Time (Garmin): 19:21
Medal: Surprisingly, yes!
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I had originally earmarked this weekend as that of the Dyce half marathon, as I have yet to run it (and haven’t been put off by Ronnie’s description of it as a dull, never-ending stretch on an old railway line). However, due to essential railway line maintenance, the event was called off this year. In its place, Aberdeen Metro Running Club set up a Hare and Hounds relay race.
Each relay team was to consist of three runners, and Ishbel, Teri, and myself quickly agreed we’d run as a team. We ‘creatively’ went by the team name ‘Pink and Brown’ because Teri’s surname is ‘Brown’, and combining bits of my surname (the letter ‘P’), and Ishbel’s surname (‘ink’) created ‘pink’. And yes, I am aware this sounds a bit rude. There was a fancy dress element to this race, and we had kind of hoped that:
a.) nobody else would bother, or
b.) people would really get behind our creativity.
Sadly, there was a fabulous team of cockatoos (feathered limbs and everything), as well as kilted and wigged runners, so despite our monumental effort, we didn’t take away the fancy dress prize with this (sidenote: Teri did not own anything brown, so we improvized):
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L-R: Ishbel (pink), me (&), Teri (brown)
Although the relay was originally advertised as a 3k loop through trails in Hazelhead park, we were warned the distance would be closer to 4k, and that although it would start on road, we would soon be galivanting around the trails. I was the first leg of our team, so I lined up with all of the (ridiculously tall, lean, and athletic looking) club runners, and a few other people that had been suckered into this run like me. After a, “Ready – go!” we were off, and for about 10 seconds I was trailing the back of the gazelle-esque (totally a legitimate word) pack of runners before my lungs and legs begged for forgiveness, and I settled into a more reasonable pace.
I kept telling myself it would be over soon, just don’t slow down, and being on Ronnie’s tail gave me the motivation to stop myself from slacking (and he was also an exceedingly useful navigational tool). Being familiar with the trails in and around the park meant that I knew when I was close to the finish, and I picked up before closing in on Teri. We were told that one part or another of our body must ‘make contact’ with our team mate’s during the handover (as there were no batons), so with a literal run-up, I gave Teri a very spirited slap on the right butt cheek, and she went flying off! I would just like to mention that I got excellent purchase on her backside with the palm of my hand, and it was a truly satisfying slap. In fact, I believe that added propulsion is what helped her overtake one of the other team’s runners!
Once Teri was in sight, Ishbel geared up for the final leg, during which Teri and I enjoyed the crisps and water on offer to finishers. At one point we had entertained the idea of being the first all female team to finish, but as Ishbel came gliding into the finish, we settled with second. Still, there were no ill-feelings towards any of the winning teams:
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L-R: Naomi, Teri, Ishbel, me (squatting so Ishbel’s head would be in view, which in hindsight was unnecessary), Ronnie, Stu
After the relay, Ishbel and Teri headed off, and I joined Ronnie and our friend Susan for a ‘long run’, which consisted of an additional 13.3 miles through the outskirts of Aberdeen.
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We saw a lot of livestock.
When we made it back to Ronnie’s car, Susan opted to run the 3 extra miles home, and I opted for a lift to the supermarket for key ingredients to the snack I had been craving all day:
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Sweet potato fries (except they’re baked).
And now? Another voyage to the grovery store for a couple of ingredients for some tuna patties for dinner, and hopefully a cold root beer (or two). Seven weeks until Loch Ness marathon, which means 5 weeks until blissful taper time!
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Clik here to view.
