The Relay – 2010 Style

Posted May 8th, 2010 by KellBell

I think it might be time to get my head checked  – seriously. Last year I embarked on a journey known as “The Relay” for the very first time. I thought I was insane when I completed the first one, but now I think I am just down right psychotic since I have just finished my second one and can’t want to do it again next year. Like I said, it might be time to get my head checked. But back to the task at hand. After months of anticipation and preparation, The Relay has come and gone in a blink of an eye and all I am left with is a little bit of sadness and a lot of withdrawals. Really, you put in all this time to properly prepare yourself for something, you get a bit nervous because you just don’t know how it’s going to turn out, and then just like that it’s all over. And while it was an amazing weekend adventure (despite the odds) it feels almost anticlimactic now that it’s all done.

Unlike last year where I knew all the people on the team, this year I was a random pick-up on a team that has been doing this for 12 years. Yes, I signed up to spend 30+ hours of my life with random strangers running 200 miles. The potential for disaster was definitely high, but I am happy to say that it was an awesome experience. After doing this for 12 years this team definitely had the logistics and routine down pat. Seriously. There was never any concern that we would be late anywhere or miss a hand off because they just knew exactly where to go, and exactly what everyone needed. Besides that, they are an awesome group of people. The vibe of the team reminded me of my early frisbee years with the dressing up; the cheering before, during and after games; and the unspoken nature of always playing your best and giving it everything without sacrificing the fun. Needless to say, I felt right at home with a bunch of strangers from the beginning.

From the moment Dave and Jeremy left me with my new friends at Bad Ass Coffee along Mark West Springs Road the whirlwind ensued. I should have known just how well tuned this team was from the moment we stopped at the grocery store not too far from the start line. We grabbed ice for the coolers, sandwiches and other snacks for the road and still made it to the start with plenty of time. While Phil was checking us in, the rest of us embarked on the challenge of decorating The Beast (aka, Phil’s minivan which served as “Van 1″), and Van 2 (which was actually Lisa’s Ford Excursion). Lots of window paint, tinsel, and strands of lights on the roof racks later the team took a couple of pics then headed off to cheer Vlad as he kick started our actual relay. Once Vlad was on the road Van 1 said bye to Van 2 and we were off!

An 11:30 am start was 3 hours later than the start time Sweet Tooth got last year. That difference combined with the fact that we had amazing weather meant that it was already really warm outside when we started. Vlad and Jim both got their runs done ahead of pace which meant that I was on deck earlier than anticipated. At around 12:50 I was off an on my way. My first leg (leg 3) was pretty flat and boring since it just followed along the Silverado Trail. In the end I ran 4.1 miles in 33:26 which was about 2.5 mins faster than originally estimated. I was happy to be done and out of the heat of the sun and set about to recover and get ready for my next leg.

By the time Van 1 finished it’s first set of legs and handed the “baton” off we were right on schedule…seriously. We headed into the church that was hosting Van Exchange 1 and settled in for a bit of their spaghetti feed before heading back to the house to shower, stretch and rest before embarking on our second set of legs. What I can say is that I could already tell a difference between how I was holding up this year compared to last year. I am not sure if it was because I am in far better endurance running shape or if I figured out how to refuel and hydrate more properly, but by the time we rolled out of the house to head towards our next set of runs I was feeling pretty good. Sleepy, but pretty good otherwise.

As we rolled in to the Cheese Factory for Van Exchange #2 darkness had descended and the temperature was falling quickly. It was a clear night, which was beautiful, but it also meant that it was going to be a cold, cold night. Pretty much right on schedule, again, the last runner in Van 2 handed the baton off to Vlad and we were off again! Since I was runner 3 I had a bit of time to continue to prepare for my next leg. In this case it was sleep. I was so exhausted and it was well past my bedtime so I was pretty much asleep the whole time Vlad was running. My rest time was soon over, however. The minute Jim hit the road I started to get myself ready for my night time adventure and 51 minutes after that I started my second run.

My second run was definitely cold, but it was also screaming fast. Leg 15 has a major downhill in the middle and after climbing my way to the top of the descent I just opened it up and let my body fly. Man was it fun flying as fast as I could down the hill in the dark with only my head lamp lighting the way, but it also took its toll on me too. In the end, I ran the 6.5 miles along Sir Francis Drake Blvd in 55:03. I killed my estimated time by nearly 7 minutes and managed to hit a sub 6 min mile at some point and time on that crazy descent. Once my run was done it was time to get in dry clothes and try to recover as best I could for my last and final leg which was less than 9 hours away.

After our second set of legs were done Van 1 headed back to Peter’s house near the Embarcadero to catch a few hours of sleep…oh and to eat some (Korean) Juk. By this time last year I was really suffering even before we made it to Bea’s house for our abbreviated rest stop. Not only was I hydrated properly the thought of food didn’t make me sick. Although I wasn’t totally hungry I knew I needed to eat something and the Juk was the perfect thing. It not only warmed me up, the rice was easy to digest and the chicken that was in there gave me the protein that my body needed. After having a small bowl and cleaning up a bit I curled into my sleeping bag and slept as best and for as long as I could…which wasn’t for long really.

About 2.5 hours of sleep later, it was time to wake up and get ready for our last set of runs. I admit that I definitely could have used more sleep, but I was thankful for what little bit I was able to sneak in. Based on the awesome view we had from Peter’s perch, we were in for a treat that day. It was a clear, beautiful morning in the city which meant two things: It was going to be a gorgeous, sunny day and it was going to be warm. All we could do was hope that we could get our runs done before the heat really kicked in.

We met Van 2 near Cañada College and got our last set of runs underway 7 mins ahead of schedule. After some rest we were all refreshed and ready to kill it. Now it was this time last year that I asked Dave to take me to the hospital. I am happy to say that it was definitely not that way this year. Not only did I *not* want to go to the hospital, I actually felt pretty good. Don’t get me wrong, I was sore from my previous two runs (especially the massive down hill from my second run), but I was ready to get my run started and over! Both Vlad and Jim killed their estimated last paces and I was hoping to do the same. If you take out the 2 mins I stopped at the stop light because…well…I was happy for a bit of a break…I ran my last 5.6 miles of leg 27 in 48:56(total elapsed time was 50:20) which was still ahead of my 52 minute estimate. Just as quickly as my relay had started it came to an end when I handed the green bracelet off to Phil. When all was said and done I had an average of 8:30 min/mile over my 16.1 miles and I had run all 3 of my legs in a 20.5 hour span. Despite the rookie maneuver that caused a nasty bit of chaffing on my legs during that last run, it wasn’t a bad day of work in the end. Seriously…not bad at all…

In the end, the Flying Hubcaps finished the 2010 Relay in 29:55:45 which was only 5 minutes slower than was originally estimated. It was a tiring experience, but it was also down right amazing at the same time! The best part was probably the surprise I got when Dave and Jeremy showed up all the way down in Davenport to bring me home. Those two are so awesome in how they support me and I know I would never be as successful in these endeavors without them.

So thanks to the Hubcaps for welcoming me into their running family and making me feel right at home. And thanks to Dave and Jeremy for their support in making this awesome weekend happen!