I had another race today, a local event called the ASA Cup, the last in a series of three. With the help of a giant pipe wrench and some strategically-placed duct tape,* I decided to pull myself together enough to redeem myself from Saturday's, ummm ... incident. Did you know that sliding across ice at 98.4 kph leaves some unique bruise patterns on your ass? Well, you'll just have to trust me. Jason wouldn't let me post the picture.

This afternoon my coach helped me salvage my sled enough to be able to enter the race, and I managed to stay upright long enough to actually pass the finish line. With my sled. Fancy that. I even managed to clock a PB speed (115.6 kph - it's amazing how much faster you go when you are actually on your sled) and finish time on my first run.

But as it seems I find consistency, as well as normalcy, overrated, I decided to make my second run more challenging by pushing my sled out the start groove, which keeps you going straight while you are still running beside your sled, and bouncing off a few walls before the first corner. Because, you know, I already mastered staying on my sled for the first run.

At the end of the day, I managed to hold on to my sled long enough to finish first in the Rec category (which is for first year sliders) and fourth overall. I've also decided that I like numbers like "1" and "4" next to my name on the time sheet, better than letters like "DSQ."

* POINT OF CLARIFICATION: The pipe wrench and duct tape were for my sled.