There’s been some great spring skiing here the past few days. The nights have been cold, down between about 5 and 10 degrees…so the snow has stayed firm. But then the days have been clear and sunny, warming up into the high thirties. I’ve been out in short sleeves, no hat, flying along the trails. This is as good as it gets!
Last weekend I raced the Tour of Anchorage 50k. It was grueling. I went out a little to0 hard trying to power through the first fifteen kilometers (the hard, hilly 15k) and expecting to be able to hold on and cruise through the flats. It didn’t work. I used up too much in that first 15k. By the time I hit 40k, I was just trying to hang on and keep moving to the finish. Oh well…it’s almost time to start running again.
Skiing has been one of the best parts about being up here this year. It’s kept me sane…allowing me to get outside during the day and soak up some real daylight. In fact, I’m pretty sure that it’s why the Alaskan winter never seemed that bad to me. Plus, it’s just been fun to get back into it after a long hiatus after high school…especially the races.