Get Your RELAY On!

After I had Braden, I really wanted to lose the weight I had gained.  I also developed a strong addiction to gummy bears, which unfortunately seemed to store up in my thighs.  And so I started running.  Which is a shock to friends who knew and loved me in Maryland.  I never went faster than a 4.0 on the treadmill in Maryland.  But I started uping my speed and doing a few 5Ks.  I think I did three this year.

Back in March Garry told me about a new race in nearby Midway, Utah.  It was a relay.  A mini-ragnar called "Women of Steel".  It was 56 miles and you could make a team of 3 - 6 people.  I instantly was dedicated to making a team of six because that meant I would only have to run 9 miles total that day.  At the time I did not focus on running 9 miles.  I just focused on wanting the t-shirt that read "Woman of Steel".

Getting the team together was a little frustrating.  People who said they were going to sign up never signed up and others dropped out.  I saw 18 miles in my future. . .

But in the end I put together a great team of six all from the neighborhood.  We were Team Lucas Dell Ladies, named as such because that is our neighborhood.  We had one of the lamest names there, made even worse because the announcer kept misreading it and called us "Team Locust".  I felt bad I did not plan ahead more and think it through.  A lot of teams even had matching t-shirts and corresponding socks.  Sigh.  As a team leader, truly I was horrible!  My favorite team name was "Team Run Like A Mother".  Highly inappropriate, but funny, regardless.

Running a relay was really different.  They started five runners at a time, at 5 minute intervals.  I was so used to running with groups of hundreds and finding a good pace.  This race, I was alone a lot.  I had to set my own pace, which I was not used to doing.  And when one 5K was done, I was not used to turning around two hours later and doing it all over again.

But I survived!  I am a Woman of Steel!