DAY AFTER

I try to race enough each year so every race has balance. I also try to peak for certain races, this year there were two races I was aiming for State Championships and National Championships. I do like to perform well at every race though. It is about balance for me. One of my problems with the Olympics is they only happen every four years and a bad race means you have to wait four years for redemption. That is too long. It is much better to have lots of important races, try to peak for the important ones and then base your year on the whole season. The word Balance comes up again.

When I lined up to race yesterday I felt that Balance and I also felt a strange calm. This was unlike last year when I lined up. Last year I raced to participate, after a Fall season of recovery from a ruptured disc. This year I lined up to race as one of the competitors. Trying to win, trying to podium, trying to do the best race I could. My start went well. I was top 10 off the pavement, in the first 30 feet of mud I was around 8th, after the first tricky icy turn I was 7th and with the lead group. The guy ahead of me was having problems in the mud so I went around him on a pretty aggressive pass through a big lake of icy water. Then it was on to number 5. I had my race face on, the crowd was cheering for me as if I was a pro in a World Cup race. I caught and passed him in some deep mud. I had to go hard and out of the "line" to do that. I felt like I would keep going as he also was having trouble in some of the more technical sections, the places where I was flying. But no, he passed me back just before a steep short run up and got a couple of seconds on me. I was thinking I would get him again but it was not to be. I raced hard kept way ahead of 7th and ended up finishing 6th. This was maybe the best race I have raced in a cross race. I had visualized my race, did all the things I said I would do went hard and ended up in my best National placing ever. It was a great way to end this season and believe it or not I am looking forward to next year already. Today it is off to help my teammates in the pit, cheering and just support. If you click here you can see some photos of my race. Rich Wolf, one of my teammates was out there as my personal photographer.

There were so many of you out watching and cheering me one that I really can't name all of you. It means so much to me. I go a little harder every time I hear my name. Yesterday I used all of that extra energy to have my best race ever.