Where were YOU Saturday?

Saturday morning practices can be tough.

They are tough on the kids, who have to wake up about three hours earlier than they would like to, and then run when their Circadian clocks are telling them they should be sound asleep at the back of their English class.

No wonder that absenteeism on Saturdays can reach alarming levels after a few weeks of school. Actually, this year's team has been very good about dragging themselves to Saturday practices, and that extra day of training is helping to promote performance improvements among both varsity and JV runners.

All of which made it difficult for me to miss last Saturday's practice. But I had an excuse.

Along with seven other runners from the Cambridge Sports Union running club, I participated in the Fred Brown/Lake Winnipausaukee Relay -- a 65-mile race around Lake Winnipausaukee in New Hampshire, through some of the hilliest terrain in New England. The race is divided into eight separate legs of varying distances from 4 to 11 miles. I ran the 10.8-mile 5th leg for my team. That leg starts in Wolfeboro and winds through country roads along the East side of the lake. It is very rugged and very scenic. I ran it in 1:02:22, just over 5:45 per mile for nearly 11 miles.

The excitement of the race is hard to describe, but unforgettable to experience. For one thing, the race itself takes over six hours for even the fastest teams. For another thing, when you are carrying the baton for your team, everyone else is supporting you -- a wonderful feeling, with a lot of pressure! If your team is near the front of the race, the gaps between teams are very wide. It is possible to run an entire leg without ever seeing another runner. When one team passes another, it is a moment of high drama.

In the case of our team, we were in 4th place for over 20 miles approaching the finish line, but our 8th runner was passed with only about a quarter mile to go, and we finished 5th. It is remarkable to see a 65-mile race decided in the final 400 meters.

So when the kids ask me today, "Where were YOU on Saturday?" I'll tell them where I was, and I'll say that if they work hard and keep running, someday they, too, will get to run up and down hills around Lake Winnipausaukee on a Saturday morning.

Or maybe I'll tell them I overslept.