I dialed in a pretty decent condo on Ownerdirect.com for cheaper than the race accomodations and we settled in on Wednesday night. On Thursday, our team massage therapist Alison Hanks, and my dad drove up to meet us. It made me feel pretty pampered today, having three "support staffers" for one athlete. Scott was prepping and testing skis, Dad was getting bibs and running spare poles on the course, Alison was shuttling skis, food and keeping me company in between heats while I spun on the bike in the stadium.
The sprint went pretty well - I qualified 5th, about 6 seconds behind winner Drew Goldsack. The qualifier felt great; the course was pretty flat and a simple out-and-back loop, and our skis were rocket-fast. The heats were a bit different. I regained a lot of confidence after a strong finish in Maine last month, and have been riding on that ever since. I knew I had the speed to ski well through today's heats and into the finals, but through that process I made a few key errors in strategy, showing that I still have some lessons to learn. I ended up 2nd in the B Final, 8th overall.
Leading things out in the quarterfinal
Tomorrow's a quick race on a twisty-turny up and down course. Should be fast and hard. More to come.
Leading things out in the quarterfinal
