Birkie Weekend

Ah yes, the big Birkie weekend has come and gone for another year. The Birkie is a pretty amazing event with around 7,000 skiers taking part in one of the various races. This year I had been thinking I might take on the full 51k race and even did a 44.4k ski in preperation. Then I got hit with a very nasty flu/cold combo and wondered if I would ski anything at all. However, I made the switch to the Kortie and survived 23k.

I can't say that being sick (really sick) and not skiing for 2 weeks is the best way to prepare for a big event like this. However, it you ski slowly enough you can survive. On Friday the group of us who were staying together went to try out our wax and get in a short ski. It was at this point that I wondered if I could survive 23k of fairly hilly terrain. After skiing 1k I had to stop and rest. After skiing 2k I had to sit down. I started up one really long hill and about half way turned around and went back.

At that point I will admit that I was hit with a wave of depressing thoughts and was feeling a little down. However, I'm not all about feeling sorry for myself so my little pity party only lasted for a short bit and then I realized that I just would have to suck it up and deal with not feeling great.

I will admit that I was nervous about how I'd feel but luckily I planned my race day so I didn't have a lot of time to stand around worrying. By the time I drove to the Como parking lot, spend an unusual amount of time in traffic, finally got parked, got in line for the bus, finally got a bus, got dropped off at Telemark lodge, put on my boots, stood in line for the bathroom, went to the bathroom one last time, walked to the start, took off my jacket and warm up pants, dropped off my bag, and got to the start line I only had 2 minutes until the start.

The first 9k have lots of hills and I was really feeling them. However, I just told myself to go slow. I took a nice long stop at the first aid station after 5k for some water and energy drink and to regroup. On from there are more hills and they seemed long but I kept with my plan to go slow. During this next 4k section I did think that I wanted to bail out of the race but I knew that if I got to the Kortie/Birkie split that it levels off for the Kortie and I could ski the flats nice and easy and I'd be okay.

At the 9k split I had a nice long break at the aid station with some water and half a gu. Then came the easiest section of the Kortie. I just cruised a long and for quite a while no one passed me and I only really passed classic style skiers. Before long I was at the 10k to go mark at wich point I reminded myself that only 2 weeks earlier I had skied 44k so surely I would make it.

At the 3rd and last aid station I had the rest of my gu packet and a couple of glasses of water. I took my time at this aid station as I knew that the end of the Kortie has some nasty hills that I would need to have some energy to make it up.

Things were going pretty well for me as the kilometers ticked by and at 5k to go I told myself that all would be well. I reminded myself that I did 5k at the 24 hours of Telemark after little sleep and 45k of skiing. All was good until 3k to go at which point my body was ready to be done. I reminded myself that my legs didn't feel that tired so I should not worry about it. I really did want to stop though but I didn't and I just reminded myself that if I skied slow I would be fine.

Luckily as you get into this section it is all so familiar from years of doing the Chequamegon Fat Tire Festival so you know where you are and what it to come. And before you know you're at the 22k sign and all you have left is the screaming fast downhill and around an up to the finish.

With my super fast skis I knew no one would pass me on the downhill so then it was just one little annoying hill up to the finishing straight. It's all good times when they're calling out your name and you're getting you're finishing pin!

All in all I skied a much slower race than I had hoped for or thought I was capable of doing. However, on Friday I wasn't sure I had the energy to finish 23k so I can't be anything but pleased with the day. Overall I did a lot of sitting in and staying behind slower people who were "single-sticking" up the hills when I would have been able to V1 and only used the V2 for maybe 2 short sections. However, I had just enough energy to finish. Sure I would have liked to have skied a little faster so I could move up a wave. However, I think Wave 6 will be a good place to ensure I pace myself well for the full Birkie next year.

Now the real news around our house is actually Dave's race. We didn't know what to expect since we haven't been out skiing as much this year and this was his first race of the season. He really didn't get in those long skis that are so important to skiing a strong Birkie but I had faith that he could do still have a strong finihs. Luckily he once again improved on his previous races and got in a sub 3 hour race which was awesome (2:57 actually). And it looks like he may have qualified for Wave One next year which was something he was hoping to do. I'm so excited for him to have had a good race!

Now I just hope our snow sticks around until . . . . maybe April would be nice. I think we'll race one more race this season but we'll try to get in tons of skiing. Next year I have this idea that we should do the Birkie and then 2 weeks later ski the Engadin Ski Marathon in Switzerland. I've been inspired by our friends who are headed to Sweden to do the Swedish Vasalopet (a 90k classic only race . . . yikes!).

I hope to get out on the local ski trails later this week. Doing the ski race has definitely brought back a few of my cold/flu symptoms. However, tonight I'll take it easy with some yoga followed by some margaritas and by tomorrow I think I should be feeling like getting back out on the skis.