Canmore World Cup Wrap Up.
Canmore WC
With the excitement of the Canmore world cup finally coming to an end I thought it would be a great time to share my experience from the past weekend. With the world coming for the final world cup stop prior to the Olympics, there was great excitement surrounding the event. The weekend consisted of a 10/15 km skate race on Friday and a classic sprint on Saturday. I was excited to have the opportunity to race on the very familiar trails of the Canmore Nordic center. My main focus was the classic sprint (prep for the Olympics) but I choose to race both days, seeing as I feel I race well after a race the day before and because 15km skate has been a good event for me before.
I snuck in a short training block between Russia and the World cup races which left me a little tired. I was still optimistic that I would be able to perform. The day before the skate race I tested skis and spent the rest of the day relaxing and trying to convince myself that I was feeling great, therefore ignoring the constant urge to sleep. After a 10+ hour sleep I awoke groggy and wishing for a couple more hours of sleep. Three cups of coffee quickly brought me into a jittery and excited state ready to hammer out a hard 15km race.
The race didn’t meet my expectations. I started conservatively and was never able to get into a good racing rhythm. The giant hills on the Canmore course took me as their prisoner and I struggled throughout all three laps. When I finished I was disappointed and exhausted but had a strong feeling that the classic sprint was going to be much better. It has been over a year since my last strong 15km skate and that has puzzled me. This event was probably my best a couple years ago and I am sure with a little work I can be competitive again.
With the skate race out of the way I turned my attention to recovering for the classic sprint. I really wanted to qualify for the heats, since I had only done this once before on the World Cup in a very weak field in Russia. I knew that for me to do well I needed to focus on staying relaxed and skiing technically well from start to finish. The conditions were perfect and my skis were great so I was ready to go and throw down a strong qualifier. Out on course I tried to stay focused on my plan and had to ignore the commentator announcing Stef qualifying in 7thth position and would likely move through due to the higher ranked skiers starting first. As I got on my clothes and headed off to cool down I heard that I was officially through to the quarter finals. position. Upon arriving in the finish I felt as though it wasn’t my best qualifier. I had lacked a little snap on the big hills, but was happy to hear that I was in 25
After relaxing and refueling before the quarterfinals I was ready to go. I tested my skis and headed out for a warm up, creating a race strategy as I went. My plan was to keep relaxed, stay out of trouble (after crashing in my quarter final in Russia) and ski in third or fourth until the finish. I executed my plan perfectly cresting the last hill on the course comfortably in fourth position. My amazing skis allowed me to draw even with the leader (Bjorn Lind, double Olympic Champion) as I headed into the double pole finishing stretch. I pushed as hard as I could but was not able to maintain my position, falling back to 4th. I crossed the line disappointed that I hadn’t moved through but with a new sense of confidence that I belonged racing against the top sprinters in the world.
I finished the day 19th, my best World Cup sprint result ever and the top Canadian on the day. It was a very encouraging day and weekend for me. I was able to fight back from a disappointing 15km skate race to have a solid sprint, and was able to perform pretty well in the sprint feeling as though I was missing my top gear. I am super excited for another opportunity coming up in Vancouver! My final preparations are just about done and I am ready to give it my all in the 2010 Olympics!
Stay tuned.
Brent
