Thursday, I found out about a cross-country ski event in the Arb, a benefit for the Northfield high school team. It would be the on-snow equivalent of a fun run, but the word on the tracks was that a few people were going to go a little faster - not quite a race, but maybe a "race," and a bit of a warmup for the City of Lakes Loppet next weekend. Shannon was nice enough to indulge my desire to participate (even though the event would cut me out of the whole lunch-and-nap routine), so I headed over to the Arb to register and ski.
It was about 20 degrees and brilliantly sunny, which only added to my triple happiness to help the team with $10 (and took home a tin of trail mix as a door prize, to boot), to learn that the whole high-school team would be out on course cheering and keeping everyone on the right tracks, and to see that a half-dozen others toed the start line when the team's coach, Dan Kust, said that "racers" should be at the front of the field. I was next to a couple Carls who were kitted out in the college club's racing suits, and they were next to some guys with some rather high-end equipment - you know, sunglasses that cost more than my skis, bindings, boots, and poles. I didn't know the exact course, but having skied pretty much every inch of the Arb this winter I didn't think I'd be surprised by any part of the course. Checking my heart rate as I stood on the line, I was a bit surprised to see it up past 150, which is about where it usually is during a relatively hard uphill. Just as I was reminding myself that this was only a little "race" in the Arb, ready set go and we were off.
The undergrad right next to me went to the front right away, and I, trying to keep clear of others' skis and poles, slotted in behind him. He slowed but kept up a steady pace when we hit the first uphill, then pulled away a bit on the downhill at the 1-kilometer mark - faster skis than mine. At the bottom, though, I caught right back up to him, as did another guy right behind me. We formed a little group up the next incline and around a sharp left-hand corner. I knew that the tracks were narrowing, so I just hung in, trying to avoid stepping on his skis but getting my own poles stepped on a couple times. After a couple tight corners, we went up the steepest hill a bit more slowly than I expected, and the leader's poling started to get uneven - a sign that he was tiring. It was too narrow to pass safely, though, so I continued to sit on as we went up and down a couple of rollers at the 2k mark, then down a long easy slope and onto an equally long flat straightaway.
He bobbled more as we passed through a tricky little S-curve, missing a couple pole plants, and I asked if he wanted me to go through. No answer, so I stayed in place. The third-place guy was still right there with us. Finally, we left the narrow trails and started a brief section where I could make a move. I told him I was going through and then squeezed past right where I wanted to, at the top of a hill. A couple hard skates let me put a few meters on him, which was a relief - I was worried about getting a pole tip in the face. It sounded like at least one more person went past him, too, but I concentrated on the corner at the bottom of the downhill - also the 3k mark. Skating through that right-hander, I knew I was approaching a steep but short ramp, so I took a couple deep breaths and focused on making a good transition up the hill. I had a bit more energy than I thought, though, and zoomed up it rather more easily than I expected.
A sharp left turn at the top of the slope let me check where number 2 was - just a few meters behind, but still working up the hill. I switched back to my fastest skating stroke, aware that we still had to go up a long but relatively gentle uphill. I still didn't feel too tired, but my pulse was up over 170, so I pulled back a bit as I went up the slope. This section ended in a rather nasty lefthand corner against the grain of the top of the hill, but I managed it alright. A quick check behind me showed that number 2 was well behind now. I could see the rest of the course now, so I focused on relaxing and skiing steadily. The final straightaway came up pretty quickly, and zoom I was done. First place for the "race"! It wasn't exactly stiff competition, but it was a good warmup for the City of Lakes, and it was lot of fun, too. The team coach announced that the event raised nearly $1000 for the team, which is a lot of wax and skis and trips to Biwabik.
(On the downside, or maybe just in the "numb hands + adrenaline = lack of awareness" side, I clenched my right pole so hard that I popped a seam in my fingertip, which then bled right through my glove and onto my grip:
Nasty.)