This Boy is Exhausted

Another year, another 200-mile relay in the books. Actually, I feel pretty good considering that I just did the Reach the Beach Relay for the second time.

My teammate Bethann picked me up Friday at 6:15 a.m. and we met the rest of the 12-person team in Salem, NH, where we piled into the two 15-passenger vans we had rented for the event. The sun poked out on the way to Cannon Mountain, but the closer we got, the foggier it became. It was pretty raw and drizzly out when our first runner, Lisa, started the race at 11:20. The first van went out to support her while I joined van 2 first for lunch at the same diner we went to last year and then hung out at the cabin Bethann's parents own near Attitash (and right around the corner from our first transition area). I actually had been slated to be in van 1 this year, but one of the runners needed to finish early on Saturday because he had to work, so I switched with him. Even though the mileage was pretty much the same, I soon discovered I had the tougher legs to run.

We all caught a little extra sleep for an hour or two and then headed over to the transition area, where our first runner Kerri would take the baton and get things started for van 2. She started at 4:25 p.m. I was the second runner in our van and took over for a 6.61-mile leg that started in North Conway. The weather by this point was pretty terrific, sunny and in the 50s. I had to wear a headlamp and reflective vest and blinking lights because my run started after 5:30 p.m. (rules require that gear from 5:30 p.m. to 7 a.m.). The leg started off with some serious hills, but I felt strong and pushed through them. About halfway through, I was able to take advantage of some good downhills and picked up momentum. I passed several runners and was passed by three others. Finished it in just under 49 minutes, good for a 7:23 pace.

Our runners all did well on our first set of legs as it grew darker. We had a bit of a mishap when Bethann drove to the wrong transition area when LisaMarie was running (the course had been changed and a new area was added), so we had to rush back to correct area where LM was waiting. I took over the van driving for the last few as nearly everyone fell asleep and we got to the van transition area at NH Tech in Laconia around 10:30 p.m. I went into the school with fellow runners Kerri and Paul to get something to eat. We all got some turkey soup, which wouldn't be too filling but at least give us some fuel for the overnight runs. Van 1 was able to go to a pizza place after their first legs, so we were a little jealous. After eating, we went back to the van around 11 and got some sleep. I was in the driver's seat with a pillow jammed up against the window and managed to get a few hours of fitful rest, but it was better than last year when I barely got any.

I woke up around 3 a.m. and rousted Kerri so she could get ready for her 4.33-mile leg (which I ran last year). It was pretty chilly out, in the mid-40s. Just before 4 a.m., Kerri handed off to me in Belmont for leg 20, a 9.23-mile corker that had the distinction of being the toughest leg in the whole relay. Longest distance and biggest hills. This bad boy basically rose straight up for 5-plus miles before finally dropping and then rising again at the end. It was pretty black out there, but there were the occasional streetlights and passing vans or other vehicles to light up the road. Mainly, I relied on my headlamp and tried to focus on the ground right in front of me so I could avoid any potholes or other hazards. My left hamstring was a bit tight from the first run and my lack of stretching afterward, but it didn't hamper me too much. On the big hills, I just tried to keep my stride short and followed a runner in front of me for a while. I had the van check in on me at a few points for water. I walked for about a minute at the top of the biggest hill and then proceeded to haul ass down the other side. I got through it in 1:16, an 8:14 pace. It was a great feeling to see that transition area, although I spotted the lights off in the distance and had no idea how far away it was at first. I got there and Mark, the runner I was to hand off the baton to, was nowhere in sight. Turns out he was stuck in the PortaPotty line (those lines grew pretty long, as you can imagine). I was glad to wait for him, just thankful I didn't have to run his tough 8.5-mile leg for him.

By the time Mark finished his leg, the sun was starting to come out. I was also starting to have some stomach issues, which I think were the result of a combination of lack of a solid meal and a lack of sleep. Mark struggled with the same thing during his run; I was thankful that it only came on after I was done running. We finished our second set of legs around 9:10 a.m. and then handed off to van 1 to start their final set of legs. As we did last year, we drove to the Airport Diner in Manchester to grab some breakfast. There was much talk of pancakes, but nobody actually got them. I had the same thing I did last year: two eggs, toast and home fries. Nothing too volatile. I had felt pretty awake through the whole event, but it caught up to me at the diner. I could have put my head down on the table and just conked out right there. I certainly wanted to, but I didn't.

We drove to Kingston to my old high school, Sanborn Regional, to await van 1. It was a little different this year because the van transition area was at the new high school, about 2.4 miles from the old one, where the transition took place last year. We got there around noon and waited until about 2:15 before Kerri got started. Even though this was pretty much what we had planned on, we were all pretty exhausted and just wanted to get the whole thing over with. My stomach was still bothering me, but I just kept going to the PortaPotties and trying to get rid of whatever was left in my system.

We left Kerri there at 2 and drove down the road to the next area, where I would take over. She came in about 10 minutes faster than we had predicted, powered by the need to finish. I took the baton and headed out on the 6.69-mile to Exeter on Route 111, the same leg I did last year. I knew there was a big hill at mile 3 to contend with; I also knew my body was even more worn out than it was at 4 a.m. Still, I got off to a good start doing 8-minute miles and felt good at mile 3 when I saw my teammates, who were waiting with Gatorade. I told them to meet me at mile 5 and off I went. Unfortunately, I missed a key turn and kept going down 111. A guy working on his driveway actually yelled out to tell me I missed it, but I thought he was messing with me and kept running. Then of course, I noticed there weren't any signs along the route and was starting to doubt myself when a cyclist caught up with me about a half-mile down the road and told me I was going the wrong way. I thanked him, dropped a few choice f-bombs and backtracked until I got back on the right route. When I got to the van, they were concerned that I was injured because they had expected me about 10 minutes earlier. I explained the situation and kept going for the last 1.5 miles. I didn't feel tired anymore, just angry/embarrassed, and it powered me through those last miles. I finished the 7.7 in 1:03, an 8:10 pace, jumped in the van and we went to the next area.

We had four runners left, but we were up against it because we discovered that the finishing chute closed at 6 p.m. By our estimation, we were going to cut it close, so it put a little pressure on the final runners to finish strong. Mark, Lisa, Paul and Bethann all kicked butt and we got in at 5:50. Van 1 was already waiting for us and we all ran in with Bethann to cross the finish line and collect our medals. Our team time was 30 hours, 30 minutes, an 8:45 overall pace and 297th out of 430 teams. We wolfed down the food at the finish and then enjoyed a few beers in the Red Hook beer tent before heading back to Salem, NH, to drop off the vans, which Mark and Chad were going to return today. I got home right at 9 p.m., showered and was in bed by 10.

I managed to get about 10 hours of sleep before Hannah woke me up this morning. I'm obviously a bit sore today, but not too bad. I'll be running again Tuesday, but today, I was glad just to relax. And there's already talk of next year's team...