Race day

We had huge fun today at Pineland on the River Valley Trail at the Close to the Coast Valentine's Race & Couple's Relay. Props to Mindy, Pete, Ryan, and Jamie for timing and allowing me to ski, which I didn't think I'd be doing. Thanks to Ian, Emma & Stephen for coming to cheer us all on. Three cheers and beers to Erik O. & Rachel for taking first in the Couple's Relay (not counting the 2-man team from UNH nordic). Jim D. showed Heather S. that technique isn't everything. And Ryan didn't even have to Tanya Harding Floyd L. for me because I did that myself as he was passing me just before the finish; this allowed me to beat him by 6s (woohoo!).

If you are wondering how fast skiing is, I completed the 9.5K course in 33:23 and came in 37/63. The winner skied it in 25 min flat! We had a good showing of college skiers who didn't make the A teams competing at the Dartmouth Carnival (college event with both Alpine and Nordic) this weekend, which is even scarier. But some of the masters skiers, like the local runners, were the most impressive to me. 51 yo Robert Bradlee finished 2nd in 25:12, my teammates Charlie Woodworth and John Eldredge skiing for Coastal Nordic finished in 27:44 and 29:11, and 63 years young Trina Hosmer finished in 31:04!