But aside from the sleep deprivation...what an amazing weekend! As I mentioned briefly in my last post, Reach the Beach, is an approximately 200 mile team relay race. Between 6-12 teammates run 36 consecutive, predetermined legs. For my team of 12, that meant running 3 times over the course of what would end up being approximately 28 hours. It means running through the night with headlamps, sleeping on van seats and sealing my sweaty clothes in zip lock bags to keep the rest of my gear dry and odor-free. I have been fortunate enough to run the race with many of the same people from the Run for the Memory program the previous 2 times I have participated. We also use the event as a fundraiser. (You can still make a donation by clicking here!)
This year, I was excited to have Brenna, Laura, Dale, Dale and Scott in my van. I have shared a van with "the Dales" for all 3 of my RTBs and I couldn't imagine it any other way. Dale Bob implemented a rule years ago that each runner has to do push ups after completing his/her leg. And we're all crazy enough to oblige. Do you get the idea of what our van was like?
I was a bit disappointed earlier in the week to learn Hurricane Irene made part of the course un-runnable and the re-routing cut my first leg of the run by over 6 miles. My cumulative total for the race which was supposed to be just under 16 miles, would instead be just under 9. As she has many times, Laura came to my rescue. She was looking to shorten her run for the weekend and volunteered to trade legs. I was pleased to now be running 15.8 miles for the race, but upon looking at the elevation maps for my legs, reassessed my excitement. Ah well, the entire course is hilly. It's not really possible to escape a few good climbs, and plus it makes all the regular hills I run at home seem like speed bumps.
Our team took off just before 10:00am on Friday morning. I have never left Cannon Mountain for the start of this race while the sun was shining and this year was no different, alternating between rain and mist. I was runner #4 and had some time to prep before it was my turn. My first run was 3.8 miles. The first 3 were fine, some hills, but nothing ridiculous. The last .8 was the exact opposite. Short, steep climbs that I could not see because they were around corners. And on grass. Wet grass. That last .8 was considerably slower than the rest of my run. Still, I passed 2 people.
My second leg began at 11:00pm. Wearing my fancy new headlamp, I still hate running in the middle of the night. But it makes me run faster (the dark, not the headlamp). I guess that's good because this was also my hilliest run. 6.5 miles with 2 hills approximately a mile long and steep with some smaller hills in between. I knew they were coming though and got through them. It was by far my slowest run, but not bad given even mountain goats were having trouble with the course. Passed 6, passed by 1.
Leg 3 was by far my favorite. Yes, it was mostly downhill, but after 20+ hours in the van, I was stiff, tired and recovering from an earlier unhappy stomach. But somehow, I felt great as I left the starting area at about 10:00am. 5.5 miles and I was actually running, not jogging or shuffling! I finished with my fastest pace, passing 8 along the way and getting passed twice. After my van finished running, we drove to Hampton Beach to meet our final runner from Van 2, Nicolle as she scorched the sand and crossed the finish line together as a team.
While the weekend may sound crazy, even to me, it continues to be, by far one of the most fun events in which I take part. I continue to laugh at the jokes that took place in the van and along the sides of the road, and shared in a few follow up emails among my teammates this past week. Maybe I miss the team sports I participated in all through high school and college. Or maybe I just am lucky to be stuck in a van for 28 hours with some really great folks,doing what we love and making a few more great memories along the way.
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