Dare you to Move: October 2011

For a while anyway, I felt like a runner again.

Long gone are the college days of running sub 7 minute miles.
Long gone are the days of 7-9 mile runs.

This summer and two kids later I plodded along at 10 minute miles and did 4 mile runs.

I had committed to my best friend Melissa that I would run the Epic Rocky Mountain Relay in July.

A flight out to Colorado for 4 days? 4 days of no motherly responsibilities?

I have to admit, it sounded good.

Team: Eatourdusters, 12 Women, 32 hours of running, 198 miles... Colorado Springs to Crested Butte??!!

Was I crazy?!
Round trip ticket to Colorado Springs please!

We met early race morning to load up the 2 vans that would drive us along the route.
Many of us meeting for the first time.
Our drivers would be awake 2 days straight, surviving on cat naps and coffee.

One van would be "active" while the other van waited ahead at a checkpoint.

Runners would eat and rest while they could.

The legs I ran were 3.29, 6.62 and 6.27 miles.

Our start time for the race was at 10 a.m.

My first leg of the race began at 8pm Friday night. Just as the sun was setting.

My second run began at 3 a.m. Saturday morning.

I donned the latest fashion with a headlamp and reflective vest and ran along highway 285.

The only sound was that of my sea lungs gasping for air and the occasional semi. I watched as the sun rose above the mountains in Buena Vista.

My third run started sometime Sat afternoon and it was HOT! Exhaustion and dehydration had set in. I had a couple of nurses in my van and if they had an IV they would have given it to me. A runner for our team had to finish the leg for me. I guess that is what happens when you come from 881 feet elevation, under trained and run at 7,000 ft and higher.