Dear Mom,

I am having a great trip here in New York. It is such a different lifestyle than back home.

Yesterday the oddest thing happened to me. I was up in this interesting neighborhood on 207th street because I wanted to go to the Cloisters a park and museum. On my way to the park I saw a bunch of people standing around in running clothes so I asked, Hey are you doing a marathon? They chuckled and someone said, No, we are going to run through all these weird spots following flour and chalk and end up at a bar. It is called the Hash. Why don t you come with us? Well since we never go to bars on Sunday, I thought it must be a very New York thing to do and I joined in.

We went through some of the oddest areas and the whole time we ran uphill. I did not think it was possible to run 5 miles uphill but the crazy Divo Hare guy found a way for this to happen. No one would ever dream that New York City had so many hills and rocks and thorn bushes but we found them all!

We eventually went over the Henry Hudson Bridge to the Bronx. This was an eye opening experience for us all. Right in the Bronx on the Hudson River are beautiful houses and rolling hills. We went through a wooded area then along railroad tracks and finally through Manhattan College. This part of the Bronx Riverdale - was the best part of the whole run because so many people shortcutted that they missed out on the beautiful things we saw in the trees and thorn bushes. Thank goodness for Heather Hare, she kept the trail under control and she made great marks to follow. If it weren't for her we would still be running uphill somewhere in Riverdale.

Finally after running for over an hour we ended up at a bar that was filled with delightful Irish drunks. I was privileged enough to be cornered by a nice young drunk the minute I walked in the door. Who said New Yorkers were not friendly? This guy entertained me for at least 15 minutes while I eagerly eyed the beer that everyone else was enjoying.

The bar was actually really nice. Pat earned the rabbit ears for being the FRB and Divo earned the plunger for being such a nice guy as he set the uphill trail. The food was great pink burgers and french fries and the beer was a surprising assortment of light and dark. This beer selection is not an easy feat given the neighborhood.

All in all it was a great Hash. I have to keep repeating this in my head because I am swearing at Divo as my legs are burning from the antiseptic cream I have on all of my thorn scratches.

I think I am enjoying New York so much I think I will stay forever.

Love,
Idaho Sue

From what I remember, we had a perfectly nice post-race breakfast hosted by David Byron Brown and his wife Allison, then proceed to the nearest bars to drink all the beer in Brooklyn. And then, when the taps ran dry (and the rain kept out further shipments from arriving for our imbibing), we switched to margaritas. In the end, I left the others, who were still able to stand (as well as speak and eat) in a big, embarrassing swoosh of full plates of food, fistfuls of money, empty margarita glas ses and discarded clothing. No, not one of my better moments (of which there are many )

So, in addition to not being able to walk or run very quickly, and still clutching my head from the night before (did I lose all that weight from running 13.1 miles or from puking??), I decided to show up to Jeff and Mike s run. Afterall, when I saw them last, the night before, they were talking about going out dancing and if they were in anywhere near the shape I was in, then there was a good chance that they wouldn't even show up!

Well, they did show up. And we ran.

In circles we ran -- around and around in a dizzying and queasy spiral around Union Square (but that was probably just my head spinning). Then there was the circle jerk (or was I just heaving again) at Gramercy Park that led us back down again near Union Square. This was definitely becoming one of those trails where you keep saying to yourself haven t I been here before? And you weren t, but you were just a block away but that was actually four miles back in the trail. And when I say four miles back, I m not kidding. Mike is notorious for long trails. And Jeff, well, he was just born to run and so he doesn t know the difference between two miles and 20 miles. (Where s the HALT task force when you need them?)

Well, everyone with legs and heads that weren t in as much pain as mine ended up at the check at Madison Square Park. When I got there, those FRBs (well, 90 percent of those that showed up to the hash) were running head strong to the Northeast part of the park toward 28th Street. I figured, given the shape I was in and the way the trail was going, it would come back South again. So I headed east on 23rd. And there, like an angel had descended, were placed three perfect, beautiful arrows all i n a row. I yelped on-on, to no avail (I couldn t yell too loudly it hurt my head too much), so I figured I d take this opportunity to gain a little ground while I had the chance.

Well, isn t karma just a kick in the ass? I go barreling along (at a whopping 13 min/mile pace) and follow the trail (with Hardy and Devo gaining on me and Cree somewhere far ahead or desperately lost) which goes on for another mile or two (no exag geration) to Waterside Tower and BACK to Stuy-town, where we intersected with all those happy hashers that I dusted at Madison Park. So they merrily cut off that entire, painful part of the trail and start running ahead and pulling out of my sight. At this point there must have been a fair amount of cursing on my part. Actually, I had been cursing pretty loudly from the get go, but now there was cursing and spittle coming out of the side of my mouth. So I m steaming mad, and having had enough, I boxed the entire Tour de Stuy-town and ended up at the on-in at O Hanlons just behind Devo.

Not a moment too soon, either. I needed a beer to get over my crushing hangover. And fast.

Down-downs were given to the hares, virgins, visitors and the first female FRB (go Ariane!). Then Pat Cuff and I had to drink for our at the Brooklyn Half (it was our first 1/2). And I was delighted, because, like I said, I needed the beer. Then Jerry MacKenzie and Vince had to drink for being past JM s. Then I was called up again, for my disgusting behavior and bad attitude (and other infractions too numerous to mention). But, since I was in dire need of more beer to anesthetize the punishment I had given myself over the past 72 hours, again -- I was happy to oblige. Except that Peter broke out the plunger and I learned that I had won the coveted Asshole Award for the week. (More cursing and spittle )

Merriment ensued (for the others at least), with great tunes on the jukebox and plenty of seating for plenty of good eating. When I left, the on-in was catching its second Sunday night wind, as Timmy got cozy with a new girl friend that he met at th e bar and others hung back watching in envy. Could this be the first sign of Spring?

www.hashhouseharriers.com	aol alternate site	e mail to webdom@hashnyc.com