What I think about between the time that I arrive at the venue to the time I start. I wish I could say it was all focused and positive, but it's not. The Classic Sprints at SoHo Dec 15th.

8:10- arrive. why in the world am i at the race venue so early?

8:15- check in with the coaches, grab my bag and walk up to the race headquarter building (an elementary school on weekdays) with ronsse since i'm not testing skis this morning. glad they have this school here where we can hang out before racing, beats sitting in a van or a flouro-filled wax trailer.

8:20- head up to the second floor and select the library as the room of choice in which to chill. thought about skiing fast today but quickly got distracted by all of the book titles from my childhood. then i read half of a Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle story to Katie until it was time to go warm up.

9:00- back to the wax trailer to pick up my bib and skis. as has been happening lately, i had to wear the yellow leader's bib. but we also had the blue sprinter's bib in the pile. what!? who gets to wear the blue bib? i asked. ronsse. this i do not like, i still think of that as my bib. i feel petulant and sulky for a good two minutes.

9:05- i completely forget anything about bib colors and start warming up. i time the walk from the door of the wax trailer to the start gate-- two minutes. the track is lifted in five spots on the course. for the qualifiers i note that i'll want to cut the corner instead of going straight into a track and for the heats i decide i like the track third from the right best. for the first section of track (slight up out of the stadium) i like the right changing to middle track for the qualifiers and the left track for the heats. for the second section, which includes the hill, i decide on the middle track, the far right being second choice and the left being my least favorite because it hits a slightly steeper pitch on uphill that the other two tracks avoid. for the third section down the hill i like the middle track, for the corner coming into the stadium i like the left track and for the finishing straight i think that either of the two middle tracks will be best depending on where the corner flings me.

9:30- i get my race skis from erik, frode, & dylan in the wax trailer and take them for a L3 lap. they're perfect.

9:35- i give my race skis back to Erik through the window of the wax trailer and jog up to the race headquarters to go to the bathroom. then return to wax trailer to put race spandex & bib. check: suit, bib, gloves, hat, glasses.

9:40- take warm-up skis on another two laps, feeling very pumped to race and confident i know the course well. note the transitions and where speed can be maintained through the corners and over the crests of the hills.

9:50- back at wax trailer, grab the race skis and jog back to the start.

9:55- check with the starter to make sure we both think i'm starting at 10:00:15. we do. hear the announcer and think, oh, taylor's announcing again this year, i should go say hi.

9:57- remove warm-ups and do some leg swings.

9:59- clip into my skis and strap on my poles and stand in the start track, shuffling my feet.

10:00:15- start!