I had the same reaction (never, never, never again) after my first marathon, then again after my second, my third etc. You tend to forget the horror after a few months and remember the things that bring a sense of accomplishment...and then you're back. But I did have exactly that same thought as you driving back Saturday night, but during an easy Sunday ride with my daughter telling her about Battenkill she said "it sounds like you're going back", and she could be right.

It was my first B'kill, I noticed that of riders whose times I checked for both last year and this they were averaging 10 to 15 minutes slower this year. Was it all due to conditions or did the course change have a noticeable effect?

Anyway, Cat 5 55+, field 5L. A respectable 4th, I think. Four of us eased away early, had a definite gap by Juniper Swamp, I got dropped around 18, they eased up on the following downhill and I got back on. Stayed with them until Joe Bean Rd, about 28/65, and they pulled away there. On my own picking the detritus of earlier races all the way to the finish, which kept me focused. I'm consoling myself with the fact the 3 guys ahead of me were all either 9 or 10 years younger.

BTW dz_nuzz, still using that Zipp 404 tubby I sold you last year? You never called me for a refund so I assumed it was OK.