Quick synopsis:
183 miles from Cumberland, Maryland to Washington DC
1 team
12 runners
2 vans with six runners
26 hours and 30 minutes of running.
We dressed as Paulie Bleeker from the movie Juno. We were a huge hit!
Longer Version:
The second van left Ellicott City around 11:30 on Friday morning. Van #1 was already at the start since the relay started at 10 am. We would meet them at exchange 6 where Van #1 would hand off to Van #2. I was running legs 12, 24 & 36.
First Leg: 6.4 miles
I started running around 8:30 pm. It was dark so I was required to wear a headlamp, blinking LED lamp on my back and a reflective vest. It was a bit windy but as soon I started running I was comfortable and the breeze felt nice. The first stretch of my run was downhill so I just let the road take me. Then came the rolling hills. There was one runner ahead of me and I just tried to keep him in my sights by following his blinking light. I spent the majority of the run worrying about my next run. The next one was 7.4 miles and I knew I would be running in the early morning hours. I had never run during that time before so I was worried about how my body would respond.
Overall, I enjoyed my first leg and it was not as bad as I expected. I ran through a small town just as the high school football game was ending. I just prayed that I didn’t get hit by a car. The area were I was running was very rural and reminded me a lot of Montana. I wondered to myself how a girl who grew up in small town Montana ending up running through western Maryland in the middle of the night. The path that I have taken during this life never ceases to amaze me.
My teammates were there at the exchange point to cheer me on. I handed the bracelet to Sally in Van #1 and my van was off to IHOP for some food.
After IHOP we went to the next major exchange point to wait for Van #1. It was raining and I didn’t have a tarp so I curled up in the passenger seat and tried to sleep. I probably only slept for 30 minutes before Van #1 called to say they were running about 30 minutes faster than the predicted pace. They would be there in the next 20 minutes. So we all got out of the van to support the exchange between the two runners. This was one of the best parts of the race. At each exchange all members of the team were there to support the next runner.
Second Leg: 7.4 miles
I started running around 4:15 am and had only slept for about 30 minutes all night. I would try to cat nap during the drive to drop off the next runner but never really fell asleep. I was really nervous about this run because I am the type of girl who needs her sleep. I wasn’t sure how my body would react.
Once I started running I felt okay. There were corn fields to my left and I could just begin to see the sky change color as the sun was rising somewhere in this world. It was extremely dark and my head lamp actually didn’t help too much. I was running slower than normal just so I could be sure of my footing. I am not a particularly religious person but do believe in a higher power. I decided now was as good as any to ask for some guidance and supervision while I was out here all by myself.
My van had gone back to the last exchange to drop off the bike with Michele’s husband so I knew they wouldn’t be with me for a while. I knew I was on my own. It was spooky and I had to force thoughts of being abducted out of my head (yes, this is how my brain works). I was very proud that I was out there running and I told myself the only goal for this run was not to walk.
I had been running in a slight drizzle almost the entire run and soon it began to thunder and lightening. I would count the seconds between the thunder and lightening and decided the worst of the storm was far enough away that I would be able to finish my run before it got really bad. The lightening was actually helpful as it would light up the sky and I could see the road in front of me.
At about the 3.5 mile mark I could see a major hill in front of me. It looked really steep so I decided I would allow myself to walk up the hill so that I would be able to finish the rest of the race. Just at that moment my van showed up. I knew I wouldn’t be able to have them watch me walk up the hill. I guess some higher power was watching over me. So the van followed me up the hill encouraging me all the way. I could hear them yelling, “BLEEKERS DON’T WALK!” I really thought I was going to puke when I got to the top.
Soon I was running on US-15 and I welcomed the somewhat flat terrain. I was tired of the rolling hills. While US-15 seemed somewhat flat it also seemed to go on forever. I took a gel with about 2 miles left to go. I was feeling pretty low at that point but knew the gel would kick in soon. My van was at the one mile left mark and they were a welcome sight. The last mile was all down hill but I still had to work to move forward.
Once I handed off the bracelet it was time to go to the next exchange point to catch some zzz’s. It took 40 minutes to get to the next exchange and I was miserable. I was still soaking wet from my run and I was exhausted. I kept falling asleep in the passenger seat but we were on some weird Blair Witch winding road and I was getting a little car sick. I had to try so hard to keep my eyes open. We got to the exchange; I changed my clothes, curled up in my sleeping bag and slept like I was in my own bed. I probably slept for about an hour and a half before Van #1 called so say there would be there in 30 minutes (about 8 am). Once I brushed my teeth I felt great.
Third and Final Leg: 4.8 miles
I felt okay prior to running. I was happy to be running in the day light as my previous two runs had been in the dark. Chip handed off the bracelet at 11:30 am and I knew all I had to do was run this last leg and we would be done. I started in Georgetown and ran towards the Ronald Reagan Airport via the trail next to the Potomac River. It was so humid that I immediately felt spent. This was one of the hardest runs I have ever run. I vowed to myself that I would not allow this to end up like Eagleman (I walked most of the run). So I just kept moving forward. After about 45 minutes I started to get really discouraged because I hadn’t seen the 1 mile left mark. I soon came upon the volunteer that would radio team numbers to the next exchange or in this case the finish. I am such a sap with things like this I immediately started to cry. I was so happy to be almost done. But it was hard to cry, run and breath at the same time so I tried to get myself under control again. Just as I got my breathing under control I came around the corner and there were The Bleekers, my team, wearing their Dancing Elk Condor t-shirts, knee high socks, and yellow sweat bands. The tears started rolling down my face - we crossed the finish line as a team and I was never so happy to be done with a race. I had left everything I had out there on the trail.
My quads were killing me the next day but it was all worth it. I had so much fun and it was great to do something as a team. Here are some pictures from the weekend:
183 miles from Cumberland, Maryland to Washington DC
1 team
12 runners
2 vans with six runners
26 hours and 30 minutes of running.
We dressed as Paulie Bleeker from the movie Juno. We were a huge hit!
Longer Version:
The second van left Ellicott City around 11:30 on Friday morning. Van #1 was already at the start since the relay started at 10 am. We would meet them at exchange 6 where Van #1 would hand off to Van #2. I was running legs 12, 24 & 36.
First Leg: 6.4 miles
I started running around 8:30 pm. It was dark so I was required to wear a headlamp, blinking LED lamp on my back and a reflective vest. It was a bit windy but as soon I started running I was comfortable and the breeze felt nice. The first stretch of my run was downhill so I just let the road take me. Then came the rolling hills. There was one runner ahead of me and I just tried to keep him in my sights by following his blinking light. I spent the majority of the run worrying about my next run. The next one was 7.4 miles and I knew I would be running in the early morning hours. I had never run during that time before so I was worried about how my body would respond.
Overall, I enjoyed my first leg and it was not as bad as I expected. I ran through a small town just as the high school football game was ending. I just prayed that I didn’t get hit by a car. The area were I was running was very rural and reminded me a lot of Montana. I wondered to myself how a girl who grew up in small town Montana ending up running through western Maryland in the middle of the night. The path that I have taken during this life never ceases to amaze me.
My teammates were there at the exchange point to cheer me on. I handed the bracelet to Sally in Van #1 and my van was off to IHOP for some food.
After IHOP we went to the next major exchange point to wait for Van #1. It was raining and I didn’t have a tarp so I curled up in the passenger seat and tried to sleep. I probably only slept for 30 minutes before Van #1 called to say they were running about 30 minutes faster than the predicted pace. They would be there in the next 20 minutes. So we all got out of the van to support the exchange between the two runners. This was one of the best parts of the race. At each exchange all members of the team were there to support the next runner.
Second Leg: 7.4 miles
I started running around 4:15 am and had only slept for about 30 minutes all night. I would try to cat nap during the drive to drop off the next runner but never really fell asleep. I was really nervous about this run because I am the type of girl who needs her sleep. I wasn’t sure how my body would react.
Once I started running I felt okay. There were corn fields to my left and I could just begin to see the sky change color as the sun was rising somewhere in this world. It was extremely dark and my head lamp actually didn’t help too much. I was running slower than normal just so I could be sure of my footing. I am not a particularly religious person but do believe in a higher power. I decided now was as good as any to ask for some guidance and supervision while I was out here all by myself.
My van had gone back to the last exchange to drop off the bike with Michele’s husband so I knew they wouldn’t be with me for a while. I knew I was on my own. It was spooky and I had to force thoughts of being abducted out of my head (yes, this is how my brain works). I was very proud that I was out there running and I told myself the only goal for this run was not to walk.
I had been running in a slight drizzle almost the entire run and soon it began to thunder and lightening. I would count the seconds between the thunder and lightening and decided the worst of the storm was far enough away that I would be able to finish my run before it got really bad. The lightening was actually helpful as it would light up the sky and I could see the road in front of me.
At about the 3.5 mile mark I could see a major hill in front of me. It looked really steep so I decided I would allow myself to walk up the hill so that I would be able to finish the rest of the race. Just at that moment my van showed up. I knew I wouldn’t be able to have them watch me walk up the hill. I guess some higher power was watching over me. So the van followed me up the hill encouraging me all the way. I could hear them yelling, “BLEEKERS DON’T WALK!” I really thought I was going to puke when I got to the top.
Soon I was running on US-15 and I welcomed the somewhat flat terrain. I was tired of the rolling hills. While US-15 seemed somewhat flat it also seemed to go on forever. I took a gel with about 2 miles left to go. I was feeling pretty low at that point but knew the gel would kick in soon. My van was at the one mile left mark and they were a welcome sight. The last mile was all down hill but I still had to work to move forward.
Once I handed off the bracelet it was time to go to the next exchange point to catch some zzz’s. It took 40 minutes to get to the next exchange and I was miserable. I was still soaking wet from my run and I was exhausted. I kept falling asleep in the passenger seat but we were on some weird Blair Witch winding road and I was getting a little car sick. I had to try so hard to keep my eyes open. We got to the exchange; I changed my clothes, curled up in my sleeping bag and slept like I was in my own bed. I probably slept for about an hour and a half before Van #1 called so say there would be there in 30 minutes (about 8 am). Once I brushed my teeth I felt great.
Third and Final Leg: 4.8 miles
I felt okay prior to running. I was happy to be running in the day light as my previous two runs had been in the dark. Chip handed off the bracelet at 11:30 am and I knew all I had to do was run this last leg and we would be done. I started in Georgetown and ran towards the Ronald Reagan Airport via the trail next to the Potomac River. It was so humid that I immediately felt spent. This was one of the hardest runs I have ever run. I vowed to myself that I would not allow this to end up like Eagleman (I walked most of the run). So I just kept moving forward. After about 45 minutes I started to get really discouraged because I hadn’t seen the 1 mile left mark. I soon came upon the volunteer that would radio team numbers to the next exchange or in this case the finish. I am such a sap with things like this I immediately started to cry. I was so happy to be almost done. But it was hard to cry, run and breath at the same time so I tried to get myself under control again. Just as I got my breathing under control I came around the corner and there were The Bleekers, my team, wearing their Dancing Elk Condor t-shirts, knee high socks, and yellow sweat bands. The tears started rolling down my face - we crossed the finish line as a team and I was never so happy to be done with a race. I had left everything I had out there on the trail.
My quads were killing me the next day but it was all worth it. I had so much fun and it was great to do something as a team. Here are some pictures from the weekend:
The Bleekers waiting for our first exchange
Not sure of the team name but they were all dressed as Marilyn Monroe.
Picture from within the van - torrential downpour! Thankfully it was not my turn to run!
Adam and I were on different teams.
Traveling to the next exchange point.
Yes, the kid in the foreground ran in the relay. He looked about 10.
1 comment:
Captain Jen - Nice report though you failed to mention that you ran the most miles of anyone and kicked butt! Thanks again.
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