Fast Mom Karen Waeschle

I was coaching the girls swim team and teaching English at Eden Prairie High School in MN in 1988 when an assistant Nordic ski coach position came up.  Since many of my swimmers were on the ski team, they convinced me that I needed to coach.  I had only x-c skied on classic (tar based) skis as a teenager, so I was basically the dryland training coach in the beginning. 

Since it was a bad snow year, we did a lot of circuit training and running. 

I came out to Winter Park with Dave over XMAS vacation and learned how to ski.  I hated it since I couldn’t breathe at 9000 feet and the temps were around 0 F.  Skill wise, I was at the same level as the kids.

The next year I became a head coach and attended a lot of clinics in the fall.  I swore I wasn’t going to race since I raced everything else: swimming, triathlon, bikes, runs etc.  Of course, I ended up racing the pre-Birkie and a few others that year… I was 26.

What other sports have you been involved with?

I’ve been a competitive swimmer since I was 8 years old and swam at a Division III college.  I also ran track in high school (the 800-1600 mostly).  After college, I picked up cycling and gravitated towards triathlons which I trained for very seriously until we moved to Colorado in 1992. I also coached track & swimming & Nordic skiing for all of the years that I was teaching — 8- and so am familiar with designing workouts on a daily weekly and yearly plan.  I find that I enjoy Nordic ski training and cycling training much more enjoyable than swim training as I love to be outside.  If I’m in an outdoor pool, though, I’m a happy camper.  My swimming background has given me the ability to suffer and push myself in Nordic skiing.

Why do you ski race?  

I could just go out and ski with the dogs and kids and friends, but I like variety in my workouts and since I’m a very goal oriented person, I enjoy training my body to perform at a peak level.  I also am trying to fend off old age and this may be one way to help me psychologically face the fact that I’m no longer a spring chicken.  I also enjoy the people that are involved in ski racing and so it has social appeal.  Dave and I dream about traveling to Europe to race in the World Loppet series, but we probably have to wait for 13 years when Simon is in college.  For now, we will explore the races in the USA.

How often do you race? 

This year, I’ve raced a local 5-15 k almost every weekend and traveled to two big marathon races:  Boulder Mountain Tour and The Birkie as well as the local 42 K Snow Mountain Stampede.

What are your future training and racing plans? 

During the spring, I start running more and increasing the intensity of my swim workouts.  Once the mud melts, I get on the bike (sometimes this isn’t until mid-May).  Last year I competed in a local mountain bike series and I might do that again just to a have a focus for my training.  I am also toying with the idea of entering a triathlon or two to see if I can still hang in there.  A new master’s swim group has started at the local pool, so it would be fun to swim with a group and push myself harder in the pool.  I will definitely be ski racing again next winter, but will try some different marathons; possibly the Great Race and the Kesskinada.

Can you describe how you experienced this year's Birkie?

Last year, I did the race for the first time and was a bit more nervous, but didn’t have any expectations.  I skied along side my best friend and we chatted and laughed most of the way.   I had plenty of energy at the end, and was really able to push it the last 3 K.   I ended up 19th but took note of how far ahead some women that I usually kept up with in other races were.

This year, I wanted to race a bit harder and try to improve my placing.  While I ended up 23rd, the women’s field was deeper than last, and I skied with a group of tough women and was able to hang…until the Lake.  My goal was to start stronger so that I could catch on to the group of women I thought I should be with.  I was trying to ski with Lynn Cecil and Jan Guenther, but another woman was right in front of me and before I knew it, she had gapped me on the power line hill, and I wasn’t strong enough to bridge.  If I could do it over again, I would have mustered up the energy to at least try to catch that group.  I ended up with a group of 5 Rossignol Women and 1 Toko gal.  Some of them skied the corners and downhills very lazily and I’m sure we lost time there.  My thought is that the group I missed skiing with, skis these aspects better, but doesn’t ski too much harder on the other sections.  I was able to ski hard on the uphills and 3 of us got away from the rest of the group around 30 K.  We then picked up a few women who had blown up and they kept going backwards.

I suffered two psychological tests.  First, I stabbed my ski with my pole and spun out just when I was attempting to ski off with a group of Wave 1 guys who were passing.  So, then I had to work like heck to regain my momentum to catch back up to the women I’d been skiing with.  It took me a while to calm myself down and I wasted a lot of energy.  Then on the stair step hells at 4 K, I guy behind me skied over my basket and practically yanked my shoulder out of its socket.  As a consequence, I dropped off a few yards and had to really work to catch back onto the train.  This was right before the lake and I wanted to be with a group instead of facing the wind on my own.  I caught up, but then couldn’t hang with the group across the lake.  It was a long tormenting ski into the wind and up Main Street.  I wasn’t in control of my mind or body and lost a minute to Joann Hanowski who I had been skiing with the entire race.  In retrospect, I needed more mind control to relax my body in those two minor setbacks.

I did not sleep well the night before as my three kids were sleeping in the same room as I.  Colby talks in his sleep and Simon had a “whistling” nose due to a cold.  I didn’t sleep well after the Birkie either as my shoulders were killing me. (maybe the yanked ski pole).  I also didn’t feel very hungry afterwards.  I was hungrier today.

We will probably do the race again since we have a great setup in Seely — Dave’s parents have a cabin there.  I have lots of friends from MM and WI who do the race and so I enjoy the social aspect of the whole race.  The neatest part this year was watching our kids in the Barnebirkie and having them watch the Birkie finish since they are now starting to comprehend why Dave and I love skiing and racing.  The best comment from Colby was during his 5 K race.  I was on the course skiing the 3 k race next to my 5 year old, Simon.  The course winded back and forth so we could see the 5 K racers fast approaching.  I spotted Colby and yelled to him and he yelled back excitedly, “Mom!  I’ve passed tons of kids!”  He then promptly got tangled with a skier since he wasn’t watching where he was going.  He had asked me to count how many skiers came in ahead of him since there isn’t an official time or winner in the race and when I told him 20th, he was pretty proud.  Dave and I are hoping he gravitates toward Nordic rather than alpine so experiences like this are important!