jeez, someone else I want to run like when I grow up Fantastic run, Bob!!! and a report that was worth waiting for. (wasn't too worried about that, though) Kevin

what a great run in not so great running conditions. I enjoyed your report and appreciate all the detail you shared in the report, as well as the detail that put into all your posts here. You are a very talented runner btb!

BTB, your posts are always a delight to read. As well as being a great runner, you show an even stronger strength of character. Well done on your time and after the race fellowship.

Nice job, Bob. I think you're ready for Boston and making good on a few promises this year. (And since I won't be there this year, I'm certain the weather will be perfect!) Way to persevere on that course and in that weather. If you're looking for a similar race out west some day, might I suggest the "Belly Mary" in October? We can provide more wind, too, I'm sure.

Thank you everyone who read my report, and for those that replied, for the very kind words! runningindc- Yep, I did what I said, but it wasn't as bad as you might think. I went to the far end of a very long hallway, and there were only a couple of people at the other end of it. I don't think they even realized what I was doing. nonoruns- I think the report took longer to do than the race! I'm glad you enjoyed it, thank you! carnivirus- thanks, and you are right about seeing how you do relative to everyone else, rather than against the clock. The usual people that I finish up with finished 3-5 minutes after I did. wildchild- thank you! I'm sure your hills put these to shame, you'd probably laugh at these. I checked the results, there were 54 people in my AG, which was about 10% of the total field. We have a lot of fairly fast older runners here. enke- thank you! I was happy to survive both the hills and the drive home. And I needed some new undies anyway. JJJ- you would've liked this race. It was an adventure, right up your alley. Thank you for the very insightful comments, you are right on with all that you said. Jeanne- thank you! I'm sure the conditions we're nothing compared to some of the junk you've had to deal with this year. TomS- thank you! It's always an honor to have you stop by. CNY- I'm glad you enjoyed my marathon report! Thank you for the kind words. You were out running in that junk too that day, so you deserve a big congrats, if not more. Ribs- very insightful reply as always. Thanks for "pumping me up"! CMom- I hardly qualify as one of the best on this board, but thank you! Each and every person here contributes in a positive way of their own, making this entire place very special. Thank you so much for your kind reply! And if you are interested in reading about Amy, the incredible child who is my patient partner at Children's Hospital, you can click on the link I have in my signature line. Within there is another link to Amy's website. I hope you have time to read about this amazing girl and her family. flajewels- who said I didn't crap my pants! Thanks for your nice reply! fussyrunner- come to Long Island and I'll gladly take you on a run around this course. While you're here, you can visit another "horror" that Long Island is infamous for, the "Amityville Horror" house. Twocat- you are just a ferry ride away from trying this race sometime! Think about it, I can pick you up in Port Jefferson on the way there. I have no doubt you would've been out running in this stuff either. Regarding that post race run, I forgot to mention that I couldn't even handle the car key to unlock my car door afterwards, I had to get someone to help. evryday- thanks! I liked your weather conditions that you had for your race much better! stumpy- thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed the report. I get inspiration from runners like yourself, who keep at it despite the obstacles you face. Sarge- I'll bet you were glad not to be the race director for this race on this day. What a mess. Thanks for reading and for the well wishes. Tammy- thank you for the very kind words. Talent is relative, there were plenty of runners there that day that smoked me, just as there are many runners that look up to and aspire to run like you do. Signed, cootieboy. rochrunner- thank you! Regarding what you said about Boston, depending on the race day conditions and how smartly you run the race, Boston can be a fast course. It is an overall elevation drop. The seeding system at the start works very well to make sure you are running with people your own speed, so you don't have to zigzag all over the place to get around people. And to make sure my friend doesn't have to deal with the usual pre-race stuff that is usually associated with Boston (waiting in lines, riding the school buses to the start, the wait in athletes village, dealing with baggage check, etc.), I talked him into joining in with my charity group, and they take very good care of their runners on race day, with a dedicated bus to the start, their own baggage check, a meeting area at the starting line with their own bathrooms. So hopefully that will alleviate some of the difficulties, allowing him to focus his efforts more on the race. That's the theory anyway, we'll see. SteveP- thank you for the very kind words. Very muchly appreciated Steve! SueT- thank YOU for reading and the congrats! Soundrunner- it would be fun to compare the race you suggested to this one. A west coast vs. east coast challenge. Regarding the weather, it may be ME, not YOU that brings the bad weather! You had a nice day for your half last weekend, and look at the crap that I had to run in. Thank you for your nice reply. arf- are we ever gonna get a chance to meet someday? I hope so! Hey, if you like screaming down hills so much, come have some FUN at this race sometime! Thank you very much for dropping by and the nice words, I'm glad you enjoyed reading.

Excellent RR, BTB! You are braver than I, setting out to race in those conditions on a course that tough. Congratulations on your course PR - well done!

that was a great race report Bob - my quads were aching with your tales of screaming down the hills!! nice job!!