2010 Start - Photo by Sundance Images This winter I have been working at the Crested Butte Nordic Center. As an employee, I was able to get a free entry into the 27th running of the Alley Loop Nordic Marathon. The Alley Loop, as the name hints at, is race through the alleys of our quaint little town of CB. Snow is brought in and dumped in the middle of Elk Ave (main st) as well as many of the back alleys, and is then groomed to perfection. These in town "trail" are then connected to the existing network of nordic trails west of town. Depending on what distance you choose to participate in, you will either do one, two, or three laps, as well as shorter races for the kiddos. Each lap in the adult races takes you out into the meadows, and then back into town. Spectators can easily observe the race and see the costumed characters who participate in it right from their seats at most of the local bars, restaurants, and shops.
Now on to the race itself... which is why you are reading this post. I competed in the 42k skate (approximately 26.1 miles for those metrically challenged). The race started at 10:00 AM, and since the course went through the alley behind my apartment, I did not head out the door until about 9:55. Just enough time to ski over to the start and hear the "one minute" announcement.
Before I get into the race details, I wanted to highlight a few key points to put the results in perspective.
Now on to the race itself... which is why you are reading this post. I competed in the 42k skate (approximately 26.1 miles for those metrically challenged). The race started at 10:00 AM, and since the course went through the alley behind my apartment, I did not head out the door until about 9:55. Just enough time to ski over to the start and hear the "one minute" announcement.
Before I get into the race details, I wanted to highlight a few key points to put the results in perspective.
- This was my first true nordic race.
- Only skied 70 miles in January.
- Did not ski at all the week before the race.
- I have only been skate skiing for a year.
Costumes & Colorful Characters For the first couple miles I sat on the back of the lead pack which consisted of about 20 skiers. After we navigated the turns and descents of those first few miles, I began passing a few people in an attempt to get into the top 15 and try to hang. About three miles in, after passing a couple people (one of which was a friend of mine, Xavi), I unfortunately caught an outside edge and took my first and only fall for the day. Xavi and a couple other guys who were with us quickly passed and were never seen again.
After that mishap though, I was able to get into a rhythm and enjoy the race. Without any splits from the chip timing, I'm not sure what place I was in each time around. The first lap felt good and went by fast. Most of that lap was spent trying to pass the 21k racers since our courses merges about half way through the first lap. It made the alleys through town a bit clustered and slow at times. During the second lap though, overcrowding was no longer a problem, I was able to cruise and trade the draft with a couple other guys and make up a little time.
Looking back at the mile splits from my Garmin, I saw that my second lap was faster than my first. Especially on the climbs. The third lap though, that was a much different story. Starting that lap, around mile 17 or 18, I could tell my arms were starting to tire. My buddy Nate caught up to me around mile 20 and pulled slightly ahead. Once we hit the final hills from mile 22-25, he was gone. That was when my upper body decided to say "no more". My climbing pace slowed considerably, and instead of being in a race mindset, I had switched to survival. Going in I knew it was going to happen, it was just a matter of when.
Those last 5 miles the hills were definitely not enjoyable anymore and I lost nearly 2 minutes/mile compared to my splits in the first two laps. Overall, I probably lost a solid 7 or 8 minutes and about a half dozen positions. Cresting the final climb though, and then cruising down into town was a good feeling. That was about the time I glanced down at my watch and saw that I had about 3 minutes to navigate the alleys and reach the finish line in my goal time of 2:30. With one last effort, I was able to reach that goal, and finished in 2:29:04, good enough for 24th place.
Overall I am pleased with how the day went. I did not have any true expectations going in since it was my first nordic race, and a full marathon at that. My only goal was to try and break 2:30, which I thought would be a respectable time for my first nordic race. I was on pace for a low 2:20's and in the high teens place wise until the final climbs. With better training, more upper body/core work, and a another year of experience, I feel that I should definitely be looking for a top 10 finish next year.
Here are some links if you are interested in seeing the results and my Garmin stats:
After that mishap though, I was able to get into a rhythm and enjoy the race. Without any splits from the chip timing, I'm not sure what place I was in each time around. The first lap felt good and went by fast. Most of that lap was spent trying to pass the 21k racers since our courses merges about half way through the first lap. It made the alleys through town a bit clustered and slow at times. During the second lap though, overcrowding was no longer a problem, I was able to cruise and trade the draft with a couple other guys and make up a little time.
Looking back at the mile splits from my Garmin, I saw that my second lap was faster than my first. Especially on the climbs. The third lap though, that was a much different story. Starting that lap, around mile 17 or 18, I could tell my arms were starting to tire. My buddy Nate caught up to me around mile 20 and pulled slightly ahead. Once we hit the final hills from mile 22-25, he was gone. That was when my upper body decided to say "no more". My climbing pace slowed considerably, and instead of being in a race mindset, I had switched to survival. Going in I knew it was going to happen, it was just a matter of when.
Those last 5 miles the hills were definitely not enjoyable anymore and I lost nearly 2 minutes/mile compared to my splits in the first two laps. Overall, I probably lost a solid 7 or 8 minutes and about a half dozen positions. Cresting the final climb though, and then cruising down into town was a good feeling. That was about the time I glanced down at my watch and saw that I had about 3 minutes to navigate the alleys and reach the finish line in my goal time of 2:30. With one last effort, I was able to reach that goal, and finished in 2:29:04, good enough for 24th place.
Overall I am pleased with how the day went. I did not have any true expectations going in since it was my first nordic race, and a full marathon at that. My only goal was to try and break 2:30, which I thought would be a respectable time for my first nordic race. I was on pace for a low 2:20's and in the high teens place wise until the final climbs. With better training, more upper body/core work, and a another year of experience, I feel that I should definitely be looking for a top 10 finish next year.
Here are some links if you are interested in seeing the results and my Garmin stats:
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