Bits of Peace

Post-work, leaving the computer behind, no more writing…reading…

Friday afternoon, running along the river’s side is a welcome refreshment.

The sun begins to go abroad and the runners & walkers downtown are able to gain a bit of peace out of (but technically still in) the city. Nature supplies the scenery as you make your way into a little 5-mile run. While running I come upon a juvenile hawk who is chillin by the river’s side. We share a few short minutes before he takes flight across the river. Then back to the run…but with a bit more peace than when I left work. This is another reason I run. 

Colonial 70 Live Blog & Summary

As you can read from Steve's race report below, we recently ran a 77.1 mile relay in Virginia.  I think he summarized our experience fairly well!

I have compiled below our live blog from the day, as well as some additional photos, videos, and commentary.  I think we are all officially hooked (somehow we forget how painful that last leg really is), and will probably keep doing these.  We are considering the Palmetto 200 for April, so we may be recruiting some of you!




Prologue
After driving for 6 hours without incident, we are sitting in traffic outside of Richmond, about 20 miles from where we are staying. We are about 10 hours from the start, and most of us have been preparing by carefully what we eat. Except Alan, who has eaten a rueben combo with fries from Arby's and an enormous sub with jalepenos from Subway. I think we are all afraid of what will happen tomorrow!


3:40 am:  7-11

And so it begins, here at a 7-11 at 3:30 in the morning. I am not really sure why we even bothered to go to bed at all!

4:18 am:  Kevin is not awake.



4:45 am:  At the start



4:50 am:  ....and we're off!

Steve starts us off with a 7.75 mile leg, that he hopes to finish by 6 am. Next up--Alan!




During Steve's first leg:

5:52 am:  Alan at the start of his 5.3 mile leg!



6:34 am:  Sam getting ready to run his first leg-still dark!




7:59 am:  Time for Kevin's 10.5 mile leg. All good so far!!


10:09 am:  Update: four legs done!
We have each finished our first leg, and are 31 miles in. With a total time of 4:40 so far, we are right on our projected pace of 9:00 miles. Time will tell if we can keep this pace up!


10:38 am: Steve finishing up strong!

10:39 am: Exchange at the halfway point!



12:11 am:  Steve finishing up his final leg. 45 miles down, 32 to go!

1:25 pm: Sam's feeling tired after his leg

2:17 pm: Almost there!
We are down to our last three legs-17 miles to go. As Alan so eloquently put it, "this sucks!" Actually, it is the most fun you can have tormenting yourself...



2:43 pm: Exchange between Kevin & Alan--Legs 9 and 10



3:00-4:45 pm:  The Final two legs

Sam had leg 11 ("the longest 8 mile run in my life") followed by Kevin bringing up the rear for leg 12.  by this point, we were all somewhat delirious, and could taste the Moe's tacos at the finish line.  Thus, photos and blog posts seems to die away in our daze...

4:33 pm:  Bringing it home
Kevin trying to stay upright in the home stretch--much harder than it looks!

5:00 pm:  Final Update & Results
Well, we finally finished our slog through Virginia -- 77.1 miles from Hanover to Jamestown.  Our cumulative time was 11:48; we started at 4:45 am and finished at 4:30 pm.  We did manage to finish standing up, no one had to be wheeled off the course, and we were able to actually get out of bed this morning.

We did win two awards for our efforts: First place overall in the male division, and most accurate estimate of our pace.  Our prize was a total of 12 visors that we then had to distribute amongst the four of us.

We'll post more pics soon, and have a wrap up post about the race itself later this week.

Now, all we have left to do is drive 7 hours home!

   

Colonial 70 Report

The Colonial 70 was another great relay. Even if it was actually 77.1 miles. I guess we had to pay our debt for the miles being a little short on the Palmetto 70 relay.

 You always learn something at an event. I realized about 3:00am on race day that the 7 hour drive to VA. on Friday afternoon was not really a great idea. I should have considered that factor and arrived more than 9 hours before my start time of 4:45am. We were blessed to to have a place to crash on Friday night. An old friend of mine actually lives about 15 minutes from the start line. Doug and I became friends while working on several mission projects in Belize several years ago. Thanks Doug for your hospitality and friendship over the years!
This is the first event in my 8 years of running experience that I was not ready at the gun. Something about that bagel and coffee at three in the morning just didn't seem to be logical. Who eats at that time of the morning or should I say the middle of the night? I really think that if this had been just an event that I had signed up for that didn't involved my three teammates, I would have bailed out. I really felt that crappy. All runners are aware of that inner drive that pushes us out the door or to the start line. I do not believe there is anything or a sport that can compare with that unexplainable passion for running. This morning however was not about how anyone felt. I would guess that my three teammate probably felt just as I did. Somewhere between awful and I can't believe I am doing this. In reality however, we all knew it was about our passion as a team and our sport.
I headed out on the first leg of  a 7.75 and started to feel a little better at about mile 5. I guess my body had finally given up that it would convince me to return to the couch at Doug's house and find the sleep that had deserted me the night before. After some fluids and another bagel and a couple of hours it was time for leg two. A 7.4 miler that was actually not so bad. It was daylight for this leg and I enjoyed winding through the Virginia country side. The route was scenic and peppered with farming landscapes and barns. I did however have one hill that appeared to be much stepper than the elevation map seemed to have indicated. It was about 5 miles in and was somewhat like climbing the Cooper River Bridge. I am sure it probably wasn't as long but after the early morning start it was a close second for sure. I only had a short break before my third and final leg. A 4.3 miler that had only one real elevation climb. This leg was also enjoyable from the perspective of enjoying the view along the way. More farmland and barns.I have to say that the sight of Sam at the exchange end of my leg was what I was really looking for. I had seen enough of the countryside on foot for one day.
I also came away from this event with the reminder about team camaraderie and how important it is to keep your focus as a team. We had a team of four and we were all very aware of how critical it was for each of us to complete our assigned legs. It would have only taken one of us to make a mistake to create a disastrous situation for the other members. I wish I could explain how it feels to accomplish a relay with your team but you will just have to experience one for yourself to understand. Words cannot describe the level of support and accountability that you have for each other during and after the event.

I also have to comment on the event organizers  They did a great job with the logistics and operations on race day. Thanks guys for all the planning. Now if we can just get the VA folks to understand the need for certain beverages at the end of this event.

Why Do U Keep Going?

To keep moving when it is so easy to end the pain seems counter-intuitive. Why would someone continue to run the 14th of 20+ miles (of a 77.1 mile relay) when faced with cramps & fatigue or continue to keep their best pace in a weekend 5K? When running a relay, the team is dependent on your success. If you quit, the team suffers & this is simply not an option in reasonable situations (can’t say I’d run with a broken leg like the Olympic runner, but anyway). Aside from that is the sometimes greater pain in self-defeat. The pain that is associated with finishing the race is short-lived. Thus, to arrive at the finish line (whether in a race or another personal run) is worth the effort. The arrival of the finish whether with teammates or competitors (extensions of the team in many ways) provides a sense of peace that is seldom found in many day-to-day situations. These are a few of the things that keep me going…