Race #18

My apologies for the posting delay on this blog entry. I had a trip to Florida and a tax man deadline, thrown in with my usual MO of procrastination. A deadly confluence.

I went expecting a muddy trail run and instead got a pretty dry cinder track around the Back Cove in Portland, Maine. The race was sponsored by the local running club so was very low key and small, 70 runners in total.

I think this is the closest I’ve come so far to coming in dead freakin’ last. I just checked the official results and I was 57 of 70 with a time of 31:13 and seven out of eight in my 40 to 49 age bracket. I’m not complaining with the time as it’s still real close to a 10 minute mile pace.

I probably drive other runners crazy but I always try to encourage at least one other runner to pick up the pace. In this race there was another gal about my age who was ahead of me and was alternating between running and walking. Whenever I’d catch up to her I’d egg her on to stay in front of me. She must have been a bit of a Save-it-up-Sally though as she had a pretty good sprint at the end of the race while I once again gasped my way across the finish line!

On my flight from Durham to New York I sat next to a psychiatric nurse. I was encouraged that she did not call the flight attendant for a seat change after hearing about my quest. Maybe I’m not as crazy as I think I am! She did have a suggested title for my book - “Small World Stories.” This came about as I was getting her life story and she mentioned that she was headed to upstate New York for a bridal shower for her son’s fiancé. I heard upstate and immediately thought of my relatives the Welch’s from Utica.
So I ask, “Where in upstate?”
“Oh a small town few people have heard of.”
“Really, where?”
“Utica.”
I started laughing and told her about Ione and Frank and their five sons. She knew some Welch’s but not the same ones. I then told her my Connecticut and Oklahoma stories – hence the book title suggestion.

When the desk clerks at the Hilton Garden Inn inquired about the nature of my trip to their great city, I of course took the opportunity to fill them in on my quest. They were dutifully impressed; to the point of calling me twice to inquire if I had everything I needed to prepare for my race and then sending me a gift bag. The bag included water, an encouraging note and a gift – a snow globe with a Maine scene. What a surprise but I had to laugh, I don’t believe the realized just what a non-event this race was in the grand scheme of Portland happenings that weekend.

After the race I packed up the snow globe for the trip back home and put it in my suitcase. I headed through security and got pulled aside – no go on the snow globe. The TSA agent suggested I take it back downstairs and check the bag. Since I had time, and by this time there was growing sentimental attachment to the globe, I headed back to the ticket counter and planned to check the bag. As I approached the agent on duty, Lisa L., I realized that checking the bag was going to cost $25. I showed the globe to Lisa and explained my plight hoping she might get caught up in the story and check my bag for free. She liked my story and thought the globe was rather pretty but when she went to ask the screeners, they said the globe couldn’t go. So Lisa the desk agent for US Airways is now the proud owner of a Maine snow globe, (and the story that goes with it) thanks to good people at the Downtown Hilton Garden Inn of Portland, Maine.