The La Peche Classic! I had been contemplating this race for weeks. I knew going in Robbie's time would be fast and it would be a battle right to the finish.
I felt strong, the forest was fast and the controls were honestly placed. I was racing well, as it turns out, within a minute behind Robbie, at several points, almost neck and neck. Unfortunately my race started to fall apart when I caught up to Jeff and one of the Nakkertok guys. I bumbled 15, made a bad mistake to 16, then disaster to 17. There was a lot going through my mind at the time. Ultimately the route of the problem came from letting the other guys interfere with my concentration way too much. This is a common problem I've struggled with before.
Reflecting on this, I realized that consistently, all of my best races I completed the course entirely alone. This is very substantial. Not to say I haven't made mistakes when left to my own devices, however this I think is a more serious problem then what I had previously thought. Something I will be taking extra care to improve for the coming races.
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