October 14, 2010 (Whiteface, New York) – If racing five miles (8km) up a mountain road doesn’t satisfy a skier’s desire for hard-core pain, the relentless headwind that always meets us for the final mile does the trick. On October 8th was the fourth annual Climb to the Castle roller ski race that winds up Whiteface Mountain in New York. It was my third year competing in this climb and it was the windiest that I recall.

It was a whirlwind of a trip, but worth every minute. Dick Taylor, my coach, and I drove through vibrantly colorful New England over to Lake Placid on Thursday morning and arrived that afternoon in time to preview the course. At the time, the mountain was completely encased in fog – officials told us there was 0% visibility. Go figure.

The next morning, 5:45am glowed on the hotel clock. I could hardly wait to get to the start line. This was my first race effort since March and the competitive juices were flowing. After a good warm up and a couple gummy bears, all the female racers flocked to the starting area. We started up the mountain in a large pack. I slipped into line behind US biathlete Laura Spector, US ski team members Morgan Arritola and Liz Stephen, plus Jessie Diggins, and Ida Sargent. I stayed right with this group until about mile two when I slowed for a quick Gatorade feed. I wasn’t sure what my new physiology was capable of doing, and so I decided to play it safe and feed early to avoid bonking halfway up the mountain.

For the next two miles I kept all of them in my sights, maintaining, or steadily narrowing the gap. I think it was around mile three that the wind picked up significantly. Towards the top of the mountain it was so strong I was fighting just to ski in place and not be blown backwards. I just kept telling myself, “It’s the same for everyone.” The line of skiers ahead of me began to spread out, but I focused on the skier closest to me and continued to try to close the gap between us.

Last year, I was in such pain from my compartment syndrome during this race that the final mile seemed like it would never end. However, this year, that mile felt the fastest, despite the relentless wind. I was so full of excitement about my pain-free shins, that when I crossed the finish line I immediately wanted to do the race again. I had forgotten what it felt like to be able to feel my shins while racing. Let me tell you, it’s amazing! I was enjoying racing again. I was also pleased that I was able to maintain a solid energy level throughout the whole race, despite not being able to eat a normal sized breakfast.

I finished in 6th place with a time of 50:28. It was great to finally test my limits again and fun to see fellow ski racers. I had the chance to catch up with many of my friends in the castle at the top of the mountain while waiting for the awards to start.

For more photos Pat Hendrick was the photographer and has a collection of amazing photos that can be viewed and/or purchased HERE.

My stomach and colon paralysis continues to mystify my doctors and I. It’s been consistently erratic and keeps me on my toes. After experiencing a handful of scary hypoglycemia attacks, I’ve figured out that instead of eating three or four meals per day I have to eat 8-10 tiny snacks. Much of my nutrition is in liquid form these days and I’ve been scouring the nutrition fact labels in grocery stores to find easily digestible foods that are packed with calories, protein, and sugar. It isn’t much fun sitting at the dinner table watching others eat while I’m starving, but I’m learning to deal with it because it’s much better than the 6-8 hours of vomiting that I experience after eating more than a small portion in one sitting.

Other recent developments in my life: I’ve started teaching a crochet class to a group of ladies at the Waldorf School where I attended through 8th grade, and I learned to crochet. We started by making hats last week. I’m continuing to help coach my brother’s (and my former high school’s) cross-country running team. I’m learning a lot about coaching and have been having fun with them. And, the most exciting of all – I found my mom’s old knickers in our attic, and they fit me! I can’t wait to wear them to a ski race.