I don't even know where to begin. I haven't been running for very long (just over a year) but I can say without a doubt this was the best, most fun, and most meaningful run I have done to date. For those of you that don't know, 8 teachers at my school (myself included) ran a 95+ mile relay from Mount Bonnell in Austin, to Enchanted Rock in Fredericksburg in support of the Batten Disease Foundation. We started Saturday at 2:30 pm and finished at 6:45 Sunday morning. Our team name was the Casis Young Guns and we were all wearing the same shirts throughout the run.
When we started we took a group picture at Mount Bonnell (picture to come), then we ran down the steps together and did a group cheer before sending Larry, the first runner, off. Holy cow some of the hills the first few legs were pretty brutal, especially with the sun and heat. (Although compared to the weather we have been having, 95+ degrees with humidity, it was amazing! That day it was only around 80 with no humidity.)
Anyways, after Larry went off we piled into the van and drove to meet him at his stopping point. When we got there we all got out and sat at the top of a killer hill waiting. When we saw Larry we all started screaming and jumping up and down cheering him on up the hill. We did this at every stop, and not every team did so already we were cooler than all the other teams. At the 5th leg, Brandon's first, we came to a point where we were all worried if our runners would make it to the car alive. Brandon was literally dodging cars for his 6 mile run. There was barely a shoulder, and when a car came he would have to hop off into the dirt and grass (sometimes there was a barrier so Brandon had to hope and pray he didn't get hit) and hope for the best. Angie ran next and had the same experience, except she was running in twilight and made it even harder for drivers to see her. This was not making me feel good about my first leg which was right after Angie.
I started running my first leg, which was a 7.5 miler at a difficulty level of 4 out of 5, at 9:00 when the sun had gone down. I was lit up like a Christmas tree! I had my Young Guns shirt which is a highlighter yellow color, a reflective vest, a hat they provided with lights in it, several glow bracelets, a reflective light on my ankle, and I held a little light. Luckily there wasn't a lot of car traffic so I didn't need to worry about getting hit. At one point I had to run into and out of a really steep ravine, so I got a police escort into and out of it! When he rode up next to me he asked how I was doing, and then we had this really comforting conversation:
COP: "You need to make sure to run in the middle of the road, I don't want you to get bit by a snake."
ME: "I have been, I only run on the side when I see headlights coming. Wait...did you say I could get bitten by a snake? Are you for real?"
COP: "Yeah, don't run near the grass. You really need to stay in the middle of the road unless you want to get bit."
Thanks! That makes me feel a lot better about my leg.
I thought I would be scared running by myself, in the dark, in the middle of nowhere, but I wasn't! I really enjoyed myself. I didn't have my earbuds in so I could hear cars and other noises around me, so I put my phone in my waterbelt and had music playing from there. Because of that dogs would chase me up and down their fence barking at me. It was really crazy when I got to the top of a hill and realized a longhorn was watching me. The hills were hard, but I couldn't stop smiling at what I was actually doing. (It didn't hurt that the temperature had dropped about 15 degress by then.)
Seeing the bright lights of the pit stop was so invigorating. I kicked it up a notch and ran even faster to get to my cheering friends. Kristin Armstrong was running as well and also did this leg. I loved her blog on Runners World about it, and it made me feel better about myself and how hard I thought it was when she, a REAL runner, said it was hard too!
No one slept all night, and it started to get a little nutty in the van around 2 am. Kristy had brought kolaches for everyone to eat throughout the run. The guys had tried them and said they were lethal. One kind were super spicy jalapeno ones, and the other were super heavy brisket ones. So when Kristy ran her second leg at 2:30, we decided to start yelling at her and pelting her with the kolaches no one ate. I was in the back so I couldn't throw any, but I was crying I was laughing so hard. One of our drivers, Jeff, was running with Kristy to help her since we were all tired and tight from sitting around, and I don't think he was too pleased that we were hitting him with the kolaches as well.
I ran next at 3:00 am and wasn't too excited about it. I got some pretty bad blisters on my feet from my first run, and was really dehydrated. I ran my first leg faster than I have ever run, and I wasn't hydrating like I should have because my adrenaline was running so fast I wasn't paying attention to my body. It wasn't smart of me, but I was able to get out there and run again. I ran the first 2 miles running on the sides of my feet because of my blisters. At this point we were going to have to start leaving runners behind and come back for them to make sure we got to the finish line in time. Because of this my team scooped me up and we drove the last mile (all up hill, I picked the perfect time to bail!) to the next stop. I hated that I wasn't able to finish my leg, but oh well. I'll get it next year! I found out they were going to throw bananas at me because I HATE them, but sweet Sheri told them not to because I was hurting. Thanks Sheri! Last thing I wanted was to have gross smashed banana all over me and stuck in my hair.
The last few legs were a blur or exhaustion, nuttiness, and throwing food. Sara had the last leg and she started running when the sun was just starting to peek out. Jeff had ridden a bike with Brandon on the leg before and then again with Sara. In all he did more miles than us, and he was just supposed to be a driver! Sara ran the last few miles with a police escort the entire way over the most beautiful stretch of land. With the sun coming up, the hills in the distance and her view, and the finish line in her sights, I was truly jealous she had this leg. We meet her at the finish line screaming and jumping up and down in celebration of our finish. Most of us were in tears while we screamed her in. We took a finishers picture and then ate breakfast while listening to a really great gospel band. Afterwards the Benson's (the parents whos child has Batten at our school, and the founders) gave some speeches and awards. We won for most donors and team spirit! (If only they knew what was really going on in the van!)
Besides my momentary pain, it was an incredible experience! I can't wait to run it again!! I feel so lucky to say I ran in the first Run to the Sun with an amazingly fun group of friends. Below are pictures, and videos, of the epxerience.
Thanks again to everyone who donated and supported us!
All of the runners minus Larry right before we left Casis.
One of our drivers, Heather.
Of course we had to decorate our van! We knew about the team spirit award and were planning on winning.
Larry is near the tan mailbox. This was the last hill after his 7 mile leg.
Sheri coming in from leg #2.
This is the slap bracelet we passed on to each runner at the pit stop.
Van fun!
Brandon wanted to rest up his legs so he would be ready for his first leg.
Kristy, leg 3.
This crazy guy made his high school running team do burpies on the side of the road. He was nuts. When I told my team I wanted them doing that for me when I came in, they all laughed at me. I took that as a no.
This was the warning so cars wouldn't hit us. If you look behind the sign you can see the amount of shoulder Brandon had. And that was the most he had the entire time. It was a lot smaller for most of his leg.
Brandon with his ridiculous Fred Flinstone dickie.
Brandon coming in from leg 5.
Sara and Jeff coming in to the finish line!
We did it!!
Of course I had to show my blisters. Here is the side of my right foot.
It was ginormous!
Left foot, not as bad.
Larry made a great video of the run from his videos and my pictures. Click here to see it. I can't stop watching it!! I know it sounds stupid, but it still doesn't feel real. I think the sleep deprivation made it all a blur.
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