Week #13 Recap (Hood to Coast)

Weekly Mileage: 22.87

Monday Rest Day

Tuesday Rest Day

Wednesday we were on vacation up on Mt. Hood but Beth and I wanted to get a few more miles in before the relay so we went for a short 3 mile run. It was pretty muggy and didn't feel super easy so neither of us felt great momentum going into the weekend.

Thursday Rest Day

Friday/Saturday was the Hood to Coast Relay for those of you that don't know it is the largest relay race in the world with over 12,000 runners it included teams from all 50 States and 39 Countries this year and I personally saw 2 Olympic Medalists before we even started the race. It spans from Mt. Hood to The Oregon Coast (198 miles) with each runner (teams of 12) completing 3 legs in a relay format so that someone is consistently running.

My first leg was just East of Sandy and after 2 miles of down hill with a pretty fierce headwind it turned upwards climbing some twisting back roads. I felt decent through the run until with about a mile and a half left a side cramp (which I never get) locked into my left side and never went away. The road was very uneven and I couldn't stretch out my left leg fully while running. I finished the 6.08 mile leg however at a 7:42 pace which was a bit faster than I had expected.

After our van of 6 finished our legs we passed the running on to van#2 and headed for some food and a quick shower. Luckily some friends running the relay with us happen to live right along the route. There was a bit of drama at the next major exchange point where both vans meet to pass the running back off to van#1 and the traffic had built up causing teams to struggle to even make it to the next check point in time to meet their driver. Luckily through some very offensive  driving and a keen sense of direction we avoided most of it and made it to our runner with about 5 minutes to spare.

I was pretty excited to start my second leg even though it was over 7 miles and not starting until about 10:30 at night. I had to run from Scappoose High School to St. Helens High School along Hwy 30, it was very dark and my head lamp must have been loosing it's charge because I could barely see a foot in front of myself. I did not enjoy my run very much as with it so dark I had to run slower just for safety (almost ran right into a few mailboxes) we were not aloud music and again the road was banked causing me some hip pain and tightness in the same spot I had the cramp from the first run. After what seemed like about 20 miles I actually finished the 7.68 mile leg at an average pace of 8:22.

After our van finished it's second legs we headed to a little town called "Mist" we quickly learned why when everything was wet around us and it constantly drizzled all night. We got there about 1:30 am and only had a few hours before we had to get up and run again. Beth and I slept in the van for about 3 hours and the rest of the team roughed it in the field with tarps and sleeping bags. We had a snafu as we had estimated the arrival time of our other van incorrectly and since there was no cell service we were actually at the exchange for about 30 minutes before we could connect and get our next runner on the road.

I got to watch our van finish their 3rd and final legs and was very inspired by everyone's resolve as I knew how hungry, tired and sore they all were but they got out there and put in the miles. I was especially moved to watch Beth as this was kind of a culmination of her declaring she wanted to do this 6 months or so ago and then training and completing it. I was so proud and impressed and could see the sense of satisfaction in her face after that last leg was done. She had just finished 17 + miles in 22 hours on little food and sleep after just less than a year earlier not being able to run 3 miles straight without stopping to walk. What a transformation, it goes to show you what anyone can accomplish when they put in the effort and stick with it.

I finally got to run my 3rd leg it was a 6+ miler with a large hill halfway through, I had allot of support from our team and others as I made my way up the hill (still not sure why I had to go up hill so much when I was traveling from the mountain to the beach) It was difficult but I was inspired to finish strong with all the support I had along the route and from watching my vanmates rock it out. I finished the 6.11 leg at an average pace of 7:37 (my fastest of all 3)

From there we got to drive to the beach and hit the party we got cleaned up and waited for our other van to arrive. As the last runner came towards the beach we were all allowed to join up with him and run across the finish line together. It was such a great experience, the people were great, the weather was perfect and we got to raise money for a amazing cause. Thank you to everyone who was a part of the experience.

Sunday Rest Day (Food-Food-Food)