Cowboy Hazel

Helen and I trekked up to the Bronx on Thursday after work to race in VCTC's Summer X-C Relay. It was worth the trip. The race was fun and we won some muffins. We ran as Team Eh, a tribute to our neighborhood (think acronym).

The course was similar to the 5K course, but didn't include all of that monster hill and was only 2 miles long. Helen wanted to run first, so Helen ran first. Meanwhile, I chatted with Warren Street teammate Joe, GMR teammate Amy, and then with Frank about his upcoming Vermont 100. 13 minutes and 17 seconds later, Helen tagged me and I was off. She had finished ahead of all the other women, putting us in good position to win the co-ed category.

I didn't hold up my end of the bargain. I ran a 5:55 first mile, still tired from Colorado, and then slowed even more on the hill, running a 6:27 for a combined 12:22. Actually, I didn't do too bad on the hill – I passed several other runners there – but spent too much energy coming down the backside of it (I was going all out at that point) and didn't have enough in the tank for the flat when I got back down near the finish.

Because the mens, womens, and co-ed teams were all running together, we weren't sure if we had won or not until the awards were announced. Turns out we didn't. This speedy looking couple called Blondes Have More Fun took the overall award, but since they were in our age group (40-69 combined), we ended up with the 1st place age group award – two muffins. They were delicious. Not as good as the pie Helen won last time we were up there, but still good. And, in a way, even better since I actually made a small contribution to the winning of this prize.