Yep, its a distance classic year... UVM Carnival

This past weekend, the team ventured over to Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe for the UVM Carnival. The weather was still cold, but much more predictable than over in Maine. 

It was a good weekend of racing, starting off with a 10km Individual Start freestyle for the men. Now, this event has historically been one of my better events at Trapps. And this day it still went well, just not quite where it has been in the past.

(Silke Hynes/EISA photo)

The race was decent. Not my highest placing in a collegiate 10k here, but not my worst. My first lap I went out a little hot, clocking in at 13:52.3. Some of that steam was lost for lap 2, and I came  in 66th overall (64th collegiate) in 28:40.9 (15:48.6 lap 2). I saw where I could be afterwards though, 30 seconds would've put me up roughly 10 places.

(Silke Hynes/EISA photo)

On Saturday came the 15km Mass Start Classic. Now, I don't consider myself to be much of a classic racer, but something about today felt good. I was able to get into a good pack right off the start, sticking in with some Harvard and Bowdoin skiers, and was able to ski up to 63rd from bib 72.

Yep, definitely a Distance Classic Year...(Silke Hynes/EISA photo)

I held a pretty even pace throughout the entire race, at just around 15 minutes a lap, for a finish of 46:50.0, about 5 minutes off of the beast Paddy Caldwell. I wouldn't mind doing more mass start classic races now.

(Silke Hynes/EISA photo)

This weekend will be my first races on my home course at Sleepy Hollow, for the SMC Carnival! And, it's a double classic weekend... the Nordic Combined in me doesn't know what to do.