197 miles/29:06:42.
What did you do this past weekend? That's nice. Oh, me? What did I do? Not much - I just ran in a 197-mile relay.
Crazy! you say, and I was inclined to agree with you. Until this weekend. Because it was SO much fun that I kind of forgot about the whole psycho-ness of the event. Even before I had finished running my first leg, I was planning for next year.
So, Hood to Coast. It's the aforementioned 197 miles, from Oregon's Mt. Hood to Seaside (the coast). Each team has 12 members (split into 2 vans), and every member runs 3 legs of the relay. Some legs are harder than others. I had the easiest leg overall (I promise that I did not ask for the easiest leg! I waited until everyone had selected their legs and mine was the only one left!) - leg 4 (6.95 miles at 4 PM, in 85 degree weather), leg 16 (3.3 glorious miles at 2 AM [yes, 2 AM!], in 60 degree weather), and leg 28 (4.2 miles at 11:30 AM, in freaking ridiculously hot weather).
This was on about 2 hours of sleep, total.
Clearly I'm not explaining myself well enough, because even I don't think this sounds like fun. But it was. (Don't I look happy?) Everyone decorated their van with their team names (we were Nice Guys Finish Last), and there were some fantastic names/decorations/costumes. Our arch nemesis was My Dixie Wrecked (say it to yourself...but not out loud, if you're at work...) because they started at the exact same time we did, and we managed to keep up with them for most of the race. (They were a group of guys who grew matching sideburns/moustaches for the race, and their second van advertised "moustache rides" for 5 cents.) Lest you think it was all smutty, there was also the heroic Snakes In A Van, who gave me an ice-cold bottle of water during my last (uphill) leg.
And AFTER the race! Well, that was filled with bacon (seriously, we went to a breakfast place called Pig 'n Pancake) and Swedish fish and Trader Joe's peanut butter pretzels (the best post-run food EVER) and beer (obviously) and a cabin complete with a proprietor sleeping on the couch (even as we discussed loudly how it was incredibly weird to have some strange guy sleeping on the couch) with no less than 6 taxidermied animal heads (the buffalo/bison/whatever looked so surprised - like, "OMG! You have a gun!").
Anyway, it was awesome. We are getting a team next year. You should come too.
Crazy! you say, and I was inclined to agree with you. Until this weekend. Because it was SO much fun that I kind of forgot about the whole psycho-ness of the event. Even before I had finished running my first leg, I was planning for next year.
So, Hood to Coast. It's the aforementioned 197 miles, from Oregon's Mt. Hood to Seaside (the coast). Each team has 12 members (split into 2 vans), and every member runs 3 legs of the relay. Some legs are harder than others. I had the easiest leg overall (I promise that I did not ask for the easiest leg! I waited until everyone had selected their legs and mine was the only one left!) - leg 4 (6.95 miles at 4 PM, in 85 degree weather), leg 16 (3.3 glorious miles at 2 AM [yes, 2 AM!], in 60 degree weather), and leg 28 (4.2 miles at 11:30 AM, in freaking ridiculously hot weather).
This was on about 2 hours of sleep, total.
Clearly I'm not explaining myself well enough, because even I don't think this sounds like fun. But it was. (Don't I look happy?) Everyone decorated their van with their team names (we were Nice Guys Finish Last), and there were some fantastic names/decorations/costumes. Our arch nemesis was My Dixie Wrecked (say it to yourself...but not out loud, if you're at work...) because they started at the exact same time we did, and we managed to keep up with them for most of the race. (They were a group of guys who grew matching sideburns/moustaches for the race, and their second van advertised "moustache rides" for 5 cents.) Lest you think it was all smutty, there was also the heroic Snakes In A Van, who gave me an ice-cold bottle of water during my last (uphill) leg.
And AFTER the race! Well, that was filled with bacon (seriously, we went to a breakfast place called Pig 'n Pancake) and Swedish fish and Trader Joe's peanut butter pretzels (the best post-run food EVER) and beer (obviously) and a cabin complete with a proprietor sleeping on the couch (even as we discussed loudly how it was incredibly weird to have some strange guy sleeping on the couch) with no less than 6 taxidermied animal heads (the buffalo/bison/whatever looked so surprised - like, "OMG! You have a gun!").
Anyway, it was awesome. We are getting a team next year. You should come too.
posted by UW Nutrition at 9:10 PM
8 Comments:
TK, your enthusiasm is infectious! Not only do you like everyone, but you find incredibly grueling tasks with few rewards delightful. And yay, you blogged!
I would also not recommend saying your rival's name aloud in a crowded coffee shop, while happily testing out your new laptop. (Lesson #2387)
Congrats on the race!!!
I think I might have met someone NICER than I am, FG. I will have to do more research. But she never seems to be unhappy.
And Rainster, that is hilarious! I am LOL-ing.
Plus, nice pictures both of you!
Quite sure I could not handle someone nicer than you - you're testing my boundaries as it is.
Also, you know that's not /actually/ me, right?
ha! That's Elle, right? But who's to say that it couldn't be you?!
Exactly! (FG, it took me a while to realize your Friendster pic isn't you, either...)
awesome, i'm glad you had a good time. next year you guys should plan a boston trip around Reach the Beach (or maybe jess & i should come out for hood to coast...)
Right - I could totally be Gwyneth Paltrow with Elle's body! In my dreams ...
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