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.
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