Hood to Coast Race Report Part 3—Night Warriors

When I left off, I had just completed my first leg of Hood to Coast. That completed the first round for Van 1.
I wasn’t feeling super hungry yet, but I knew that I needed to eat.  I was actually feeling really hungry just before running my leg.  I am sure that contributed to how crappy I felt at the end of it.  Luckily, everyone else was ready for some real food.  Our choices were to try to sleep (but it was still light and only around 6 p.m.), so we all decided to eat.

We went to a local brewpub in Gresham called 4th Street Brewing Company. That was perfect.  They had burgers and sandwiches and really good french fries. I am bummed that nobody thought to get a group shot at dinner.  I think we were all more interested in devouring french fries and burgers.  Kerrie exclaimed that it was “the best burger she had ever had.” I ordered a beer.  I was the only one, so I figured I was the “lush” of the group (I found out at the beach that it was not the case). I knew I didn’t run until after 2 a.m. and I really wanted to sleep, so I thought that a beer (a yummy local craft brew) would help me be able to nap in the van.  I was so tired that I only drank about 1/3 of the beer.  I was afraid that it would go straight to my head. It was a good call to waste that beer as my tummy did NOT like me after that.

After a nice, relaxing dinner we headed to downtown Portland to the next major van exchange. I have no idea where the time went, to be honest. I think we had five hours to kill before Tricia had to take the bracelet from XLMIC but it seemed like it was no time at all.  My nap?  Nope.  Not happening.  Too much going on and I’m the kind of person who hates to miss anything.

I tried to locate my good friend, Angel* but the exchange area was pure chaos. She was running the same leg as Tricia.  Instead I gave out a bunch of glow sticks and enjoyed the night.  I knew that I would see Angel sometime during the weekend. We were, however, able to see some of our Nuun Platuun teammates from Van 2. Pictured below are Jess, Tonia and Susan.

Tricia met up with Julie, a blogger/fan who had cheered for some of the Van 2 ladies and now was going to run part of Leg 13 with Tricia. How cool is she to run with a virtual stranger in the middle of the night?
Tricia took the handoff from XLMIC and took off.  Her leg took her over the Hawthorne Bridge which must have been amazing at night. We couldn’t really follow her on this leg as it took us a while to find a way onto the bridge and then runners ran along the waterfront while vans took city streets. A few minutes into the drive, traffic came to a stop due to a train.  A LONG train.  You can read about Tricia’s opinion of this train HERE.

While we were waiting for the train, I heard my name called.  There was my friend Angel yelling at the van. “I was hoping this was the Nuun van you were in!” she said to me as she gave me a big hug.  She was also caught behind the train (at this point we didn’t know where Tricia was).  Angel and I chatted a bit and she continued on her run when the train passed.

Alyssa was ready for her night leg.  She nailed it. She ran it strong and fast. In fact, she ran it almost 30 seconds a mile faster than the HTC prediction sheet.

Alyssa handed off to Caitlin. She read that her leg was a series of rolling hills. She wasn’t prepared for the actual hills.We all chuckled when Kerrie leaned out the window to ask Caitlin if she wanted some knuckle lights (the Tinkerbell headlamp I gave her wasn’t very bright). Instead of answering the question, Caitlin yelled, “what are these f#$%ing hills??!!” It was so unexpected to hear mild-mannered Caitlin reacting like that. Our lack of sleep made that extremely funny.
 
Along the way we saw members of AfterNuun Delight.  They were easy to spot in their Sparkle Skirts.  Their driver was Mason, the president of Nuun.  He even got into the sparkle spirit! How cool is a company where the top guy dons a sparkly skirt to support his team?  Very cool indeed.
Kerrie was next. Once again, she put in a strong performance, outrunning her prediction pace. Her leg was supposed to be flat but was slightly uphill the entire way.

Then Margot proved again that she is a Faster Bunny. She took off like a rocket and we didn’t see her again. Believe me, we tried. She had asked Alex to bring her water on the course.  Although it was well after midnight, it was still hot.

Margot is not only a faster bunny, but a stealth bunny.  We had a tough time finding her in the dark. We drove up and down the highway and couldn’t find her.  At one point we parked to wait for her to run by. We thought for sure we saw her, but when we got out to hand her the water, she didn’t respond.  Not her.  It turned out it was her and she was so focused on running that she didn’t realize that there was someone calling her name with water.

I was starting to get antsy about getting to the exchange. Since my last leg, I had been hitting the Honey Buckets regularly and needed to go again. After such a tight exchange last time, I wanted to get there before Margot showed up. I was swigging Pepto Bismol and wasn’t even sure my tummy would hold up for this leg even if I made it to the Honey Bucket. Without the porta potty stop, it would have been a guaranteed bad situation. Alex was determined to keep his word to Margot. I think he was committed to offering support to us wherever he could. But at this point I was getting myself pretty worked up. Margot was fast and had the potential to run faster than her prediction. Remember, it was around 2 a.m. I had very little sleep and my tummy was not in a good place. As the clocked ticked, I was getting more frustrated.

They dropped me off at the Honey Bucket while they parked the van.  Physically, I was feeling better, but mentally I was not in a very good place. As I got done, I heard them yell for me, “she’s coming!” I needed to run quickly to the van to grab my Garmin**.  Once again, no time to get my thoughts together.  It was rush, rush, rush. I sprinted to the exchange where Margot was waiting.  I didn’t even know what direction to run. Volunteers showed me the way and I ran as fast as I could.

I was in a negative place again. I was frustrated that we didn’t get to the exchange on time. Then I got frustrated because my Hood to Coast experience wasn’t turning out to be the wondrous experience I had hoped for. Just then Lauren and Mason ran up. When they asked how I was, I started venting. Afterwards I realized that I had whined about my frustration to the president of Nuun!! Ooops. He was so supportive and understanding. He encouraged me to “shake it off.”  I told him I would “run it off.” They both left me in the dust, but I felt like a weight had been lifted.  I was RUNNING HOOD TO COAST with AWESOME people. The experience would be what I made it to be.

After that epiphany, the course turned off the main highway onto a pitch black road that rose steeply (how steeply, I am not sure because I couldn’t see it). Suddenly, I was overcome with peace. I am actually a bit teary remembering it. It was dark and quiet and all I was aware of was my breathing and the light on the road from my headlamp. I was in love with this run!!

One guy ran up behind me and suddenly exclaimed, “cool!  I just saw a falling star!!” “I’ll have to take your word for it,” I replied, “if I look up, I might trip and fall.” We wished each other a great run as he ran past me. I had a huge smile on my face.

There were several turns on this leg. I was nervous about that, but there were volunteers in bright orange vests at every turn giving clear directions. The leg was mostly uphill, but all I could see were flashing red lights in the distance. I kept pushing up, up, up those hills. Toward the end of that leg, I started passing runners. I felt strong as I ran up the hills, especially at the end. 

This leg was everything I had hoped it would be. I know I ran it faster than predicted, but I don’t know exactly how much faster. My Garmin shows that I rant the last 3.64 miles at an 8:20 pace. I am pretty sure that I ran the first couple miles faster than that (darn satellites!).  My prediction was to run at an 8:50 pace.

More than my pace, this leg was awesome because I finally realized that it is in my power to have a positive experience. How I react to situations out of my control makes the difference between a good run and a bad run. More than that, how I react to situations out of my control make the difference in my attitude for life in general. I made a decision during that run to be more positive in my daily life.


Who knew a little run in the middle of the night could be life changing?

Stay tuned for Part 4—There are zombies in Mist, Oregon

Also, coming up—a great giveaway!! I will review one of the products I used for Hood to Coast (as well as my recent long runs) and give one away to a lucky reader!

Happy Running…


*Angel and I were close friends in high school and lost touch after the first year of college. We reconnected through Facebook and have rekindled that friendship, not only through a shared history but both of our new-found love of running.
**I should have left the Garmin. I turned it on and it wouldn’t find a satellite! It took well over a mile to find a satellite, which added to my frustration. I couldn’t see it during the run anyway because it was so dark.

Hood to Coast Race Report Part 2—the highs and lows of the first legs

For the events leading up to the race check out Part 1. This recap ended up being really long. I hope the others are more concise (although I doubt it). The details are for me, but I hope you enjoy them.

Tricia started off the Nuun Platuun on a crazy downhill leg. That first leg was enough to scare me out of running in the first position. She lost 2000 feet of elevation in 5.64 miles—rated “very hard.”  Honestly, other than the knee-jarring, toenail-smashing downhill grade, her legs were some of the most scenic of the entire 200 miles.

And she rocked it.  Her form looked great and she had a big smile on her face.  You can read about her experience here.

While we were waiting for her at the first transition, we spread the Nuun love with single serve samples and some temporary tattoos.

And then Tricia was there handing off to Alyssa!

Alyssa ran another “severe downhill” leg.  Hers lost 1500 feet in elevation over 5.67 miles. There is a lot of talk about Leg 1’s brutal downhill, but Leg 2 is no walk in the park. Of course, she rocked it. You can read her HTC account HERE.

After Alyssa, it was Caitlin’s turn.  Caitlin is a Nuun staffer with a ton of energy. Did I mention that every Nuun employee was AMAZING? She kept telling us she wasn’t a runner, but then kept killing her legs (not the ones attached to her body). She was our “secret weapon!”  In addition to rocking her runs, Caitlin helped out our driver, Alex, with timing and navigating.  She is awesome.

And look how CUTE she is!

Up next was Kerrie. You can read her perspective HERE. By this time, the heat was beginning to be noticeable. We were hot just waiting around for our runners. I was getting nervous about running in it. But I still had a long time to wait.

Kerrie is with Jocelyn from Van 1 of AfterNuun Delight.  We actually saw these ladies more than we saw our own team in Van 2.

It was now officially HOT. We stopped along the route a couple of times to give Kerrie more water and pour some on her head. 

Up next was Margot.  She was the speedy one of our van. She ran without a Garmin, without a watch, without water.  She just ran. When you watch her run you see focus and speed. You can read about her experience HERE. We stopped a couple of times to give her water as well.

I was starting to get nervous. I had been waiting ALL day and my time was finally coming. I was practically giddy (and scared at the same time).

When we got to the exchange, we realized the logistics were tricky.  Thus far, there has been ample parking at each exchange.  Here, we had to park along the highway and the exchange was where a country road met up with the highway. I knew that Margot would be coming soon, so I hopped out of the van while everyone else got situated.  I jogged toward the transition area. 

I immediately saw Margot coming up the hill.  “Nine-Eight-One,” the volunteer called. Crap!  No time to mentally prepare.  Oops…my shoes are not double tied.  I bent down, tied my shoes and heard my name.  I turned around to see my Dad!!! OMG…that was AWESOME to see.  I gave him a quick hug and turned around to see Margot running into the chute.  And then…I was off!

I definitely had an adrenaline spike. That minute was definitely an emotional high—finally running Hood to Coast, my dad there to cheer me on. I was SO happy. I took off like a bat out of hell. At one point I looked at my Garmin and saw a 6 as the first number.  Ummm…that is a bit too fast, I think. The first two miles were 7:31 and 7:43.  That probably wasn’t the smartest way to start a 6.75 mile run in 85-90 degree heat. And after those first two miles, when my excitement wore off a little, I started to feel the heat. Oh…the unrelenting heat.

It was getting toward 90 degrees.  I was ready for my team to dump water on my head. I knew that I would go through everything I was carrying to drink as well (I had two 8 ounce bottles of Nuun on my iFitness Hydration Belt). I saw one of the teams we had met at a previous exchange.  They offered me water. “No,” I foolishly said, “my team will be right up ahead.”  Then I saw the AfterNuun Delight team.  They high-fived me as I ran by. I didn’t ask them for water because I assumed my team would be just around the next bend. Never assume.

It was somewhere in those later miles, when I realized that my team wasn’t going to be there. The negative talk in my head became loud and difficult to ignore. I started feeling sorry for myself. I started doubting myself. I was hurt. Logically, I knew they had a very good reason for not stopping. I found out later that they read that vans weren’t allowed to stop.  But at the time, I didn’t know that. I had studied that first leg and never saw that in the description.* I started to spiral into a very low place. I was so disappointed that after months of anticipation for HTC, my first leg wasn’t “magical.” Would the weekend be a let down? I was dizzy and felt like I was going to throw up. I was unsteady on my feet and I actually thought that I made a mistake by not running with my phone—how long before they came back to get me if I couldn’t finish?  I wanted to walk, but  I didn’t want to be the weak link of the team who walked during her first leg. I knew that my team would have been more than understanding, but I couldn’t face that in my negative state. But more than that, I wanted it to end.  I kept pushing.

When Lauren, from AfterNuun Delight, passed me and asked me how I was, I said something (probably in a not-so-friendly tone) to the effect that I wanted to throw up. I wish, in retrospect, that I would have been more positive and chatty.  I wish she would have passed me in the first two miles. I wish I could have seen the bright side that I WAS RUNNING HOOD TO COAST.  Instead, I was a ball of negativity.**

To add insult to injury, somehow when I turned on my Garmin, there was a half mile on it from some other random run and I failed to reset it or realize it. As my Garmin mileage approached the 6.75 length of the leg, I saw no exchange.  That last half mile was pure torture.  Where was the exchange??  Am I lost?? Why have I run over 7 miles already?? Why is it so freaking HOT in Oregon??***

When I finally saw the exchange, I was filled with pure relief. The best thing I saw all afternoon was Jess, looking so fresh and pretty in her blue sports bra and camo running skirt. I handed her the snap bracelet (I have no idea how I got it to her) and she said something nice and was off.

Kerrie was there with cold water for me to drink as well as to dump on my head.  I can honestly say that I have never been so out of it after a run. I know I gave it everything I had.

Those moments after my run are a bit fuzzy.  I remember being unsteady on my feet and nauseous. I specifically remember Harmony (one of my teammates in Van 2) being there telling me to lean on her as I walked away from the exchange. She was so sweet and helpful. I mean, really…it is a very good person to put her arm around a sweaty runner she barely knows.

My dad was there (darn…we never posed for a proper picture)  The above picture is of our team captain Kim with my dad and I  when I was starting to feel a bit more human. My dad was so supportive. He reassured me that I did great. It really helped to have him there.  He left so I could get to my van and head off to dinner. My negativity was starting to evaporate (I think the chocolate milk helped with that as well).

Looking back, I see that I ran a very strong leg. I ran relatively close to my predicted time in higher than predicted temperatures. I did my job as a teammate and I am proud of myself. I learned a lot about negative self-talk and how negative situations are really only temporary and that negativity doesn’t help anything (more on that in Part 3). I think when faced with a difficult run in the future, I will be able to be more effective at talking myself out of that negative place.  The more time has passed the more I believe that the Hood to Coast experience wouldn’t have been quite as memorable without the ups and the downs, especially since there were more ups than downs.

Don’t worry…it gets better.  I promise.

Leg 6—6.75 miles rated “HARD”—   time-56:39 (about a minute slower than my prediction) pace-8:22

Stay tuned for Part 3—Night Warriors****

*I re-read the leg description when I was putting my thoughts together, I saw that it said, “no stopping on left side of highway to water runners (don’t stop at Porter’s Nursery).”  After 12 hours in a van, who can blame anyone for missing that one word-left.

**Upon reflection with a clear head, I think my negativity was compounded by lack of sleep (I had been up since 5 a.m. after very little sleep after a week of very little sleep), lack of nutrition (I had not eaten anything other than a Luna Bar since a Starbucks breakfast sandwich around 6:30 a.m.) and the heat.

***Having grown up in Oregon, I know that it can get hot in August.  I also know that it usually stays in the low 80’s.

****Blog post title stolen from Jess.  It had such a good ring to it, I had to use it.  Sorry, Jess. Hopefully my Night Warrior post will be as good as yours.