First real “runner’s high” in a while—Los Angeles 13.1 Race Report

Have you ever had a race/run where out of nowhere it gave you an incredible runner’s high? The run you weren’t really looking forward to, but did it anyway because you made the commitment?

That was what happened to me last Sunday. I won an entry to the Los Angeles 13.1 Half Marathon from RoadBunner. This race is about an hour from my house and as it approached I wasn’t too excited about doing it by myself.  My friends didn’t want to do it and I didn’t push the issue since it was a $100 race. I was further un-excited when I had to drive an hour to pick up my packet.*

So without any taper [10 hard, hilly miles the week before; normal runs during the week; 8.5 miles the day before; 44-day run streak leading up to it] I decided to run without a solid plan.

Last year, I ran that race in 1:49:08. It would be nice to run it faster than that. A 1:45 would be spectacular. So even though I didn’t think I could keep the pace, I started out hoping to run between 8 and 8:15 minutes/mile. Normally, I don’t like going out too fast; I hate hitting the wall at the end of a race.  But in this race, I didn’t really have anything to lose.

Miles 1-4—7:48, 7:48; 7:57, 7:54  Was a 1:45 possible?? Sub-8’s were feeling easier than they ever had.  I had only run that fast during a 5K and during the Fontana Half Marathon last June, which has a major downhill loss in the first half.

The course this year was SO much better than last year. We ran along the boardwalk in Venice beach and then around the bay of Marina del Rey. I have never been in Marina del Rey and it is beautiful.  There is something very peaceful about a marina.

Miles 5-7—8:04, 8:04, 8:08  My legs were starting to feel heavy. I am not sure if my fatigue was helped along by the concrete beach path. I really felt like my feet were pounding. This part of the race reminded me of the beach path during the Long Beach Marathon.  There were a lot of winding turns. Even though I tried to run the tangents, I kept losing mileage; the the halfway point of the race, I was about .1 off on the mile markers**

Miles 8-11—8:18, 8:18, 8:18, 8:19 Right before the mile 8 marker, there was a mean hill. This was a race along the ocean,so I didn’t expect hills. It is advertised as a flat course, so I didn’t expect hills.  I don’t usually mind hills, but my tired legs were NOT loving hills at this point.  Then there was another at mile 9.  This one kicked my booty pretty hard. For the first part of that mile, I was running in the 9’s.  Luckily, it flattened out and we hit the turnaround. You know what that means…we got to run back down that hill.  Yeah! Unfortunately, I was so wiped out by that time, I couldn’t take full advantage of that downhill.

The worst part of the entire course was during this section. Around mile 8.5 I smelled a horrid smell. At first there was a strong chemical smell. Then a pungent smell of sewage. I tried to breath out of my mouth as best I could, but it was really nasty. Unfortunately, this was an out-an-back course and the way back was even worse.At around mile 10.5, the smell was nearly intolerable. I definitely had to breathe exclusively through my mouth. This smell ruined the race for one runner. G(r)eek Melie felt nauseous from it and didn’t recover the rest of the race.

Miles 12-13.25—8:21, 8:06, 6:45 pace Around mile 11, I hit a serious wall. I didn’t stop, but I wanted to. I knew if I stopped to walk just once, I would not be able to finish strong or finish at all. For the first time in a long time, I was hating running right then. I just wanted it to be done. I was putting one foot in front of the other. I knew if I kept doing that, I would get done with the race. This part of the course was straight and slightly downhill. The downhill was the only thing that kept that mile respectable.

When my Garmin hit mile 12, I knew I just had a couple more songs on my iPod and I would be done. I thought of my encouraging words to my friend, Jen in Santa Barbara, “it will stop hurting when we cross that finish line and stop.” I kept telling myself that the agony would be over when I stopped. So I picked it up and basically gave it everything I had to the end. I was shocked that I could still pull out an almost 8-minute-mile being that tired.

Toward the very end, I picked it up.  Then I saw a woman ahead of me who I had seen throughout the race. I guessed she was close to my age.*** I decided that I didn’t want to be beat in my age group by a couple of seconds. I started to sprint. I ran faster than I can remember running in a race. All I wanted to do was to beat that random woman. The crowd helped me by cheering me on. I ended up beating her by three seconds. I thanked her at the end and told her good job. That last bit of the race was some of my fastest running ever. In fact, when I kicked it into that final sprint, I felt so strong! 6:45 pace? Wow…that is FAST.  Go me!

My official time was 1:46:59, which was in the top 10 of my age group. That is nine seconds faster than Fontana of 2010, making it my second fastest half marathon. My PR is 1:42:30, but that is an incredibly fast downhill course. I don’t even really count it as a PR. Sunday’s race was a more true PR.

I am super proud of myself and very happy with my performance. I thought I had lost some speed. Tempo runs have been few and far between and a struggle to run under 8-minute miles. I found a new gear and overcame very tired legs.  It makes me wonder how I would do if I actually trained for a half marathon with speed work and a decent taper.

I was on an incredible high for days. I was there by myself, but found plenty of friendly runners to chat with. I shared a beer with one runner (darn, I forgot her name!), some food with others and a shuttle seat with a lovely lady named Magaly.

Oh…and the bling wasn’t either.

Next race…Tinkerbell.  I am really looking forward to dressing like a fairy and running with some great women. I will be meeting at least one online friend for the first time.

Don't forget to enter my Favorite Things giveaway!! Tomorrow is the last day!

Happy Running…

*There was no expo, just people passing out bibs.  Really?   What a waste of gas and time!  This fact became more annoying when I saw them passing out bibs the morning of the race. I kicked myself, because I should have emailed the race personnel to see if this was an option that wasn’t listed on the website.  Grrrr….
**I enjoyed the fact that there were mile markers with clocks at every mile.
***When checking the results, it looks like she was actually in the age group above me.

St. George Marathon Race Report—Marathon Redemption v2

My marathon journey has not been an easy one. My first sub-four attempt (marathon #2) was a crash and burn in San Diego. The marathon after that (marathon #3) was my “marathon redemption” in Huntington Beach. My first Boston attempt (marathon #4) was a crash and burn in Long Beach. On Saturday I had my second “marathon redemption” in St. George (marathon #6).

We drove to the race, which is about six hours away. While traveling like that right before a race isn’t ideal, it worked out well for me. I think my carbo loading was much better than it has been in the past. Normally, I am running around like a crazy woman the day before a race. That is my normal routine, which sometimes doesn’t give me time for lunch, let alone constant snacking.  Sitting in a car allowed me to snack and drink the entire time. We drank so much that we had to stop three times during the drive!

We hit the expo and then headed to our friends’ family’s home for a fun pasta dinner. Since I had been eating all day, I didn’t feel tempted to eat a huge plate full of pasta.  I had a normal portion of pasta, piece of garlic bread and dessert. It was Heidi’s birthday and Rod’s in a few weeks, so we had several types of birthday cake.  The coolest thing was that Heidi was turning 26 and then running 26.2 the next day.  It was her first marathon.
We went back to Whitney’s family condo to sleep.  Did I mention how great it is running with people who seem to know everyone in Utah? No restaurant or hotel the night before a marathon?  Such a relaxing way to prepare for a race!!

I had one moment of panic while setting my stuff out for the next morning. I had my list at home that included my Garmin.  I brought my Garmin, BUT I failed to bring the wrist band that it snaps onto. I was contemplating keeping my Garmin in my hydration belt and lamenting at this unfortunate twist added to my race plan.  Whitney brought several spools of hair ribbon and had a great idea. We tied the Garmin to my wrist! It slid around my wrist a bit, but it was better than having to get it out of my belt to see my pace.  Crisis averted!  Thanks, Whitney!

We went to bed and I was super tired, convinced I would sleep like a rock. But, alas, I laid awake for a couple of hours. I wasn’t thinking about the race and I didn’t think I was that nervous, but my brain would not turn off!  I probably ended up getting a couple of hours, but when the alarm went off at 3:30 I was excited!

We caught the bus to the start line just before 5 a.m.. The only part of the course we could preview was the rise and fall of the road. It was pitch black. You could definitely tell there were a lot of hills in this race.

Runners who have run this race before had told us to bring gloves, throwaway sweatshirts, garbage sacks etc. because the start line, at 5200 feet in elevation, is very chilly. They even had many fires built at the start line to keep runners warm. They also gave everyone mylar blankets to wrap around ourselves. But we didn’t need any of that.  It was plenty warm. I think it was already in the 60’s when we started the race. Rumor has it that it was the warmest starting temperature in St. George’s 35 year history.  Yikes.

We were ready to go! (pictured are: Adam, Rod, Kelly, Kay, Kirsten, Heidi, Whitney, Me and Kim)

We used the porta potties several times.  My plan in a big race is to spend the entire time in potty lines. Once I get done, I get right back in line. This has been a key to my best races. Once I “emptied” everything, I took my Imodium. I took one and a half pills (after playing around with the dosage at various half marathons). This was a bit of a risk considering the fact that it can dehydrate you.  However, I was carrying water and planned on drinking throughout the race.  I had no dehydration issues. Phew!

Before we new it, it was time to start! 


I had a plan. My plan involved pacing myself. We found a GREAT pacing tool online that weighted each mile based upon the elevation changes and terrain of that race. The author has recorded splits from many runners from many years. This pace band was the KEY to my successful race. I kept my splits at or under these times. It took all my anxiety over the Veyo hill away. I knew that I could slow down quite a bit up that hill without hurting my overall time. Throughout the race, I could check and see where I was and what kind of cushion I had. It was awesome.

Miles 1-7—8:38, 8:43, 8:29, 8:15, 8:32, 8:18, 8:20 My friend, Sharron, texted me a good luck wish on Friday that said, “Have a great race tomorrow! Don’t forget to enjoy the view.” That text stuck with me.  It was dark when the race started but dawn came on around mile two. The sky was a beautiful color and while the sun was hidden by the mountains for quite a while, its affects could be seen on the red rocks in the distance. It was beautiful.  I made sure that I ran with my head up rather than watching the pavement in front of me. I was enjoying myself so much. The only thing I was missing was company. I would make a comment about the scenery and not get much interaction. But that was ok. It was the prettiest race I have ever run. Had I not had a specific time goal, I would have taken a ton of gorgeous pictures.  Instead, I stole borrowed a couple from another runner who was kind enough to post them on his blog. The pictures don’t do the scenery justice.

photos courtesy of fastcory.com

I ran and clicked off the miles…one at a time.  It was amazing how fast they clicked by. Before I knew it, I was running through the little town of Veyo. The spectators were pretty sparse on the course, but when there were spectators, they were super supportive and enthusiastic. Veyo was the greatest. I high fived about twenty kids and read a bunch of great signs.  There were signs that made me laugh like “Mommy, did you pee your pants?”  and “Running a Marathon is all mental and you are all INSANE.”


I felt surprisingly relaxed. I felt good and I was really enjoying myself. At one point I looked down and saw my name. Someone had painted “Relax, Lisa, Relax! You can DO it” I knew it was for another Lisa, but I chose to believe that they were writing it for me. There was another message with the same sentiment later on in the race.  Thank you, random stranger!

photo courtesy of MarathonFoto

Miles 7-13 —9:31, 9:13, 8:50, 9:06, 8:37, 8:33 Then we hit the infamous hill. But it was more than just the steep hill out of Veyo. Once you get to the top of the hill, you get a deceptive flat section and then it continues uphill for another three miles.  The good news was that the worst of the hills were over.

I was still clicking off the miles, one by one. I was shocked how fast things were going.  As I reached for my Gu at mile 12, I realized that one of them had fallen out of its elastic strap. Oh crap!  There goes my nutrition plan. I knew I should have stashed an extra one.  I was feeling good, so I decided not to take a Gu yet and to wait until mile 13.  I figured that I could find another gel somewhere to get me by later on, but I needed to be smart about it. At one point I was looking for full, unused gels on the ground. I saw a couple, but not until I passed them and it would have looked pretty silly to turn around to pick up a discarded gel. But I knew that I would need more nutrition. I took a chance and grabbed a banana at an aid station at mile 13. It tasted delicious and did great in my tummy!

Miles 14-18—8:55, 8:15, 8:53, 8:18, 8:48 It was starting to get pretty hot. It had been warm for most of the race, but the sun was behind the mountains or clouds for much of the first half of the race.  By mile 14 the sun was out in full force.

The heat didn’t affect me as badly as I thought it would.  One thing that helped a lot was a cute little trick that Whitney shared with me.  I took some knee socks and tied them around my neck.  At one of the early water stops (probably around mile 7) I soaked it in cold water. At every water stop I poured water on the socks. They kept my neck nice and cool and I never felt overheated. It was a risk running with something I hadn’t tried before.  I figured that I could toss the $2 socks if they bugged me.

Unfortunately, it was during these long hot middle miles that my IT Band started bothering me. A LOT. I had a long way to go and I didn’t know how much worse it was going to get. I stopped at a medical tent (which were very plentiful—at nearly every water station, which were every two miles). They rubbed my knee with Icy Hot. I think I did this at mile 17.

Miles 19-22—9:46, 9:11, 8:30, 9:49  These were the toughest miles of the race. I was in serious pain. I had to stop to stretch or walk in order to get the pain on the side of my leg to ease up.

Going into mile 19, I had close to a two minute cushion on my A+ goal. I was averaging an 8:41 pace.  But mile 19 was one of my slowest miles. I hurt, it was hot. I knew my cushion was dwindling away every time I stopped. During mile 19 there was an overpass with a traffic barrier off to the side under it. It was something to lean on and it was in the shade. I didn’t check, but I may have used up a good chunk of a minute there.

My IT Band hurt as much that day as it did during the Long Beach Marathon a year earlier. Last year, it was the nail in my coffin that I couldn’t push through. This year, I was SO close to my goal. Somehow, I was able to push through. I learned, maybe for the first time, just how much of a mental challenge a marathon is. I have always wondered if I could have pushed through that pain last year, but since my goals were completely gone, I never really tried. This year, with my goal still within reach, I found the strength. This is the strongest I have ever felt in a race.

Miles 23-26.2--8:35, 8:18, 8:35, 8:37 (pace for .2 was 8:17)                           
Miraculously, somewhere around mile 23, my IT Band stopped hurting so acutely. In fact, my knee went numb. I felt nothing.  Well…I can’t say nothing. It was the last miles of a marathon in 80-degree weather. I felt all sorts of things. 

These miles had some great spectator support. The course wound through residential streets where crowds cheered me on. There were cold washcloths at mile 25 that felt fantastic. There was finally some shade and I was smiling. I knew I was going to finish within my goal. My Boston qualifying time of 3:55 was in the bag. I knew my A++ (3:48 or faster) goal was out of reach, but my A+ goal (sub 3:50) was still possible. I pushed as hard as I could.

photo proof courtesy of MarathonFoto.com


I ran through the chute with a grin on my face. After crossing the finish line, I looked down and saw that I didn’t quite make that A+ goal (3:50:17).  However, I was not disappointed. I was overcome with emotion and as I covered my face as the tears came, a volunteer asked if I was ok.  I was more than ok. Then he asked if it was my first marathon.  “No, but my first time qualifying for Boston.”  I got a few congratulations from those around me.  I have never felt so proud after a race.

Official Time--

3:50:13

overall- 1578/5735

gender- 439/2554

women 40-44- 71/367

Thanks everyone for the positive thoughts and well wishes.

Coming soon…after the race, thoughts, and lessons learned.

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.

Hood to Coast Race Report Part 1—before the race

What a whirlwind week it was leading up to Hood to Coast. Thursday, before flying to Seattle to meet up with Nuun and my Nuun Platuun teammates, I had a little thing called first day of school. My youngest was starting kindergarten, a huge milestone.  Instead of arriving in Seattle early Thursday to hang out with the team and decorate the vans, I gave hugs and kisses and took pictures of two excited kiddos. As much as I am trying to enjoy my running opportunities while trying to build a business based on fitness, first and foremost I am a MOM. I am so glad I was able to do both.

After that, I headed to the airport to start my adventure. I was giddy with excitement. I went crazy with the camo theme and even had a camouflage carry-on bag. I was ready to go.
At the airport, I was in the security line with a soldier. I even snapped a picture with him. I told him all about the race and thanked him for his service.  Another passenger had run HTC a few years earlier and told me how much he enjoyed it.  My excitement was building.

I arrived in Seattle and got a cab and headed to the Nuun offices. When I arrived, I expected the party to be in full swing, but I was the first to get there.  Yeah!  I didn’t miss out on as much fun as I had thought!  The Nuun staffers were super welcoming and made me feel very comfortable.  So much so, that a couple of the bloggers thought I worked there when they first saw me.

When everyone walked in, it was surreal.  I have followed many of these awesome women’s blogs for a couple years.  To be honest, I felt a little bit star-struck. Many of these women had blogs with 10-20 times more followers than me, others were Boston alumni and accomplished ironwomen.  I was feeling a little self conscious.

But soon I was chatting away with everyone and felt more comfortable. We all went back to the hotel as Van 1 had an early departure and were meeting in the lobby at 5:45 a.m.  We snapped a couple of pictures with Nuun Platunners that we wouldn’t see until the next day. How cute are we in our camo skirts from Running Skirts.com?

Pictured here are me, TMB, Jess, Tricia and Kerrie

My hotel roommates were Kerrie and Emily.  Emily was still on East Coast time and hit the sack right away.  Kerrie and I tried, but ended up chatting for at least an hour—whispering in our bed.  It was great.  Honestly, I wish there had been a bit more of that kind of “girl talk” during the race, but believe it or not, it seemed like we were always focused on some task or another and didn’t do as much of that as I would have thought.  Once we stopped chatting, neither of us got much sleep.  5 a.m. came way too quickly, but the day had come and we were heading to Mt. Hood!!


On our way down to Oregon, we were interviewed for an article in a magazine!  Wow…we were famous!  We passed the phone around and answered the reporter’s questions.

You can read the article HERE.

As we headed east from I-205, I started getting really excited. I was in my old stomping grounds of East Portland/Troutdale! We drove mere miles from my childhood home and into Gresham where I spent a lot of time in my teenage years.

When we saw Mt. Hood getting closer, the excitement in the van was palpable.  We were SO close to the start.  We had all been looking forward to this for so long. The noise level started increasing in the van.  Except for Tricia…she was getting noticeably quiet. I wasn’t sure if it was her “game face” or if she was getting more and more nervous. I know now from her report on leg 1 that she was terrified. When we saw our first runner, a cheer went up.  That was going to be us soon.  Specifically…the first runner we saw was running Leg 6- my leg.  I was officially excited.

We all got our game faces on...


 And then we were there!! The teams, the vans…it was all real.

 We found the Nuun tent and donned our Nuun tattoos and spread the Nuun love!



A familiar face from the Hood to Coast movie stopped by and said, “Nuun Platuum??”  It was Bob from Dead Jocks in a Box*!  He reached out to a few of us via Facebook to find out our start time, as well as tweeted with Tricia.  He was super nice. We didn't see them again.  They were faster than us and finished first in their division!

Tricia was ready to go to lead off our van. This thing was really happening!!

She joined Alanna from the AfterNuun Delight team and headed toward the start line.




And then…they were off!!!!

Stay tuned for Part 2- the highs and lows of the first legs.

*It was the first time a “celebrity” had messaged me on Facebook.  I was pretty excited. Bob was one of my favorites in the movie because he looks a lot like my brother-in-law.    Like Dead Jocks on Facebook so they can get 100 likes!