Notes
More XC Skiing at Elm Creek on the new skis. Much, much faster than I can do with the old waxless. By about 4 minutes per mile! I think fatigue was setting in during this second session -- I wiped out twice. Embarrassing. One thing to note: my wax did not have enough grip. It was warming up as I skied, and I even applied Red over the Purple that was already there. However, I found that I could Skate ski (on my classic skis) much faster on the uphill portions where I had no grip. I think I was able to go as fast as any of the other skiers who were on skate-specific skis when I was forced to do so.
Math: If I can average 8:30 pace for the Birkie, 8x34mi = 272 min + 17 min = 289 min = 4 hr 49 min. Much better than the 6+ hours I had started to plan on.