I woke up this morning fearful. After 49 km ending in a sore back yesterday I was worried just how I would feel.
As the 5:30 wake up call rang I wiggled my toes, slowly moved my legs, and turned over, stretching my back. I was pain free!
But I was tired. And my nose felt like a balloon.
Hacking up foul tasting green stuff didn't give me a lot of encouragement either.
As I sat at breakfast I was so tired that I could barely eat but I forced myself to eat as much as I could. The fact that they Holiday Inn was serving those croissant type things filled with chocolate helped but not starting the race today entered my mind. Actually the thought seemed to just poke at me the whole time.
I had a lot of excuses lined up. I am sick. I am tired. I have only skied once a week to get ready for this. I have a blister on my foot.
But as I looked around the hotel restaurant I saw everyone else casually chatting, drinking coffee, and eating very little by my eye. They all looked so ready. If they could do it, then why not me.
And so I drove over to the race, around 7:30 and scored the best parking spot ever. There's a lot to be said about getting a nice parking spot. It makes you feel good knowing that you have less of a trudge back, hauling your sorry self, limping along.
I sat down inside, letting the time pass, desperately hoping that my body would somehow feel less fatigued. I secretly hoped someone would offer me a free coffee. No good Samaritans materialized.
Everyone else looked great. The young guys with their A-Wave bibs, fit women with ripped abs, and old guys with forearms like ropes. Italian, French, English greetings as old friends reconnected.
Someday I am gonna be one of those old guys...
Anyway...
Snow was falling, and it was about -6. I waxed a little warmer than that. I expected slow, ground up, grinding snow.
Folks were out warming up. The Swix guy was yelling at people he knew and was waxing, or at least polishing their skis. He did not point at me and make my skis super fast. Maybe I should switch over to Toko, not that I really have much of a full wax box.
I walked around and tried to get my legs loose as they were super tight, and not in a super hero like way. My spindly arms sore.
I lined up, as I did yesterday, in the back with the D wave. Things were a little less cordial than yesterday and a few E wavers, and D wavers snuck under the tape to gain a few places in the C wave. Others pushed to the front to fill empty gaps. Standard stuff in any mass start race.
The start was more crowded and much more hectic than yesterday with people trying to skate over top of each others poles in the hope that it would cause the person in front of them to fall so they could leap over them and sprint to victory.
And then a small miracle, through the choke point, everyone lined up in two columns and orderly made their way forward to the parkway. The single individual who tried to pass everyone by double poling through the ungroomed snow did not succeed in his quest for glory. He's probably now telling his mates that he totally could have caught Robin McEeever if only we would have let him through.
By the time I got to the parkway I figured I was in serious trouble. A ligament on the outside of my right knee felt like it was being stabbed every time I put weight on the leg. Not good. Bad even.
It was going to be a long day. A long day of stabbing.
So I did my best to keep up with those around me. And we climbed. And climbed.
The crowds were very polite up Penguin Hill. Nice and orderly. Nice Canadians. Nice Canadian Penquins. Much better than I remember it being. I hate that hill though. The steep climbs just keep coming.
Around this time my knee was only throbbing and I could start to ski evenly and with something approaching proper technique.
And then I passed someone.
And then another person.
My skis were not terribly fast, but slightly faster than those around me so I started to ever so slowly catch people, particularly on the rolling and downhill sections.
Km 10 to Km 30 was actually fairly uneventful. Lots of climbing, where I held my own. And downhills where I picked up a bit of time.
I skied along behind some older guy for a long time, trading places occasionally. We had a nice chat.
It may surprise many who know me that I actually like people. Especially old guys who cross country ski.
Just as an aside, to those people who think I am in good shape, especially people at the office, go hang out at a cross country ski race.
At around 35 km I was surprised. I was very tired, but less tired than when I started. I wanted it to be over, but could at least imagine myself getting through the last 10km.
Slowly I passed people. Bit by bit I cruised along, stealing a draft where I could.
And soon I was at the turn off to the finish, about 1500m away from the finish.
Fortunately for all those around me, I was not grunting and crying.
Up ahead I saw a guy wearing a crazy looking, colour clashing, spandex suit and I made it my mission to pass him. There was no way I was going to have him appear in my finish line picture. And I pushed just a bit harder to catch him before the line. I did, and I hope that in doing so, he decided that he needs a more aerodynamic suit, and therefore will have to buy something less outrageous.
And so, I finished and got my double. And ate my weight in chocolate covered raisins.
I came in at 3:14. And met Saul Goldman, owner of Velotique. A very inspiring individual if there ever was one.
The Results?
Name Time PaceKM Category CatPlace GenPlace
Rob MacEwen 3:14:07.4 15.1 Men 35 - 39 28/40 181/348
I'd put this one at pretty close to a personal best for me. Mid Pack, not quite mid pack for my age. A little slower than my fastest result. When I was younger I finished a bit farther back.
In closing I'd like to thank Buckley's Cough Syrup. A strong shot of that before a race does wonders.
Thanks to the Gatineau Loppet for renaming themselves again and putting on a solid event. I'll be back.
Good job Rob! Now you have a reason to buy new ski gear....
Posted by: T | 02/22/2010 at 08:15 PM