Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Ten ways cross-country ski races are different than running races

1. They give you an actual cloth bib. I am not actually sure what to do with it now. Since it has two sides, I'm almost tempted to make a bag out of it.

2. I actually skied behind a 80 year old Swede named Sven-Olaf for a mile. Until I wiped out going down a hill and never caught the old man again. Did I mention he was doing the 42k and I was doing the 13k? Also I only know his name because he had a special bib indicating he was a "Vasaloppet Veteran" - he has done the sister race in Sweden (a 90k) 30 times. Talk about badass.

3. At water stops you get heated water and... blueberry soup. Really. I was told that you haven't really done Mora until you have dribbled blueberry soup all over your bib from trying to ski and drink at the same time. Although I was also told to beware of the blueberry soup since apparently blueberries? Natural laxative.

4. You think the beginning of some running races is a clusterfuck? Put all those people on skis. Watch them go down the first hill and fall down. Watch a pile up ensue.

5. You want to see a bottleneck? Any hill, even a short one, that is too steep to glide up results in a huge mass of people trying to fishtail their way up, some of whom really suck at it and fall down and take out everyone behind them. Or at the least they cause everyone to stay at a standstill while they try and get up. If they don't fall, they spread their skis so wide, no one can get past them.

6. I don't know about you all, but from running, my hip flexors are very tight. Hey did you know that cross country skiing involves leading with your hips? Hey did you know I could barely walk for two days afterwards?

7. In freestyle races, you can either skate or classic ski and apparently they don't have separate divisions. That's kinda almost like making a runner race someone on rollerblades. I classic. So I got passed. A lot.

8. Apparently even though I suck at going up hills while running and I am good at going down hills, on skis, it's like Bizarro world, so I pass a lot of people going up hills (well when they aren't falling down and taking me out like a bowling pin). I almost feel like when I cross country ski race in the future, I should have a goatee.

9. This has less to do with skiing vs. running and more to do with racing in north-ish Minnesota. I said thank you to a policeman directing traffic (the trail actually crossed roads at points) and he said "You betcha!" Yay for stereotypes!

10. Not that running isn't superfun too, but cross country ski racing seems so much more like frolicking through the woods, but someone gives you a medal when you are done frolicking!

12 comments:

nwgdc said...

That's a great post. Another thing different are the names of the different events. They get something cool like "Vasaloppet" while runners are stuck with...wait for it..."Ten Kay." Blah.

ButterPeanut said...

oh my gosh, that sounds awesome!!

You MUST make a bag from your number. If you don't want to, mail it to me and I will make you a bag (maybe even in time for your birthday in 2010, harhar).

I've been talking to a guy about working in Sweden and somehow your Sven-Olaf story is making me like the idea more.

Glaven Q. Heisenberg said...

At water stops you get heated water and... blueberry soup.

ZOMG!!1! That's disgusting! How could you choke that down?!1!? You're hardcore because who the HELL drinks water?

Adding Mmmmm ... blueberry souuuuup .....

Plus: Mmmmmm ... Natural laxative effeeeeccccct ...

Maybe the blueberry soup is why they give you that Big Ol' Bib?

Great job, sister! This sounds way harder than running, which has this in common with skiing:

Both are done by carbon-based life-forms.

And that's it.

Except Nic (nwgdc) skis, and he's silicon-based. So there's not even that.

Joe said...

Hey did you know I could barely walk for two days afterwards?

Yes, because you complained about it for daaaaaaaays!

Congrats on the race, it sounds like a lot of fun, if not untirely unlike a goat rodeo. :)

Laurie said...

You need to do more winter races. I miss your race reports! This was so hilarious :) I loved the you betcha line... even my mom says that and I'm not from northern MN.

Amy said...

Hahahahaha.... awesome. Sounds like a good time, though!

Anonymous said...

This looks awesome Danielle!! Looks like you may have found another sport for yourself!!! It amazes me there are so many sports to be raced!

Steve Stenzel said...

I did NOT know about #3!!!

And there's nothing wrong with a good, hearty "you betcha" now and then!...

;)

Anonymous said...

Sounds like fun. And, soup sounds interesting.

Rainmaker said...

Ha! Totally awesome post. And Blueberry soup? Who knew! Far better than chicken broth by the sounds of it.

peter said...

Yay for doing this C*f*k. After your post, I can imagine a Race For The Cure, and 35,000 of the 40,000 falling down - Boom, down - at the first real entryway. Yikes. I'm glad you got your double-back cloth bib and I hope you didn't spill Blueberry Soup on it! Who knew that I'll be re-reading this post in about 7 years (When I'm 65 by the Beatles). Way to go, and don't let that "old guy" get in your head.

Unknown said...

This was a wonderful post! The blueberry soup bit -- news to me too! Way to get it done, Old School!!