Last May, when I completed the Colonial Relay, alongside 11 awesome women, I was motivated & excited to do something like that again…… buuuuuut, maybe in the not so near future. While it was quite a fun adventure, it was also quite a long & tiring jaunt. This past Sunday, I was lucky enough to run a similar sort of race, but the cherry on top was sleeping in my own bed after the race! Sort of a modified version of the ultra relay distance—only 26.2 miles this time, divided amongst 4 fantastic mother runners!
Late in 2015, when the team was formed, I claimed the final of 4 legs for the relay—mostly due to it being the shortest, & also, because I wanted to cross the finish line! The team happily obliged & let me have the shortest leg, but mostly because I would be 2 weeks post-Tokyo Marathon & who knew how my recovery would be evolving.
Following Tokyo, I had done nothing, except for walking, for the first 5 days. I think the key to my quick & seamless recovery this time was taking that time off… completely; as well as having an authentic Japanese massage {48 hours after completing the race}. It was ahhhhh-mazing! When I resumed running, I did an easy run on Saturday, & then 2 days later did an easy run with 2 short tempo miles thrown in {paces of 7:20 & 7:10}, just so I could gauge my speed/recovery for the relay that weekend. I was happy that I felt so great. So I decided, all systems were a goooooo & the relay could be raced!
The logistics of the One City Marathon Relay could be considered intimidating—but they don’t have to be! It took our team some time to figure this out {mostly thanks to Kerry!!}, so let me break it down for you. Basically, it is a point-to-point race, from point A to point B in nearly a straight line, going North to South in Newport News, VA. There are 4 possible legs, from which each team can choose to have anywhere from 2 to 4 runners. Concurrently, the full marathon is being run by runners on the same course. The race is kind enough to the full marathon runners to keep a nice separation at the switching spots. Since there are 4 possible legs, there are 3 exchange zones. If you have 4 runners, you stop at each. If you have 2 or 3 runners, your team decides who will double up their legs of the race. The exchange zones are just off of major roads, located at schools—making parking super easy! Not to mention non-porta-potties for bathroom breaks is always a perk! Only problem that arose on race day, was one of the schools was “un-reachable” due to road closures—no problem though, just parked at a church & did a warm-up.
In essence, being the final runner for the team, I was able to drop each gal off {except Julie H., who rode with her hubby} & hang out with them for some time at each of the exchange zones. I had plenty of time to get to the final “tag you’re it” after seeing the 3rd runner off {even with sitting in 15-20 minutes of traffic!}. I’d highly recommend this method for future teams, as it was nice to be “involved” in the entire relay, as well as logistically; it was just easier & timelier for the team members. While the shuttle system is a really nice option, the times necessary to board the bus to get to your locations is ungodly early & just annoying in my opinion.
Our team: Julie B, Kerry, Rhonda, Julie H.
The race began at 7am. Our first team member Kerry, one of my dear dear friends, logged an amazingly fast 7.9 miles, finishing the first leg in right at an hour. She is right on track for a great race at the Boston Marathon next month!! Speedy momma! She went on to run another bazillion miles after her leg was complete, as the relay was part of her long run for the weekend—impressive!
Next up was Julie B. I have blogged about Julie before, as she has been my running partner for a few years now—she is just an awesome-sauce person! Her leg was slated to be 6.1 miles, which we guessed she’d run in close to 46 minutes. She finished the leg in well under that, averaging a swift 7:19/mile pace. Fast lady!! The 2nd leg, we determined, was one of the hillier parts of this marathon course.
Our 3rd runner, another Julie, set out to run 7.4 miles. Just prior to starting her leg, she sent well wishes to her hubby {& daughter, whom her hubby would be pushing in a stroller for his 2 legs} before starting her portion of the race. Right on track & running fantastically in the rising temps, Julie finished leg #3 averaging 7:30s. So quick—you rock momma!!
At close to 9:45am, my leg, the 4th & final leg, began. I had done a ¾ mile warm up as I waited for Julie H. to arrive, so I was ready to go! By this point, the temp was well over 60 degrees F & dew point felt sickly high as well. Other local runners complained about this factor as well, for the final miles of the marathon. Much warmer temps than we have been experiencing lately, but, summertime is coming folks! My goal, much like all of my teammates, was to average around 7:30/mile pace. On paper, should be no problem… I had told myself. But then again, I loathe racing in the heat & would rather run in 30 degrees compared to 60 degrees, any day! But all of that didn’t matter in that moment. I had a job to do & I needed to do it quickly—those 3 other ladies had done their job & laid down AWESOME paces at longer distances, so who was I to complain about the rising heat & humidity?! My heart rate definitely reflected the effort & heat—clicking by at an extremely fast average of 185bpm {max that day, 190bpm}. Ouch!
Racing a new course & not really knowing the location or terrain is kind of fun! I just followed the direction arrows, including a bunch of street turns, passing quite a few runners as I went along. The passing, or “chick-ing guys” was a confidence boost for me, but it also had a tradeoff. I felt awful in the moment, since I know exactly what those final miles of the marathon feel like; but I kept telling myself, “They’ll see the ankle band & know I am in the relay”. I even had one guy comment, jokingly; that he thought it was my “escape from jail tag”. Hehe, definitely made me laugh out loud while running! I didn’t want my 4.8 miles of the relay to crush their spirit as they struggled to finish their 26.2. You see, we had this lovely {note the sarcasm} ankle band to switch at each exchange zone. It was NOT the easiest device to get on quickly & probably added a minute or two to our final time. No big deal; because as Julie mentioned quite a few times, “this is for FUN!” – which it certainly was! So note to future teams, calculate for the ankle band switch into your race day planning!
My miles ticked along as follows:
Mile 1 – 7:20 “slow dooowwwnnn woman; stupid adrenaline!”
Mile 2 – 7:26 “that’s more like it!”
Mile 3 – 7:35 “ugh, this is not fun!”
Mile 4 – 7:34 “YES! I finally reached my LONG-TIME goal of 4 miles in 30 minutes!!”
Final 0.87 to the Finish – 7:33 “will this stretch of road EVER end!?” “Ahhh, there are my girls who will run through the finish line with me!”
Leg #4: 4.87 miles = 36:24 (7:29/mile average pace)
Team “Your Mama Says I’m Faster” Official Time: 3:19:55 (7:37/mile)
Overall (team competition): 10th of 171 teams
Division (4-person Female Relay): 1st of 31
And we’re done!!
(from left) Julie H., Julie B., Kerry, Rhonda
The girls & I are already planning for 2017 & will be excited to run this GREAT race once again! After all, we now have a title to defend! I for one am grateful for a well-supported course with frequent water stops! The race is well-run & all of those people I came into contact with on race day were so kind & helpful, especially with directions. The Newport News Police Dept was awesome at keeping the roads clear of cars, something quite important since a large portion of the course is run on major roads. While I loved being “anchor”, I have already claimed an earlier leg for next time. This warm weather running is better suited for someone else, HA! And because we have completed this years’ race, we now have a better understanding of the logistics of driving from point-to-point & all finishing together. Sad to report, but Julie H. didn’t make it to the finish line in time due to traffic… bummer!
I am excited to see where my running journey takes me as 2016 continues to progress; not to mention the running journey of my 3 teammates. These 3 women are awesome runners & mothers who push me daily, whether they know it or now, to improve myself.
I will be running my 5th Shamrock ½ Marathon this coming Sunday. And just putting it out there, since social media makes you accountable, as long as it is not pouring rain & unfavorable conditions, I will be shooting for a PR! I might as well continue to bank upon the endurance & speed I developed for Tokyo! After that, I have an April & May race planned, but I really look forward to taking it easy this Summer. I will not be running a Fall marathon, so I am happily planning to log many miles, but none of that crazy heat & humidity Fall marathon training for 2016!
Thanks for reading & MANY THANKS to Julie2 & Kerry for such a great, great racing adventure! XOXO
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