Dancing with Herbert: Lake Winni Relay (9/10/11)

Race: Lake Winnipesaukee Relay

Location: Weir’s Beach, NH

Individual Distance: 9.3 Miles

Goal Individual Time: 1:20:00

Actual Individual Time: 1:13:54

Team Distance: 65.1 Miles

Team Time: 9:28:52

Around Mile 3 of my leg I came up on my prey - Ann Rowley of relay team - Doublesexy. When I got close enough for shouting distance, I yelled:

“I’m coming for ya, Rowley!”

I quickly made my way past Ann with a brief chat and looked up to see where the next person was I needed to pass.

******

For about two weeks I’d heard: “leg 3 is the hardest leg;” or, “you’re going to walk up that first hill.”

Before our second leg came in, Aaron told me to try to catch Double Sexy. I responded, “Oh, I’ll catch Ann.” I got the baton from Yili, I was a little more than 2 minutes behind Double Sexy’s hand off. I came out of the parking lot and crossed Alton Bay to make the left toward Bay Hill Road.

Well, I can’t say whether it was the hardest leg or not. But I can say I jogged up the first hill on Bay Hill Road V-E-R-Y S-L-O-W-L-Y! The comical steepness was only made up for by the fact that it was way shorter than the Bridge of Flowers hill. As I shuffled up cars that passed me seemed to strain heading up.

Thankfully that ended and I was on 28, heading to Wolfeboro now. I looked down the first hill and saw Ann halfway up the first hill on 28. I knew I had plenty of time and could run my race and catch her.

En route to passing Ann, I had to pass the three teams she had blown by since the race started.

After passing Ann I saw two blue shirts in the distance, one pale and one dark, that I had a chance of catching.

Around mile 5 I passed the pale blue shirt who was a member of “Girls with Guns.” Right at the last water stop on the route I was behind the team with the dark blue. I said something to the volunteers which caused dark blue to turn around. He looked SHOCKED and said: “Wow, you must have been far back.”

I smiled, “You’re the sixth person I’ve passed.”

While I had three miles left, I saw no one else to pass. Under normal circumstances I might have slowed down at this point. Now I was just out running by myself and I’m not too good at self-motivations sometimes.

Fortunately, the guy in dark blue had enough motivation to keep coming at me. Over the next few hills he kept creeping up and then I would widen it on the downhills.

With about a mile left we turned left onto a town street. I hopped onto the sidewalk. It became mostly flat and I glanced back twice and dark blue was farther away each time. Then, with a good two block view he was gone. Now I gunned it. Ran into the parking lot and gave a little Ickey Shuffle before handing the baton to Aaron.

After the race, I had got myself food at the pub across the street.  Upon leaving the pub, I realized, crap everyone's gone.  So I had to hitchhike.  Fortunately, Sara, Wendy and Steph were the 10th car by and picked me up!

******

My team, Herbert and the Exotic Dancers, came in 21^st out of 31 in the “Mixed Open” Category. Other Somerville Road Runners teams won the Men’s Open, Men’s 40+, Men’s 50+ and Women’s Open and took 2^nd in the Mixed 50+ category. Ann Rowley’s Doublesexy beat us (thanks largely to their ringer – I’m sorry, “emergency replacement” – Jim Moberg)

******

When I got home on Sunday, I had a facebook message from Ann:

“Next year, you and me, leg 3 rematch.”

You’re on, Rowley. I’m coming for ya!