OK so I'm going to start off with a recap of yesterdays final NE Mt. Series race, Ascutney, while it's still fresh in my mind and I have a bit of time to tell the tale. I'll get back to Part I, Loon, later.
By this point in the yearly Series, the end of it, I am freakin' exhausted. With some exceptions, and there are always exceptions, age means more recovery time between efforts. One's occupation also affects how sharp you are coming into the weekend. Going into Sundays race I felt confident but not recovered or sharp.
I left "Armrest" at 7:20 and at Vermont mile post 39.4 on I-91 north I caught my first glimpse of the mountain. The day was sunny and dry with temperatures looking to top out in the mid 70's during the race. Except for the intense sun it would be much nicer than the HHH (hazy, hot, and humid) conditions that normally accompany this race.
The usual cast of characters were there and after registering I teamed up with Tony Park for a warmup. We had a good time talking about the TdF, concussions, and how Tim Mahoney wasn't beating us up before the race like last last week at Loon.
After the warm up but before the start of race this years "Mt. Goats" lined up for a group photo.
PHOTO SOON
The 3.8m run to the upper parking lot went off with a starters pistol and it was good to hear one for a change instead of the voice commands and sirens that seem to be the PC way to start races these days.
Settling into a pace I felt comfortable with, and behind a number of people I hoped to get by later on, I set off. I went through mile 1 in 9:28. Things felt good as I made my way through the field but I had Paul Kirsch in my sights. The only problem was he was heading away and continued to build a bigger gap. No way I could follow the pace he was setting so time to look for someone else to chase.
Nothing materialized as the guys in what looked like striking distance were just getting started.
The next two miles proved my undoing as I was 30 seconds to 1 minute down on what I had run them at in the past. Both miles ticked by in 11:22. UGH.
For the second week in a row I was caught and passed near the end of the race. This week fellow M50 competitor, John Martin came up along side in the last quarter mile. He put a few paces on me and then stayed there. I tried to keep in contact and managed to cover one surge but as we got within shouting distance of the line he went and I couldn't go with him. John crossed the line in 39:28 to win our age division.
Ashley Krause who caught me last week at Loon also went by finishing 2cd woman.
In some state of oxygen deprivation I honestly could not remember which of us got to the line first. She said she couldn't remember either although I suspect she was just being nice. The results had her up by 2 seconds.
Feeling totally spent I thought I'd miss going under 40:00 for the first time in my five attempts at this race. Thankfully Tim M was just down from the line and yelled that I had 45 seconds to get there and go under. That was just what I needed to find a small bit of kick and cross in 39:35, stagger through the chute, and then drop my sorry ars down on a rock in the shade.
2006 | 39:42 |
2007 | 39:35 |
2008 | 36:56 |
2010 | 38:37 |
2011 | 39:35 |
Post race there was the traditional run up to the lookout tower at the summit.
We returned to the upper parking area for the awards ceremony where medals and local goods were presented. It was nice to see Tim Mahoney take the win for his age division. He'd put in a lot of work this year prepping for the Rockpile and it didn't let him down today either.
I joined in a road/trail run down with Tim, Rich Teal, and the Krouse's. Once on the trail the lads took off but Ashley was kind enough to keep my snails pace for the descent. After what seemed like an eternity we made it to the bottom.
The next stop was a wade in the river. Cool the legs off, reminisce about the past 8 weeks and say so long to folks most of whom I wouldn't see again until snowshoe season or next years Mt. Circuit.
Always glad to be done but always looking forward to next year.
Top 5 M50
1 33 39:28 John Martin 59
2 35 39:35 Paul Bazanchuk 56
3 41 40:25 Erik Wight 51
4 55 43:05 Bob Mulvaney 58
5 60 43:58 Don Slovenkai 55
Full Results
not enough punishment for one day? you could have joined in a post race ride
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