. After crossing back over the Gondola I was finally able to spot the finish and put everything I had into speeding up and over to finish strong. The announcer voice cut through the air announcing that I was the overall winner of the Heavy Medal Category. Crossing the finish line I was hit with a wave of nausea as half of my bib was pulled off of me and  timing chip was removed from my leg. My thoughts were clear, I need to get my bag take off my skins and get to work at Highlands because now I had to get to Work.

Cosmic Power of Four 2012

A picture is worth a thousand words......

Thanks John for being a great partner.