2006 River to River Relay Recap
I wasn't really confident going into River to River this year. I'd slacked off in my training ever since the St. Patrick's Day 5M Run. I was still running, but I was averaging close to 2-3 times per week instead of the much preferred 4-5 times. Then when I was running, I was putting more effort into shorter runs instead of the long, slow distances that are needed to boost your endurance. The 5K that I ran on the track on Monday was encouraging. It showed me that I could run at a pretty decent pace and sustain it - at least for one 5K. The question was could I do it three times in the same day running over hills.
Friday on the way down we started choosing relay legs. I knew that I wanted to run something other than legs 5 and 8 since I'd run them before, but I didn't know what those legs would be. After some discussion, I ended up choosing leg 7. Leg 7 has a hard first leg, a moderate to easy second leg, and a moderate third leg. It has few significant climbs and a lot of long downhills. I was pretty happy with my choice.
The morning was slightly stressful. I had set our wake-up call for 4:30, which was when we were supposed to meet in the lobby. Instead of getting out near 4:45, we ended up getting out at 5:00. But we still managed to get to the start line in plenty of time before our runner took off.
We set our lineup like this:
1 - Norman Bates
2 - Dead Squirrel
3 - Duzzy Cum
4 - Help Me I'm Wet
5 - Mother Mary Nipple
6 - Whiney Bitch
7 - Waldo's Pimp
8 - Halley's Comet
A - Blows Like a Freight Train
Blows ended up running leg 9 for Norman and 20 for Help Me. I think both of them could have run their legs, but we all wanted for Blows to just a chance to do some running.
The weather was great if perhaps a touch warm. It was in the mid-70s all day long. Late in the day there were some clouds and a few minutes of rain, but other than that it was beautiful. I took the precaution of wearing a long sleeve shirt when I wasn't running to keep the run off of my arms. I put some sunscreen on my neck and legs but opted not to put any on my face as I was nervous about it dripping into my eyes.
Since I was running much later in the day, I followed my usual practice of walking a quarter mile or so down the way to cheer on the runners as they came in. Everyone seemed to appreciate the gesture. And since I was usually out at the last bend before the finish, it helped the other runners see that they were really almost done. It also worked out for me. Not only did I get a chance to warm up and stretch out, but I also got to spend some time by myself away from the hustle and bustle of the exchange point. That far away from the exchange point the noise is significantly reduced, so I got to spend some time listening to nature. It was very relaxing.
The only not relaxing part was that I had runner's trots all day long. I kept myself hydrated, but most of my nourishment came in the form of Power Bars and dried fruit. The combination did not make for a very comfortable tummy and I spent most of the legs that I wasn't running dropping off a load in the portapotty before running out to cheer on the runners. I was able though to check out the portapotties all throughout the day. Tip: the portapotties kept getting cleaner and better stocked the farther from the start line we went.
Our team had decided to decorate our van with discounted Easter items. We tied some bunnies to the van, hung some off of the windows, and placed a pair under the windshield wipers. Duzzy Cum and Dead Squirrel ran their legs wearing rabbit ears. I tried them on, but they didn't work with my head. By the end of the day, we got a lot of comments on them and had people cheering for us as we rode. Tip: If you are putting together a team, I would suggest trying to come up with some sort of similar theme. It really helps other teams put you and your runners out. It also helps you pick out your runners from afar and your van from among the many identical other vans.
My first leg has a slight downhill followed by a steep uphill for almost a mile. The next mile is mostly downhill. The last mile has a slight rise, but is relatively east. I smiled a bit when I was on the steep uphill as the runner in front of me called out to a runner in front of her to ask if she saw the top of the hill yet. It was just nice to know that the other runners were feeling it too. I ended up passing a couple of the other runners and finished the three mile leg under 24:00, for a better than 8:00 pace.
My second leg started out with a slight uphill followed by a flat-ish stretch before going downhill for a mile into the finish. I really cruised through this stretch, aided by the sight of another runner about 400m ahead. I just kept working and reeled him in half a mile before the finish. I was able to make good use of the downhill to lengthen my stride and keep up a good pace. I finished this one around 7:30/mile pace.
My last leg had a slight rise into a steep long downhill. In the last mile there are a couple of hills which are tantalizing as you can see the finish for most of the way in. At the receiving handoff, it started to rain. It kept up for the first mile, washing all of the sweat from my head into my eyes and mouth. But then it stopped and the sun came back out. I was able to pass someone on the home stretch but that was the only person near me the entire leg. But there is just something so fulfilling about cruising into the last exchange of the day. I never quite got my time for this leg, but it felt pretty good.
The last step of the day is for the team to gather together and run through the finish line together. Not having learned from my experience last year, Halley caught up to the group, ran with us briefly, and then sprinted through the finish line by himself. Oh well - maybe next year. After the finish we went up on the levee and took some pictures. Our overall finish time was 12:04 which, coupled with our early start time, meant that we had plenty of time to finish before the sun went down. Unfortunately the weather had other plans and it started to pour shortly after we finished. We headed back to the van and then on home. After we got back I took a shower and then we went to dinner. There was some talk of a hash after dinner, but with my stomach full of food and my eyes full of sleep, discretion was the better part of valor.
Results are in. And we didn't finish last!
Friday on the way down we started choosing relay legs. I knew that I wanted to run something other than legs 5 and 8 since I'd run them before, but I didn't know what those legs would be. After some discussion, I ended up choosing leg 7. Leg 7 has a hard first leg, a moderate to easy second leg, and a moderate third leg. It has few significant climbs and a lot of long downhills. I was pretty happy with my choice.
The morning was slightly stressful. I had set our wake-up call for 4:30, which was when we were supposed to meet in the lobby. Instead of getting out near 4:45, we ended up getting out at 5:00. But we still managed to get to the start line in plenty of time before our runner took off.
We set our lineup like this:
1 - Norman Bates
2 - Dead Squirrel
3 - Duzzy Cum
4 - Help Me I'm Wet
5 - Mother Mary Nipple
6 - Whiney Bitch
7 - Waldo's Pimp
8 - Halley's Comet
A - Blows Like a Freight Train
Blows ended up running leg 9 for Norman and 20 for Help Me. I think both of them could have run their legs, but we all wanted for Blows to just a chance to do some running.
The weather was great if perhaps a touch warm. It was in the mid-70s all day long. Late in the day there were some clouds and a few minutes of rain, but other than that it was beautiful. I took the precaution of wearing a long sleeve shirt when I wasn't running to keep the run off of my arms. I put some sunscreen on my neck and legs but opted not to put any on my face as I was nervous about it dripping into my eyes.
Since I was running much later in the day, I followed my usual practice of walking a quarter mile or so down the way to cheer on the runners as they came in. Everyone seemed to appreciate the gesture. And since I was usually out at the last bend before the finish, it helped the other runners see that they were really almost done. It also worked out for me. Not only did I get a chance to warm up and stretch out, but I also got to spend some time by myself away from the hustle and bustle of the exchange point. That far away from the exchange point the noise is significantly reduced, so I got to spend some time listening to nature. It was very relaxing.
The only not relaxing part was that I had runner's trots all day long. I kept myself hydrated, but most of my nourishment came in the form of Power Bars and dried fruit. The combination did not make for a very comfortable tummy and I spent most of the legs that I wasn't running dropping off a load in the portapotty before running out to cheer on the runners. I was able though to check out the portapotties all throughout the day. Tip: the portapotties kept getting cleaner and better stocked the farther from the start line we went.
Our team had decided to decorate our van with discounted Easter items. We tied some bunnies to the van, hung some off of the windows, and placed a pair under the windshield wipers. Duzzy Cum and Dead Squirrel ran their legs wearing rabbit ears. I tried them on, but they didn't work with my head. By the end of the day, we got a lot of comments on them and had people cheering for us as we rode. Tip: If you are putting together a team, I would suggest trying to come up with some sort of similar theme. It really helps other teams put you and your runners out. It also helps you pick out your runners from afar and your van from among the many identical other vans.
My first leg has a slight downhill followed by a steep uphill for almost a mile. The next mile is mostly downhill. The last mile has a slight rise, but is relatively east. I smiled a bit when I was on the steep uphill as the runner in front of me called out to a runner in front of her to ask if she saw the top of the hill yet. It was just nice to know that the other runners were feeling it too. I ended up passing a couple of the other runners and finished the three mile leg under 24:00, for a better than 8:00 pace.
My second leg started out with a slight uphill followed by a flat-ish stretch before going downhill for a mile into the finish. I really cruised through this stretch, aided by the sight of another runner about 400m ahead. I just kept working and reeled him in half a mile before the finish. I was able to make good use of the downhill to lengthen my stride and keep up a good pace. I finished this one around 7:30/mile pace.
My last leg had a slight rise into a steep long downhill. In the last mile there are a couple of hills which are tantalizing as you can see the finish for most of the way in. At the receiving handoff, it started to rain. It kept up for the first mile, washing all of the sweat from my head into my eyes and mouth. But then it stopped and the sun came back out. I was able to pass someone on the home stretch but that was the only person near me the entire leg. But there is just something so fulfilling about cruising into the last exchange of the day. I never quite got my time for this leg, but it felt pretty good.
The last step of the day is for the team to gather together and run through the finish line together. Not having learned from my experience last year, Halley caught up to the group, ran with us briefly, and then sprinted through the finish line by himself. Oh well - maybe next year. After the finish we went up on the levee and took some pictures. Our overall finish time was 12:04 which, coupled with our early start time, meant that we had plenty of time to finish before the sun went down. Unfortunately the weather had other plans and it started to pour shortly after we finished. We headed back to the van and then on home. After we got back I took a shower and then we went to dinner. There was some talk of a hash after dinner, but with my stomach full of food and my eyes full of sleep, discretion was the better part of valor.
Results are in. And we didn't finish last!
posted by mypetrock at 9:32 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home