Andrew Johnson was the only man to win two events at this year's Nationals. We got him to answer a few questions for us before he jumped a plane to Europe.
You raced three races at Nationals. Among Americans, you finished 1st in two races and third in the other. That's very impressive. How do you feel about your week?
I’m happy with the week. I would have preferred racing all four distance races and obviously any race you don’t win could be better. However, I had two really good races and I feel that I was skiing faster at the end of nationals than the beginning so I am very satisfied and anxious to build on these results.
Pete Vordenberg mentioned something on the Team Today website about you getting an allergic reaction in the middle of the week. What was that about and did it affect your performance?
At 12:30 in the morning on Wednesday (day of the 10K classic) I woke up because I was really itchy all over my body. Symptoms worsened throughout the night into a full-blown case of hives. I was very uncomfortable, didn’t sleep at all, and felt quite sick for the rest of the day. We think it may be a reaction to some medication I’ve been on for several months. I wasn’t able to race the classic race and was below par for the skate race the next day. My hands and feet were still swollen but I decided to race anyway. Although I know I can ski much faster than I did that day, I was still pleased with the effort I put forth. I skied as hard as I could given what I was working with. Within a few days I was back to normal.
?</b><br />
I definitely could have been better acclimated to the altitude for the first couple races but I knew that would be the case when I arranged my travel schedule. My goals over the Christmas break were to get a good amount of training in and get a refreshed mental outlook for the second half of the season. Both these goals would have been very hard for me to achieve if I’d flown to Utah shortly after returning from Europe. As it was, I had a great time in Vermont with great training and really enjoyed spending the holidays at home. For the long run, I’m convinced that doing it the way I did was the best thing for me. </p>
<p><b>Four different guys got their first US Nationals win this week (you, Justin Freeman, James Southam, Torin Koos). Is that just coincidence? Or is it a sign of something more?</b><br />
I think that for the last couple years there have always been several guys in good positions to win races at nationals. However, the last couple years guys like Carl and Kris have shown up in pretty dominate form. The nature of nationals (lots of races in a short time, people coming from all over and lots of different travel/race schedules prior to nationals week) really lends itself to lots of different people having good races. I think we’ll keep seeing these kinds of results in the future. It’s definitely good for the sport. </p>
<p><b>You also had a couple of very good World Cup races just before Christmas. It looks like you are hitting your peak form at the right time. Do you agree?</b><br />
I think that I’m in very good shape right now. I’ve been frustrated by a couple minor setbacks (intestinal issues prior to Ramsau WC, my little affliction last week) but I know that if I can string together six weeks or so of uninterrupted training and racing I’ll be skiing faster than I ever have. </p>
<p><b>Do you think going to Europe early this season made a positive difference for you?</b><br />
For sure. It doesn’t matter how good of shape a person’s in if they haven’t learned what really fast racing is like. Skiing on the World Cup exposes athletes to the fastest skiing in the world, and seeing that and being involved in it week after week provides an invaluable tool towards reaching your max potential. Spending a few weeks in the fall training alongside several other national teams was also a good experience for us. </p>
<p><b>What is your plan for the next month or so before World Championships?</b><br />
We’re heading back to Europe tomorrow. We’ll compete in the Pregelato World Cup (Torino Olympic venue) the weekend after next and then we’ll head to Ruhpolding, Germany for our pre-World Champs camp. My personal plan is to try and recover from last week and get rested and ready for the next World Cup. After that I’ll hit the training a little harder while we’re in Ruhpolding. </p>
<p><b>What are your goals for the World Championships and the rest of the season?</b><br />
First, I’d like to start skiing into the top thirty in World Cups. Once that happens, the fields are so tight and the time margins at the top of the field are so small that much better results are very possible. Another big goal, for me and the rest of the team, is the relay. We have a chance to do quite well in that event. </p>
<p><b>What's up with the caterpillar (as you called it) living on your face these days? The look seems to be working for you.</b><br />
It’s not living there anymore. It died a quick death this morning. However, for me these things generally originate from laziness. I stop shaving for a couple days and I have a mustache. (Well, maybe more like several weeks…)</p>
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