In my last post Where am I?, I made the comment it was skipping pages which made it difficult to follow along. Guess what? It was the abridged version! It never occurred to me to check but I would think whoever designed the cover would at least mention the CD being abridged or unabridged. So back to the library; this time I checked out the UNabridged version of the classic, The Time Machine by H.G. Wells. At least the cover said it is UNabridged! I probably read for an hour tonight before the Sabres’ game.

Yesterday’s race, the Canisius College Shoes for the Shelter was more difficult than last week’s Bunny Hop. My line read:
80. Sam Spritzer Williamsville NY 0:23:22 0:07:34 6/M50-54 61/M

And for the Triple Crown which consisted of the Chilly Challenge, the Bengal Run in addition to the Shoes for the Shelter, I placed 4th only 14 seconds out of third. I think it was my “out of shape” poor finish at the Chilly Challenge that did me in. Remind me not to make the same mistake next year! And guess what, Steph placed 3rd in her age group – good enough for an oversized coffee mug! Congrats babe!! And keep it up cuz yer in a tie for 4th in the Buffalo News Runner of the Year Series!

The weather was not what one would expect for a mid April weekend. It was cold and rainy with an occasional snow shower and a slight breeze. The course runs through the Forest Lawn cemetery. The first two miles are windy slight downhills and slight uphills. Typical for what one would expect for a 5K race except instead of using the last mile to make that all out effort, one enters what looks like something out of the Twilight Zone!

First you have to climb a monstrous hill that is 45 degrees uphill for a good 200 yards. Then it levels out enough to let you catch your breath before you make a right turn into a downhill dive of another 200 yards at 45 degrees. This is a runner’s nightmare. All of your strength sapped from that uphill climb doesn’t leave much to keep you from running like a freaking maniac while your ankles and knees are taking one heck of a pounding! At the bottom of this hill is what can be described as a landing and there is the finish line…..UP another hill although not as bad as the first one, maybe 100 yards long. For a race this early in the season, I don’t think any amount of training can prepare anyone for this last mile.

The sense of accomplishment is finishing the race without stopping and knocking a minute off of last year’s time. And of course, Steph’s triumphant return made for a not so bad day at the races!