It was fun race, but I've made few mistakes. First, I should not have raced 42k, while having just recovered from flu. Secondly, I should not have been doing classic without coaches doing the kick wax - because I screwed it up. Thirdly, I should have been born a billioner and spend time drinking gin-and-tonic on the beach in Hawaii.
I didn't feel in shape at the start, so I decided to start relatively slow and keep heart rate below 180 at all cost. I did pretty good job at it - my race-average HR turned out to be 179.
The conditions were winter-cold at the start and slushy (on sunny spots) and still relatively cold (in the shade) on the second 21k-loop. I had toko multiviola klister for kick - it slipped on cold snow , worked reasonably well on warmer snow and had zero grip on slush.
That was a pity because the longest and hardest uphill was all chest-deep water on the second loop. I don't know how I climbed it, but it was not pretty. It wasn't not fast either. It was hell. When I was slipping my way up to top, I was passed by Sarah Konrad (in skating mode) and cheered with "Go Wyoming". With a proud tear on my weathered face, I had no choice but to go like a true cowboy.
Magically, I finished in forth - it seems there was no change of order since the start.
I am eternally grateful to organizers for providing a feed every 5k - it was very appropriate on a spring day like that. BTW, gatorade seems to go down much easier when it's cold.
It's great to see that team is doing so well on Nationals! Keep it up guys, or you will find youself digging gold in Siberia very quickly! :)
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