Editor's Note: This is a reprint of one of our most popular articles last fall. We want our new FasterSkier.com readers to be as prepared as our old ones for those less-than-stellar race days. As you prepare for the new season, you should brush up on your excuses as well. Not that you'll ever need them, of course….
“I need to re-string my racquet, “I was tired from football practiceâ€, “I couldn’t concentrateâ€, I’m new to altitudeâ€. ‘I must be dehydrated 
– Our 13-year old daughter gave me the idea to compile a list over bad excuses for poor race results in cross country skiing. She is involved in the local tennis program and I frequently hear about the boy’s excuses when she beats them. I started to think that this sounded very familiar to what I have heard over the years as a coach and competitor in cross country skiing as well. I might even have used some of these excuses myself!
So the idea occurred to me: Wouldn't it be easier to prepare for the season by compiling a list of ready-made excuses, rather than training?
It’s a lot simpler to prepare for the season this way as opposed to drag yourself off the couch for daily rollerski or running sessions. Distance training is one thing, but intervals — Ouch! And what about the idea of getting your terrible eating habits under control? Don’t you hate the idea of less beer, cookies and ice cream in order to lose some body fat and get fit?
So skiers from around the World “help us help you†by contributing to the very first list of excuses. Add your own excuses at the bottom of the article.
Imagine how nice and relaxing it will be this winter when you have hundreds of good excuses figured out before you go to the starting line. You can always count on FasterSkier.com!
 — a very common one, but getting pretty old<br />
– I spent too long time waxing my skis and my legs were very heavy during the race (a good one, but shows that you need to prioritize differently)<br />
– I missed the wax (yeah, sure)<br />
– I waxed too cold<br />
– I waxed too warm<br />
– I waxed too thin<br />
– I waxed too thick<br />
– I miss-read the label on the wax and applied it wrong: pick between too thin, too thick, too short (kick wax)<br />
– I inhaled fluorocarbon and felt dizzy (that’s also why you glow in the dark)<br />
– I used Dr. Zogs Sex Wax on my stick and that was a mistake<br />
– I choose the right top layer but had the wrong under-layer<br />
– I had the right under-layer but the wrong top-layer<br />
– I used the wrong glide wax brush (one of the worst ones)<br />
– I forgot to scrape off the glide wax (according to rumors this has happened to more than one skier)<br />
– I had great skis until the halfway point, but the wax wore off and they slowed down (No I didn’t start to hard and got tired!) Among the top-ten frequently used ones. Isn’t this at the point when your lactates go from 7 to 10 as well?<br />
– My hotbox wasn’t working (what are we really talking about here?)<br />
– I used an iron that was too hot (or not hot enough)<br />
– The shop that waxed my skis screwed up (I’ll never use that service again)<br />
– I lost the kick wax (I forgot to sand the kick zone and all the wax pealed off and I have missed the fact that the sanding of the kick zone has been recommended for 30+ years now…)<br />
– The coached missed the wax<br />
– The coaches TOTALLY missed the wax<br />
– My computer didn’t work (is that a part of your racing equipment?)</p>
<p><b>Skis:</b><br />
– My skis are too soft<br />
– My skis are too stiff<br />
– My skis are too long<br />
– My skis are too short<br />
– My skis are too old<br />
– My skis are new and not holding wax (yet)<br />
– My ski bases dried up<br />
– I picked the wrong ski pair<br />
– By accident I raced on my (slow) warm-up skis<br />
– I choose skis with the wrong grind<br />
– I didn’t have the right rills<br />
– I used my cold bases and should have used my warm bases (or opposite depending upon the snow temperature)<br />
– The speed trap didn’t work<br />
– The coach told me to race on these skis (what a looser)<br />
– I should have used my no-wax skis<br />
– I have never even heard about “hairiesâ€</p>
<p><b>The course:</b><br />
– I took a wrong turn (everyone went straight and I went left)<br />
– Not my type of course profile (prefer more flats, more uphills, tougher downhills or similar — make appropriate choice)<br />
– I never get to train on this type of tough course profile<br />
– I kicked ass going uphill and lost all that time in the downhills (sure)<br />
– The crash cost me several minutes (at least)<br />
– The course was way too easy for me) I didn’t get to use my uphill capacity)<br />
– I’m much better in longer races (or shorter)</p>
<p><b>Training:</b><br />
– I was injured all summer and fall<br />
– -I needed a mental break<br />
– Work and commitments prevented me from training<br />
– I didn’t train enough (maybe the only honest excuse?)<br />
– It was too hot last summer<br />
– I couldn’t get hold of replacement wheels for my rollerskis<br />
– I misread my training plan<br />
– My coach forgot to send me a training plan<br />
– My training wasn’t specific enough<br />
– I did too much distance and not enough intervals<br />
– I did too much intervals and not enough distance<br />
– I didn’t do enough strength<br />
– I’m lacking speed (that’s all)<br />
– I did too much weight training and not enough of the rest<br />
– I started ski training too late in the fall<br />
– I started ski training too late in life. I’m really a super athlete in everything but XC skiing.<br />
– Someone had told me that Pilates would replace normal endurance training — it didn’t work<br />
– The FasterSkier.com’s training camp was fully booked when I tried to sign up.</p>
<p><b>Snow:</b><br />
– We have had a terrible winter — no snow before…(pick your date)<br />
– We got lots of snow, but the grooming has been terrible<br />
– The snow has been too warm (or too cold) for efficient training</p>
<p><b>Nutrition:</b><br />
– My spouse is a terrible cook and I got an iron deficiency<br />
– I’m low on minerals<br />
– I overdid the Atkinson diet<br />
– I had read that Viagra improves performance, but forgot how tight these lycra suits are (it was kind of embarrassing)</p>
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