Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Hood to Coast 2012

This past weekend I had the opportunity to participate in the "Mother of all Relays"- Hood to Coast!! It has been on my Running Bucket List for a while now, so I was thrilled when I was asked to join my friend Amie's team. 199 miles from Timberline Lodge on Mt. Hood to the beach in Seaside, OR. I was one of 12 runners on The Achin' Soles, and I ran legs 8, 20, and 32.

Here are a few pictures of our adventure in Van #2... I didn't take nearly as many pictures as I was hoping to, but it was a busy, busy 25 hours!

Our smiling faces before heading off to Sandy to catch up with Van #1 and begin our part of the relay...
 
Mike, Jamie, Jamie, Erin, Chanlee, and me!
(We met Mike, Jamie, and Jamie about 15 minutes before this picture was taken... we became fast friends after living in the van for 25 hours together!) :)

Our van thanks to Erin's artistic skills! Before the dust...
 

And after the dusty drive through legs 20 and 21...
 
 

All set to run my first leg... 4.55 miles through rolling hills outside of Sandy. LOVED having my music vest- see the speakers on my shoulders?! Headphones are not allowed on Hood to Coast, so this way I had music- a running must for me!
  

Rolling it out between legs... Hurts so good! :) That little roller was a lifesaver! You cramp up pretty quickly when you're running, then immediately sitting in a van to drive to the next legs.


All set to run leg 20, my second leg. 5.75 miles... almost all uphill! YIKES! Oh and on a gravel road for half the leg. It. was. SO. FUN!!! (No really- FUN. I loved every second of it even though it was THE leg I had been dreading for weeks!) Here I am all decked out in the required safety gear... LED flashers (front and back), refective vest, and head lamp. Dust mask optional. :)


 


 Before Leg 32, my last one... 4.09 miles on about 45 minutes of sleep. Sleep is overrated. :)
 

The whole team at the finish line! 
  

Our participation medal and team shirt


I found this good looking guy on the beach and decided to bring him home with me. :)
 

Post relay beach party!

 


Beautiful view from the beach house we stayed at in Rockaway post-race. 
 

I hope and pray I get an opportunity to run Hood to Coast again someday! Next up on my Running Bucket List- a Disney full or half marathon! And getting my mile time faster. :)