Race Optimism and Goals

Just a quick post about what I'm looking at and what I'm wanting in terms of races this year. Entry fees have been paid, but who knows if I'll make it to starting lines. Looking forward with Optimism, as I said in my post the other day, I'm operating as if :)

Kaiser 5K February 3...I ran this for the first time last year when I was struggling in so many ways and still managed to run it at an 8:15 average pace (the course is officially longer than 5K so that's how I like to gauge my performance at this race). This year I'm struggling less. I'd like to finish it with the speed I had in my 5K in November...7:30 average pace. My training plan is structured as if this is going to happen.

Last year looking like Stone-cold Steve Austin

Oakland Running Festival half-marathon March 24...I've only run the relay, both last year and the year before. This year all of my relay teammates decided to try the half. I was kind of annoyed because I like routine...and running less. Running Leg 2 of the Oakland Marathon had become part of my March routine...amazing how doing something twice makes it feel like 'routine.' Anyway...I said, FINE. Half-marathon... whatEVER .... Goal on this one...start healthy and finish happy. I give myself full permission to shamelessly not start. And in the event that I start and things go sour, I will unabashedly not finish. But in the vein of Optimism, I'm operating as if it will all be sunshine and roses :)

Leg 2 of the 2012 Oakland Marathon Relay

Bay to Breakers May 19...I've run this one three times, last year,  the year before and back in 1994. Seeing the naked people is not a highlight for me (click the links if you want to see naked B2B people). My favorite part of the race is, surprisingly...or perhaps in my case, not surprisingly, Hayes Street Hill. Overall, this race gave me a hard time all three years, and with the gleam of Optimism in my eyes, I look forward to me giving it a hard time this year :)

O, the irony of this parting gift...

Sonoma 5K Turkey Trot November 28...my yearly return-to-running barometer, I ran this one last year and the year before and the year before that. Since the fall of 2010, I've improved my 5K time by 5 minutes and 40 seconds. This year I'd like to set a real 5K PR by knocking another 2 minutes off my time from 2012. If I can stave off bloggermarathonhighmileagemania, I have confidence that I can stay healthy enough to at least come close. Am I the only blogger who has a 5K for her 'A' race this year?

First woman...yeah, I won. Go figure.

I'm looking at a few others, among them the San Francisco Second Half, but I'm curious about how things will pan out with the first three listed above before committing.

And there's always Hood to Coast in late August...I'm planning my Nuun team application already ;-)

I'd love to hear about your race plans and goals for 2013 in a comment below!

Endorphin Warrior Training Bracelet Giveaway

For a long time, I had my eye on the Endorphin Warrior Training Bracelets.

I'd enter every giveaway I came across, trying to win one. I'd go to the website and put one in a cart...and then be told that money was tight that day and to hold off...and then I'd let it go.

This year, Endorphin Warrior so generously offered a bracelet to each of the Team Nuun Hood to Coast Relay participants. This was seriously like the cherry on top of a super fantastic experience! I had always thought I'd choose to put 'RELENTLESS' on the bracelet when I finally got one, but when it came time to put in my order, I knew that wasn't what I needed. I realized that I am, by nature, already relentless. I mulled over the question, "Of what do I need to be reminded?"

see...i am old...lizardy old lady skin proves it ;-)

I wore this bracelet from the moment I took it out of the bag. I loved wearing it while running in that race...and while reflecting in the van. And now that the race is over, I wear it all the time. It is a strong, beautiful (and comfortable) reminder to keep faith...in myself, in others, in 'the process,' in life. To believe.

I am thrilled to have the opportunity to pass along an Endorphin Warrior Training Bracelet with keyword or phrase of choice to a lucky winner whose name will be chosen at random by the random number generator at random.org on Sunday, September 16, 2012 at 11:59 p.m. and announced on Monday, September 17th...whatever time I manage after staying up so late the night before waiting for last minute entries ;-)

To enter, please visit the Endorphin Warrior website and let me know in a comment what keyword or phrase speaks to you.

Bonus entries given for:

• following this blog on GFC (click on sidebar) or Twitter
• Liking Taking It On on Facebook
• Liking Endorphin Warrior on Facebook
• following Endorphin Warrior on Twitter
• blogging, tweeting, facebooking about this giveaway

That is a total of 6 bonus entries to take advantage of! Please do leave a separate comment for each entry you submit. And don't lie. (Yes, people do). Keep your karma clean :)

You gotta play to win...and may the odds be ever in your favor.

Disclosures: I was gifted a bracelet for myself and one to giveaway. The opinions expressed are my own. No money has changed hands regarding this post or giveaway. You must be a US resident to win. And if you aren't lucky this time around, Endorphin Warrior does periodic giveaways on their website and is running a haiku contest through October 31, 2012.

Our Own Private Relay Race (alternate title: Hood to Coast Round Three)

We were so alone...the exchanges felt so empty...it really seemed like we were running our own private relay race, fully staffed with volunteers and well-marked hand-offs and Honey Buckets... all professional-like, but very solitary, very private. It was a huge departure from the downtown-Manhattan-at-rush-hour feeling of last year.

I remarked on this solitary feeling multiple times, and when I overheard the news that the final runner on the course had just passed through Exchange 29 while we were waiting at Exchange 31 for Erin to complete her final leg and hand off to Elizabeth, I exclaimed...

Hey, you guys! I just realized...

We could conceivably be the last people to physically cross the finish line!

How cool is that?!!

The volunteers thought it was hilarious. My vanmates did not share our enthusiasm. 

In fact, Elizabeth, who was preparing to run her final leg, actually glared at me.

"No! Not cool at all!"  were her words to me.

Then our driver Tyler started going on about how he wanted to see each of us sprinting into the exchanges ...and he made herky-jerky, karate-chop motions with his arms. 

I said...Ohhhhh! All Terminator-like!

He nodded and then further embellished the description.

Perhaps it was all this distraction that led to the following Elizabethan incident...

Cheerleader-y jump-for-joy (left) leading to rolled ankle (middle) crippling runner (right) :(

You can read her first-hand tale here.

Elizabeth went down for the count about midway through her final leg...and she was crushing it. She continued to 'run' until we found her. We put her in the van, got ice on the ankle, elevated it, and Tyler jumped out of the van, grabbed the slappy bracelet and started running...in bermuda shorts and a gigantic belt buckle...I think he might even have been wearing Vans. 

He got us to the next exchange (I did not see his Terminator impersonation sprint) where a paramedic guy came to examine our latest injury. Luckily, he agreed that all an ER would do would be exactly what we were already doing...R.I.C.E. and drugs for inflammation and pain (we had that covered, too). Extra luckily, Elizabeth noticed neither the plethora of food stains on his large t-shirted belly nor the fact that he had neglected to fully zip up his battered and dusty camouflage cargo pants, otherwise she might have really freaked out. (I always seem to notice these sorts of things). She wanted to stay with the team...of course....who wouldn't? So she did :)

Meanwhile, back at the exchange chute...

No one official noticed anything amiss regarding which runner for Nuun Team Morning was handing the strap to Katie, who booked out on her last and probably most challenging leg...nearly 8 miles of rolling (read: mostly up) hills in the middle of the day with the hot sun high in the sky...fun! fun!

Now you can be happy for realz, Katie...

you are almost donnnnnnne!!!!!!!

Amanda flew out of the exchange once Katie handed off to her. She had wrapped and iced that wounded leg and was ready to rip through her final leg...beautiful, fast and strong in her neon yellow sports bra, matching knee socks and ubiquitous sparkly skirt.

Super speedy pretty lady on a pretty day...warrants a double thumbs-up!

Up next? Jennifer. The fittest fork of them all. This lovely athlete was a veritable machine as she handled over 7 miles of steady uphill mostly on gravel in faster than 7-minute mile average pace. And she was the only member of the squad to follow driver's orders on the sprint...probably because she was the only one besides me to hear them and the only one of us two who could handle the directive...because she IS a cyborg...

The Forkinator

Can you see that she is laughing? She is.

She really did sprint out the end like no human ever could...

with karate-chop hands.

Instead of grappling me with giant hooks like in the movie, she handed me that bracelet one last time...and I ran with it. And lucky for me, this year I did not head off in the wrong direction! Of the three legs I ran last year and this, it was this third and final that I recalled the most vividly and exactly. As I wound around on the chunky, rocky, dirt road, I could see several people within roadkilling range. And knowing that I would probably be brought to tears once the road flattened out again about 3 miles into the piece, I decided to go for it while I had it in me. They were super easy to catch up with...and we exchanged pleasantries...and I learned why they were so easy to 'kill'...they had taken a bad turn and gotten lost in the wilderness for 8 miles! 

Exiting the dirt road and heading up the big paved hill, I held a steady sub-10-min/mile pace (thank you, Moeser training!) and passed a bunch more people...who had also gotten lost! One was wearing a Charlie Brown t-shirt. He's a clownnnnnn....that Charlie Browwwwwnnnnnn! I sang as I approached him. He laughed and said, "yeah, and like Charlie Brown I seem to do everything wrong" and he told me about getting lost. Right then I had an 'a-ha!' moment. You see, I, too, had done something wrong...

Yeah, I said. Well, at least you probably put your finish timing chip on your shoe! 

Something that I hadn't done :(

He laughed. "You're right! Got ya there!"

So I mercilessly (but good-naturedly) dusted him. 

My van happened to see me as I headed down the big hill. They gave me a sip of water, and I alerted them to our timing chip issue. I told them where to find it in my backpack and to meet me just before the finish line and I would hand-carry it over. Whew! Disaster averted...especially since they actually were able to find it and then find me just before the finish line!

Here I am looking elated that we've solved the chip problem...

...yes, that is my look of elation when I'm in 'the Zone.'

Thinking I might want to lower my shoulders and bring the elbows in a little. 

And maybe get in better shape so I don't look so much like I might puke.

And what is up with my hair?

Running through Seaside was remarkably similar to last year...except I didn't cry. I expected to, but right around when I thought it might happen there was a group of guys sitting on their lawn with a cooler and a beer that they said had my name on it. They 'woo hooo'ed me and whistled and clapped and made me smile. I waved and said 'thanks' and made their afternoon by flexing my sexily muscular arms. Well, I made them laugh anyway.

I remember smiling almost excessively on this leg. I thanked every volunteer. As people offered high-fives along the finishing Promenade, I took full advantage of each opportunity to soak up the crowd's energy and excitement.

"JUICE ME! Yeah!!!!!"

I got to the turn onto the sand and was able to grab that chip and dip a little to make sure my crossing registered as I grunted my way through the sand and across the line...

Finishing a race should be gritty...not pretty ;-)

Whip it...whip it good...

again I ask...

what is UP with my hair?

This year the whole team...both Van 1 and Van 2...were there as I finished! We were able to cross the line all together... I believe Elizabeth went piggy-back on Kim's son :)

Awesome-quality pirated photo...

I'm the knobby-kneed one on the far right.

And I'm still not done recapping. I still need to tell you all about that night's rockin' (or not) party and the next day. I want to tell you all about how I fueled for this thing given all my weird food intolerance issues. I hope to process all the thoughts and feelings and write about that aspect as well. 

The parting words on this post will be... look at the smiles on those faces! Even the drivers are smiling. Nuun gave us a fantastic, unforgettable, deep, and moving experience for which I know I will remain very, very grateful. The synergy of the people they pulled together for both Hood to Coast 2011 and 2012 has truly felt magical. 

******************************

Stats for my final leg... Leg 36...

Finish time... 48:00

Finally, the Garmin and reality agree on distance... 5.23 miles (9:10 avg pace).

Faster again than last year, on less running. I'm telling ya...the Don't Run, Run Faster Plan is a winner ;-)

Team Morning finished 6th in the Women's Corporate division in 28:46 (or something like that), finishing time was sandwiched in between the two other Nuun teams...Noon and Night...who were both in the Open Women's division.

******************************
Other Hood to Coast 2012 posts:


Gratitude...Nuun, you are awesome :)
Photo Bullets
Clueless in Seattle
Don't Be A Hater
The Don't Run, Run Faster Training Plan

Oh, What a Beautiful Morning... (alternate title: Hood To Coast Round Two)

One of the differences between running Hood to Coast with Nuun Hydration this year and last was our start time. Last year's Nuun teams started simultaneously at 12:30 in the afternoon. This year the teams were stagger-started... 2:15, 2:30, and 2:45. This seemed to impact things in several ways...fueling, rest, running attire, sense of competition ... all of which had trickle-down effects on things like...attitude. 

Like last year, Van 2 began its first set of running in the early evening and ended up finishing that set at the reasonable hour of 10 pm. This year, however, I finished us up just this side of midnight. Just in case you weren't aware of this fact, midnight feels a lot later than 10 o'clock! Eating at 10, cleaning up and then falling 'asleep' around midnight feels more normal than shifting all of that 2 hours later. 

The upside for me? I fell asleep a little more quickly than last year. 

The upside for the rest of the team? The sun actually came up during our first runner's second stint.

With a 12:30 afternoon start time, Runner #7 on a team of our relative speed would be running her second leg at around 3 in the morning. Unnatural! So lucky Erin got to start around 5. Way more normal :P Similar to last year, I was a zombie. Those early morning hours are excruciating for me and always have been. I have no idea how I survived as a rower.

It was very interesting to get to actually see this part of the course (we couldn't last year). There was enough light from the moment Erin started that we could make out the insane 'rolling' hills. They pretty much looked to me like they just kept going up. Twisty-turny road and continual climbing in semi-darkness...every turn putting you right at the base of yet another UPhill when you really just want to be in a cozy bed. Like a f*cking nightmare. But Erin was out there, relentless...undaunted. And the sun was steadily rising on a clear and gorgeous day as we met her at the transition...

Erin (with huge smile plastered on her lovely face): That was so cool! I heard THREE roosters crowing!

wish I had a picture :(

Next up was Elizabeth...who would be climbing the scary, dusty, gravel mountain in broad daylight. I remember vividly watching Kim run this beast in the darkest hours of the night. The billowing dust, the red brake lights...it was truly surreal. Seeing it was mind-blowing. First of all, in early morning sunlight it was gorgeous. Forest, pastures...blue sky, sun rising. And then seeing the gravelly, dusty roadbed. And then realizing that the climb was massive. Hard to say whether it would suck more being able to see it all in the light or to be blindly forging onward in the dark. I think I'd prefer the light in the hopes that the natural beauty might distract me.

This girl killed it.

beyond happy to be done!

Still on gravel, Katie took the slappy bracelet and headed out. She cranked through this leg, probably relieved to have a not-super-long leg sandwiched in between two doozies...who cares if it's on gravel and cold out?

Don't be too happy, Katie...

you still have a nut-buster of a 7.something-miler to do later today ;-)

okay, that was harsh...but true

Runner #10, our wounded warrior was ready to do what she could...in the immortal words of Tony Horton, she was ready to "do her best and leave the rest"...which is all anyone can ever ask of someone. I was really worried about her doing serious damage to her leg, but the 9+ hours since her last run had been spent resting/icing/compressing/elevating as best one can in a van, and she said she was wanting to see what she had. So strong and so beautiful, Amanda hit the road...

Where is everyone? It's gorgeous out here!

(more on this later...)

photos by elizabeth

WooHOOOOO! Amanda the Brave!

I have to say it was quite a challenge to follow two super speedy chicks, I found myself needing to get ready for my starts three people ahead of myself instead of as the person in front of me jumped out. When I say super speedy, I mean it...I swear Jennifer's predicted times on these first two 4-mile-ish legs were something insane like 25 minutes. F.A.S.T. We'd drop her off at her start and immediately go to our hand-off and I'd barely have time to pee at the Honey Bucket let alone do something more. 

The Flying Fit Fork

She didn't need the magical Tough Chik rainbow arm warmers

or the pixie-dusted golden sparkly skirt to run this leg at 6:25/mile average pace...

I know this because she had on neither when she held a similar pace on her other three legs.

I had just enough time to strike my SparkleCheerleader Barbie pose before Jennifer came blazing into the chute, and I was on my way...Leg 24...my second run in less than 12 hours. How was my body going to handle this? I decided to try my same plan that I used so successfully for that first leg: Heart rate around 145-150 for the body. Ummm...yeah....so.... hmmmmmmm.... Not so sure why it wasn't happening. I was pretty stuck right at 140. The road was a very slight net downhill but very, very canted. It hurt. I got passed by a few speedsters. And I passed one person. (OOOOOooooo, roadkill!) But the tilted roadbed was hurting. I kept reminding myself to keep my core tight...to keep the glutes firing...to not overstride...to relax (you can see by how high my shoulders are that the 'relax' reminder wasn't really working :P)...keep the step feeling quick and light... But still I was just stuck in this lackluster, painful place. I gutted it out as best I could. I seriously struggled with maintaining mental aggression, and I just couldn't get the leg turnover up. For the last 3 miles of this leg, I was all alone...which was rough in a way. At least I can say that I gave a consistent effort and felt like death at the end even if all by my lonesome!

more photos by elizabeth

...and heeeeeeere comes trouble.

Tricia was standing in the middle of the road so I wouldn't miss her this time. And I didn't :) 

But...

I missed this with my Team Noon Runner #12 counterpart at the end...

Not a staged photo.

Lindsay and I are spazzes.

Let's try that again...

photos by nicole

Okay...this time we got it.

And I look like a man.

How can I be smiling so broadly when I just struggled in feeling like death on a lopsided platter? Well, because I did it. I did my best. And it was fun. 

***********************************
Stats for Leg 24:

Finish time... 42:22

official distance... 4.93 miles (avg pace 8:35)
garmin says...       4.86 miles (avg pace 8:44)

Other Hood to Coast 2012 posts:

Gratitude...Nuun, you are awesome :)
Photo Bullets
Clueless in Seattle
Don't Be A Hater
The Don't Run, Run Faster Training Plan

The Don't Run, Run Faster Training Plan (alternate title: Hood To Coast – Round One)

We all know that I am an elliptical whiz. I dominate that beast in every distance from 5K to 20 miles. But how does running less than 10 miles a week combined with elliptical training translate into 200-mile-relay-race-running-readiness? We're about to find out...

In the days leading up to the start of Hood to Coast, I vacillated between feeling super calm and unstressed and freaking OUT about the fact that I would be cramming double my weekly running mileage into less than a 24-hour window of time. Ummm...yeah. Can we say 'feeling a little undertrained'? Just a weensy bit. Kinda, sorta.

Whenever I would go to that scary place, I would remind myself of the hours on the elliptical, the effectiveness of heart rate training and reassure myself with the memory of having physically run on the ground for 7 miles the week before the race to prove to my legs that, in fact, they could go the distance...of at least that first leg :P

Flashing on my enjoyable mile and a half run the morning of my flight up to Nuun in Seattle assuaged my fears...somewhat. And once in Seattle, I knew better than to try and 'fit in' with the real runners...going on a 'shakeout' run that was longer in distance than my training runs and more than half my normal weekly mileage would have been a mistake. Babying my hip was of tantamount importance. I wanted to at least start the race feeling tip-top.

So the babying was helping things feel not painful, but I could tell that my legs (and mind) were stagnating. Not good. Needing a little leggy wake-up call, I scurried off to the hotel exercise room for 5 speedy minutes on the elliptical before bed on Thursday night. It not only helped get my blood pumping and my muscles moving, it was a great way to discharge some stressful b.s. from my personal life that had been worming its way into my outstanding Nuun Hood to Coast Experience. B.S. must be BANISHED!

When I awoke Friday morning as Caroline was preparing to depart with the Van 1 runners, I started getting antsy all over again. A call from home didn't help. I tried to blog to get my mind back on matters immediately at hand. Ehhhhh....sort of worked. Then Harmony got up and went for breakfast. I ate in the room and pretended to repack my exploded duffel bag. When she returned, I realized how close it was to 'GO' time. Sh*t! I wasn't ready. I started panicking.

Four minutes on the Machine of Pleasure (yes, I am referring to the elliptical) and I was lucid, placid, ready...and a leeetle bit late for the 11 a.m. departure. Sorry, ladies! Believe me...you're super glad I was late and didn't bring the entirety of that emotional mess into the van!

Grounded and centered and laden with plenty of fueling items that would work with my imperfect digestive system, I climbed aboard the vessel...

I don't know who I stole this from...and it isn't even Van 2, it's Van 1. But they were almost exactly the same. So we're going with it.

...and off we went...next stop... Panera about 20 minutes away for lunch :P  so anticlimactic!

And then...Sandy – the first major van exchange in the Hood to Coast Relay!

As we were en route to Sandy where our first runner (#7 – Erin...our awesome Nuun employee teammate) would take the hand-off from Van 1's last runner (#6 – Nicole) at around 7 o'clock in the evening, this is what the Van 1 runners were doing...

photo by nicole

Yeah, pretty spectacular. 

Kind of way more spectacular than a Safeway parking lot!

photo by corey

Team Breakfast 

(aka Team Morning Van 1...our predecessors)

Corey (#2), Nicole (#6), Jess (#4), Tricia (#1), Stephanie (#3), Caitlin from Nuun (#5)

As they were enjoying the high mountain air and kicking off the running for us, we were driving...and tweeting...and texting...

I was super lucky and sat in the back again. 

And they were all so gracious (or intimidated) and let me be there. 

I am so appreciative of this...and so apologetic if it is because they felt intimidated :(

...calming pre-race jitters....

"Does Washington have an open-container law?

Shhhhh...it's just #lemontea..."

...rolling out stiff muscles...

Double-teaming with the Tiger Tail...

Take that, QL! And THAT, gastrocnemius!

...alleviating some tension and attempting to speed up slow-moving 'systems'...

Take THAT, constipation!

The Tiger Tail does it all!

We finally rolled into the glorious Sandy Safeway parking lot late in the afternoon and parked next to a delightful stand of Honey Buckets (portable toilets) whereupon we commenced chatting up Nuun to other competitors and applying Nuun temporary tattoos...

photo by megan

The tat train...

Emily not watching, Elizabeth, me half-undressed, Erin, and Amanda on her knees.

Then we needed to start getting ready to actually run. We'd been on the road and waiting for hours, starting at 11 a.m. and now it was approaching 6 p.m. I still had 5 hours before I would run, but we needed to get Erin ready. With the nighttime safety rules going into effect at 6 o'clock, we needed a reflective vest with front AND back flashers and either a handheld light or a headlamp. We couldn't find any of this stuff in our van. Go, us! Oh, and we still didn't have our race bibs! Where o where are you, Van 1?

Finally, we located some vests. Then Erin pulled out her keychain...it had an LED flasher on it! I reached into my god-awfully humongous bag and pulled out...

a sewing kit!

because of course one would take a sewing kit on a distance running relay. 

you might need to, you know, sew something along the way!

don't anyone ever give me sh*t about my big bag again...

and now you know another reason why almost-50-year old ladies can be good to have on your team!

I stitched that keychain on the vest, we scrounged another flasher, Van 1 showed up with our bibs, and Erin sped off! Her leg was pretty grueling with a never-ending series of rolling hills. We whooped and hollered. We let her know she was the boss of those hills!

We even power-arched her!

GO, ERIN!

She handed off to Elizabeth, who took off so fast that she looked as if she had blurry roadrunner legs like from the cartoon...

Go, speedy girl! 

And then it was dark and you couldn't really see any of us. Unless you were a car with headlights that reflected off the safety vests.

Elizabeth handed off to Katie who did an amazing job on a long, dark road while encountering some unsavory types. She was followed by Amanda who set herself a blistering pace...and then hurt her leg :( It was debatable whether she would be okay ... and it's kind of tough to pamper someone in a van with no light and limited pampering supplies. We all felt super badly for her and tried to comfort her as best we could and hoped that 9 hours would heal the wound. I felt kind of like an ass because I was pretty distracted since Amanda had just handed off to Jennifer (the runner immediately before me in the rotation) who runs crazy fast. Her predicted finish time for that 4- or 5-mile leg was something like 5 minutes. I knew it would take us at least that long to just get out of the parking lot.

We got Amanda into the van and somewhat comfortable and headed to where I would begin my first stint. Upon parking, I realized that not only did I have to relieve myself but that the exchange set up was different from last year and very far from parking to hand-off. I didn't wait for anyone to come with me...I don't think I even waited for the van to stop moving. I jumped out and took off running the approximately 0.437 miles to the hand-off zone. Thankfully, there was a lone Honey Bucket right there...which I used. I had just stepped out and asked Random Runner Girl next to me if my flashers were on when Jennifer handed me the slappy strap and I was running Leg 12. Woo Hoooooo!!!!!!

I looked like this...

...possessed eyeballs and all lit up... 

but in a sparkly purple skirt and neon yellow sports bra.

And this year I wore my Buzz Lightyear Garmin wrist protector...

to infinity and beyond!

And something happened.

All my anxiety melted away.

Running by heart rate...I aimed to keep it between 145 and 150 for the body of the run and then bump it up a little in the last mile. 146 to 148...right on the money the whole way. I felt like I was floating. I knew I wasn't running fast because I got passed by people who were running fast, but when I peeked at the lap pace screen on my watch I was a little freaked by what I saw...but heart rate was in the zone so I just went with it and enjoyed :) I was alone for most of the run...similar to last year. I ran faster than last year with less running under my belt. My hip didn't hurt. I fell madly in love with running all over again.

I came into the exchange chute several minutes ahead of schedule...and quickly found a not-quite-ready Tricia, handed her the bracelet and I was done... for the next 9 hours.

But where was Lindsay? Another Nuun runner had taken a wrong turn somewhere back there. Fortunately, she found her way without too much of a detour, but that is exactly why I wrote such detailed course reports last year...to help prevent that from happening to future Leg 12 runners! It pays to read my blog ;-)

photo by zoe

So glad she was safe!

Able to relax once Lindsay showed up, I walked a little and then ate in the van and cleaned myself up while my vanmates went out to a midnight dinner and enjoyed a couple of beers. We drove to the next major van exchange and tried to get some sleep.

About 2 and a half hours of sleep.

****************************

Stats for my first leg...Leg 12:

finish time ... 53:17

the official course gives it 6.37 miles (which computes to 8:22 avg pace)
my infallible Garmin showed 6.21 miles (yielding a slightly more realistic 8:34 avg pace)

Way faster than I imagined and faster even than last year when I was actually running in training...albeit consistently injured.

I must start with a huge apology... (alternate title: Nuun – Improving on Perfection)

...but the apology has nothing to do with the number or length of the forthcoming onslaught of Team Nuun Hood to Coast posts that I will be launching over the next several days. Heck no. I have a reputation to uphold. Last year I did eight parts...this is the fourth part for 2012 and I haven't even gotten to the race yet.

My apology is extended to all the good people at Nuun who worked so hard and so diligently and so generously to make this event again unforgettable ... a powerful experience ... and, yes, life-changing. (I'll get to why it was all that in a later post...and it isn't all for reasons you ...or I... might expect).

You may ask why I am apologizing.

I'm not so sure there will be a question about that once you see the photos I've used to illustrate this post :D

But while I'm apologizing, I want to express my deepest, most heartfelt gratitude. I needed this event. Needed. Like you cannot know. Well, some of you know...but most of you don't know how badly I truly needed this event.

Thank you, Nuun.

Thank you, EVERYONE at Nuun who worked so hard to create/implement/support/manage this amazing event.

I wasn't going to even apply this year. Things were so almost-perfect last year...how could that ever be topped or even matched? Add to that a whole mess o' health and personal issues that kept me awake at night, crashed out during the day, and just upside down and inside out no matter which way you sliced it...a creative application was not on my radar. Besides...how could I ever top The Nun?

However...I am so glad I found inspiration and desire for long enough to make my 'sexy' creeper video and even more glad that the Nuun panel deemed it worthy of selection.

So I arrived in Seattle on Wednesday and was met by...

Kim!

photo by Zoe

...who told me I looked fantastic! Or was it amazing? Then she told me how very glad she was that I was there. With a big hug. Major warm fuzzies.

Kim is solid. In every way. She seems to always be able to say just the thing you really need to hear right when you need to hear it. And she has a beautiful outlook. More than just a Nuun contact person, I am so fortunate to be able to count her among my friends.

At the baseball game I was delightedly greeted by Mason Reay, head of Nuun, who gave me a hug and told me more than once "I am so glad you are here." This was closely followed by a similarly hearty welcome from Casey Otley, Nuun CFO (and van driver for the awesome Nuun Platuun Van 2 of 2011). In Seattle for a mere hour and already feeling significant and wanted. What a great feeling!

This continued through the day and on into the night. Nice dinners for everyone. Kind words. Good conversation. Mason even joined some of the participants on a shakeout run Thursday morning...

Mason!

baseball hat, in the middle

photo by Tiffany

"Sorry, Shanna...you have to be Runner #5..."

anyway I think that's Shanna... 

We each were treated to a gorgeous team jacket and a nice-fitting graphic technical team tee...among other things. And our fabulously fun and very organized team coordinator (what a detail-oriented, ball-buster of a job that would be) Caitlin had also put together some really fun stuff for us to do...like the Nuun-mazing Race I wrote about a few days ago.

Caitlin!

photo by Zoe

I can only imagine all of what she had to oversee...from what has previously been mentioned to that night's dinner catering to all manner of dietary restrictions to procuring super comfy 12-passenger vans and supplies to successfully complete a 200-mile running relay for three 12-person teams and having well-appointed condos awaiting us at the end. Caitlin, you deserve your own special 'thank you' post! Your efforts did, indeed, improve upon the perfection of last year's Team Nuun experience for this participant :)

And then there were the drivers... these guys went above and beyond in so many instances. First, there was Mason behind the wheel of Team Night's Van 1. The driver for their Van 2 was...

Ray!

but ya doesn't have to call him Johnson :)

photo by Sarah Mac

...who drove my van back to Seattle when the race was over.

The incomparable

Casey!

driving for Team Noon

How is it this guy is always smiling? 

Always.

For real.

Team Noon's other driver...

Alex!

...who sparkled and ate Chobani yogurt like the rest of us...

but maybe not as happily as...

Jay!

...who donned a sparkly skirt (and presumably nothing else) and assisted Caitlin by running with her!

Runner #5 has it really rough. Really.

photos by Nicole

I'm thinking the skirt makes you smile more.

He also kept Stephanie safe during her night leg.

photo by Nicole

Again, with a huge smile across his face.

Like Casey, this guy is always smiling.

Tyler (left) and Jay (now unrecognizable on the right)

formed the Van Driver Force for Team Morning...

the team I was running with.

You know we felt secure with these two behind the wheel, right?

Not only is 

Tyler!

an excellent driver and a supermodel...

But he and Alex also were great at taking direction when it came to performing simple-yet-very-scary chiropractic maneuvers...

photos by Lindsay

Yes, Elizabeth in the background is very scared.

I almost let them pop my hip...but I was a little too nervous to let it go all the way.

Okay, I'm gushing and rambling. Not such an attractive combo, but I really cannot thank Nuun enough for putting together such a wonderful experience. Spreading hydration elation :) It is with pride and pleasure that I consider myself part of the Nuun family.

*further apologies are extended to improperly credited or uncredited photos used in this post. I was a lame photographer this year :( and additional apologies to those Nuun employees who went unmentioned or whose roles appear to have been minimized. I was rather overwhelmed and can't remember all the names and all the hats everyone wears! Except for ERIN!!!!