Feeling Better. And Better.

Almost caught up on my sleep last night. Seven hours is as about good as it gets when you have to get up at 5:15. I think next year, I'll only be getting up that early once a week instead of four or five days. So I'm already starting to feel recovered from Sunday's marathon. I'm also looking forward to a more relaxed coaching schedule over the next few weeks--just watching the kids race at JNs next week and providing background support. Sounds good to me. A lot of the dust has settled and it's nice to be feeling better physically, and more refreshed in my head.

Also feeling better about Sunday's race. I went back through the online archives, which go back to the late 1990s, and found that only four other skiers in the M5 (50-54) age category have gone under 2:30 in the Tour.

2:18:32 Cramner 2002
2:22:05 Jensen 2013
2:27:16 Suddock 2013
2:27:33 Beckner 2004
2:29:36 Me 2013

(technically the 2:29:01 in 2008 I skied was past age 50--just a week after my birthday--but officially I was still an M4).

Anyway, while I'm definitely not in Cramner's and Jensen's league as a skier, I'll take it. I'd like to look up some of the archives because I think the legendary Dick Mize of Anchorage must have had some fast times back in the 80s and 90s.

And speaking of the M5 category, there was a lot of depth out on the trails on Sunday. I haven't checked all age groups yet, but to have 15 guys 2:53 or faster. Plus six under 2:32, and 13 under 2:50, that's pretty solid!

 Trond Jensen  2:22:05.5 Anchorage AK 50K Free M 16

 Rich Suddock   2:27:16.8 Anchorage AK 50K Free M 24

 Roger Sayre   2:29:36.3 Fairbanks AK 50K Free M 27

 Charles Homestead   2:31:22.5 Anchorage AK 50K Free M 30

Jim Lokken   2:31:51.6 Fairbanks AK 50K Free M 32

John Weddleton   2:38:36.0 Anchorage AK 50K Free M 47

Dan Brokaw  2:42:16.4 Girdwood AK 50K Free M 52

Jim Jager  2:42:29.7 Anchorage AK 50K Free M 53

David Ward   2:43:37.0 Anchorage AK 50K Free M 59

Steven Bergt   2:44:46.2 Anchorage AK 50K Free M 62

Ken Leary   2:45:15.9 Fairbanks AK 50K Free M 66

Greg McDuffie  2:48:29.6 Anchorage AK 50K Free M 73

Dennis Poirier   2:48:40.4 Anchorage AK 50K Free M 75

Randall Kanady 2:51:06.7 Anchorage AK 50K Free M 84

John Quimby  4 2:53:08.3 Anchorage AK 50K Free M 91