So, that is it: first nationals and the whole season all wrapped up, and what a great time it has been. I was (of course) a bit nervous leading up to the races, but I managed to keep my cool fairly well, especially with all the good wishes from family and friends (with cards, messages, etc.) and with all my awesome teammates around me. I wasn't entirely sure what to expect, and in the end things turned out really well.
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| What a great team |
As an overall experience, it was a great time. I got to share a room with Alec, hang out with everybody (including those from other clubs), and best of all have some great races as well as watching everyone else have some great races as well. It was clearly visible that everybody was going out there and giving absolutely 100%, down to the last drop, which is what racing is all about. Speaking of racing here's a little synopsis of the races:
First was the team sprint. I felt like it was a great way to get warmed up and ready for the races later on in the week. Along with my buddy Alec, we had a tough battle in the fastest heat of the day finishing 7th (in the heat). Personally, I wasn't feeling my hottest, but Alec set the tone with a monster first lap and I was able to put in a good effort to fight for our spot until the end.
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| Alec and I in team sprints/Photo credit: W.James Maclean |
In the interval start skate race, the Juvi boys did 5km. Ron had made sure that we were all very prepared for this race, and I definitely felt more prepared than I had for any other race leading up to then. We knew the course inside and out, and we knew exactly what needed to be done to do our best. I went off a bit earlier in the category, and put in a really solid effort. My skating form definitely felt the best it has all year, but most of all I felt focused. In the end, I managed to pull off a bronze medal, which I was ecstatic to find out. I was very pleased and was glad that my main goal for nationals had already been met. Of course, in my mind, that didn't mean I was going to go any slower or push any less hard in the rest of the races; I still knew there was plenty of more good racing to be had.
Coming off of that skate race, I was super pumped going into the 7.5km interval start classic. Early on in the season, it was a race I had set my sights on, and I knew it was one in which I could feel in my element. In that race, I felt I pushed myself as hard as I possibly could, which was my biggest goal. I'll always remember how Coach Ron put it the night before: "I want you to feel like you have no idea how you're going to do your cool-down." All in all, many things came together to make it my best Nationals result (so, best all season!).
Next up were the sprints. Going into that day, I was a bit nervous but after a solid qualifier, me being ranked 5th, I started to feel pretty good about how things would go. The course was relatively easy and went by very fast. The heats were quite exciting to race. My favourite part on the course was the one hill: a long gradual striding hill, with four tracks. Thanks to some good advice from the Valjas' and some pep talk with Ron and the boys, I was confident through the heats. I made the A-final, which was the goal I had set for the day. The final was quite intense, as I was chasing down the leaders the whole time. I was super stoked to pull-off another medal, and received many congratulations and kudos because I'm not really known for my sprinting ability. This was a day where I really surprised myself.
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| Mass start going out |
Finally was the 10km mass start. From the beginning of the year, this was the race I had set my sights on. With some beautiful weather and so many people watching, it was an awesome race in every aspect. Just the tone and feeling of going hard up every hill with everyone else made me feel amazing. I'm still undecided over whether my strategy was flawed, though I am happy to know I have learned something from this race. I couldn't have thought of a better way to round off my first nationals.
To say it was a great experience is an understatement. All I know is, I can't wait to do it next year.
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| Aggregate podium |
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