Quick PSA

Whole, entire posts (including recap(s)) coming soon! Couldn't let this important reminder wait, though.

 

When you head out for a long run, don't leave your water bottle on your kitchen counter. Excessive thirst and desperation may force you to drink out of a gas station bathroom sink. Don't let this happen to you :

 

For some reason I was really nauseous the next few miles...

 

Hope everyone is well and taking the time to appreciate cold drinking water from a clean, reliable source, today.

 



We Interrupt This Running Blog

To bring you...

 

skiing!!

 

Some of my more intuitive readers may have wisely realized that this activity cannot take place in Florida. Indeed, wise friends, we took the boys for a long weekend to North Carolina. The two youngers have never tried any sort of snowy sports, so we figured it cheapest best to start them out on tiny, East Coast mountains.

 

Never ceasing to amaze, though, they took to skiing and snowboarding like ducks to water...or maybe penguins to ice blocks....whatever. They were naturals.

oh. They were really cute, too.

Bonus: The Oldest is big enough to wear The Husband's gear!

 

Middle-of-the-night road trip, followed by an entire day on the slopes should have led to utter exhaustion followed by complete meltdowns. Our children surprised us, once again, by being totally compliant, sweet and in total enjoyment of every second of the day.

 



snow angels

 

I know you were dying to know what my feet looked like when not clad in running shoes

 

On the off chance you stopped by my blog to get your much-needed fix of my awesome running tales, there was a bit of that on this trip, too. After our free!! hotel breakfast, I hopped out for a short, hilly jaunt. It wasn't quite as cold as it had been the previous day, and the overnight rain had washed away any snow. It was still lovely to be in new surroundings, enjoying the beautiful area and the feeling of the cool air on my cheeks.

one of the pic-worthy spots on my route

 

I spotted an enormous hill, just off the main road, and decided to attack it. First, though, I pulled out my phone to take a picture from the bottom. I've always seen photos of hills with a caption that reads something like this : "This picture doesn't do it justice" or "You can't really tell how tall it was from this picture".

 

Mentally scoffing at those who'd gone before me, I positioned myself just right to photographically capture a true depiction of the mountain I was about to conquer.

Listen, you can't really tell from this picture how high that thing really was

 

I made it just over halfway up before gasping and panting my way (carefully) back down. My poor, sick lungs were just not ready for that sort of challenge. That yet-to-be-recapped Marathon did a number on me!

 

We took our sweet, sight-seeing time back to Florida. The trip was long enough to squeeze in just about everything we wanted to do, but short enough to where we weren't aching for home by the end of it.

 

pausing the rock-skipping to pose for mom

 

How was your weekend? 





 



 

 



The Race That Got Me To THAT Race

I want to tell you all about yesterday's marathon. In order to get us all caught up to that point, though, I feel like I need to recap The Melbourne Half Marathon, first. It was really one of the key components to my race, this past weekend. Also, I started this blog to have a place to tell my running stories. Soooo..here's another one!

I ran this half marathon, last year (pre-blogging days) and ended up with a disappointing (for me) finishing time. The course was very cool and challenging, though, and the city put on a great weekend of racing . When registration opened for the 2013 event, I signed up immediately. I wanted more pizza and free beer after the race redemption!

Fast forward a few months:
Minus the whole Jacksonville Bank Marathon debacle, my running and training had actually been going very well. I'd kinda tapped into a new Racing Mentality during The Shoelace Fiasco Race and felt like some really good racing experiences were about to be in my life. I got a teensy bit greedy and decided to try to double-dip with this race. I hoped it'd be a good gauge for some accurate goals for my upcoming marathon, but I also wanted a new PR.

Spoiler : It was both!

Here's the thing. Every time I sit to write this recap, it gets longer and longer. It was my 9th half marathon. It shouldn't have been such a big deal. But it was. It was a game-changer, for me.

a couple of options for Game Faces, on race day

Overly dramatic? Of course!

Do I care? Nosiree

I fully acknowledge that plenty of magical factors were in place, this particular morning. The weather was optimal, for a road race. I was un-injured and very healthy, all around. The course contains two big bridges, but was otherwise flat and well-marked.

(source)

note: anytime the course map directs you over a big, blue area...assume you've got a bridge to climb

 

The Husband and boys were there to cheer* and I even had some friends from the running group to hang out with before we all started the race. Again, it was a pretty perfect setup. Here's the big difference between this race and all the others, though :

 

I set goal paces for every mile and forced myself to hit them*. It sounds so simple, doesn't it? You set a goal, and don't allow yourself to do anything other than reach that goal. In the middle of a tough race, that sort of logic starts to make less and less sense, though.

 

Number One: Racing Strategy finally "clicked" in my slow brain.

 

Number Two: It. Was. Easy.

 

I'd probably get a lot more admiration for reporting back that I struggled mightily for 13.1 miles, but managed to eke out a PR. Yes, it was hard work. However, it felt good enough that I started getting emotional at mile 5, because I realized, without a single doubt, I was going to blow last year's finishing time out of the water. That's how good this race felt.

 

Another indicator: My final mile was the only one where I slipped off the Goal Pace Wagon...because I couldn't slow down. It was my fastest. I was that really annoying person who sprints by the tired finishers, with tear-filled eyes, head held high and a huge smile.

 

I crossed the finish line, finally securing a shiny PR, and felt like I could've gone and run the entire course, again.

me and my (always faster) friend, Jennifer. No, I don't normally race shirtless. We can discuss, later.

 

By this point you're probably wondering why this post isn't titled: The One Where I Brag and Annoy Everyone.

 

My intent is, of course, to not do either. It was just an "a-HA" race, for me. I share in the hopes that it can help/inspire and also explain why I had the aggressive goals I did for my marathon.

 

1:39:28 Chip Time (1:44:36 in 2012)

(1:38:36 Garmin)

3rd F35-39

30th Overall F

98th Overall

 

As always, thank you for reading. Thank you for commenting, too, even if it's only to yourself. Knowing that there are people to share this kind of stuff with makes it that much more awesome, to me.

 

*In the extended recap, there would be details about vomiting children and how hard The Husband worked to keep everything together, that morning. I'm so thankful for him.

 

*Also included in extended recap, would be those actual mile splits and plenty of other race details



 

 

 

 

 



 

 

Let Me 'Splain

...No, there is too much. Let me sum up:

from where most of my daily speech is derived

 

For every day that passes, without a blog post, the stories just start to build, exponentially. There are so many mundane, boring cool things I want to share! The longer it takes, though, the longer the blog-in-my-brain gets. No one wants to read the accumulation of the last two weeks. Right?

 

Tangent Alert!!

I should take blogging lessons from family members. For example: The Husband. Short, sweet, and to the point. Or I could make my posts extremely clever and awesome,  like my sissy's.  My Aunt, however, is an actual, real, live author so I have marginal chances of competing with her witticisms. Maybe I'll just be more like my dad and take a never-ending hiatus...

 

Anyway... here are a couple of quickie highlights. I sincerely hope to re-cap a couple of things, at length. I'm generally pretty good at following through with those threats plans.

 

I had a really, really, REALLY good half-marathon!!

 

ignore creepy background guy...and my frizzy hair

 

I made a 10-foot ReptileFriend on my latest trail run!!

I would've totally befriended the 4 ft gator, too, but the big one had already started eating him

 

I started working, part-time, with a company I love, doing work I love even more!!

Pretty much sums up "win-win"



 

I'll be running my third and (hopefully) fastest Marathon, this Sunday!!

 

I don't have a photo to include with this. It hasn't actually happened, yet. This is the race, though. I was part of the marathon relay, last year, and stupidly decided to run all of those miles by myself, this time. Woo hoo!!

 

We'll all catch up, soon. You bring coffee or tea (your choice) and I'll bring the ice cream.  

 

What flavor would you like?

 

 



 



 



 

 

 

 

Me + Jeff Gordon = Twins!

Fraternal, obviously.

This is really just a recap of a 5k. The title makes it sound much more exciting, though, doesn't it?! C'mon...would you have been just as excited to read a post called "I Ran a 5k. Read All About It"?

Didn't think so.

This was my first year racing in the Daytona 5k. My brother-in-law's wife picked it out for us, and I'm a pretty easy sell, when it comes to races.

in case you were picturing a scary Race Boss-Lady. She's actually very lovely, all around

 

The race starts on the Daytona International Speedway. It loops around the inside track and finishes on the track. So, the runners are pretty much. somewhat similar to? exactly like the drivers who race on the same Speedway!

 

Also, the race coincides with the Rolex 24, an actual Nascar race, so there were even die-hard fans camped out on the infield to complain about us waking them cheer us on! The concept was pretty cool, but it made for a stressful (for me) parking situation. The Husband drove me, my dad and the boys to the race and handled the poorly-marked signage like a champ.

 

Once parked, my dad and I managed to find a set of port-a-potties with NO LINE and we all hopped on the well-manned Tram to get to the packet pick-up area.

 

It was just under 50 degrees F, which made me ridiculously happy. It's so rare that we Floridians get to race in conditions like that. My high hopes for a PR inched up a notch higher.

 

Our goody bags contained a ticket to the Rolex 24, a couple of race flyers, a shirt and the standard biofreeze sample. I managed to end up with a tee shirt, instead of a tech shirt. This has happened to me before. Not a big deal, but I hadn't complained about anything since the Parking Problem, so I thought it was about time. The race wasn't terribly well-advertised, so I wasn't expecting much in the way of "swag". Despite this fact, over 800 people still showed to up run. Those kinds of numbers are pretty high for our area!

t-shirt proof

 

(I'm still pretty sure some of the participants were Nascar fans who may have wandered away from their campsites and ended up on the track.)

some other cuties who wandered onto the track

 

We found my brother-in-law (Alan) and his wife (Kristi-Anne) (pictured above, for reference) and pinned on our bibs without much time to spare. She'd drawn the short straw and would be pushing their toddler in the race. Alan would get to show off and beat us all, as per usual. This would be my dad's first race in over a year, due to persistent (and REALLY annoying) injuries so we were all pretty ready to start running. There was no time for a warm-up and no water to be found. (too soon for another complaint?), so we hurried over to where we thought the start would be.

 

There was an enormous mass of people that prevented us from even seeing where the start line was located. We saw one guy point in a vague direction and crossed our fingers that we'd see a timing mat, at some point. My dad, Alan and I saw people moving and assumed the race had started. Unsure if it was chip-timed at the finish AND start, I began weaving like a crazylady. The menfolk followed my lead and we eventually made our way out of the throng of racers.

 

While I don't love that sort of cluster at a start, I do have to admit it was pretty fun to pass that many people, once we got moving.

 

About 1/2 mile in, my BIL passed me and I focused on keeping his back in sight. I figured my dad was probably using me as a visual pacing reference, as well. I was feeling very strong, very much in control of my breathing and very confident with him about 30 feet in front of me.

 

And then I heard it. The annoyingly familiar snap-flop sound of my shoelaces, all willy-nilly and free, slapping the pavement.

 

"Aaaaahhh! Are you kidding me?!" 

 

Dear Mr. or Mrs. Brooks : I will give you ten, crisp dollars to fix the laces on these shoes.

Sincerely, Aggravated Consumer

 

In answer to your question : Yes. I always double-knot my shoes. These laces are notorious for coming undone and it was my own fault for not remembering that.

 

I made the agonizing to decision to step out of everyone's way and re-tie the shoe, as I felt it actually slipping off. While I had no qualms about finishing shoe-less, I would've felt awful about someone tripping over it. I didn't stop my watch and saw, later, that I lost over 25 seconds double-knotting (again!) the stupid shoe.

 

I re-focused and re-passed a lot of the racers who'd sped by me while I was crouched in annoyance. Alan, however, was merely a speck in the distance. Undeterred, and knowing I still had a decent chance of placing in my age group, I pressed on. 

 

Then, just after the 2nd mile marker, you'll never guess what happened! (those of you who already know the story, don't spoil it for the others, please)

 

The same, double-knotted, stupid, stinking, good-for-nothing laces came undone. Again. I'm still not at the point where I can think about it and laugh. It was really, really, really annoying and frustrating.

 

In a longer race, I could've made up the time. Not so much in a 5k.

 

This time, however, there was no way I was tying those things again. My gait was wonky, as I fought to curl my speedy foot inside the rapidly loosening shoe, but by golly I was not stopping. As if to taunt me, the laces themselves flew up and smacked me in the calf, repeatedly.

 

"Yoo hoo. We're untied and flopping about wildly!" the jerks teased.

 



Ironic Spoiler: I didn't fall. That happened the next day, with my laces firmly intact.

 

My watch showed 21:55 when I crossed the finish line. Being on the Official Racetrack, and all, I figured that was probably as accurate as a 5k was going to get. There weren't too many women in front of me, so I was pretty happy.

 

Not a PR, thanks to the unruly laces, but good enough to garner me:

 

6th Female, overall

1st Female, 35-39

44th, overall

shiny!

 

My brother-in-law also finished 1st in his division and my dad, 5th. My sister-in-law, in an effort to end the protests of my stroller-bound nephew, flew through the race with a sub-28 minute finish!

me and my fastie daddy. Kinda posing...kinda trying not to roll down the steep bank

 

Alan & I, awkwardly proclaiming our results...and trying not to roll down the steep bank

 

 

The kids race started right on time, which is always awesome. The folks in charge forgot to bring ribbbons to hand out, though. Not quite so awesome.

 

The Littlest, powering through the Finish

The Middlest, leading a cutthroat pack

 

We found some other runner-friends and caught up during the awards ceremony. After I fought my way through the paparazzi, though, to head to the car, I was very sad to discover all the post-race goodies had been packed up and taken away. Missing out on bagels and bananas may have been more upsetting than the lack of a PR, for me.

 

In Summary:

 

• I'd recommend this race. It's a fun and unique experience with a good-sized turnout and smooth organization.
• Don't try to park where you see the giant, well-light "Competitor Parking" sign. It's not meant for you. Drive down the road until you see a small arrow and confusing rows of vehicles.
• I can't guarantee you'll get a tech shirt. If you do, can I trade you?
• If you see me, on the racetrack, steer clear. It's very likely that my shoelaces are untied and I don't want you to trip me us.
• If you see a dark-haired girl, with a adorable-yet-vocal toddler in a jogging stroller, steer clear of her, too. She may run you down in an effort to finish and free him from his restraints.
• When you finish the race, make a beeline for the food tables and just start grabbing. That stuff will be gone before you know it.
• If you get tired, these guys know the perfect place to relax and reflect on the race

Somewere out there, a jealous Nascar fan is dying to have that white paint all over their backside

 

Ever been to a Nascar race?

 

Do you have any tricks for keeping laces tied?

 



 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 





Pride Cometh After A Fall

I was going to recap yesterday's 5k. I'll still do that this week. Today's initially innocuous run just took precedence in my tiny brain, though. Fair warning: there are some gross photos and fairly raw emotion included. Drama? Yes. Long-Winded? Mmm. Hm. Tempted to keep reading? Probably not.

If you prefer to spend your time reading something funnier, lighter and more intelligent, please visit my sissy's new blog and enjoy this post.

Having not run more than 17 miles since my mess of a marathon in December, I planned to knock out a solid 20-miler before this much-anticipated event. Training has been solid. Other than some overall fatigue, I've been feeling great. So, when preparing for this morning's long run, I set a goal.

Keep it easy, but finish with an average pace you'll be happy and confident about. That actual number's not important to the story, but I had a small range in mind.

Unfortunately, even after a relaxing night, good sleep and plenty of hydration, I woke up feeling pretty groggy and un-motivated. Coffee helped and I was out the door with little trepidation. It was (Florida) cool, very damp and foggy. The morning was still dark, quiet and almost silent. Everything was shrouded in creepy, heavy mist and it was too early for even die-hard dogwalkers to be out.

not quite as dark as this run ,but you get the idea

A lot of my runs begin this way. Normally I enjoy the peace. It's a chance to clear my thoughts, plan my week, set small goals and focus on happy moments my family and I have spent together, recently. Today, though, the dark miles passed very slowly, both physically and mentally. Yesterday's race was taking it's toll on my legs and I ran out of happy-go-lucky way too quickly.

Sunrise happened and helped my mood, immensely. And then it didn't. Oddly, for me, I felt very lonely. While most of my runs are solo, I was suddenly craving company. There were overwhelmingly ugly feelings of jealousy towards my running buddies I knew would be enjoying their miles with friends, today.

where were all these guys when I needed them?!

 

Then my phone rang. Sometimes, while "in the groove", the distraction can be a slight annoyance. Today's call was perfectly timed, though. My dear, sweet husband wanted to know where I'd be so he and the boys could come offer "on-course" support. We picked a place and I hung up with a smile to replace my former, sour frown.

 

Miles 8-14 were mostly a blissful blur. I threw in a challengingly faster mile, turned on my audiobook and looked forward to seeing my guys in a short while. The weather prevented me from even working up a real sweat. My legs were getting achy and fatigued, but in a good and normal way. The city was wide awake, finally, and the bevvy of new activity around me was a welcome distraction.

 

When I came up to The Husband and Middlest, sans vehicle, I realized they'd be hoofing it with me, for a bit. That brilliant idea was such an awesome surprise! Middlest rode his scooter (not so fast!) in front of us, and The Husband and I caught up on fun stories while he tried to slow his (much fresher) legs. After a couple sips of water, I left him with my half-full handheld as it was getting annoying to carry. With less than five miles to go, and the temperature being so lovely, I'd be fine without any more fuel.

 

They honked, waved, cheered and drove back home. I returned the wave and rallied my heavy legs to finish this run strong.

Quick disclaimer : "strong" and "fast" are not interchangeable, in this particular context. I'm a firm believer in the benefits of running my long days at an easy pace.



 

I'd gotten about a quarter-mile away before I tripped on a minuscule crack in the sidewalk.

 

My body went flying and skidding. As was the case with my last fall I simply didn't have any spare energy to try to stop the crash. I slid on my palms, scraped my arm, hip, knee and hand.

 

Two things registered, immediately.

1. OW!

2. There was a line of cars waiting to pull into the church entrance where I was hideously sprawled and a dozen or so congregation members, in the parking lot, staring at me in horror.

 

Fact Number 2 got me to my feet faster than I could've ever imagined. I surveyed the important damage (Garmin ok? Ipod still as intact as ever?) ,while I ran away from the humiliating scene. My body, while bruised and stinging, was still moving as it should be. That fact, along with the realization that my phone was in the handheld water bottle I'd sent with my husband, forced me to continue this run I so desperately wanted to abruptly end.

 

When I reached the 16th mile, and remembered that the next few stretches would be full of tall (Florida) hills, I finally paused my watch and fully stopped to survey the damage. I guess I was hoping that it was much less benign than I thought it was? I stopped the exploratory searches when I saw this:

spoiler: I survived and took pics after the run

 

While I now, rationally, realize it's simply a scraped knee, at that moment it was enough to drive me to actual tears. Frustration (why does this keep happening to me?!), Embarrassment (which isn't an emotion I generally succumb to), Exhaustion and Defeat overwhelmed me. Glancing up the steep hill, I saw people coming, so I slowly and sadly stumbled on. The thought crossed my mind to ask them if they had a phone so I could call my husband for a ride. By the time I reached them, though, my stupid crying fit was over and I'd decided to keep running. My pace was abysmal, my spirit was dead and my freaking bruised hands hurt like a b*#)%!

 

With everything now aching, inside and out, I shakily managed to switch my ipod back on to drown everything out with some music. When it started filling my ears, brain and heart, it was like a switch was flipped within me, as well.

 

I picked up my head, focused on the wisdom of Van Halen ("Right Now? It's Everything!") and my form, and destroyed the next hill.

 

Now, well into the seventeenth mile, I stopped looking at my watch but remembered my earlier goals for this training run. My legs started churning out beautiful-feeling movements but my breathing stayed soft and easy.

 

When Dave Grohl started singing about his "Hero", there wasn't a doubt in my mind he was referring to me.

 

Thinking back to my very first 20-miler, and the overwhelming sense of emotion and pride I felt when I knew I was going to finish it strongly, I started to get choked up, once again. That run had been prior to my injury, . While I'd managed to heal and get my fitness to a place where I could giddily complete my very first marathon, I'd very rarely felt "back", during my subsequent runs.

 

Here's the thing about running. It can, without warning or provocation, turn into an absolutely spiritual experience. It's not something you can plan or force. Some miles, some races, some impromptu jaunts with friends, just totally morph into something that cannot be explained without sounding like a complete dork. This, obviously, doesn't stop me from trying...

 



When I finished today's 20 miles, and realized they were, overall, even faster than my pre-injury ones(complete with fall and blubbering like a baby!), I couldn't decide whether I wanted to holler, cry (again) or just let my proud smile overtake my tired face.

 

So I did all three.

bruised & bloodied hip

 

curious about how I managed to scrape the palm AND back of the same hand

 

 

 

 

 



Answers for Un-Asked Questions

Alternate Title : You never asked, I'll answer anyway!

Also, thanks for weighing in on the last post's questions. If you didn't, yet, there's still time! You'll totally win a prize for providing the best answer, too! (Not!)

A lot of bloggers get asked enough questions, that said bloggers can create entire posts dedicated to quenching their readers' thirst for knowledge about them and the life they lead. I don't really get asked any questions, specifically.

This fact will never lead me to believe my life is un-interesting, though. My readers are simply left reeling from the burst of excitement I inect, into their (your) days, with each and every pointless post!

Imaginary Question #1: Haven't seen you around the interwebs, lately. Have you still been running? Yes. I've run in 81 degree afternoons and 40 degree mornings, all in the same week. (Florida weather's pretty interesting, huh?). I expertly avoided a PR in a 15k relay, this past weekend.

not a jump of excitement. The timing mat didn't register me the 1st (or 2nd) time across

 

I counted the 5k as my speedwork and threw in a couple, double-digit runs, too. Everything's been going well and I'm excited for my last few races of the season. I have another 5k, this weekend, that I get to run with some family members. Very awesome.

 

Next weekend, (wow. Is it really coming up that soon?!) I'm going to try to beat last year's time at this half marathon. I love the course, after party and family events there. The two bridge crossings are not real high on my "love" list, but they probably won't kill me.

 

I'll let you digest those two races for a couple days before we dive into the rest of my schedule.

 

Imaginary Question #2: Did you just stop typing up this post to peek through your blinds to watch your neighbors scream at each other? Yes. Yes I did. Lesson : Scream at your spouse inside your house. It's very likely your nosy neighbors are watching when you do it outside.

 

Imaginary Question #3: Do you often, silently curse your dad for giving you chronic Achilles tendinitis? If you're reading this and you ARE my dad, then the answer is no. Of course not. If, however, you happen to be anyone other than my dad, then yes. Yes I do. Out of all of his amazing attributes, he decided to pass on bad teeth and hopelessly weak tendons.



thanks a bunch, dad

 

There are countless other questions no one has asked me, that I feel the need to answer. For now, though, I have to continue to clean up Birthday Weekend 2013. The Oldest and Middlest's birthdays are one day apart, so the partying aftermath tends to look a little something like this:

They had fun and that's all that matters

 







Pretend I asked YOU a meaningful question and go ahead and answer it :

Poll Time

I love getting up really early to work, only to find out the remote server I connect to is down.

NOT!

I'm trying to resurrect that phrase. Let me know if you're on board.

Today's regularly scheduled drivel will be replaced by something beneficial to me only for all of us. The potential racers will be grateful and you, the reader/commenter will be rewarded with a feeling of pride and satisfaction at how helpful you were.

Win-Win.

If you were to be offered a One Mile Race, the weekend of Mother's Day, would you want it to be on Saturday morning (the day before Mother's Day) or Sunday morning (not too early)? The race would be Mom-Themed and very family-friendly. It would, of course, not be limited to those celebrating the holiday, though.

Soooo...that's about it, for now. Two simple questions :

Which day should the race fall on?

How do you feel about incorporating NOT! into your daily conversations?

Oops. Can't have a picture-less post!

"honey, does that say "the clam was hot"?"

"Yes"

"Why?"

"...because the water was hot, mom."

Ragnar Recap, Alphabet Style

Not to be confused with "Gangnam Style"

Sorry I've been absent, lately, in case anyone even noticed...Busy days! Awesome days! You get the gist, right? I can't wait to get caught up on everyone else's blogs, as well.

lots of pictures, less words, more fun

A is for Art: Our driver, my husband. He was such an integral and amazing part of the team.

even if his name happened to start with a "Z", I would've figured out a way to list him, first

 

B is for Baby Wipes: I did most of my post-run "showering" with these but those other wipes were a hot commodity amongst the Ragnar teams. You guys are okay without a picture of that, right? Good.

C is for Conch: Sounds dirty, but it's really just a giant seashell. They're abundant in Florida...as were the teams with "Conch" somewhere in the name. In fact, one of our own club's teams chose to be:

D is for Dirty. This is how I went to bed, in Key West, when we were done with the race. I hope I'm not the first person to complete a two-day running event and not shower that night. When faced with the choice of  : Pass Out and Drown in Shower or Go to Bed Dirty, I chose the latter.

Runner-up. These were so tasty at 4 am.

E is for Earrings. I wore tiny, cheap, gold hoops, in conjunction with our team's pirate theme. My ears are bloody, scabby messes, now. Today's Running PSA: Don't wear cheap earrings when you plan to get really sweaty!

F is for Famous. One of my multi-talented teammates submitted an article for Ragnar's RagMag. They ended up featuring it, along with pictures (page 20) of last year's team (all the same except for me. I was a new addition/replacement). Other runners were excited when they saw us. "Hey! You're famous!!" was fun to hear from strangers.

G is for Gators: My 2nd leg started in a pitch black swampy area. The "road" was grass and very large gravel. I was completely alone but hoping our van would be able to find me, at some point. Blocking my path, about a mile in, was a truck. The driver hopped out and yelled at me to stop. (Pretty awesome, so far, right?)

"You have to go tell all these runners to stop coming down this road!" "There are too many gators out here!" "It's not safe!" The stranger, in the dark, told me.

I wasn't sure if I wanted to run away from him, and the gators, even faster or jump in his truck for safety. Either way, it scared the heck out of me.

H is for Hair: From the Fluffy 'Fro pre-race, to the disaster, mid-race, I had to just stop caring about what I looked like. This wasn't too hard to do.

not actually a raccoon try to escape the bandana

 

yeah...my hair was the least of my problems, at this point

 

I is for Ill. How I was feeling from just before my 4th Leg, all the way 'til Monday afternoon. (2 days after the race ended). Must figure out what's causing my intestines to misbehave so badly during these runs!

 

J is for Jumping. Awkwardly.

no runners were hurt in the filming of this over-played scene

I could've picked a more obvious "J" topic. Too easy.

 

K is for Kathee. We pulled off the road, into a mostly abandoned parking lot to try to catch Jeff on his current leg and give him a water. Looking around, from the van, I suddenly spotted another blogger! It was so random that I happened to see her. I'm terrible about approaching people but knew I'd regret it if I didn't. Kathee looked and smelled much better than I did, at the time. She and her team seemed awesome and I was so happy I'd gone and talked to her, all stalker-like.

Hi, Kathee!!

L is for Lost. This is what happened to one of our teammates, during his 2nd leg. By the time we found him, we were in last place out of 491 teams. We were so happy to find out he was alive, though, we could've cared less about anything else. However, due to our later start time and the mishap, our next stretch of legs were very dark times. Literally and mentally. I am so proud of that fact that we, as a team, didn't let it get us down, though. We rocked those lonely, empty, dark miles.

my view from my 2nd night run

 

M is for Mothering. I guess, because my own children were being cared for and spoiled by their grandparents, I inadvertently reverted to trying to "mother" everyone else.

"Did you re-apply your sunscreen?" "Try some ginger for your stomach." "Bring your water!"...and the like. I'm sure it was annoying the crap out of them, but I couldn't seem to stop.

 

N is for Naps. There weren't a lot of these. I snoozed for about 10 minutes, during the night, and about 20 the next morning. Most of the time, our eyes were too heavy to keep open, but actual sleep was elusive due all the stops and starts.

plus, if you fell asleep, people would take pics like this one

 

O is for Overjoyed. This feeling came over me when we finally saw another van and other runners, in the middle of the night. One of the first vans we saw was actually another WVR one, which made it even more awesome. Our giddy greetings also helped soften the blow that we were about to leave them in our dust...

 

P is for Port-a-Potties: Road, Van, Port-a-Potty. That about sums up where I spent my time from Friday Afternoon through Saturday evening.

very few of our photos don't include those grody little units

 

Q is for Quirks: Lord knows I have plenty of my own. After spending that many sleep-deprived, physically hard hours together, I learned quite a few of my teammate's, too. Somehow, we all managed to not kill each other. 









 

R is for Roadkills: When you pass another runner, during your leg, you get to count them as a "roadkill". Each team tallies up their "kills" throughout the day, and at the end. For the most part, it's all in good fun. The teams that went overboard in their celebrating were annoying, to me.

our sad stats during the night, when all the other teams were long gone

 

S is for Slap Bracelet: This is what all teams use as a baton, when passing off to the next runner. The "seamless handoff" attempts were pretty funny to watch. I stopped even trying, after a while. I just kinda put it somewhere near a wrist and hoped someone would start running. Fun fact: No one wanted to keep the stinky, moist souvenir after the race. So, I brought it home! The husband was thrilled.

waiting for my very first "slapping"

 

the "eyes closed" handoff is particularly tricky to master

 

T is for Towels. We used these, after our legs, to sit on and protect the van's seats. All the towels in Florida couldn't have withstood the sweat we produced over the weekend. Think about this next time you're sitting in a rented van...

 

U is for Unbreakable. Regarding our spirits, and determination during some very undesirable conditions? Yeah, that word about sums it up. 

 

V is for Vests. Good for safety, bad for running. I should've definitely practiced running in them before the race. They were so uncomfortable and distracting. We were, literally, counting down the seconds 'til 7:30 am, when the race directors had deemed it safe to remove them.

flashlight? check. Stupid vest? check. Annoying my teammates with my dumb smile? check.

 

W is for Winning. Yep. Last place team came back to win our division. (mixed ultra) In addition, we ended up beating 436 other teams, by placing 56th overall. How, you may ask? See the letter U.

 

X is for X-rated. Don't panic! No pictures for this one. One of the exchanges (the start of my last leg, in fact) was outside Adult Superstore. Plenty of obvious jokes, ensued. I was just trying to focus on rallying my tired legs and completely destroyed stomach to pay any attention.

 

Y is for Yummy. The piping hot, fresh, burgers (black bean, for me) we inhaled after stumbling happily away from the finish line were beyond yummy. I did comment, however, that they could've handed me a hot shoe and I would've eaten it with the same gusto. After a couple of days of Non-Perishable Van Goods, a hot meal hit. the. spot.

We made it to one pub, after our quiet, reflective beach burgers, before passing out. (some of us may or may not have done so at the table) At the pub, I finished off my Post-Race Food Wishlist with a basket of giant, crispy fries. My mouth's watering just thinking of those golden brown sticks of heaven. Or, possibly, I'm feeling the residual blisters from tearing into them while they were still smoking. Either way...it was all yummy.

the shoes I was drooling over while waiting for my burger

 

Z is for Ziti. Yes, I did have ziti, mid-race. No, it doesn't fall under the Yummy Hot Food category. It was scraped from the edges of a giant, tin serving dish at a major exchange. Again, we were the last to arrive, so we weren't given a lot of options. It was well after 10 pm. The food was ice cold and the cheese was questionably crusty. I didn't care. My body wasn't used to what I was putting it through and had decided it was starving during my 6 mile leg right before this point. That heaping plate of old pasta couldn't have looked more appetizing, at that moment.

hot parking lot, cold ziti, delirious runner

 



Have you ever participated in a relay?

 

Which part of this recap made you most want to run one?