The classic race was a hairies day and I was on kick wax… just a frustrating experience.divbr //divdivbr //divdivFor the first time in my skiing career I was in there. The first half of the race classic skiing was just real comfortable. I had great skis and was relaxed in the pack. Starting back in the 50’s you are very much at the mercy of those in front and I managed to avoid the crashes and tangles that can send your day down. I just stayed relaxed and picked my way up when it wouldn’t take too much work. Climbing comfortable next to some World Champs was a great feeling, climbing past some was even sweeter!/divdivbr //divdivComing into the exchange I was sitting in 16th position and feeling good. My exchange was pretty slow and I ended up coming out a bit further back than I went in not a big deal since there was still a lot of skiing left. The biggest bummer of the day was I missed feeds on the first two laps of the skating. The feed zones are crazy and that just happens sometimes… So on the third lap I started to get some cramping and yo yo off the back and then on the final lap I wasn’t able to hang on… Still I managed to get it back together and gain time back up to the guys right in front of me on the final climb and finished strong.br //divdivbr //divdivIn the end it was my best mass start on the World Cup level, my best FIS point race, and a great boost of confidence. I was right in there with the best in the world for 25k! I am super excited for the relay and the 50k to come next weekend. Now I get a little rest and I start that off with a massage in a few minutes. /divdiv class=”blogger-post-footer”img width=’1′ height=’1′ src=’https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5871152313769582978-6900026278756261206?l=jamessoutham.blogspot.com’ alt=” //div
