Page 5 - Dec_13

from the start line

by Annie Pokorny

as I WrIte tHIs in mid-November, the snow in intensity and rest, help us climb up and over the monstrous
stratton is beginning its slow takeover of the mountain, hills. agility workouts, where we test our swiftness by Annie started Nordic racing in high
draping the trees and forest floor just enough for me jumping, turning and cutting, bring us safely down the
school and grew up raving all over
to feel winter, but not quite enough to touch it. that other side.
the West before coming East to
anticipatory feeling defines the preseason in the eyes of What really gets us through, though, is trust. trust attend Middlebury College. She skis
a ski racer.
in our training, coaches and, most importantly, ourselves, professionally for SMS T2 based out of
soon, we will reenter the blissful cycle of pre-race allows us to crest the to top with energy to spare, to push
routines, recovery stretches and good luck charms that and glide down the other side with time to gain. It allows Stratton, VT.

devour us until spring. us to believe.
But our preparation for racing cannot be reduced to that belief comes in handy about 75 percent of the Your Four
the days or even weeks before the first gun. rather, it way through the race. Whether at three kilometers to
culminates in months of specific workouts and practices go in a 10K, or half a kilometer left in a 1K sprint, the Seasons
Bike Shop
corresponding to each part of each race.
second to last quarter of a race requires the most mental
a former coach told me that the first step to success is toughness. In those minutes, we drift back to rain-soaked
showing up. ski racing demands two prerequisites for the intervals in july, bounding over ice in October, and sleet •Located in
start line: equipment and sanity (or insanity, depending blown runs in November. With enough belief, the lactic
TAX-FREE NH
on how you spin it). Once our ski bases have been tended acid in our legs dissolves and we push through the snow
to, we face the challenge of sharpening our race brains. with the vigor and motivation of a predator chasing its • •
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v v
e e
r r
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the race brain must have the ability to prioritize and prey. We emerge from the drop better, stronger and ready
focus, to block out the tiring stimuli of the average event to finish.
years combined
(start lists, results sheets, nervous competitors) and hone and then comes the last stretch. that hundred experience

in on the start.
meters of all-out, snot covered, open mouthed sprinting.
the anticipatory buildup leading into the season Wringing our limbs for every ounce of energy we have •We service
can cause a phantom sense of expectation. some rid left, we try to out-tempo our competitors. We remember: all brands
themselves of anxiety through rituals and mantras on every second counts.

race morning. the early season is the time to test these above the others, this is the moment we prepare for 12 Plains Rd Claremont, NH
eccentricities. Whether that means burning last year’s most. It’s the moment we daydream about, the one in the
lucky socks or finding a new pair, we do whatever it takes back of our minds at the end of every interval. the finish, M M
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to step to the line with a sound mind.
with its sense of closure and glory (and a whole lot of Fri. 10-7
Sat. 9-5
after the start gun has sounded and the race post-race snacks) represents the goal of our preparations. Sun. Closed
603-542-BIKE
begun, survival depends on groundwork laid months each individual workout leads up to it to guarantee that www.claremontcycle.com
ago. Interval workouts, defined as oscillating between
when the snow flies, we’ll be ready. are you?

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December 2013
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