I'm holding a clipboard, covered up by a plastic bag. A hard rain is
dripping off the rim of my running hat. My clothes are beyond wet, in spite
of my 89 cent poncho. It's 4:30 AM and I've managed to get 2 hours of sleep
in a van with 5 other people. This is that moment in time that I have every
year during one of these relay races where I step back and try to objectively
question my sanity. But then we're off again and my current thought process
is obliterated.
We have a runner suited up with blinking lights, flashlight,and a reflective
vest, waiting for the hand-off from the other half of our team, which has
been running in this driving rain for the past 4-5 hours, while we tried
to sleep and prepare ourselves for our next turn at running. Once our runner
is off we jump in the van and drive ahead to the next exchange zone. I climb
in the back seat to get ready because I am the next runner up.
We've already ran twice. My first run was around 10:30 Am the previous
morning. Our team kicked off at 10:00 AM at the Bretton Woods Ski Lodge in
New Hampshire on a gorgeous fall morning. The other two Dallas teams had
started earlier, and we would see each other several times throughout the
race, which was great because we are all good friends. In fact, we had
spent a small moment of leisure wading around the lake at Echo State park
while our second halves started their first set of running legs. Later,
we enjoyed some hefty burgers at a local biker bar out on the patio in
the fine afternoon sun.
As we prepared to start our second legs the sprinkles came. We ignored
them until they demanded our attention. By the time we started running
again we were dealing with rain. From that point on it didn't stop. We've always
had a motto, 'If it rains, "f" it'. For 8 relay races past we never had rain. We
knew we had been lucky and we feared one day our luck would run out. So we
always said we'd pull the plug and go straight to the beach. So it's around
midnight and I'm running my second leg in the rain, because in case you don't
know by now, there is no pulling the plug on a 200 mile journey with
11 other crazy people who love running as much as you do. No matter the
conditions.
My last leg started just past "sunrise". 9 hilly miles, part of
which was on a "dirt" road. I had mentally and physically prepared for
this leg of the race, but didn't visualize rain, mud, and cold!
Still, it was the best run of all three. Can't explain why. I can't explain
a lot of things, particularly why this was one of the funnest years we
have ever had in a relay. One to remember, as we say.
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| Shelly at the finish area of race |
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