Great Experience

I just got home from running the RTB relay and it was an incredible experience!! After driving up to New Hampshire on Thursday, checking in at the race, then eating dinner, we in our rooms and in bed around 11pm. I didn't get much sleep, maybe 3 hours at best. We were up at 5:15am Friday morning to head to Cannon Mountain for the start of the race. I took off for our team around 8:25am and it was great going first. Everyone was there to see me off and that's the last time the whole team is together until the finish line. I wasn't able to get any rest before my second leg, which started at 7pm. It just started to rain when I started this leg, but it was only 4 miles so it wasn't too bad. After everyone in my van was done with their second leg, around 1am, we stayed at the transition area to get some rest. I slept in the van and got 3 hours of sleep. We were awake and getting ready to head to the next transition area around 4:30am. I started my third, and most difficult, leg at 6:50am. This leg was not only more difficult because of the distance (9.4 miles) and topography (steep climbs and rolling hills), but I was exhausted and completely alone. At this point in the race, teams are so staggered that you can run a few miles without seeing any other runners. The scenery on this leg was so pretty and peaceful that I was a little sad when it was all over. After my van finished, we checked into our hotel in Hampton Beach, got cleaned up, and headed to the beach to cross the finish line with the second half of our team. We finished around 4:30pm on Saturday afternoon then went out to celebrate. Lisa, Lenore and I managed to stay out a lot longer than we planned and once again didn't get much sleep. And believe it or not, we were up early Sunday morning to go for a run!! Oh, and it was raining...I think we're all sick in the head.

As for my mileage, according to my leg descriptions, I was suppose to run 20.9 miles but my Garmin totaled 21.3 miles. I have to say, those 21.3 miles were the most memorable miles I have ever run. On the ride home everyone was talking about next year but I'm not sure there will be a next year for me. It was such a good experience I'm not sure I want to do it again and risk it being any different. It's a trip I'll never forget and I think I might be happy leaving it at that.