« do over | Main | time flys »
June 6, 2007
pt and the ya yas
If you have never participated in a relay, add it to your list of things you must do! The PTs and Ya Yas completed the first annual Shore to Shore relay this weekend. Starting on Friday morning at 8am in Port Stanley and running 303k to Grand Bend. It was awesome, enlightening, distrubing, exhausting, humbling, hilarilous, insightful, challenging, rewarding, fun, hell, hot, uninhibiting, sleep depriving but most of all unforgettable!
It was all supposed to start at 5.50am, on Friday morning, when Van number 1 collected us at my apartment. I set the alarm, to give myself an hour to get ready, shower and eat, before they picked me up. I had the first run, an 11.7k uphill route, so I definitely wanted to have some breakfast. My alarm went off, feeling refreshed for so little sleep, I headed for a leisurely shower, while drying off the phone rang. How sweet a member of my team calling to wake me up ... they are so thoughtful .. love them!
"Hello" in my brightess cheeress voice.
"Ali?" hmmm slight concern in Colleen's voice, and distance like she was in my lobby using the security phone
"Hi Colleen!"
"We are waiting for you, downstairs"
SILENCE .....
I glance at the clock ... 6.05am ...
SHIT!
I set the alarm for 5.50am the time they were collecting me not the time I was supposed to get up!
I made it downstairs, hair dripping wet, barefoot and laughing ... completely ready for the first leg (my team didn't look quite as convinced!)
That was the start of our 36 hour adventure. I signed a confidentiality agreement, so what happens in the van stays in the van. But what I can tell you is what I learned
1. If you tell 7 people to bring their own snacks, you end up with 42 lbs of trail mix and one bag of chips. The chips are devoured in the first two hours and the trail mix is never touched.
2. It's possible to be in a van with 2593 mosquitos and not get bit.
3. the one thing you forget is the one thing you will constantly need
4. some people have toenails that need to be cut everyday
5. You need another runner to hand off too in a relay ... otherwise you just stand at the exchange point looking silly
6. It may take us a while to catch on, but once we figure out how to support our runner we excel
7. We didn't get attacked my dogs
8. If a rodent runs across a runner in the dark, they will make a 90 degree turn and run screaming into the side of your van
9. Initially you request washroom to pee in, soon you move to porta-potties, then a bush, eventually you are happy at the side of the van
10. god answers prays with trains
11. You become knowledgable about everyones bowel movements
12. You spend more time talking about bowel movements than anything else.
13. it doesn't matter how tired, exhausted, dehydrated, hot, sore you are, you don't give up.
14. the running is the easy part
here's some pics ...
Leg One - 11.7k of hills and mostly gravel roads.
That's me with the blonde wash and go hair
Leg 2 - 8.6k pretty country roads
The end of Ds first run the start of my second
I'm off!
Day two - 36/97 degrees running along the highway
Sheryl sporting fabulous headgear and a crop top
The final leg ... 297k down only 6 to go!
P hands off to D
PT and the Ya Yas!
Posted by Ali at June 6, 2007 6:11 PM
Comments
cool, looks like fun!
Posted by: brent at June 6, 2007 10:14 PM
Looks awesome! I'm adding it to my list!
Posted by: Susan at June 7, 2007 6:56 AM
these relays sound like so much fun. there is an annual one here called "get your ass over the pass" but i can't get enough friends interested
Posted by: deene at June 7, 2007 9:52 AM
thats FREAKING awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: JustJunebug at June 8, 2007 12:21 PM
That's awesome! We have a wild west relay "get your ass over the pass" here (too), and I've always wanted to do it.
What a great experience. Your race report was the best!
Posted by: Tea at June 12, 2007 4:52 PM