There’s nothing quite like the feeling of cross-country ski racing. Being able to push yourself past your physical limits, blocking out the burning in your muscles and the pain in your lungs is something that all successful XC skiers need to know how to do. We spend all summer and fall practicing these skills, but no training session is the same as putting the bib on and racing a pack of other skiers.

This is what I thinking two days ago when I was hunched over in dark woods of Sweden violently pukeing into the dirt. We had driven up to Mora Sweden from the Torsby ski Tunnel, where we had spent the past 5 days, getting in some on snow training and preparing for the first World Cup of the year. Part of our preparation was this annual FIS classic sprint race in Mora.

Having a successful sprint race has a lot to do with what the skier does before and between the heats, as much as what we do on the trail. This is why no practice in the world can prepare you for a sprint race like the race itself. It’s all about timing…when and what to eat before the race, when to start your warm up to be best prepared for the prelim, how long to cool down, how much to jog between heats and at what heart rate, etc.

As sprint racers, we have these specific timetables ingrained in our minds but without consistent practice, things can go wrong. This is how I ended up trying to not splatter my own shoes with puke. When hammering as hard as you can on skis (like in a sprint qualifier) its easy to build up way too much lactic acid in your muscles. You reach a point when you body cannot handle any more, the acid seeps through your stomach lining, and your left unable to do anything other than bend over and barf. It’s all about warming your body up enough so that this doesn’t happen. But when it does you’re in a tough situation, and need to try to replenish and re-hydrate your body in time to get on the start line again for the heats.

So after I was done throwing up, I tried to cool down as best I could while also getting in a lot of sports drinks, gummy bears (for quick carbs), and flat coke (for sugar and caffeine). Its no wonder my dentist says I have cavities…but it really is the best way to get your energy up enough in a short period of time to be able to hammer again. Despite the episode in the woods, I was able to pull it together and ended up winning my first race of the season. My muscles and lungs felt good into the finals and I was able to put down a fast kick in the end for the victory. I was stoked! Not only was it good practice leading up to the world cup opener this weekend in Düsseldorf, but also it feels great to start off the season with a win and set the tone for the rest of the winter.

I will be flying to Germany tomorrow to meet up with the wax techs and get everything squared away for Saturday and Sunday’s races. Check back for updates to see what it’s like behind the scenes at the Düsseldorf Word Cup opener. Watch the Dusseldorf Sprint Final, only on WCSN.com

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 31st, 2007 at 9:45 am and is filed under andrewnewell. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.