I was asked to be part of a relay team in the summer and said yes without even hesitating. That was likely a good idea, because if I had really thought about it, the good, decision making portion of my brain would have given a resounding NO.
And I would have missed out on a super experience!
But I did say yes and then as I learned more, I realized that it was going to be more than any running activity I had done and that others were counting on me to do my best.
The way it is set up, teams of 12 seemingly normal people all climb into rented vans and go without sleep, showering, flushing toilets or actual meals, hopping out three times to run up or down steep hills, gravel roads or busy mountain highways.
And it was one of the best times of my life!
We set out late Thursday evening and drove within an hour of the starting point and slept a few hours before waking at 4a for a 5a departure. The team I ran on was divided into two vans, my van was all women and while I got in only really knowing one of them, by the time we exited the following afternoon, I had 5 new friends!
Legs are assigned to you based on your race bib number, so you take the good with the bad, some are long and up steep hills, or down steep hills, which can be just as difficult as up! Others are shorter and on flatter ground. I was fortunate that my first leg was reasonable. My middle of the night run was by far my hardest, but also my most enjoyable. The elevation change was much, much more than any I'd done before. I can say without even having to think about it that it was the only run I've done overnight. The fog and drizzle made the road a bit slick, but was refreshing to have the cool envelop me, especially up the steepest point of my race leg!
We only saw the rest of our team, in the other van, at the exchange points between 'our' runner and 'their' runner, but we still had such a sense of having been in it together the entire time.
Sleep was not anything we really got, but we did have times of rest in the van and I think there were points we were going solely on adrenaline and excitement, but I also believe that made it more fun, too! We were all 'in it together' and only two people had ever done a relay before, it just so happened there was one veteran in each van. So when we had questions, it was nice to have a resource to ask and better understand things.
I returned home after 49 hours away. I was stinky, worn out, hungry and ready for a hot shower and bed. But as we unloaded the vans and got ready to depart, from the organizers home, I realized a bit of sadness was present that this time was over...for now!
Absolutely I will do more relays!
I might not do this particular one again, the elevation and busy roads were perhaps more than I realized and now, having experienced it, know that I would like rolling hills, not steep climbs and that there is a benefit of having a more 'protected' route when on the roads. This whet my appetite for future relays and for that I am thankful!
Stepping out of my comfort zone, figuratively and literally, was exactly what I needed!
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