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HYPERASHEL
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Joined: 18 Nov 2003
Posts: 15397
Location: The South's Sauna, Atlanta
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 Posted: 09/06/05 - 08:49 Post subject: US 10k Classic my non-race race
As stated when i took NSP this season does not count for racing for me. On the other hand i would still do the local events to help keep up the participant numbers.
A few weeks afo as i climbed a hill on a skate it was hard and understanding that the Classic (a literal PITA due to it's 5 hills in 6 miles) i figured i' better at least get my legs rebuilt a little for it.
I opened my short training sessions to the new skaters in trying to get them ready for these massive descents. It's funny how easy it really is to tell a skater from a new skater in these parts. If they enjoy the uphill and dread the uphills they are not an Atlantan skater yet. I took a few skaters over in the last two weeks and gave them pointers, tips and corrected form and technique specifically for hills.
So Monday Morning hits me at 4am. time to get up and go thru an almost forgotten ritual for me this year. coffee, shower gets dressed, this yrear though a Skate Paatrol uniform and not a speed suit. and start the mental course in my head. previous slowest time was a low 22 minutes my goal this year is to stay under 25 minutes. my lowest placement in this race, 1st in my AG. I'm not even betting on a podium call for 3rd this year.
I see my "ducklings" and check on them, they are in great spirits and BIG SMILES. i love it!!! warm ups and take to the line. since i have nothing to be gained with a front start i line up in the back of the group. the gun goes off and off goes the 140 skaters down the Cobb County Parkway.
it's starts on a hell of a hill, feet wobbling on all different folks the first downhill has me pass about 30 folks. ok not bad i can do this, then the dreadd first uphill. i pass a few others uphill and start to get my normal race mentality kicking in, picking targets out infront of me and trying to pick them off and spit them out the back.
by the 3rd hill my general placement has been decided though a few of us are shifting places between us, tucking in behind each other for the downhills. i see a familiar form, Marc, a club skater that i have trained many miles with in the past, to include BRAG. he too not having a good year for training. i yell at him to hop in the line as the line of 4 blow by. he missed it.
the next hill broke me really the group i've been playing tag strts to open up and i can't respond anymore. i'm in old familair ground, better than avg but not an elite. not feeling too upset about it i remind me of my commitment to the skating communty to console myself but still not giving up. The fact that i am SP uniform drives me to still perform my best, SP and speed skaters are not the normal I want to show that SP are not has beens and we can provide experience in all genres.
the last downhill. i can't catch those from my tag group for sure. i still stride out on the downhill for a while, look over my shoulder and see no threat to my placement and hit my tuck speeding into the chute at 23:05. GREAT i actually surpassed wha i thought i capable of.
i hang out off the chute and right behind be was Marc. not far behind me and "catching" me as he put it. (yeah riiiiiight, but it's hard to pass up ALL race emntalities) i have three folks i'm looking for really but figure i have a fe minutes, so i pick up my finishers medal and turn in my timing chip and go back to the chute. a few other skaters are doing the same we converse, shout encouragement. it seems that we know about 60% of those coming in. i see my first little one. a former floridian, no hillabilty before the classes. her form is off but hell so was mine by the point. see crosses with a HUGE smile, her goal wasnot to be last, she's far from last about a 33:xx i see Wendy coming in. Wendy i take special pride in. A skater friend asked me in January to teach her to skate. never been on a set of skates in her life and shes 40. she has done excellent this year having done a 1/2 Marathon 2 monhts ago. She crosses about 35:XX and it turns out she won her AG too. :woot:
the last person is actually my most dedicated Patroller. he's the one i can count on 9.9 times out of 10. he's big, he's out of shape, he can be odd too which puts a lot of folks off him but the biggest of hearts for skating. he comes in just under 45:00. not one of my skaters fell or got overly nerrvous. not sure which made me feel better. i didn;t lose as much as i feared in my ability or the fact that beacuse of the efforts i have put in brought in 5 skaters totalled and my special skaters did awesome and had a blast while at it.[/code]
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GaRebelRunner
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Joined: 26 Sep 2003
Posts: 1097
Location: Tucker, GA
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Posted: 09/09/05 - 17:51 Post subject:
Great report hyper. I was standing right at the red start line and watched the cyclists, then the skaters, and wheel chair divisions take off before having to line up for the foot race. I actually liked the course although it is a tough one. Glad to hear you enjoyed yourself and your ducklings had a great time.
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