On September 18-19th, I took part in the annual Reach the Beach Relay (RTB) that runs from Cannon Mountain in Franconia Notch, NH to Hampton Beach, NH. The main idea is you have a team of 12 people split into 2 vans and your team runs continuously through New Hampshire for 210 miles until you reach the beach. This is the first race of this kind that I've ever done and boy was it an adventure and and experience I'm so glad I got to be a part of!!!
To back up, one of my coworkers has organized a team for the past couple years and asked me if I was interested. I was nervous about it but decided to give it a try. I also recruited my bestest running friend, Janette, to be part of our team. The only catch I was told was that the team always has a theme and dresses in costume....ok?? Our team name was "Tight Fit" and the picture below shows us all at the start in our costumes....
Back Row: Aquaman, Quailman, Robin, The Riddler, Batman, Superman
Front Row: Poison Ivy, Super Girl, Wonder Woman, Bat Girl, Elastagirl, She-ra
Yes, we were dressed as Super Heroes (if for some reason you can't tell, I am Wonder Woman)!! Just imagine the looks we got as 12 super heroes climbed out of two vans in the parking lot....everyone loved it and many people wanted their picture taken with us :)I was in the second of our two vans, and when I say 'vans' I actually mean SUV....yes, imagine 6 runners crammed in an SUV for 28 hours (thanks rental car place for messing up our reservation for larger vehicles!). So after cheering our captain and first runner off, we jumped in our van, got some real food, and headed to the van transition area to chill while van one ran their first legs.
Van 2!!
In total, I ran three out of the 36 legs of the 210 mile journey. Here's how mine played out:
Leg 1: 7.54 miles after dark on Friday evening
Time: 59:43
Average Pace: 7:56 min/mile
This leg can best be described as an "M" I went up....I went down....I went back up....I went back down! Overall, I gained 600 ft of elevation and lost 650 ft of elevation. Needless to say, my quads were already taking a beating and this was only my first leg! I thought running in the dark back roads of NH alone would be scary but it was actually quite peaceful. I got worried at one point that I had missed a turn when I didn't see another runner in front of me for about 0.5 miles but then I looked behind me and saw a head lamp bobbing in the distance and was reassured (either I was still on course or the fool behind me followed me and we both missed the turn). Here is me at ~ half way of this leg where my van met me with cheers (quietly!) and water.
This leg can best be described as an "M" I went up....I went down....I went back up....I went back down! Overall, I gained 600 ft of elevation and lost 650 ft of elevation. Needless to say, my quads were already taking a beating and this was only my first leg! I thought running in the dark back roads of NH alone would be scary but it was actually quite peaceful. I got worried at one point that I had missed a turn when I didn't see another runner in front of me for about 0.5 miles but then I looked behind me and saw a head lamp bobbing in the distance and was reassured (either I was still on course or the fool behind me followed me and we both missed the turn). Here is me at ~ half way of this leg where my van met me with cheers (quietly!) and water.
After van 2 finished up our first legs, we tried to catch some zzzz's. Pretty hard to do in and SUV with 6 people! Three of us with good sleeping bags went out to the lawn of the school we were parked in and tried our hand at camping. There were sleeping bags and tents set up all over the lawn....pretty funny!
From the back of van 2 somewhere in the middle of the night
Leg 2: 6.24 miles early Saturday morning
Time: 48:52
Average Pace: 7:50 min/mile
I started off this leg with a woman on another team. We chatted some about the headwind (yuck!) and it was nice to have some company. I knew I was running a little too fast but kept up with her for 2 miles....then she told me that her team had won the relay a couple years ago! Ok...I better slow down a bit! My legs were a bit tired at the beginning but they loosened up quickly and I felt really good.
I handed off the baton (neon yellow slap bracelet) to Janette and she was off on her second leg. Here's a picture of her speeding by towards the transition area....look at her go!
It was shaping up to be a beautiful day so we drove to the final transition area and napped in the sun. You'd think I would fall asleep easily but the combination of adrenaline from running and actually being over tired made it hard to sleep!Leg 3: 3.4 miles Saturday afternoon
Time: 26:17
Average Pace: 7:42 min/mile
The final leg! I wasn't sure how my body would respond to running for a third time. I've run doubles before, but never triples! I was glad this was my shortest run and I just wanted to finish. My legs were definitely stiff and tired, but I willed them to give me one more run and they responded well.
So after 36 legs of running, countless bagels and PB&J sandwiches, a bag of M&Ms, and 28 hours and 58 minutes, team Tight Fit reached the beach!! (We would have finished 30-40 minutes sooner, but there was a mix up in van 1 overnight and they missed a runner and left her waiting at the transition area for over 30 minutes....ooopps!)
Of course we went in the water! Some more than others.....I stuck with just my legs as a quick ice bath :)
Overall, the race was a ton of fun and definitely an experience! I was pleased with how my runs went and happy to see that my pace got faster as my legs became more tired. After the fact, I think I could have run the earlier legs a little faster, but not knowing how my body would react to the whole relay thing I held back a bit.
I was great to have Janette on the team as I love running with her!! (Even though we never actually ran together except for the few steps at the transition areas...it was great to hang out again!) I also met some awesome people (and will never look at my coworker in the same way again after seeing him in is "tight fitting" costume!) Congrats to all the teams who ran (Maria it was great to see you and I wish we had been able to meet up later in the race!)
I guess now its time to start thinking about costumes for next year!
"This $hit ain't easy. It brings the best runners in the world to their knees. Literally. And we're right there doing the same thing. Time to HTFU" -4chi