pbh4
5.07.2007
The Relay - 3rd Time Down!
Catie & Annie's Cops the original team. In the front (from right to left) is Joe (their dad), then Catie & Annie
A really good run and great time as usual. Running in Van #1 was a bit different than running in Van #2, but very fun as well. I asked for some easier legs because my hammie was still hurting and ran a shorter distance than I've run in years past. More commentary to come I'm sure.
The whole team --- Van#1 (Sean, Grenham, Arron, Ian, Whitney, me) --- Van#2 (Mary Beth, Lexi*, Kris, Karin*, Kathy, John*)
Some decorating of the van --- Me
Oh yes, it's going to be a long weekend --- Some sweet views during the first set of legs
Some pics from riding in the van, good times
Stats:
Team - 26:32:29 ~8:00 min/mi pace - http://www.therelay.com/Results/Results.php3
Run Order: whit, grenham, arron, ian, me, sean, lexi*, kathy, karin*, roger/mb, john*, kris (*met this yr)
Me:
- Leg 05 ~3:30p - 5.0mi - 36:40 - 7:20 min/mi - 173 avg HR**
Leg 5 was going to be my first real test on the hamstring. I wanted to go hard, but I wanted to make sure my ham was ok. I ended up having a pretty decent HR going, but still didn't feel like I was pushing as hard as I could. I figured that was ok because there were still 2 legs to come. This leg was pretty easy. Flat and the wind was at my back most of the way. I didn't see anyone until about 1 or 2 miles in. And he was pretty far ahead once we got to the straightaway. I kept wanting to pass him and finally with about a mile to go I think he hit a wall because I caught up real quickly all of a sudden and passed. Not too much else to report for this run. Just knid of nice, on a frontage next to hwy 29 in Napa. I passed a wedding in progress, guess if I would have been really excited I might have given them a Cinco de Mayo yell, but alas no...
Crusin in the van before my first leg --- Getting the exchange from Ian
Getting some water from Sean during the run --- I'm all done with leg 5
In Between Running Legs, there's always time for:
The 2nd Annual Bowling Tournament - the lowest scorer gets to wear the shirt from the thrift store! =)
2nd annual Van Bowling Tourney --- Me & Ian --- The brothers bowling against each other
- Leg 17 ~1:10a - 4.9mi - 36:31 - 7:27 min/mi - 167 avg HR
Ah yes, the night run. Let's see how the body warms up and if the hammie still holds up. This was an awesome run. Through Mill Valley into Salsaulito, just before the Golden Gate Bridge. I left the van and was out on a bike path by myself under the full moon. I turned off my headlamp and just went by moonlight. Some really pretty relections on the water next to me. As far as runners, I didn't see many, but I could see a few reflective lights in the distance. I ended up passing about 5 or 6 people, I think. I felt pretty good, the weather was awesome and it wasn't too cold.
Ian & me before after very little sleep and before the last set of legs --- Guess who got the lowest score bowling! Nice shirt!
- Leg 29 ~9:40a - 3.0mi - 26:07 - 8:42 min/mi - 174 avg HR
Alright the steep run. Avg grade of almost 6% for 3 mi. That's pretty steep. Right before this run we had met up with Hannah's team (Hannah ran with us last year) and were talking with them at the transition. Hannah told me there would be a cute girl for me to chase, so my hopes were up. Unfortunately for me, Ian, Mr. Speed Demon, passed their team just before they got there. So I took off upset I wouldn't have a cute girl to chase. I started going and yep, right away the road started going up! I passed a couple of people with varying remarks: 'Ah, you bastad' (jokingly); 'You're my hero'; etc. Also on this run some cyclist came up behind me and were going about the same speed as me for a while, that's a little encouraging. This was a tough run, but at least consistent and I could just keep somewhat of a rythm.
a little peeing prayer before my last leg, I'm still a believer that you can't even tell what I'm doing... --- I'm finished running! --- Lexi is ready to start her last leg!
Me in Santa Cruz, we were all done with our runs!
Highlights/Lowlights:
- Ian inevitably putting his foot in his mouth before we even start
- Aeeeyyyyiiiieeee Chianti
- JC saves on the van
- bowling, olfactory
- push-ups
- rocky iv sound track
- savory lentil soup (x2), bean soup, 7-Eleven chimichonga
- bump on the head @ the golden gate bridge
- Cañada college debate
- cereal, mac & cheese
- Easy like Sunday morning phone conference
- bush pit stops
- frisbee in the backyard
- N'Sync shirt
- V-Chili's wife & daughter
- crossing the finish w Catie & Annie's Cops (OG)
Memorable Teams:
- Hussies
- Disco
- 6 boobs (2 real), 5 nuts
- white & pink unitard, american shorts, boxing gloves, chicken head
My Favorite Team Names:
- Moon Over My Hammies
- Chasing Cougars
- Slow...The New Fast!
- Fat Kids Always Win at Seesaw
**An interesting note about the HRs (for me at least) is that when I've been running, I'm usu in the 150s & 160s. I've been trying to figure out how much faith I place in the machine around my arm and how well I know my body & how to incorporate both of those. You can check out some info about training in various 'HR Zones' (1, 2, in link 2 I plugged in 27 for my age and 60 for my resting, I get a max of 193). When I've been using my monitor I've noticed a couple of things to watch for. First, you've got to make sure the strap is 'wet' to begin with to get a reading. I think this aids in the electrical conductivity. Usu at the beginning of a run or in cold weather when the strap isn't wet, I won't register a reading and the display will just have a HR of 240. Well, for my calculated max HR I theoritically come up with 193, but this weekend, I hit a max of 204, which I find really hard to believe for a couple of different reasons: 1) I wasn't sprinting or going up a hill 2) my max calc'd is 193. But if I did hit that, wow! So just a couple of observations regarding the HR monitor. I like having it and playing with the numbers in my head while I'm running, but just like anything else, have faith in yourself.
¶ 12:30 PM 0 comments 
Catie & Annie's Cops the original team. In the front (from right to left) is Joe (their dad), then Catie & Annie
A really good run and great time as usual. Running in Van #1 was a bit different than running in Van #2, but very fun as well. I asked for some easier legs because my hammie was still hurting and ran a shorter distance than I've run in years past. More commentary to come I'm sure.
The whole team --- Van#1 (Sean, Grenham, Arron, Ian, Whitney, me) --- Van#2 (Mary Beth, Lexi*, Kris, Karin*, Kathy, John*)
The team after!!!
Some decorating of the van --- Me
Oh yes, it's going to be a long weekend --- Some sweet views during the first set of legs
Some pics from riding in the van, good times
Stats:
Team - 26:32:29 ~8:00 min/mi pace - http://www.therelay.com/Results/Results.php3
Run Order: whit, grenham, arron, ian, me, sean, lexi*, kathy, karin*, roger/mb, john*, kris (*met this yr)
Me:
- Leg 05 ~3:30p - 5.0mi - 36:40 - 7:20 min/mi - 173 avg HR**
Leg 5 was going to be my first real test on the hamstring. I wanted to go hard, but I wanted to make sure my ham was ok. I ended up having a pretty decent HR going, but still didn't feel like I was pushing as hard as I could. I figured that was ok because there were still 2 legs to come. This leg was pretty easy. Flat and the wind was at my back most of the way. I didn't see anyone until about 1 or 2 miles in. And he was pretty far ahead once we got to the straightaway. I kept wanting to pass him and finally with about a mile to go I think he hit a wall because I caught up real quickly all of a sudden and passed. Not too much else to report for this run. Just knid of nice, on a frontage next to hwy 29 in Napa. I passed a wedding in progress, guess if I would have been really excited I might have given them a Cinco de Mayo yell, but alas no...
Crusin in the van before my first leg --- Getting the exchange from Ian
Getting some water from Sean during the run --- I'm all done with leg 5
In Between Running Legs, there's always time for:
The 2nd Annual Bowling Tournament - the lowest scorer gets to wear the shirt from the thrift store! =)
2nd annual Van Bowling Tourney --- Me & Ian --- The brothers bowling against each other
- Leg 17 ~1:10a - 4.9mi - 36:31 - 7:27 min/mi - 167 avg HR
Ah yes, the night run. Let's see how the body warms up and if the hammie still holds up. This was an awesome run. Through Mill Valley into Salsaulito, just before the Golden Gate Bridge. I left the van and was out on a bike path by myself under the full moon. I turned off my headlamp and just went by moonlight. Some really pretty relections on the water next to me. As far as runners, I didn't see many, but I could see a few reflective lights in the distance. I ended up passing about 5 or 6 people, I think. I felt pretty good, the weather was awesome and it wasn't too cold.
Ian & me before after very little sleep and before the last set of legs --- Guess who got the lowest score bowling! Nice shirt!
- Leg 29 ~9:40a - 3.0mi - 26:07 - 8:42 min/mi - 174 avg HR
Alright the steep run. Avg grade of almost 6% for 3 mi. That's pretty steep. Right before this run we had met up with Hannah's team (Hannah ran with us last year) and were talking with them at the transition. Hannah told me there would be a cute girl for me to chase, so my hopes were up. Unfortunately for me, Ian, Mr. Speed Demon, passed their team just before they got there. So I took off upset I wouldn't have a cute girl to chase. I started going and yep, right away the road started going up! I passed a couple of people with varying remarks: 'Ah, you bastad' (jokingly); 'You're my hero'; etc. Also on this run some cyclist came up behind me and were going about the same speed as me for a while, that's a little encouraging. This was a tough run, but at least consistent and I could just keep somewhat of a rythm.
a little peeing prayer before my last leg, I'm still a believer that you can't even tell what I'm doing... --- I'm finished running! --- Lexi is ready to start her last leg!
Me in Santa Cruz, we were all done with our runs!
Highlights/Lowlights:
- Ian inevitably putting his foot in his mouth before we even start
- Aeeeyyyyiiiieeee Chianti
- JC saves on the van
- bowling, olfactory
- push-ups
- rocky iv sound track
- savory lentil soup (x2), bean soup, 7-Eleven chimichonga
- bump on the head @ the golden gate bridge
- Cañada college debate
- cereal, mac & cheese
- Easy like Sunday morning phone conference
- bush pit stops
- frisbee in the backyard
- N'Sync shirt
- V-Chili's wife & daughter
- crossing the finish w Catie & Annie's Cops (OG)
Memorable Teams:
- Hussies
- Disco
- 6 boobs (2 real), 5 nuts
- white & pink unitard, american shorts, boxing gloves, chicken head
My Favorite Team Names:
- Moon Over My Hammies
- Chasing Cougars
- Slow...The New Fast!
- Fat Kids Always Win at Seesaw
**An interesting note about the HRs (for me at least) is that when I've been running, I'm usu in the 150s & 160s. I've been trying to figure out how much faith I place in the machine around my arm and how well I know my body & how to incorporate both of those. You can check out some info about training in various 'HR Zones' (1, 2, in link 2 I plugged in 27 for my age and 60 for my resting, I get a max of 193). When I've been using my monitor I've noticed a couple of things to watch for. First, you've got to make sure the strap is 'wet' to begin with to get a reading. I think this aids in the electrical conductivity. Usu at the beginning of a run or in cold weather when the strap isn't wet, I won't register a reading and the display will just have a HR of 240. Well, for my calculated max HR I theoritically come up with 193, but this weekend, I hit a max of 204, which I find really hard to believe for a couple of different reasons: 1) I wasn't sprinting or going up a hill 2) my max calc'd is 193. But if I did hit that, wow! So just a couple of observations regarding the HR monitor. I like having it and playing with the numbers in my head while I'm running, but just like anything else, have faith in yourself.
4.30.2007
The Relay is this Weekend!
Leg assignments have been made! This year we are Van 1 -- 5 Donkeys & a Fox -- Whitney, Grenham, Aaron, Ian, me, Shawn (in order of our runs -- [1-6], [13-18], [25-30]). The previous relays in 2005 & 2006 we were van 2, so this should be a good change. We have a start time of 1:00p this year; we have slowly been moving further up in the time slots which means we think we are getting faster as the faster your team the later you start to try to get all the teams in the relay to finish at the same time. My hammie has still been bothering me so I vied for a little easier run. I was assigned 5, 17, 29. Should be a fun weekend, can't wait!
Get ready for the traditions: team push-ups, veggie chili, rocky iv sound track, bowling extravaganza, many, many hours in a van!
Leg 05 - http://www.therelay.com/co_maps_05.htm
Leg 17 - http://www.therelay.com/co_maps_17.htm
Leg 29 - http://www.therelay.com/co_maps_29.htm
Past Relays
Get ready for the traditions: team push-ups, veggie chili, rocky iv sound track, bowling extravaganza, many, many hours in a van!
Leg 05 - http://www.therelay.com/co_maps_05.htm
Leg 17 - http://www.therelay.com/co_maps_17.htm
Leg 29 - http://www.therelay.com/co_maps_29.htm
Past Relays
Labels: the relay
¶ 8:57 AM 0 comments
3.13.2007
The Relay - May 5th & 6th 2007!!!
The Relay is coming up again. We will be without kevin in the van this year because of a conflict in schedule, but it still should be an awesome time. Right now I feel like my body should be in decent enough shape to rock it. Although it's always a strain. =) Looking forward to it!!! GET READY FOR THE BLUE OOOXXXXX!!!!!
Ref: past posts
The Relay is coming up again. We will be without kevin in the van this year because of a conflict in schedule, but it still should be an awesome time. Right now I feel like my body should be in decent enough shape to rock it. Although it's always a strain. =) Looking forward to it!!! GET READY FOR THE BLUE OOOXXXXX!!!!!Ref: past posts
Labels: the relay
¶ 10:49 AM 0 comments
4.12.2006
The Relay Weekend - How could you pass it up?!?!!
Here are some pics from the relay weekend. More commentary to come later. I ran as runner 12 this time, some good fun legs!! Arron put pictures up on one of those kodak sites, I think you have to log in to view them though, if I figure out anything for that I may include it here otherwise you are stuck with the pictures I pulled out with me in them...
links:
leg table, my legs: 12, 24, 36, results (we got 8th place out of 106 teams, not too shabby)
this years previous post
last year:
post relay, initial post
our van 2 team, sean, ian, me, hannah, kev, arron. -- messages displayed on our vehicle, need I say more?
a little bowling to kill some time between legs? -- pensive philly
ok, who gets legs 10, 22, & 34, let's ro-sham-bo for it during leg 9...genius!! -- Our team, minus dave who was running.
me getting ready to do leg 12, hannah applying a little motivation -- me running leg 24 @ 4am!!
a little posing at the trasition bt legs 33 & 34 -- waking up after an hr of sleep in the van before the last set of legs.
me taking off on leg 36, ian told me to go get whoever was in front -- me finishing up leg 36 getting close to the team to cross the finish line.
Here's us finishing up the race -- and the team at the end!
links:
leg table, my legs: 12, 24, 36, results (we got 8th place out of 106 teams, not too shabby)
this years previous post
last year:
post relay, initial post
our van 2 team, sean, ian, me, hannah, kev, arron. -- messages displayed on our vehicle, need I say more?
a little bowling to kill some time between legs? -- pensive philly
ok, who gets legs 10, 22, & 34, let's ro-sham-bo for it during leg 9...genius!! -- Our team, minus dave who was running.
me getting ready to do leg 12, hannah applying a little motivation -- me running leg 24 @ 4am!!
a little posing at the trasition bt legs 33 & 34 -- waking up after an hr of sleep in the van before the last set of legs.
me taking off on leg 36, ian told me to go get whoever was in front -- me finishing up leg 36 getting close to the team to cross the finish line.
Here's us finishing up the race -- and the team at the end!
Labels: the relay
¶ 2:00 PM 0 comments
2.01.2006
The Relay Back so Soon?!!
The Relay is back again but really quickly this year. Looks like they got their time slot in October yanked and they decided to do it on April 8 & 9 this year! That's a lot sooner than I was expecting to run this year, but kev and I got the call from Ian once again looking for runners... That's fine of course, but what does that leave me at this point? Nine weeks of prep for some more running. Gosh dang it, guess I'll have to get back on the horse. Don't know what legs I'll be running this year, I'll find out soon enough.
Reference: inital post & after race
The Relay is back again but really quickly this year. Looks like they got their time slot in October yanked and they decided to do it on April 8 & 9 this year! That's a lot sooner than I was expecting to run this year, but kev and I got the call from Ian once again looking for runners... That's fine of course, but what does that leave me at this point? Nine weeks of prep for some more running. Gosh dang it, guess I'll have to get back on the horse. Don't know what legs I'll be running this year, I'll find out soon enough.Reference: inital post & after race
Labels: the relay
¶ 5:46 PM 0 comments
10.16.2005
The Relay and how I became The Blue Ox
This is basically a draft but I thought I'd leave this up, it may get changed and more pictures added hopefully (my camera was on the fritz so only got a few shots, hopefully I'll get some more shots from the folks running) (also this is a crapload of verbage, believe me, feel free not to read all of it...) This is what you do when you are sore and just feel like sitting, typing on the computer that is...
Results -- We finished 42nd out of 238 w/ an average pace of 7:52 min/mi, pretty solid!!
-- reference previous post The Relay --
I had no idea what to expect going into this run, except that it would entail running (duh!) Basically a team is comprised of 12 people, each having to run 3 separate legs to complete 199 miles. The team is split into 2 vans of 6 members each (ie van 1 runs legs 1-6 then van 2 runs legs 7-12 and so on until the end). In van 2 (the van I was in) was (in order of running) Ian, Kev, John*, me, Aaron*, and Janine* (* denotes met at this event), also in our van was Ian's brother Shawn* who ran along with: Ian in his first & second leg and Janine in her first leg (that btw is a pretty studly effort in my book). We definitely had a pretty amazingly fun van, between the maddison brothers and my & john's extraordinary odifying gifts, we all were a good match for a weekend of running together.
Although I definitely see how reality tv works for instant drama. You throw a few different personality types into together, don't give them any sleep and then put them under some sort of assumed pressure and volia! a winning combination! good thing for us we all got along great and were very encouraging. Ah good memories:
- team push-ups, sleeping in the van, watching ian and shawn battle with brotherly love, the rocky iv soundtrack, easy like sunday morning, missing turns, dancing at the golden gate bridge, ian and kris snipping at each other.
we were sad we weren't able to meet up with the alio's at the end of the race, but still very glad that we could be running for them and their daughters.
also, while we were a little male heavy in van 2, van 1 had a bit more female influence. in order of appearance: marlene*, denise*, mb*, roger*, kris* and dave* (i'm sure i spelled some of those names wrong too...). i'm sure they probably had some more worthwhile conversations about relationships and outfits, but we probably had better topics of discussion on flatulence and rocky iv....
this run was by far the most senic total run i've ever done. you can't beat going thru the wine county, the rolling hills and valleys, over the golden gate bridge, along the sf beach front, thru the hills to santa cruz, and into santa cruz. you've just got to love CA!!
only pic i have of me from my camera...what a suprise...
-- Leg 10 - 8.9mi - Very Hard -- Start time ~5:30p
- time ~ 1hr 10mins ~8:00 min/mi pace -
So before the relay, just thinking about running leg 10 definitely made me realize I should be running religiously and practicing more mountainous terrain than say, sacramento if I was planning on completing that stage. What happened? Well, hopefully you haven't looked at my posted workout log/cartoony thingees because I only show running 3 times in the month and week prior, and the only time before that that I ran to run was June 10! Although I do have a crapload of biking and some soccer and other activities...but it's not quite the same. And so I realized dramatically after doing the relay. I took the warm up to the beginning of the hill at a half way decent pace and then grunted my way thru the ups. Made it w/o walking, so i was happy about that at least. I passed one guy on the hill that was walking then jogging, but also caught a glimpse of another guy walking/jogging ahead of me as well. I kept seeing him for a second and then he would turn a corner. I finally saw him at the crest of the hill and then he disappeared going down hill. I saw him again when we got on real roads and made it my goal to pass him. I was closing the gap pretty well and then heard ian yell out 'You got him ox, go pass him!' so that was it, i had to get on my horse and leave him in the dust. I kicked it up a gear and went past and finished the leg. Pretty tough leg, was tired, but still felt pretty good afterward and glad I only had 2 more stages left... I found out afterwards that I was named 'the blue ox' by our team members because apparently I liked blue (I did wear my superman shorts, my blue socks, blue trimmed shoes, the blue headband, and blue shirt, you just got to do it sometimes!!!) and I was a workhorse that could take the beating...so for the rest of the weekend you could hear GO-OX-GO!!!
shawn chasing ian on Leg 7, kev getting water from shawn on Leg 8
-- Leg 22 - 4.2mi - Easy -- Start time ~ 4a (brutal!)
- time ~33min - 8:00 min/mi pace
I was pretty well out of it by this time of the night, been up for quite a while, had a good hard run under my belt already, and it's chilly outside and my body was yelling to go to bed! What i thought was supposed to be my easiest leg turned out to feel like one of the most difficult! It was all rolling hills, couldn't see anything because it was the middle of the night, my muscles were heavy and sluggish, kind of crapped out. I made it thru and sweat in a chilly van for the next 2 hrs before taking a shower!
john driving on our second set of legs, kev finished with Leg 20
-- Leg 34 - 6.2 - Very Hard -- Start time ~ 11a
- time ~46min - 7:30 min/mi pace
I started this leg off with some stiff muscles and figured i'd let them warm up a bit before trying anything too crazy. I passed one guy right off and then spotted a running chick up in the distance. I just kept my own pace pretty much and she stayed about the same distance ahead as well. I started warming up and got pretty close and kept thinking about passing and making sure to set my own pace. I just watched the pony tail for a while and kept thinking about passing. finally after about mile 2 I knew it was time, i passed by her and then another guy and then another 1 or 2 others. at mile 4 the hill started and i just put my head down and tried to maintain the same pace. hey the faster i go i thought the faster i finish. I got about 400yds to the finish and i see another guy ahead of me walking, so I know I've got to pass him as well. I get up to him and pass and then he starts right back up and says 'you're going to have to earn it'. so i think to myself, 'great, dang it, i was ready to finish all easy and stuff, but noooo'. so of course, high gear comes back in and we sprint to the finish. he gave a good push, but my overdrive took over. I'm glad he pushed me a bit, made me finish strong. a short while later the running chick comes in and says she kept waiting for me to bonk so she could pass but it never happened (luckily for me I think =) )
This is basically a draft but I thought I'd leave this up, it may get changed and more pictures added hopefully (my camera was on the fritz so only got a few shots, hopefully I'll get some more shots from the folks running) (also this is a crapload of verbage, believe me, feel free not to read all of it...) This is what you do when you are sore and just feel like sitting, typing on the computer that is...
Results -- We finished 42nd out of 238 w/ an average pace of 7:52 min/mi, pretty solid!!
-- reference previous post The Relay --
I had no idea what to expect going into this run, except that it would entail running (duh!) Basically a team is comprised of 12 people, each having to run 3 separate legs to complete 199 miles. The team is split into 2 vans of 6 members each (ie van 1 runs legs 1-6 then van 2 runs legs 7-12 and so on until the end). In van 2 (the van I was in) was (in order of running) Ian, Kev, John*, me, Aaron*, and Janine* (* denotes met at this event), also in our van was Ian's brother Shawn* who ran along with: Ian in his first & second leg and Janine in her first leg (that btw is a pretty studly effort in my book). We definitely had a pretty amazingly fun van, between the maddison brothers and my & john's extraordinary odifying gifts, we all were a good match for a weekend of running together.
Although I definitely see how reality tv works for instant drama. You throw a few different personality types into together, don't give them any sleep and then put them under some sort of assumed pressure and volia! a winning combination! good thing for us we all got along great and were very encouraging. Ah good memories:
- team push-ups, sleeping in the van, watching ian and shawn battle with brotherly love, the rocky iv soundtrack, easy like sunday morning, missing turns, dancing at the golden gate bridge, ian and kris snipping at each other.
we were sad we weren't able to meet up with the alio's at the end of the race, but still very glad that we could be running for them and their daughters.
also, while we were a little male heavy in van 2, van 1 had a bit more female influence. in order of appearance: marlene*, denise*, mb*, roger*, kris* and dave* (i'm sure i spelled some of those names wrong too...). i'm sure they probably had some more worthwhile conversations about relationships and outfits, but we probably had better topics of discussion on flatulence and rocky iv....
this run was by far the most senic total run i've ever done. you can't beat going thru the wine county, the rolling hills and valleys, over the golden gate bridge, along the sf beach front, thru the hills to santa cruz, and into santa cruz. you've just got to love CA!!
only pic i have of me from my camera...what a suprise...
-- Leg 10 - 8.9mi - Very Hard -- Start time ~5:30p
- time ~ 1hr 10mins ~8:00 min/mi pace -
So before the relay, just thinking about running leg 10 definitely made me realize I should be running religiously and practicing more mountainous terrain than say, sacramento if I was planning on completing that stage. What happened? Well, hopefully you haven't looked at my posted workout log/cartoony thingees because I only show running 3 times in the month and week prior, and the only time before that that I ran to run was June 10! Although I do have a crapload of biking and some soccer and other activities...but it's not quite the same. And so I realized dramatically after doing the relay. I took the warm up to the beginning of the hill at a half way decent pace and then grunted my way thru the ups. Made it w/o walking, so i was happy about that at least. I passed one guy on the hill that was walking then jogging, but also caught a glimpse of another guy walking/jogging ahead of me as well. I kept seeing him for a second and then he would turn a corner. I finally saw him at the crest of the hill and then he disappeared going down hill. I saw him again when we got on real roads and made it my goal to pass him. I was closing the gap pretty well and then heard ian yell out 'You got him ox, go pass him!' so that was it, i had to get on my horse and leave him in the dust. I kicked it up a gear and went past and finished the leg. Pretty tough leg, was tired, but still felt pretty good afterward and glad I only had 2 more stages left... I found out afterwards that I was named 'the blue ox' by our team members because apparently I liked blue (I did wear my superman shorts, my blue socks, blue trimmed shoes, the blue headband, and blue shirt, you just got to do it sometimes!!!) and I was a workhorse that could take the beating...so for the rest of the weekend you could hear GO-OX-GO!!!
shawn chasing ian on Leg 7, kev getting water from shawn on Leg 8
-- Leg 22 - 4.2mi - Easy -- Start time ~ 4a (brutal!)
- time ~33min - 8:00 min/mi pace
I was pretty well out of it by this time of the night, been up for quite a while, had a good hard run under my belt already, and it's chilly outside and my body was yelling to go to bed! What i thought was supposed to be my easiest leg turned out to feel like one of the most difficult! It was all rolling hills, couldn't see anything because it was the middle of the night, my muscles were heavy and sluggish, kind of crapped out. I made it thru and sweat in a chilly van for the next 2 hrs before taking a shower!
john driving on our second set of legs, kev finished with Leg 20
-- Leg 34 - 6.2 - Very Hard -- Start time ~ 11a
- time ~46min - 7:30 min/mi pace
I started this leg off with some stiff muscles and figured i'd let them warm up a bit before trying anything too crazy. I passed one guy right off and then spotted a running chick up in the distance. I just kept my own pace pretty much and she stayed about the same distance ahead as well. I started warming up and got pretty close and kept thinking about passing and making sure to set my own pace. I just watched the pony tail for a while and kept thinking about passing. finally after about mile 2 I knew it was time, i passed by her and then another guy and then another 1 or 2 others. at mile 4 the hill started and i just put my head down and tried to maintain the same pace. hey the faster i go i thought the faster i finish. I got about 400yds to the finish and i see another guy ahead of me walking, so I know I've got to pass him as well. I get up to him and pass and then he starts right back up and says 'you're going to have to earn it'. so i think to myself, 'great, dang it, i was ready to finish all easy and stuff, but noooo'. so of course, high gear comes back in and we sprint to the finish. he gave a good push, but my overdrive took over. I'm glad he pushed me a bit, made me finish strong. a short while later the running chick comes in and says she kept waiting for me to bonk so she could pass but it never happened (luckily for me I think =) )
Labels: the relay
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