Race Report: Great River Relay 2008 - Part Four

The final chapter. FINALLY.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

We loitered around the start area in Stillwater, waiting for Cindy to arrive. It was good to catch up with the chicks in van 2 - to hear their tales of drama and victory and fun. It sounded like everyone was having fun...which was good to hear.


Karen, Ally*, Kristen

*Note to self: Don't allow yourself to be photographed without makeup when you've only slept 1.5 hours

As we were chatting, I looked over...whoooooooosh. Lisa ran by. Oops. Guess I missed the handoff...

ROUND 3:

Run Start Time: I have no idea. Totally lost track of time. 6am? 7am?

Leg 25: Lisa ran 3.1 miles. She was Hauling Ass. She was done before we knew it.

Leg 26: Kristyn ran 4.4 miles. She was also Hauling Ass. But. Our van got lost. We accidentally hopped on the Interstate and couldn't turn around for 5 minutes...then we had to backtrack...and when we got there, Kristyn was standing around waiting for us. Faaaaak. At least we weren't concerned with time. :)

Leg 27: Ruth ran 2.9 miles. And also...Hauling Ass. Do you see a theme here?

Leg 28: Melissa ran 4.3 miles. Melissa was A. Maz. Ing. on this leg. She had a massively brutal hill but took it all in stride. I think it's mainly because she rocks.

Leg 29: Karen ran 7.2 miles. You know the drill. Hauling Ass. Up hills, down hills, whatever. Throw it at Karen and she will Eat Those Hills For Breakfast. We had a nice surprise as Karen was running...Woodbury Coaches Phil and Jane showed up to cheer us on. Thanks guys!!



Leg 30: My final run was 5 miles. Five easy miles. I'd been wearing the apron almost all weekend, and it would have been a crying shame if I never took it out for a spin on the race course, just for a little while. So I kept the apron on, donned my race number, and ran with it.



But DUDES. It was hot outside. It was 1 o'clock. The sun was shining. The wind was blowing. The apron was not sweat wicking. The apron was not a breathable fabric. The apron was not making me run faster. So I took it off at the half mile mark and gave it to the chicks in the van.



I gave this last leg everything I had. I even passed a GUY, giving "chicked" a new meaning. He wasn't just "chicked"...he was "Twisted Chicked".

With a mile to go, the van gave the apron back so I could do the handoff with it on. I booked it to the finish. I passed the baton...



...and I Was Done. Van 1 Was Done. We Did It.

Round Three - Leg Thirty
Distance: 5.0 miles
Pace: 9:24



Run End Time: 1:30 PM

We hung around the exchange area for awhile, sampling the MyoMed products, eating nut rolls, and changing into our Final Outfit.


Pretend Duana is front and center. We left a space for her...but she was too busy kickin' ass on leg 31.


The delightful Chicks from Van 2...Melissa, Lisa, Ruth, Kristyn, Karen, Ally

We did some shuffling with the rental car paperwork (we had to physically go to Avis to fill out a form. Lame!) and headed to the finish.

Where we waited.

We ate pizza, rested our weary legs, and rehashed the journey.



And we spotted one of our Roseville Run Club teammates! She came by to cheer us on as we crossed the finish line...but we were about 3 hours behind our "predicted" finish time. So we took some pictures so she could head out. Kristen Rocks!! Melissa's husband and adorably delicious sons also came to the finish.



We were all getting antsy and some people had to get home, and Ruth had to pick up her car (she left it at the Short Bus owner's house) so we decided that we'd leave so everyone could do their thing for a few hours...and come back at 7pm so we could still cross the finish line as a team.

Karen and I went home. I had never been happier to have a steamy shower.

Before I knew it, it was time to head back. We got there with about 10 minutes to spare. Cindy was running our final leg. Ruth met her first, then Karen and I, and then all of us met up with the rest of van 2. We crossed the line as a team, joyful and jubilant.


BA-CAAAAAK!

We Ran 200 Miles. As a team. As a family. As a flock of Twisted Chicks.

Race Report: Great River Relay 2008 - Part Three

As we left off last time, van 2 was giving us a wake-up call...

We headed to the street and hung out, waiting for Cindy and van 2. The van rolled in, and Cindy followed.

Time to put on the game face. Our van was back on duty.

ROUND 2:

This leg was going to be challenging. Out of the 6 legs, two were classified as "hard" and two were "very hard". And we were running at night. With no sleep. Are we gluttons for punishment? Affirmative.

Leg 13: Lisa ran 6.2 miles. I have no recollection of this leg. Um. Running? At night? Yeah. That's what happened.

Leg 14: Kristyn ran 8.3 miles. Kristyn? She's a freaking Rock Star. This one was "very hard" (that's what she said!) - it had a two mile incline. Look at this beast!! Ri. Dic. U. Lous.

Leg 15: Ruth ran 5.1 miles. After her run, Ruth Was High. If I hadn't witnessed her running, I would have sworn that she'd been taking some sort of hallucinogenic drug. She had a fantastic run.

Leg 16: Melissa ran 4.9 miles. She had a beautiful run through a quiet, corn-lined road. So serene and peaceful in the middle of the night.

Leg 17: Karen ran 7.5 miles. This was another "very hard" hilly run with a one mile climb. Yikes.

Leg 18: I ran 7.4 miles. It was classified as "hard". There were several small but brutal hills, but overall, it was downhill. The first two miles were downhill - I felt like I was flying through the crisp night air. It was amazing. I surprised myself by running this leg at a faster pace than my first leg. Score!

Round Two - Leg Eighteen
Distance: 7.4 miles
Pace: 9:34

This leg of the race was FUN. We were all sleep deprived and High On Hills (love you, HoHs!) and were punchy and everything seemed funny. We cheered for the random runners we would pass in the van. We made up obvious nicknames for the people we saw ("Hey there...Fancy Vest Boy!" ... "Way to go...Flashlight Man!"). Does it seem funny now? Noooo. Was it funny then? Yes. Oh Hell Yes.

I finished my leg and handed off to Duana...and then the heavens opened up and we were showered with the love of the Sweet Baby Jesus. This exchange was at a high school. With a locker room. And SHOWERS. We ponied up $3 for a hot shower...I swear that's the best $3 I've ever spent.

As we left the high school, the sun was beginning to come up. My heart broke a little. I had zero hours of sleep under my belt.

We headed to the next major exchange in Stillwater, swung through the McDonald's drive thru (Mmmm...biscuit...hash brown...), scarfed our food, and parked the van on the side of the street, in the shade. We curled up in the suburban (we decided to stop switching vehicles at each exchange because it was a pain in the ass) and slept. Sweet, glorious sleep.

Fast forward 90 minutes.

It was time to get up. Van 2 was on their way. We were back on duty.

And I PAID to do this??

Race Report: Great River Relay 2008 - Part Two

After hitting snooze several times on Friday morning, we got up and got ready for The Big Dance. The team divvied up the food items between the two vehicles, we decorated the vans, I donned the chick apron that Val brought, and we headed to the start.


I Love This Apron

But not before getting lost on the way to the start.

Was this a bad omen? Nah.

We made it to the start with plenty of time to spare. I checked in the team (did I mention that I was a co-captain?), and picked up our packets while the team dug through the tub of Salted Nut Rolls and Shot Bloks...stuffing our bags like Augustus Gloop stuffed his cheeks with chocolate. There had to be at least 40 mini Nut Rolls in my bag when Kim handed it over.

We posed for a team picture...


The Twisted Chicks

Got our first runner ready...


Our secret: Scrunch up the bib so it moves with your body

Cheered her on when we were introduced...




Lisa...flapping her wings

And she was off. The relay was in progress. YAY!

And this is where everything became a blur. The details all run together and I have trouble remembering what time and where and how things happened. Ahhh, the joys of being awake and coffee-free for 36+ hours!

ROUND 1:

Run Start Time: 9:00am

Leg 1: Lisa ran 7.3 miles. We stopped at about the 3-mile mark and gave her some water and cheered her on.



Leg 2: Kristyn ran 7.6 miles. It was hot and sunny and she handled it like a champ.


Please...no photos...

Leg 3: Ruth ran 9.5 ridiculously hot and sweaty and sunny miles like a Rock Star.

While Ruth was running, we added a little flair to the bus...


The rarely heard version of the song

At about the half way mark we had a great surprise - van 2 stopped along the course and paid us a visit!!




At exchange 3, I ran into fellow blogger, Collin. YAY for super awesome bloggy meetups!!


And I still can't get enough of that apron

Leg 4: Melissa ran 8 miles. It was still hot and sunny. And Super Seigo was volunteering at the exchange!


Looking Goooooood!

Leg 5: Karen ran 5.4 miles. Yup. Still a scorcher.



Leg 6: I was scheduled to run 6.8 miles. Like a jackass, I forgot to put on my Garmin, so I ran for about a mile before the van caught up with me. Karen hopped out and handed over Carmen...I was So Relieved to be able to see my pace and splits. After running for about 5 miles, I came across another runner that had collaped on the side of the road. The police were there and I believe an ambulance was on the way...but it was a wakeup call to keep hydrating. My run started just before 3pm, so we were facing the mid-day heat.

Because I didn't have Carmen for the first mile-ish of the run, I didn't know exactly how far I'd gone. I was estimating that I'd ran for a mile before I started tracking my distance. When I looked down at the Garmin at the finish and saw that I'd run 6.5 miles, I knew something was up. I KNEW that I'd run farther than .3 miles before the van caught up to me. So. I'm going to estimate that I actually ran 7.6 miles.



Round One - Leg Six
Distance: 7.6 miles?
Pace: 9:45

I passed the baton to Duana...and our van was officially off duty.

Run End Time: 4:07 PM

We were hungry for "real" food, so we headed toward the next major exchange so we could hunt down a hot sandwich. But not before getting a frantic phone call from van 2 that they didn't have any race numbers. I gave their van six bibs at the start, but they'd left them in our van (we alternated so the suburban was the "on duty" vehicle on the race course so the roomier van could be used for sleeping).

The clock was ticking. We didn't have that much "off duty" time and we wanted to lay down after we ate...but we met them somewhere in their second leg and gave them some bibs. We made it to a restaurant, scarfed some food and made it to the exchange (a grassy park) with a few hours to spare. We sprawled out in the van and on the grass outside the van and tried to catch a few Zzzz's.

Project Sleep: FAIL.

We had been resting for about half an hour when I heard a suspicious tap tap tap. Tap Tap Tap Tap. TAP TAP RAIN RAIN PELT PELT PELT.

Shit.

It was raining.

We had tossed all of our bags on the grass outside the van so there would be more room to sleep...so we had to scramble to pile all of the crap back inside the van.

We were just getting settled when someone hopped out of the van to do something...and bumped the switch that turned on the dome lights. But then she couldn't figure out how to turn them off. At first we thought they'd automatically turn off with the timer, but after 5 minutes, she tried every switch in that van to get the lights to turn off. The lights were on for 20 minutes. And I was all "Stupid Fucking Shit Asshole"...and I wanted to rip that dome light into next year... Okay, so I didn't say that out loud. But I might have been thinking it. :) But really, what can you do? You just have to laugh it off. She finally found the switch (you have to turn it the other way!) and we tried again to fall asleep.

Once again: FAIL.

Before we knew it, we got the call from van 2 saying that they were on their way, so we rallied the team and headed out to the street to cheer for our team.

Sorry, dudes. Looks like you're in store for a 4-part saga. To be continued...

Race Report: Great River Relay 2008 - Part One

Holy Crap.

Ragnar.

Great River Relay.

Amazing.

Spectacular.

FUN.

Crazy.

Exhausting.

Would I do it again? Hell yes. I'd do it tomorrow if I could!

The idea of writing a race recap is mentally exhausting. How will I ever be able to put into words the amazing experiences we had? How will I remember all of the details of the amazing 35 hours we spent together (that's what she said!)? How do I expect people that weren't there to find our 4am inside jokes funny?

I'll just do my best.

- - - - - - - - - -

THE TWISTED CHICKS

Van 1:
Lisa
Kristyn
Ruth
Melissa
Karen
Allison

Van 2:
Duana
Mary
Kim
Claudia
Val
Cindy

- - - - - - - - - -

On Thursday morning, one of our runners dropped out. She had a nagging injury ever since Grandma's marathon but thought she was getting better...but the day before the relay, she was one hurting unit and her physical therapist recommended that she get an MRI. Crap. Crap. Crap. Karen and I decided that we'd each run an extra leg and ask if anyone else would be interested in taking the third leg.

Most of The Twisted Chicks met in Minneapolis at 5:30 on Thursday evening. Ruth brought DA BUS (aka The Twisted Chickens short bus) - and she picked up a handful of Twisted Chicks on the way there. We were discussing the loss of our runner...when Ruth had a brilliant idea. She whipped out her cell phone and called Lisa, one of the regular Roseville runners...and begged her to join us. AND SHE COULD. How cool is that? We gave her 15 minutes notice...she shuffled around her kids' schedule...and we picked her up in DA BUS. We were a complete team. Twelve strong.



We headed toward Rochester, and on the way, swung by the place where our rental van was waiting. We filled out the paperwork, grabbed the keys...and were back on the road.

We made it to Rochester at a snail's pace (Da Bus is not Da Fastest Vehicle Around) and with a little bit of drama. It started making a loud CHUG CHUG SHAKE SHAKE noise...but Lisa pulled over and changed from overdrive to drive (I don't even know what that means) and we were back on our way.

We arrived at the Olive Garden at about 9pm - about a half hour behind schedule. Kristyn was already there waiting for us. It was the first time we'd met...and she? Was Awesome. I knew from the start that we were going to like her.

We started perusing the menu...and Mary arrived. It was like the happy ending at Grease when the gang was all back together. We ate massive amounts of bread sticks, salad and pasta and got fired up for The Big Day!


From the left: Karen, Allison, Claudia, Duana, Ruth, Kim, Cindy, Kristyn, Melissa, Mary, Lisa (center). Not pictured: Val (the photographer)

After dinner, we headed back to the van and bus. I decided to ride in the van...the trip in the bus was a little bit stressful (and frankly, not as comfortable). We headed out...and noticed that the bus wasn't following us. We assumed they stopped to get gas, so we turned around to meet them. But they weren't in the gas station parking lot...they were next door...

We pulled up to get the story. Apparently, the bus lost power and the engine killed. Lisa got it started again...but it only drove a few more feet before it killed again. So when she got it started again, she immediately pulled into the nearest parking lot. Which happened to be...


Look a little closer...



...a Kentucky Fried Chicken. HA! It was like the mothership was calling the bus home. Turn on the fryers...we got a big one comin' in!! All white meat!

So we had the bus towed to a repair shop and left it in Rochester...


One final group photo
Melissa, Lisa, Kristyn, Karen, Kim, Duana, Claudia, Allison, Val

Kim saved the day by calling around and finding us a rental suburban at the Rochester airport at the last minute. Seriously. The rental place closed at 11pm and we left the KFC parking lot at 10:57. Yeah. Kim is a rock star.

After we had the suburban, we pulled all of our stuff out of the bus and loaded into the vans. We said a teary goodbye to the short bus...Farewell, Twisted Chickens Bus!

And then we were on our way. For Real This Time.

We arrived at our hotel, unloaded our stuff, and hit the hay. It was after 1am. We Needed Sleep.

To be continued...