come out from the world...

...and into the BIRKIE.

An athlete is as good as the heart that is inside of them. No matter how good I ski or how perfect it may be, my heart that is inside me is constantly looking for the "next fresh fix." My heart is constantly inspired by those who have mastered the art of cross country skiing. Ivan Babikovs' tiring yet amazing sprint at 51 k or Zack Simmons near back to back Birkie Champions are my fixes that leave me wanting to wake up tomorrow and improve upon what I did today!

To race the Birkie and all those around me is after all why I ski. I don't ski the Birkie because I love nature and the beauty around me. Maybe someday I will realize what a gift it is to be on God's playground. No, I ski the Birkie because the climbs, the twists, the heart rate, the wax, the stories, the friendships, and the yearning for perfection are what gets under my skin.

And as soon as I finish the race, the Birkie is calling me back for more. And when the Birkie "starts talking to you, calling you back, you'd best shut up and listen."

Nikole dropped Adam, Nate and I off at McNaught road just 2k away from the start. Its always the perfect warm-up and you feel a little bit like a great skier when you are warming-up with the elites. The start was bumped back ten minutes due to the congestion and overwhelming number of skiers. None-the-less by 8:30 the elites were off and by 8:40 the gun sounded and I was skiing the race that had been calling me back for months.

Elite climbing the powerlines

I hit the powerlines with the cheers from my family and Nikole. The first half of the race I skied it fairly calm and collective trying not to spend to much to early. My goal for the first 23k was to come out onto Double O feeling good with plenty in the tank to get me to the finish. Not only did I feel good but I got to see some good friends from college, Coutrney& Lindsey sitting on top of a hill around a fire cheering us on. After a water bottle exchange with Nikole I jumped in a group of 20 skiers and poured it on for the next 15k.

I came out of the woods and on to Mosquito Brook road, 38k into the race, feeling strong and knowing I was on a sub three hour race pace. Nikole once again made a perfect bottle exchange and after grabbing some fuel at the food station I was ready for the climbs.

HWY 77 hill came and slowly I conquered it. By the top I could feel the cramps coming on, starting at the top of my thigh and rippling and twinging to the bottom. The pack I was skiing in shrunk and yet I had enough to hang on. At Duffy road I was greeted with cheers from the Halberg clan who never fail to give encouragement to all who have bonked and think they are in hell.

I hit Lake Hayward with 2k to go and pulled every ounce of energy that I had left just to hold on to the pack in front of me. Main street couldn't come soon enough, but when it did, the excitement and the smiling faces from my wife, friends, and family made it all worth the pain!

Powerlines, first water bottle exchange, my main support, and a finish for the screen!

I skied the 2008 Birkie in 2:52:07, a PR by 1 minute. I skied to a 514th place and was embraced my those who have supported me throughout the year. It was good! No, it was awesome. And yet no matter how awesome I raced it, it still was not enough. And since Saturday I have already started searching for a better plan, a better training year, searching for that better Birkie time. Don't get me wrong, I will enjoy this one as we did both at the bon fire that evening and at Sawmill Saloon that night.

Five months of training, three pairs of skis, and countless hours of waxing brings this ski season to a close. I'm constantly in awe at those who made this season worth the hours. Nate, who's persistence helped him ski to his best Birkie ever, 3 hours and ten minutes. Adam, a shot a Yager and a beer later on Lake Hayward, skied to his worst Birkie ever and yet had a blast. The camaraderie and sharing of the stories at the Halberg's (Thanks Hank, Jim, Aaron, Carl, Mark, and Sarah)! It's through this that the Birkie calls me back. And its through this that I seek perfection.

I'm your average racer who brings stories from the middle of the pack. My passion is to be great, but in the meantime enjoy the view from the middle.

Cord under the Boards,

Sturgie

B-I-R-K-I-E

This week leading up to the Saturday conjures up the many years of Birkie preparation. The years spent thinking the more pasta I ate the better I would ski. The year I thought just eating salads would do me well. The year I thought that no time spent on skis would be alright. The year I skied a sub three hour race. Or the year I skied my first Korteloppet and took 5th FROM THE LAST!

This is the week that gets you excited for the Birkie. It's your season coming to fruition. all the hard work and pain this season was for this race. Knowing that thousands of skiers will descend upon Hayward from all over the world. My family has already started to place bets on how Adam and I will ski. The plans are set as to where we will eat our pasta the night before and before we know Saturday will be here and I will be on the trail, balls-to-the-wall, thinking about the beer at the finish line.

I'm excited. I feel 100%. By the 40k mark my body will want to quite but my passion, intensity , and mind will not allow for it. I've put hours in on the trail and now is the time to ski within myself. I'm off to Hayward tonight and what better motivation, if you need any, than to rub shoulders with the elite prior to Saturday. I will keep you all posted soon!

Last week I skied the Rib Lake Hinder Binder. I needed a good race to gain the confidance that I lost when I got sick. 22k of solid skiing on some pretty sweet trails was what I needed. I felt awesome and skied away from many skiers in a pack that I was skiing in. I raced to an 11th place over all and finished 2nd in my age. Not bad.

Talk to you all on the otherside of the Birkie! Thanks to many for your support and encouragement!

Cord under the boards! (especially this weekend)

Sturgie

Pre Birkie '08

Last weekend was the annual Pre Birkie Ski Race always held two weeks prior to the actual Birkie. It's a race that typically draws 700+ skiers. It is a race that is a good inidcation as to whether or not you've done enough and/or what you need to cram into your training the next few weeks to be ready for the Birkie. If nothing else it is a race where you run into some familiar faces and friends.

Adam and I stayed ANOTHER night at the Kling cabin in Spooner. Thanks to Nate and Karyn for the hospitality. A wonderful pre-race dinner, a good game of cribbage, and a good nights sleep is what I needed. For two weeks now I was still fighting the cold and could not shake it no matter how many remedies I tried. So how the race was going to go I couldn't tell you.

We awoke to temps in the 20s and cloudy skies. Met up with my parents a Coop's restaraunt for a good hearty meal two hours prior to the race. After some coffee talk and our share of trips to the bathroom we were off to the start on Lake Hayward. The Pre Birkie goes from lake Hayward to highway OO. We race the opposite direction of the Birkie. Some think this race is easy, some think its hard, and others think, "oh well."

The start on the lake was sketchy. There was only about two inches of snow on the lake with an attempt at it being groomed. With everyone warming up on the lake it ended up ruining what trail was on the lake. And before you new it you could not get a pole or an edge on the ice. But at the gun we were off and struggling to hold on across the lake. Needless to say it felt good to hit the trail!

I had a good start and was feeling pretty good until our first big climb up the back side of bitch hill. Then things seemed to unravel from there. Nate caught me on the next up hill and was looking strong and ready to dominate. However, coming out of the woods at Mosquito Brook Rd Nate tried to grab a GU and ended up sliding on his butt, busting a pole in the process. Five minutes later we was back in the race with another pole that he grabed at a food station.

I felt good in parts of the race but also felt bad in most of the race. Go figure. I caught people on the hills but had them ski away from me on the flats and down hills. I felt like I had no gas in the tank to keep up the pace. I struggled to hold my own.

I finished in an hour thirty minutes and placed 137 and Nat skied his way back to finish a minute behind. Adam skied a very conservative race and came in at an hour forty-three. Good times by all!

This past week I was still not feeling good. So on Monday I decided to take a trip to the good 'ol doctor. After some painless minutes in his office I found out I had a sinus infection and was given some stuff to try and knock it out. By Tuesday on the trail I felt back to normal! So here's to hoping that we are ready for the Birkie!

Birkie for life,

Sturgie

convinicing yourself you've done enough

I felt it Thursday morning. That ever so dreaded tickle in the back of the throat. I lied to myself that it was just the cold air, the hours on the skis, and the dry air. But it came from the back of my head and landed right smack dab between my eyes and my nose. The cold was in full force by Thursday pm and I knew I was doomed.

Friday I sat my butt on the couch and downed ginger and green tea cup after cup. I tossed and turned on Friday night and hoped it was just in my head. Nate and I began skiing on Saturday at the powerlines on the Birkie trail. It was suppose to be a long day of training. By the time I climbed the first hill I knew I wasn't going to make it 49k.

9k into the ski I had to turn back and call it quits. I drove home bruised and worried. Have I done enough this year to this point so that I can bounce back. Time will tell. Sunday I stayed in bed and downed some over-the-counter medication and actually got a good nights sleep. My alinings fell on what was to be my first weekend of a structured three weeks of training. No worries...better to be sick now than on the day of the Birkie!

Cord under the boards,

Sturgie