Reach the Beach

AND WE DID IT! Myself and 11 teammates completed New Hampshire's 208 mile relay race from Franconia, in the northwest, to Hampton Beach, in the southeast. We dropped 30-40 minutes off of our estimated team finishing time, and did it in 30 hours, 40 minutes. It was amazing. Everyone was running their legs of the race faster than planned or right on their pace. We each had 3 legs of the race to complete. We started Friday morning and our last runner finished around 4:30 pm on Saturday. I ran a 6.6 mile run Friday afternoon, and felt like I was dragging, but ran at an 8 min 30 sec mile pace. I was quite pleased. Then at about 2:00 am on Saturday, I had a 9 miler that I was not adequately prepared for. The first 1/2 mile was downhill, and then I climbed uphill for the next 5 miles, followed by the last several miles of flat and downhill running and just a few inclines. I averaged a 9 min mile pace for that run, which I was really excited about. My left hamstrings got really tight during the last couple miles, and there was some funky pain, but I just prayed to finish and I did. I ended on Saturday around 2 pm with a 2.2 mile run, also at a 9 min mile pace. It was an amazing experience...over 2 days of no showers, hardly any sleep, lots of sweating, lots of running, lots of snacking and van driving, only using port o potties, and all mixed with dirt, bugs and other fun.

Here are our guys, we had 6 guys and 6 girls on the team:
Bill, Adam, Teppo, Doug, Allen, and Nathan
Doug ran the first leg of the race, and ran fast. Right before he started, he was hiking up his shorts really high, and the guys just couldn't handle his short shorts...there was lots of laughing all weekend for sure!

Below I am with Lora (left) and Sarah (right). We bought these matching zip ups before the race started so we would have proof of how amazing and hard core we are. Note that this picture was taken before all the running, lots of sweat, no showering, no toilets, and the lack of sleep had all really started to effect us.

The lovely ladies of Team 312, Sweep the Leg Johnny: (left to right) Abby, Liz, Lora, me, Sarah, and Lisa. All 6 of us live in the Boston area.

Here are Doug and Sarah at the start. We all cheered all weekend long, but even more at the beginning when Doug took off. Doug and Sarah are dating, they are supercute together, and lots of fun.

I loved running through New Hampshire, and I did most of the driving for my van, which meant I didn't sleep but saw a lot of beautiful scenery. New Hampshire is a gorgeous state-mountains, rolling hills, forests, rivers, lakes, and the foliage was starting to change to some awesome oranges and reds.

And here is a photo of the blessed port o potties...I was so happy to come home Saturday night and use a real toilet again, along with have a much needed shower, and sleep in my very own bed. The port o potties were at every transition area.

Here is Lora, who was in my van, and was our first runner. The other van's runners had run their first legs, and Lora was waiting for Lisa, runner number 6, to finish and do the hand off. She looks like she is praying, and most of us did-especially that none of us ended up with major injuries.

Here is Abby (left, also in my van) right after Lisa (on the right/blonde) had done the hand off to Lora. Lisa sweats more than me, a lot more than me...and for those of you who know how much I sweat when I run and workout...you understand that it is a ton...you can't really tell here, here Lisa just looks like she is glistening!

After Lora finished her first leg, she did the hand off to me (I'm in the pink shirt) and I started my 6.6 miler.

Adam and Abby were both in my van; they are dating, lots of fun, and did some great running for our team.

Lora and her older brother, Nathan, were both in my van. Here they were looking in the offical handbook to figure out what the next coordinates were for our runner's transition.

While Adam was running, we stopped along the way to be able to give him some water and some cheering. We saw this double rainbow-awesome. It is only the 2nd time in my life that I have seen a double (first time was on my mission, on the island of La Palma, on a really hard day), and it was just as impressive this time to see it.

Lora was waiting to use a real bathroom at the gas station, and she just had to imitate the bathroom sign...really gotta go, eh?

Here are Allen, Bill, and Doug after they had finished all of their running. We were waiting for Lisa (from their van) to finish her 3rd leg, and then Lora would start the last legs of running for my van. These guys were all trying to look tough, hard core, and umm, puff out their chests.

Lora did her final leg, and then passed off to me...I finished my final 2.2 mile and was grateful that my leg was not bothering me too much and I was able to finish at a decent pace. I had my zip up on to keep warm before I started running. New Hampshire was actually quite chilly this weekend.

Above, Doug is posing at the finish...he is such a goof.

Here is our AWESOME 12 member relay team...exhausted, smelly, but thrilled to have finished and finished well under our goal!

Teppo, Liz, Bill, Doug, Allen, Adam, Nathan
Me, Sarah, Lisa, Abby, and Lora

We were all so eager to scarf down a real dinner after lots of fruit, powerade, power and cliff bars, and trail mix all weekend long. They even served us some clam chowda!

We celebrated by playing and chilling on the beach after; it was a little too cold to get in the water for most of us, but Nathan and Lora got in. Allen was supposed to be taking pictures of us with my camera, but instead was taking them of himself.

Here are Lisa and I. She is the coolest girl ever, even if she does sweat more than me...and she is my Relief Society President, so I have gotta love her. I want to be just like her when I grow up. She already emailed me and requested that I be in her van next year for the relay or she isn't doing it. Apparently everyone in my van thought I was quite the life of the party, and I did all the driving, which they all appreciated. They decided that I should be the mascot!

Reach the Beach- and we did it, here it is...208 miles later, and lots of training besides that.

Running is mental...and we are all insane (quote from a tshirt that we saw while running, and boy is it true!)