Since the actual kind of reason for the trip was the relay, I’m going to recap that before all the fun shit we did in Seattle beforehand. Screw chronology for a minute, let’s get straight to the main event.
Hood to Coast 2012 – AfterNUUN Delight
* Quick overview : Nuun sponsored three teams of 12 running bloggers (36 total) through a contest they held back in April (my entry) to run Hood to Coast. We were placed on a team – Morning, Noon, or Night – and assigned a leg based on preference/ability/magic/other factors. *
* They hosted teams last year as well, and I still consider not applying one of the dumbest mistakes I’ve ever made. *
- The Voyage to Mt Hood
Morning, Noon, and Night Van 1s left early Friday AM from Nuun HQ in Seattle to Mt Hood, OR. We made way too many pit stops (coffee, gas, lunch, hello-18-women-pee-a lot, etc) but finally made it to the start, just in time for a few photo opps before start time.
Team Noon Van 1 – jocelyn, molly, kelly, laura, laura, me
Start times were staggered so we cheered off each Runner 1 – Caroline from Night and Tricia from Morning – and said our farewells to the other vans, not sure if we’d see them again until the finish. (how’s that for drama?)
((spoiler – we saw a whole LOT of some of them))
Night – 2:15pm | Morning – 2:30pm | Noon – 2:45pm
Kelly had leadoff for Team Noon, and right at 2:45 she barreled down the start shoot, kicking off our journey.
Sparkles, Nuun foam finger, battle cry and all.
- The Next 200 Miles
The early exchanges were fun because all three Nuun teams were around, jumping around as runners came in and yelling out the vans as they sped to the next exchange.
As Runner #5 I had time to get wrapped up in the excitement before having to think about running. I kept an eye on the pace predictions and timed my prep around that – I didn’t want to miss any action but didn’t want to be scrambling before my leg.
(Hood to Coast has a magical formula that predicts each runner’s times for each leg based on their 10k pace and adjusts it for the difficulty of the leg)
Laura to Laura (exch 2) & Laura to Jocelyn (exch 3)
Once Jocelyn took off I grabbed a Picky Bar and started getting suited up. Bib, body glide, sunscreen, shoes tied, porta potty’d, garmin satellited… and had just enough time for one last look at the elevation chart.
[cue reignited panic and fear]
Joc came into sight and I gave my team one last warning while I stepped into the shoot -
“Don’t be alarmed unless it gets to like a 20 min/mile pace – then maybe come find me…”
And then I took off.
The first few miles were flat/downhill, and I promised myself I would ENJOY every step. I wasn’t going to let the fear of a 3 mile climb fun-suck the good part.
Even though we were on the shoulder of a highway, exhaust clouding and sun blazing in my eyes, it was exhilarating. I couldn’t even get pissed at the dudes throwing patronizing “good job!” consolatories as they flew passed me.
Adrenaline was high and I felt great.
So great I lept for the photog.
Ugh I swore I’d never do that.
Blaming altitude and sparkle skirt.
Suddenly, in this place of run-bliss and impending-hill-doom, it hit me :
THIS IS HOOD TO COAST. The legendary “Mother of all Relays.” I’m here.
At that moment – perfectly timed at the base of the climb- it didn’t matter if I’d “only” gotten in a few hill workouts during training. I stopped worrying about my flatland legs and my lungs combusting mid-run. The mental images of me walking up a hill, head down in defeat, while runners breezed by, disappeared.
(yes, if you’re wondering, I AM that much of a headcase and WAS that scared. maybe we’ll discuss it some other time.)
And I just ran.
We ducked onto a shaded side street – trees all around and air so still I could hear runners approaching half a mile away (yes I was still being passed) – such a stunning silence compared to the heavy traffic of the highway.
The hills had started, and at each plateau I threw a little party regained my breath and looked forward to tackling the next incline. I kept thinking,
the tough one’s coming. keep it up. it’s got to be the next one.
The noise of the exchange came into earshot and I about peed myself.
I kept climbing and climbing – certain they’d be “just around this corner” – determined to hand off to Molly with a smile.
And eventually, half a mile later, I did.
Run 1 – DONE.
Caitlin (Team Morning’s #5) was there too, and we captured the feelings beautifully on film…
photo cred – Corey
I don’t know if it was the adrenaline of the first run, the months of pent-up NuunHTC excitement, or just that I’d psyched myself out so badly for all these hills that anything less than dying felt like a major victory, but I loved this run.
We walked back to the van to meet Molly at the next exchange (and to tag in Van 2) and I felt a huge sense of relief and newfound confidence wash over me.
Maybe Runner 5 would be about more than just survival, after all…
… to be continued * Legs 2, 3 & the finish line party up next
[part 2]
Sarah OUaL
Ok, who are you, and what have you done with SarahOUAL?
Nice recap, and so early! You’re about 2 weeks ahead of schedule for your normal post-race recaps :P
I so wish we had awesome relays in Aus. Maybe I can find a sponsor to fly my all the over for HTC next year? Anyone??
Haha snarky/angry/untimely OUaL must still be in the suitcase (that I haven’t unpacked yet) – she’ll be back eventually :)
Dayum you girls are colorful!! ;) Sounds like an amazing trip!
Steaaaaling my heart and soul. This is KICKASS. I will just re-read this everyday to “pretend” it’s happening again…not weird?
1.) Love the title 2.) love the pictures 3.) Freaking awesome experience!!!! Totes jealous. 4.) More jealous that you hung out with my girl Molly. Miss her. She left Cleveland for Columbus. SInner!!!! 5.) I am sad this is so short. I expected a long post. But I guess it is true OUAL fashion to leave me in suspense!
I felt I lost the over-the-top, hugely-wordy, many-part liberty since there will be 30 other bloggers recapping the same trip. And it took me like 3 days just to write that, sooo…
and, i am totally stealing your pic of you jumping (linking to you of course) to explain my injury… still such a dumbass. is it bad i am more excited to read about the next leg because I barely heard anything about it? LOVED meeting you in person and hope to see you again soon.
Happy to aid in the story-telling – wish I had a “look I’m magically cured!” pic you could steal and use, too. Reunion soon – def need more Ekalifeh IRL time :)
So proud of you for DOMINATING this leg! It was so fun to see you afterwards, glowing with a huge smile! Thankful our vans stayed with each other for the most part! Team Brunch!!!
Dude! I say we just make up our own relay once a month and run down the beach stopping at place to have an adult beverage…just sayin’.
CAN WE PLEASE?! OMG I’m so on board with this brain train.
Name the date!
NAILED IT. So freaking proud of you! (might have said this once or twice in the van) Ummm can’t wait for the recap for Leg 2 – yikes!
LOVE this post! Seriously, you did such an awesome job capturing it all without 1,000,000 words…I cannot, for the life of me, figure out how to do that. You kicked ass on this leg and it was so much fun cheering you and Caitlin in together! Looking forward to reading the recap of run #2…despite knowing how it ends :)
You better buy a print of that photo of you jumping in the air!!! Awesome runnning memory and moment captured!
I love your re-caps. You are the best story-teller. Seriously. Makes me feel like I was there. Oh, and you showed that hill who’s boss.
Just curious…why did you say you’d never do a jumping photo? Is it dangerous? Are you in serious-runner mode? I always make an effort to click my heels whenever I see a photog, no matter how tired I am….granted you are WAY faster than me :) They’ve only managed to capture it once though!
Great job, can’t wait to read the next recaps!
Just bc I’m (usually) not a sunshiney, smiley runner :) But also yes, dangerous – ask http://www.runningforbling.com/ about that…
Love the drama of the recap! Can’t wait to read the next part.
the picture of you leaping for the photog is hilar!
Hot damn that looks fun!
Holy cow! I didn’t realize how HARD that leg was. You freakin killed it! It sucks that we didn’t get to cheer you guys on as much being in the other van but I know you had tons of support. Nice recap. Very entertaining!
You hauled serious ass up that hill. Love that shot of you and Caitlin…”ain’t no big thang”!
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You are a rock star. Enough said. Leg 5 people deserve trophies.
I DID get one! It was made of brown glass and filled with a tasty liquid :)
Haha, your post is hilarious. I wish we would have had more time to talk. You are a serious rockstar for all the running you did.
Agreed but don’t worry I haven’t forgotten our talk about you shopping the next Oiselle warehouse sale for me ;)
I was there. I saw it. From my seat in the van that is…LEG 5 is no joke….and I do like your jumping picture!!! I did a lame thumbs up and it is nowhere to be found…
Awesome pics. Looks like so much fun! I haven’t read blogs for a while…took the summer off. I have a lot of catching up to do. My domain changed from runningtobeskinny.com to sweatismysan ity.com
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Awesome job on your first leg!!! I’d love to do a relay in the future, it just looks like so much fun…hard work as well…but in a good way!
Definitely hard, but WAY worth it (in the end) ;)
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