For the sake of completeness, I decided to write about my experience at last weekend's Roller Sports Canada National Championship. At the beginning of off-season last year, I made a decision not to devote training resources into track racing. Leading up to 2008 Provincials and Nationals, I spent numerous training days at both flat and banked track practicing my 300m TT, cornering, acceleration, etc. I did none of that this year. In fact, I can count the number of TT starts I practiced before Nationals with two hands. I barely spent anytime on the 400m track where Nationals was contested. Sigh, I don't even know how to skate the wide corners! As one can imagine, I couldn't be less prepared for racing last weekend.
As far as I was concerned, Canada Day Marathon was my Nationals and I already had something to show for. I felt zero stress about racing the other girls on a track because I had no expectations about my performance. I came last in every distance last year and I believed the same would happen this year as well. All I needed to do was roll up to the start line and skate. Simple!
Official results available here.
300m Time Trial
Time: 35.43
Placement: 6/7
The first event of the weekend was the time trial. All I wanted was not to do a face plant. My start lacked any power and my left foot cramped up inside my boot a few steps in. I was very cautious, especially in the corners. This was a very slow 300m (I skated a 34 at last year's Nationals on a 200m banked track...3 corners vs 1!) and frankly I'm quite embarrassed about my effort. At least I kept my helmet side up.
10K Points & Elimination
Time: 20:34.39
Placement: 4/6
Coach SZ and I discussed my goals at Nationals and she suggested that I could aim to skate in the final 5 for both elimination races. I was skeptical because I thought for sure that I would be the first eliminated, just like last year. It didn't hurt to try though because I had nothing to lose. At the start line, SaH (TISC) teased ShH (TISC) and me that we were not allowed to fight for that first elimination, heh. It was pretty obvious not all of us were thrilled to skate 10k in such windy condition.
I was hesitant about my start and barely hung on to the back of the pack behind LK (CRISC). As soon as the girls at the front begun to sprint for points, the pack split. I wasn't too worry because I was just there to skate. ShH got dropped from the lead pack and tucked right behind me to make a pack of three. As soon as LK finished her pull, I picked up the pace, just enough to make it hard for her. I did not expect to drop her in one try but only wanted to wear her down. When I did the same thing again next time, ShH and I gapped her easily. I suppose she wasn't keen on finishing the 10K either. To be on the safe side, ShH and I worked coorperatively for a few laps building up our gap until LK got lapped by the lead pack and eliminated. Just like that, I achieved my goal.
Of course, the race was nowhere near finish and I decided to chase down DL (OISC) who got dropped by the lead pack. She was about half a lap ahead of me and I hoped to continue working with ShH to catch her. It didn't quite work out the way I hoped and I begun my one-person mission to chase her down. Much to my dismay, I couldn't hang on to SaH and ME (TISC) when they lapped me. That was my ticket to bridge and I missed it. I skated hard into the headwind and rested in the tailwind, steadily closing the gap. Unfortunately, when SaH and ME lapped DL, DL hung on and that was basically the end of my race. The gap between DL and me grew and shrunk in sync with the points lap when SaH and ME would sprint for points. I finished the race about 100m back from DL and claimed 4th place.
My performance far exceeded my own expectation and the 10k points elim was by far my favourite memory of the weekend.
1000m Sprint
Time: 1:52.71
Placement: 6/6
Ah, the dreaded 1000m. Everyone let out a sigh of relief when the officials announced that there would be no heats, just a final with all six girls on the line. Honestly, it was a long day (did I mention it was ridiculously windy?) and we just wanted to be done with the race. My legs felt like lead after the 10k and I only rolled up to the line so I would not have a DNS. I wasn't even in the pack for the entire duration of this race and finished way behind everyone.
This is solid proof that I did not work on my starts nor sprints on a track, hahahaha.
15K Elimination
Time: 28:49.95
Placement: 3/5
Day 2 of Nationals kicked off with the 15k elimination early in the morning. Based on my performance at the 10k yesterday, I had reasons to believe aiming for 3rd was not unrealistic. I expected less acceleration because there was no points lap to sprint. For all intents and purposes, I thought the race would unfold very much like the 10k except this time I was determined to hang on to SaH and ME when I get lapped.
My start went far better than any races on day 1. I stayed in the pack with SaH, ME, and DL for much longer than I thought I would so I was already safe from elimination. It didn't take long before SaH and ME dropped me and subsequently DL. The race turned out exactly the way I predicted. When SaH and ME lapped me, I hopped into their draft and we steadily closed in on DL. DL joined in but our pack of four did not maintain that way for long. ME picked up the pace and I got gapped. SaH and DL got around me but ME was already getting away. I tucked in behind DL and the three of us skated together lap after lap.
In the mean time, I had to plan my move. DL and I were on the same lap. Sitting behind her and wait for the race to come down to a sprint would play to my weakness. I half expected SaH to pick up the pace anytime and I wanted to be in a position such that I would be ready for it. I made a few half-hearted attempts at inside passing but none of them penned out. Finally I commited to an outside pass and as we exited the corner, I tried to get in between SaH and DL. At this point, DL and I clicked skates. She went down and landed hard on her left shoulder. I didn't know what to do and glided down the straights, paralyzed by what just happened. SaH was skating further and further away from us. I heard friends yelling at me to keep skating so I picked up my pace to chase down SaH. I was functioning on autopilot. It seemed like an eternity before DL got up and started skating again with blood running down her elbow. At one point, the officials made an annoucement over the microphone that the referee decided he would not disqualify me for causing the crash (the crash happened directly in front of the ref). [edit: the consideration for DQ was called for a different reason. See Andrew's comment.] SaH and I eventually lapped her and the three of us finished the race seperated by one lap each.
I came third in this race but the way the race turned out...it was absolutely the last thing I wanted to happen.
500m Sprint
Time: 57.28 (heat) 54.92 (B final)
Placement: 6/6
Another sprint distance which is not my forte...nothing to complain about. I was grouped together with ME and LK in my heat and there was a sizeable gap between the three of us. What I did not expect was how slow my time was. This was by far slower than my 500 from last year's Nationals when I raced to a 54 on a 200m banked track. Needless to say, I was a little bumped out. I raced in the B final with DL and it was a much better attempt. I hung close behind her into the first corner, got gapped, closed the gap in the straights to get back into her draft. As we dived into the last corner, I had vision of the crash in the 15k and hesitated. It was here that I got gapped and couldn't really make up the gap anymore. However, it was a much more respectable time than the one at my heat.
After Thoughts
For lack of a better word, I sucked at all the sprint races at this year's Nationals. Due to the rules of tie breaker, I claimed third place in the distance category. Never in my wildest dream did I imagine reaching the senior women's podium. Honestly though, I did not enjoy the moment at all. Although crashing is a risk we all take by participating in the sport, this was really my first time causing another skater to crash at a race. I typically skate very conservatively but last weekend, my action caused bodily harm to another skater. Somehow I wish the whole thing never happened but of course that's meaningless words. I only hope that DL will have a speedy recovery.
"At one point, the officials made an annoucement over the microphone that the referee decided he would not disqualify me for causing the crash (the crash happened directly in front of the ref)."
Not so. The ref announced that Dom would not be disqualified because she received help from someone who was not an official to get back up and skating. That is normally an immediate DQ.
You did nothing wrong :)
-Andrew
Posted by: Andrew | July 09, 2009 at 14:38