Exceeded Expectations

Zoya and Adelia before the start of the race

I am very happy with my Tour because I did a lot better than expected.  I was hoping to break 2:50 and finish in the top 80, and I came in 41st in 2:36.  That is my fastest 50K time since 2002 when I broke 2:30.  So this year was my fastest time in over 10 years!  I also got 3rd out of 27 for my age group!  Before the start I had checked the seedings and had thought that with all the fast people in my age group that there was no way I was going to medal.

And the race did not start well.  I was late to the starting gate and started near the back of the pack.  Then the guy in front of me fell down on the first hill and I ended up dead last.  So for the first 10K and the Spencer Loop all I did was pass people.  It's a good thing I did so much mountain climbing this year because I had to do most of my passing on the uphills in the Spencer Loop.  

After the Spencer Loop I was in a small pack of 3 guys drafting each other, and we caught up with the elite women pack who had started out 2 minutes ahead of us.  Things were looking very good - it's always better to be in a pack where you can draft and keeping up with the other racers provides incentive.  Except only the 2 guys ahead of me made the pack.  They jumped to close with the women, and a small gap formed between me and them.   And once they joined the women the whole pack accelerated.  I was literally at one end of the Tudor Road bridge and the pack was at the other end, but I could not close the gap.  All the way to Westchester Lagoon I could see the pack in the near distance slowly drawing away.

So I skied the rest of the race completely alone with no one to draft and no one to help with the pace.  But I did pretty well because I still managed to finish within 2 minutes of the pack I almost caught at Tudor Road, and I beat most of the elite women in the pack because they finished less than 2 minutes ahead of me.  I must admit sometimes it is more relaxing to ski outside of a pack - maybe skiing sans pack is not such a disadvantage after all?  

Funnily enough, the fastest I went all weekend was the day before the race when I got chased by a moose.  I tried to sneak past a moose browsing by the side of the trail and he spun around and chased me down the trail.  I had a moment of serious panic when I looked back and the moose was not only still chasing me - but gaining too.  I needed that kind of breakout speed for the race!  

Patrick

Zoya eyes the finish line - she finished 4rth in her age class!  Not bad for very little on snow training!

The race announcer commented on Zoya's glasses and everyone laughed - 'number 2126 your sunglasses are on crooked'.

That's me entering the stadium - almost done!

Zoya in the stadium

Final sprint - not much left in the tank

Adelia, Todd, Zoya, Bonnie and the kids - Todd had never met Adelia before the race

Adelia at the finish talking race with Julie who finished just ahead of her.  Julie almost broke 2 hours for the race which is VERY fast.