President's Day Weekend 2002

Bryant shows his versatility: on the right is a sample of his up-coming XC instructional video. Here, he demonstrates wrong diagonal stride technique with both arm and leg on the right side going forward at the same time. This might be better described as "parallel stride". Pre order your copy of Bryant's XC video "Learn to ski better than Bryant". Below, Bryant demonstrates two poses to endorse his sponsor's product at the finish line. Any potential sponsors reading this are asked to contact Agent@BMary.com for contract arrangements.


So, "how was the race?", you ask. "Great", I answer. I skied an average pace of 10 mph. I cut half an hour off of my 15k time of last year's P-cup. I even beat 5 men in my age division! You can see the results at farwestnordic.org. Scroll down to the 111th place finish. Race highlights included: Skiing past a pole in the snow just 200 meters from the start. Apparently, someone started the race with 3 poles. Is there a new 3-pole skate technique? Skiing by a nonchalant mouse on the side of the trail (Showdown, I think). When I did this race last year, a squirrel darted across my path. Small mammals must be big XC fans. The tiny shock cords that were supposed to keep my race bib snug to my torso came undone on the first downhill. My bib flapped noisily in the breeze for the next 14k. (Note to self: tie the damn thing on, next time. Use duct tape if necessary)	The dips are downhill sections. The sharp drop at the end is me collapsing in the snow about 10 meters past the finish line.

So, what were the keys to the spectacular improvement over last year's time?

I "carbo loaded". Instead of bacon and eggs, I had fruit and cereal for breakfast. Then, 40 minutes before the start, I ate a power bar. During the race, I drank another 50 grams (200 kcal) of dextrin and fructose in my hydration system. That 170 bpm peak (when I dusted 2 guys near the finish) would not have been possible without all the carbohydrates.
No beer (yikes!) and an easy workout the day before.
I arrived an hour before start time. Even so, I was adjusting my boots as late as 10 minutes before the race.
I Didn't stop. Even when I really, really, really wanted to stop, I just kept going.
I learned when to pass. (Pass on the downhill and flats, rarely on the uphill)
I herringbone stepped, when necessary. It's better than stopping.
V2 as much as possible.
Faster snow.