Today I did the Freestyle Flyer race at Chugiak, which is part of the Anchorage Cup series.  

Recently I was struck by the realization that, while I get really excited for all sorts of local races (running, biking, orienteering, etc.) , I have come to dread the local ski races.  This is particularly odd considering that cross country skiing is, by far, my favorite sport.  

But it is also the sport in which I am most heavily invested.  For a good part of my adult life, my self-worth was directly tied to my ski race results.  And while I try to tell myself that is no longer the case, it is a hard habit to break.

When I do a cyclocross race, I can have fun no matter where I finish because I’m not trying to live up to some previous level of success.  Same thing with orienteering.  I know I’m not the best, but I do it because it is a challenge and it is fun.  Skiing is different because I do expect to be the best.  And I am not.  Not even close anymore.  So it becomes a recipe for frustration every time I put on a bib.

So recently I’ve been trying to reset my mindset.  Just like the old SNL skit: Low-ered Ex-pec-TA-tions.  I’ve been trying to tell myself that my results have slipped far enough that I no longer have anything to lose.  Instead of worrying about getting beaten by my buddies, I can be freed by the fact that they usually beat me. They should be worried that I might beat them!  I am no longer the professional ski racer.  I am a dad and a desk jockey who is just trying to stay in shape.

With that frame of mind, I had a great time today. I skied in the second pack, just out of sight of the leaders for most of the race.  The pace was a bit on the easy side, so I led the pack for a lot of the race.  I just didn’t have the speed to break away.  I finished 7th and managed to beat a few guys I haven’t beaten in years.  For the first time this century, I think my results might actually be on an upswing!  And most importantly, it gave me renewed confidence for my upcoming showdown with Rob.  He didn’t race, so we still have yet to go head-to-head.  But after my result today and a good interval session I had on Thursday, I feel pretty good about my chances.

Anchorage Cup Beach Lake Freestyle Flyer Results

My work schedule this week was a bit funky. I was running a bunch of tests, some of which took many hours to run. This meant doing some work at night, but it also allowed me to have some time off during the day. I wanted to use this free time to ski some place new.

I noticed that the Sheep Mountain 150 sled dog race is this weekend. I figured that the groomers would be out in force, buffing the Sheep Mountain and Eureka trails in the week before the race. By going mid-week I could avoid the typical weekend snowmobile rush. It sounded like a great opportunity, so I packed up my gear and hit the road early in the morning.

Road conditions weren’t great, and it took almost three hours to get there. I started skiing at 10 AM. The day was clear and cold, perfect for testing some new gear (overboots, ski pole pogies and long underwear). As soon as I started skiing, I knew I had scored big. Within 5 minutes, I crossed paths with a groomer on a snowmobile and, voila, a perfect trail just for me! He remarked that the trails were in pristine shape for the race, and that I had them all to myself. “Enjoy. You and I are the only ones out here,” he said. Yeehaw!

The only problem was that the snow was so cold and dry (overnight low was about -10 F) that skating was extremely difficult on the flats and impossible on the uphills. I was wearing a huge pack and that made it even harder to skate. But the classic skiing was great, even though I didn’t have kick wax on!

My original goal was to ski a 45 mile loop. But I quickly realized that was out of the question at my shuffling classic pace. So I just cruised along doing whatever technique worked best. After the sun came up, I was able to skate occasionally.

It was a spectacular ski. The sun was shining. I saw five moose and only four people - and two of those people were trail groomers! I managed to ski a 22 mile loop. After skiing, I made a pit stop in the Eureka Lodge to fuel up for the drive home - a cheeseburger, fries, and a bottomless 25 cent cup of coffee.

It was a long drive for a day trip - I spent just as much time driving as skiing. Not a trip to do everyday, but on this day it was totally worth it. Check out the photos…

Note: A few long-time friends contacted me a few weeks ago to get my thoughts on the new Guns N’ Roses album. Apparently they think I am a fanatic G N’ R fan. I have no idea where they got that notion. [Sheepish grin] So, in response I crafted a blog post. But after writing it, I decided that it didn’t really fit on my blog, so I didn’t post it. But I just got another inquiry from a friend, and since this blog has been quiet for a month now, I figure what the hell, an off-topic post is better than no post at all. And like the album, this post is way late and bears no resemblance to my previous work. Enjoy.

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November 19, 2008 - Back when I was a full-time ski racer living in Park City, Utah, I organized a little race series called the International Rollerski Series, ‘cleverly’ referred to as the IRS. I organized (and I use that term loosely) the IRS in 1999, 2000, and 2001. The purpose of the series was two-fold. First it provided a few racing opportunities for me and my training buddies throughout the summer. Second, it was an outlet for me to play around on the web. And while the racing was serious (we even had a future Olympic gold medallist in one race), the race reports and website were rather absurd. To that end, the series had “sponsors,” which basically meant that I would post ridiculous things on the sponsors page. Sponsors over the years included tartar sauce, RollerJam, LobsterMan from Mars, Marshmellow Peeps, the Finnish ski team’s doping program, and Spongebob Squarepants.

Why do I bring this up now? Well, in 2001, one of the IRS sponsors was Guns N’ Roses “Chinese Democracy”. Yes, seven years ago, we were already making jokes about this album. And yet this week, as you may have heard if you are a Dr. Pepper fan, the album is finally coming out this Sunday.

I’m speechless. And torn.

I wrote off G N’ R (the band, not their existing catalog of music) long ago . The band ceased to exist when Slash left. Slash and Axl were the heart and mind of G N’ R. The band needed both to survive. Aside from a morbid curiosity, I’ve had no interest in Chinese Democracy since about 1998. I’d also like to think that my musical tastes have evolved from junior high (though I know many people who will tell me otherwise). And yet, now that Chinese Democracy is finally coming out, I find myself having the urge to buy it.

I try to tell myself that it’s not the same band. And that I’m not the same seventeen-year-old who sprinted directly from school to the Littleton Bookstore on the day Use Your Illusion was released.

But its been hard to let go. After all, I’m pretty sure that Axl named one song “I.R.S.” just to thank me for the sponsorship. So while I know logically that there is no way the album could possibly live up to the G N’ R legend, I still find myself being drawn to it. Will I resist? Or will old habits refuse to die? I am still not
sure.

UPDATE, November 20: Well, I just listened to the album on MySpace (twice). That made the decision a lot easier. I’m not buying it. I was right - Guns N’ Roses died about ten years ago.

I think that Nordic skates were created with a place like Nancy Lakes in mind. The Nancy Lakes area is a collection of small lakes and ponds, many of which are connected by short portage trails to create a loop. If you did the loop on regular skates, you’d end up spending most of your time putting your skates on and off between lakes. But with Nordic skates, you can clip in and clip out in a matter of seconds.

Yesterday there was up to an inch of snow on the lakes, and about 4-6 inches in the woods. This wasn’t ideal for skating, but it did open up the possibility of skating the lakes and skiing the woods - all without changing boots!

Tim, Ian and I took advantage of the conditions to do a 26 mile ski & skate loop that hit 22 lakes (both numbers are approximate). Two years ago, Tim and I did the normal Nancy Lakes canoe trail in under two hours. This time we were looking to do a bigger loop. We took ski blades, classic skis, and wore combi or skate boots. We basically encircled the entire Nancy Lakes area, except for Nancy Lake itself. The loop took five hours. The skating was good (even with the snow) and the skiing wasn’t too bad. We skated very quickly across the lakes, but sometimes got bogged down breaking trail on skis. Some parts of the route hadn’t seen any human traffic yet this season.

Its not often that these conditions occur, and we had a great time taking advantage of them. Check out my photos by clicking the photo below. Also check out Tim’s photos and video here.

The other day I was talking to a friend back East and he told me how they just had a beautiful Indian Summer.  Sunny October days, temperatures in the sixties.  I replied that we too were having beautiful sunny days, but our temperatures were in the twenties.  I guess we should call it Eskimo Summer.

I used to hate this time of year.  An Autumn of cool, rainy weather would always raise the hope of a early ski season.  But inevitably a high-pressure system would move in, the sky would clear, and the temperature would drop.  And it would stay like that.  Everything is cold and frozen, but no snow.  Very frustrating for someone who lives to ski.  

Recently, though, my interests have diversified, and I’m less of a ski-at-all-costs kind of guy.   I’ve embraced biking and running on the frozen trails.  I got studded tires for my mountain bike and it opened up a lot of new options.    I even found myself hoping that we wouldn’t get snow after the lakes began to freeze up, so that we could enjoy some ice skating.  I went skating at Potter Marsh both days last weekend and it was fantastic.  

I love the maze of ice created by the cattail vegetation.  You can skate for hours and never get bored.  And when the skiing jones kick in, I can always drive up to Hatcher Pass for beautiful skiing, which I did on Sunday morning.   (There is skiing nearby at Glen Alps, but it wasn’t very good the last time I went, and with all the other recreation options, I haven’t been back yet.)

As I was ice skating yesterday, I was thinking about all the ice skating trips I would like to do.  Nancy Lakes, Swan Lakes, Jim Creek.  Don’t get me wrong, as soon as it snows, I will be on my skis and loving it.  But yesterday, I was in no rush.  I could go for another week or two of snow-free lakes and trails.  

So, naturally, it snowed today.  Just enough to hamper the ice skating but not enough to ski.  Oh well, plenty of other options during our beautiful Eskimo Summer.

Today I was biking home from work on the bike path next to the Chuck Albrecht fields (near the police station).  I was surprised and disappointed to see another huge swath of trees chopped down in preparation for a new road.  All the trees on the north side of the bike path are gone.

Just as I was looking at the clear-cut and bemoaning the loss of more woodlands, out of the corner of my eye I saw a creature next to the ballfield fence on the south side of the path.   I only caught a glimpse of it before trees blocked my view.  At first I thought it was a dog.  But it was being very still, just sitting there watching me bike by.  And very quiet.  Very un-dog-like.  And there wasn’t any dog owner within sight.  I turned around and went back to get a better look.  Could it be…

Sure enough it was.  A wolf.  And there was another.  And another.   Three wolves sitting there watching my every move.  I suppose I should have been a bit nervous, like seeing a bear up close.  But I wasn’t.  I was thinking about how one second I had been lamenting the loss of more ‘wild lands’ in the city, and the next second I was looking at the animal that symbolizes wild Alaska.  All within several hundred yards of the Police Station, a hospital, and a Quiznos.  

In the time it took me to get out my cell phone camera, the closest wolf had ducked back into the woods.  So I didn’t get him in my picture.  But if you zoom in (click on it) you can see one blurry wolf next to the fence, and the rough outline of another halfway around the far side of the fence in the background.  Damn, I wish I’d had a real camera.

The encounter was a nice little reward for ridding my bike to work in dark 8 degree weather this morning.

Flash back ten years…

It’s January 1999. US Cross Country Ski Championships in Rumford, Maine. Tryout races for the World Championships, to be held a month later in Ramsau, Austria. I was an up-and-coming racer, 24 years old, and I finished 4th, 6th, 6th, and 10th in those tryout races. Four strong races that I thought might get me on the Worlds team. However…

There was a junior skier from Alaska who was storming up the ranks at that time. Rob Whitney was only nineteen years old, but he had been beating up on senior skiers for a couple of seasons already. In Rumford, he finished 5th, 6th, and 7th. That included a memorable pursuit race where I edged Rob in the classic race by 6 seconds, but he destroyed me in the pursuit. This earned the promising junior a ticket to Austria, alongside four established members of the US Ski Team. They only took five men on the team, and I was left at home.

Back to the present…

I now spend my days working a desk job in Anchorage. I’m married and raising an 18 month old son, and juggling a few side projects. I exercise whenever I can, which in a good week is about 6 hours. My priorities have shifted, and I am happy with the changes, but I still long for the fitness I had when I could devote 20 hours a week to training.

Rob Whitney is now a firefighter here in Anchorage. He’s got a house, and is well on his way to being married. Like me, he still exercises sporadically and does adventures when he gets the chance, but he has also lost the exceptional fitness he once had. Rob’s put some extra pounds on his tall frame since his racing days ended.

Several weeks ago, Rob casually mentioned that he was thinking of getting serious about training for a few months. The idea was to see if he could lose some weight and jump into a race at the US Cross Country Ski Championships at Kincaid Park in January. I immediately told him I’d do it too. It would be good for both of us to have something to train for.

I always enjoy slightly hair-brained schemes. After all, I’m the same guy who tried out for the Olympic bobsled team simply because they had open trials. Rob and I have no business racing against the best skiers in the country these days. But that is exactly why it would be fun. Plus, I’m always looking for extra motivation to train. There is nothing like the fear of being totally embarrassed to get me out the door.

We tried to recruit others to join our quest, but for some reason there aren’t too many out-of-shape skiers who want to race against guys like Kris Freeman and Andy Newell. So it quickly became an internal competition. The trash-talking commenced almost immediately, and the “we’re both in this together” vibe disintigrated into a mano e mano vibe. Rob versus Cory. Cory versus Rob. The intensity went to new heights on Monday when I went to the APU weight room on my lunch hour, hoping to sneak in a little closet training. Imagine my surprise when I discovered Rob was already there, doing the same thing! Uh oh. He’s already shed some pounds. I quickly regretted my recent two week hiatus. Time to get to work.

So this thing is definitely ON. Here’s the tale of the tape:

2008 Tour of Anchorage 50K Results
(the only ski race we’ve done head-to-head recently):
Cory: 2:23:15.2
Rob: 2:30:31.7

Potential weekly training between now and January:
Cory: 8 hours a week, tops
Rob: potentially a lot more than 8 hours a week (key word: potentially)

Current weight vs Racing weight:
Cory: Racing: 173; Current: 174 (but much softer)
Rob: Racing: 180; Current: Umm, quite a bit more than 180. This could be his ace in the hole. Lots of potential.

On paper, this looks like a tremendous match-up. I’ve got the early advantage, but Rob has the potential to close the gap. Will Rob regain his 1999 form and utterly destroy me? Can I hold him off? Will either of us beat the J2 skiers? Will we both get laughed off the trail before we even finish the race? Stay tuned. This is going to be fun.

Programming Note:

We initially chose the 10K classic race at US Nationals on January 5 to be our showdown. However, we recently realized that we’d need join USSA and pay a high race entry fee, just for the privilege of embarrasing ourselves on the nation’s biggest nordic stage. I’m sure we can find a way to embarrass ourselves without paying over $200 to do it. The showdown date is currently pending.

Official Result: 30:17  (24th place)

Actual Elapsed Time: 27:55 

Since when do they start these races right at 6:30?

Race Results

Full Season Results

I am coming off what might be the longest stretch I have ever gone without exercising.  As you might have seen in my training log (link in the homepage sidebar), there is a huge hole between Oct 4 and Oct 17.  A week of that time was spent in Florida, visiting relatives.  Summer didn’t come to us this year, so we had to go hunt it down before it was too late.

It was unbearably hot in Florida, and I’ve had a nagging knee injury, so it was all too easy to just sit by the pool, or if I got ambitious, wade into the surf.  The net result was that for two straight weeks my heartrate did not climb above 80.  I don’t think that has ever happened before.  The most exercise I got was literally walking to and from our hotel room to the beach.  All 100 yards of it.  Our kiddo struggled with the travel, the time-change and the relatives, so when we weren’t in the water, we were napping.  Sleep, eat, swim, repeat.  That was the routine for seven days.  The disturbing part is that I was okay with it.  I usually go stir-crazy if I am deprived of a workout for a few days.  But in Florida, it didn’t upset my mellow.  The warm sun can do strange things to a man.

While I hadn’t planned for a two week layoff, I think it did help get rid of the knee problem.  And now that I am feeling pudgy and lazy, it has given me a little more motivation to get back into the routine.  

Our cyclocross series wrapped up on Saturday, Oct 4 with a great race at Goose Lake. This course was the best one of the season. It combined pavement, trail, and even sand to make what I considered a true cyclocross challenge. This race was worth double points, so everyone showed up. I finished 13th, and also finished 13th for the season, though I only did four of the six races.

Results | Photos | Photos below by Peter Lekisch

I really enjoyed the cyclocross races, but I can’t help but think that the current cyclocross format is handcuffing the sport. In an article earlier this year, I discussed the similarities between cyclocross and cross country ski racing. In my opinion, cyclocross also suffers from an unfortunate similarity: the over-use of multi-lap courses.

I absolutely hate this trend in skiing. It makes the races boring and repetitive for the racers. Its called cross-country skiing, not gerbil-loop skiing. Let’s cross some country. I long for the days when I could do a 15K or 30K race without having to count laps on my fingers and toes. And the tiny loops necessary for these courses degrade our trail systems. Instead of long, winding, scenic trails through the woods that everyone can use, ski racing now demands extremely short loops which are of little use to non-racers. Case in point: the “new and improved” Kincaid Park. Whoops, sorry for the rant, let me reel it back in here…

I understand that there are many good reasons for using short loops for cyclocross. Its a lot easier on the organizers, it impacts less land, and it is easier for the spectators to see the racers (though it can be impossible to figure out how they are doing - just ask my wife).

But why pigeon-hole cyclocross into this format?  In many ways, cyclocross is the purest form of cycling. The bikes are pared-down. No suspension, no disc brakes. The objective is to cover all kinds of terrain in order to get from point A to point B. So why add in all the contrived stuff like a one hour time limit, multiple loops and man-made barriers?

While skiing has moved to this rat-in-a-cage environment (I’m going to see how many rodent analogies I can squeeze in here), fortunately there are still some ski races that don’t conform to the new standards. Likewise, we need some cyclocross races that break the mold. Let’s have a good old-fashioned bike race from point A to point B over lots of different terrain.

Think about the races we could have near Anchorage:

1) Start at Hilltop, go down the Seward Highway to Indian, up and over Powerline Pass and back to Hillside. Or the same route in the other direction.

2) Start at Kincaid and make your way to Glen Alps or the Dome, using the Coastal Trail, Chester Creek trail, and various dirt trails in between.

3) Start at Moose Run golf course, go up Arctic Valley road, and up the ski area to the ridge, along the ridge and drop down to the South Fork of Eagle River trailhead and back to Moose Run on the road.

4) Start at the Hatcher Pass Lodge, go up and over Hatcher Pass, then climb up Craigie Creek Rd. Then drag your bike up and over a couple of passes to get to the Fern Mine area off Archangel Rd. Ouch. Then back to the Lodge on the road. Is it even reasonable to hoof it up and over while carrying a bike? Probably not, but it would definitely be interesting to try.

Each of these routes offers plenty of the elements that define cyclocross (pavement, trail, bike carrying) and it would be a hell of a lot more interesting that going in circles. I know all of these examples would have issues that could prevent a race from happening, but the point is that there are other options out there.

In no way do I mean to criticize the organizers of our great Arctic Cross series. They do an outstanding job, and it is important to have a series that conforms with international standards. But this is Alaska, where we have the potential to do things bigger and better. Maybe we need to branch out and make this its own sport with a catchy name (Cyclocross Extreme!!) and sign Red Bull up as a sponsor. So who’s in? And more importantly, who wants to organize it? After all, I want to DO these races, not organize them.