One pole finds a grip in the snow to my left. The other slips away. I flail my arms. Try to keep my balance. Focus on standing steady. Phew. Not so easy. I've been on cross-country skis since November now, and I still have the occasional problem with coordination and balance. The sport is more challenging than I initially thought. And now the Koasalauf is coming up soon. This should be interesting. But looking back, I can see I've already achieved quite a bit to get this far …
How it all began
“Warst du schonmal Langlaufen?” Ich verneine. Eine folgenschwere Antwort. Einige Monate später bin ich Teil des Nordic Team Tirols. Teil eines Zusammenschlusses aus Langlaufanfängern, die in vier Trainingseinheiten fit für den 50 Kilometer langen Koasalauf gemacht werden sollen. Ahnungslos fahre ich zum ersten Trainingslager in Seefeld. Uns steht eine Leistungsdiagnostik bevor, wir bekommen Trainingspläne und die Ausrüstung in die Hand gedrückt. Und los geht’s. Schon stecke ich mittendrin im Abenteuer “Langlauf”.
Struggling on roller skis
What follows is much harder than expected. At least when it comes to technique. There's no snow yet, so we start by practicing on roller skis in Seefeld. The coaches offer plenty of tips, refining our technique here and there. I "glide" unsteadily over the asphalt. Here and there I slide down hills on my backside, break a pole and long for my first session on cross-country skis in the snow. But thanks to the team, a problem shared is a problem halved. It's unfamiliar to the others too. We keep exchanging encouraging glances and talking each other through it. We can do this! That's the general feeling.
Pressure to perform and self-doubt
In Obertilliach, we're finally going to hit the trails for the first time. At last. It hasn't snowed yet this early in the year. Even so, the stored snow at the biathlon center has made it possible to prepare a loop. I leave the roller skis in the car and strap on my skis instead. And promptly land on my backside. Damn. All around me, cross-country skiers in skin-tight racing suits whiz past as if they've never done anything else. On the loop, which is just under 2 kilometers long, I feel like an obstacle and start comparing myself to them. They're all pros, I tell myself. They really are. Even the US national team has traveled here to train. Still, that doesn't really comfort me. Maybe this sport just isn't for me.
The first successes
"Don't be discouraged. That was your first time on snow." Our coaches assure us that, all things considered, we did really well. At the third session in Galtür, something finally clicks. On the first day, I'm as wobbly as ever. But then, at some point, I feel for the first time what the gliding phase is supposed to be like. Slowly, I also get used to the different strides. I really am moving forward! And I'm finally making progress not just in terms of distance, but in my learning too. Faster than I expected. We cover 10 kilometers on the trail from Galtür to Ischgl. Who would have thought? This is actually fun!
Now it's getting serious
In Tannheimer Tal, I lie in bed, excited and nervous. My first race is coming up. Not just my first cross-country ski race, but my first race ever. I toss and turn restlessly. This should be interesting. Am I really ready for this? The next day, I'm at least as restless as I stand at the starting line wearing bib number 4376. My breathing is uneven. My legs are shaking. But after the starting signal, things go better than expected. I follow an older gentleman and keep pace with him, making it to the finish without falling. 19 kilometers in 1:28 hours. Not a record time compared with the first finishers, who covered the distance in just over half the time. Even so, I'm proud of myself. Proud of the Nordic Team Tirol. The goal is within reach.
It's not over yet
Now only the Koasalauf remains. Whenever I open my calendar, the date, February 10, jumps out at me. That's the big day. I'll be taking part in one of the largest mass-participation races in Austria. Probably not on the 50-kilometer course, but on the 28-kilometer course at least. And in the end, it's probably not the distance that matters, but the achievement of going from a cross-country skiing beginner to taking part in my first mass-participation races in just a few months. There's a touch of sadness when I think about that final day, too, because that's when my time with the Nordic Team Tirol comes to an end. A time in which I discovered and fell in love with a new hobby. And a time in which, thanks to the team spirit, I got further than I ever thought I would.