lakeside runs...

The Red Rock Relay. Moab, Utah. 70 miles. 6 runners. 2 legs each. 10.5 hours. I LOVED it. Our team was oozing with speedy talent. Greg and Kris Tina Danklef, Chris and Jennie (am I right with the "ie"?) Smith, Tara James, and yours truly.

The drive down was a riot. I love the drive down to anything. You're excited, there are snacks at your fingertips, LOTS of laughing, lots of anticipation. I love my friends. I love the ones I was with and the ones who were texting me from home.

Greg started us off at 6:10 am with a gorgeous, 6-ish mile, sunrise run through the canyon along the Green River. Seriously breathtaking. The air was so crisp and clean. Relays are so fun and social. We ride along in the van stopping every mile or so to cheer on our runner and get them water, etc. We decided to take my van so we could fit the 6 of us. Greg drove for me. What a peach. Really though, I may have put people's lives at risk. I really appreciated it.

Next was Chris. He was awesome. He started training on Thursday. Didn't really matter. This is him just seconds after one of his kills. You can click it to see it larger. WOOT!

KT was next. 5 miles of hills. I am just going to say one thing here. Actually, two. This girl is tough as nails...and I love her. Way to go Kitty!

The handoff to Tara. We had a bracelet baton to pass. I ended up with the thing at home. The kids thought it was awesome until I told them it was covered in sweat from 6 people. They haven't touched it since.

Tara is a beast. She ran 5 miles straight uphill. I think she climbed 1000 feet. She just wouldn't quit. Do you know how hard hills are?

Tara to Jennie. Jennie ran our next uphill run. 2-point-something miles of steep business.

I had the next uphill leg. 3 miles. It was rough. I had only run 3 times in the last 5 weeks, so I was beyond anxious. Hills were a thing of the past. I had gotten so I actually liked them. Not Saturday. I had to walk several times for a few seconds. Still managed to kill 2 men though. Check out the smile on my face after I passed this guy. :)

Time for Kris Tina again. This time it was an insane uphill climb. Just under 3 miles. It was ridiculous! Switchbacks at who KNOWS what %incline. She's the tiny gray dot in the bottom right of the picture. I would have stopped. Tapped out. Asked for a pinch runner. Not KT. She was fabulous!

Not many people can make me laugh as much as Greg can. I never knew he could speed walk...like "olympic quality" speed walk. He only did it for a second, to catch his breath, but he was tearing it up!

Chris headed off on his second 7 mile leg. He ran more than any of us. He loved it. Every second of it...except for when he said, "This is the WORST thing I have ever done in my life." Don't worry...he's already planning the next relay.

Tara's next run was the hardest of the race. 7 miles downhill. A 2000 foot descent. Talk about screaming quads. She was a crazy person. She was seriously blazing. She never ceases to amaze me. Something like 7:30 miles. And she made a friend along the way, which, if you know her at all, is no surprise.

Jennie was next up. It should have been a nice 8 mile descent. Instead, it was 8 flat, hot, sunny miles through cow pastures. While she cranked them out, we sat in the van on the side of the road, listening to "Let's Get It On" and watching cows get fresh with each other. Pretty sweet. Jennie is amazing though. She is like a machine, with skinny little legs. She didn't stop once. Didn't drink. And got kills the whole way.

My anxiety was really starting to build by this point. I was next. 7.67 miles. Mostly down with a few little bumps in the middle. A month ago, I would have been all over it. I haven't run more than 4 miles in the last 5 weeks though. My back has been sore. My last leg was the pits. It was hot. It was late afternoon. All things I wasn't used to. I just didn't know if I could do it. KT played a song to get me pumped and I was on my way.

I prayed a lot on this leg. I talked out loud to the Lord and to myself. I ran all but the last 2 miles with no one in sight. He heard me. He blessed me with a cool breeze, a strong back, and a building confidence. I ran the first 5 faster than I ever have. Every time I would see my van pulled off to the side of the road, hear the screaming from my friends, see Tara just ahead of me with some cold water, I would tear up. Such supportive, good people. Things got rough around mile 5 when I was lead off the road, and into the woods. I ran along a path, totally secluded, on sand. Yeah, sand. It was HARD. I lost my groove for awhile. My friends couldn't get to me with water or happy yells. I was alone. I got killed by one guy about halfway through. I kept him in my sights so I wouldn't get attacked by someone hiding in the trees, and got it done. Tara met me out on the road for the last 1/2 mile. It made me so happy. I finished strong. Average pace of 8:34.

What would have made it perfect? If Dave had been there. It was such a great experience. I really, really loved it. I loved the support I felt from my friends, my family, and a loving Heavenly Father, who knew when a cloud would really make my day.