End of the season

I am at home in Salmon Arm enjoying some time off and I am finally getting around to updating this blog. My last big races were the National Championships from March 14-21, way up North in Whitehorse. I felt good in all the races and it was really nice to get that racing feeling back. I finished 8th in the 5km classic, 10th in the 10km skate, 5th in the skate sprint, and 10th in the 30km classic. In the final aggregate rankings I was 6th overall, and 1st U23. The sprint was certainly my best race. It was really good to have my sprinting speed again! I didn't have quite enough gas in the A final but I was happy to be in the top 5. I had a fun time in Whitehorse and they put on a great event.

Racing in the sprint A final

The next weekend I raced at Sharkfest, Alberta Cup races held at Mt. Shark in Kananaskis. There was a 7km skate race on Saturday and I held on for 3rd place. Sunday was the skate team sprint and I teamed up with Marlis Kromm to finish 2nd in that race. It was a fun way to end the season.

April is always my easy month with no structured training. I came home to Salmon Arm just before Easter and have been here ever since. We skied (and walked over some bare spots) at Larch Hills last week and went to Sovereign Lake Saturday to ski in fresh powder! I'm still waiting for spring as there have been several snow flurries in the Okanagan since I've been home. We went south to Penticton over Easter hoping to find some sun but we ended up wearing all our warm clothes and mountain biking turned into snow biking a few kilometres from the end of the trail. Wine tasting was a much more appropriate activity for the weather! It has been very nice being home and spending time with my family and friends.

Biking on the Kettle Valley Railway out of Naramata. This half hour was the best weather we had all weekend. It was snowing a few hours later.

It was a bit of a tough season for me, as I had injuries in the summer, got a cold right before U23 World Championship trials and struggled to race well in the early season races. I pulled it together after I recovered from my cold but the season left me unsatisfied and hungry to do well next year. I think I learned a lot and I know what I need to improve! A huge thank you to my family, sponsors, team, coaches and everyone else who has supported me this year! I couldn't do it without you!

Alysson