So the races are over for Friday evening and we decide to head out to find our motel. We find it and guess what? The office is closed and no one is there to check us in! So we just go across the street to the Best Western and get a room there. Who has ever heard of a motel closing their office at 7:00pm? Oh well, they lost our business.
So we check in and find our room. We have to head straight to bed because we have to be at the rink at 5:00am for warmups as racing starts at 6:00am. Of course I can't sleep being all nervous and tense about my races. I think that I finally got about an hour of sleep before the alarm went off. Another long day of racing!!! So we get up, hit a quick shower and head to the rink.
My first race isn't for a few hours, but I want to get some more time out on the floor. It is very sticky and fast. I need to try to get used to it before I have to race, so I get out there every chance that I can. You can never be too prepared for a race on a newly coated floor, especially one that you have never raced on before.
So my first race is finally here. Veteran Men 500 meter final. There are 7 guys in this division to race against. I come off the start in 3rd place. After a couple of laps I pass up into 2nd and that is where I finish. My second race is the 1000 meter final. I come off the start in 5th place because my left skate slipped!!! Now I have my work cut out for me. I really need to place at least 4th to get a medal. So after a few laps I pass up to 4th. A couple of guys are fighting for position and get together and I am able to pass both of them for 2nd again. So now I have to try to catch the leader, but he is too far ahead already and I finish in 2nd again.
My next set of races is the Novice Master Men division. There are 15 guys signed up, so we will have to race in heats with 3 to qualify for the finals. The first race is the 500 meter heat. I come off of the line in 3rd place again. But get passed pretty quick! Wow, these guys are faster than my first races! I have to pick it up a notch. A couple of the guys are pretty big fellas, so I get to pass them as they quickly run out of steam. I am able to finish the heat in 2nd place.
So we go to the 500 meter finals. I come off the line good and am in 3rd place. I am skating a good clean race when I get passesd. I will need to pick it up a notch again. Well a notch too late and I finish in 4th place. So I now have to do much better in the 1000 meter race to finish on the podium. I know that my training will payoff and I can beat these guys in the longer races.
The start of the 1000 meter heat is clean and I actually finish in 2nd place again. If I could just catch that guy in front of me!!! The 1000 meter final is here and I must finish at least 3rd or better to get on the podium. So we are off to the races again and I am in about 5th place again!!! I know that these guys are going to fight for position, so I am going to wait a few laps and see what happens. Well again 2 guys get together and fall down. Some guys start to poop out and I finally finish in 3rd place. So my final placement is 3rd for the Novice Master Men.
Another end to another great weekend of racing. More to come...
