13 Sep 2009
This year I had the opportunity to participate in the Blue Ridge Relay race – a 211 mile race from Grayson State Park in Virginia to Asheville, NC. The race spans a day and a half and consists of teams ranging from 4 members to 12. My team, Team 4tunate (to have 2 more runners), was comprised of five other super awesome people and excellent runners. We began early Friday morning with Jason Martin on Leg 1 kicking off at 7:20am finishing Saturday afternoon with me on Leg 36. With 36 total legs and six runners, we each got an even 6 legs with myself being every sixth. See some of my earlier posts for more information.
My plan was to twitter, flickr and blog about the race in real-time, but that plan was foiled when I realized there’s little to no cell phone reception up there. I did however, manage to get a few items out on twitter and Melissa wonderfully put together a nice blog for me from our text message conversations. Be sure to read it too.
Some details about the race: The race started at 7:20am Friday and did not stop until I crossed the finish line Saturday afternoon. That’s all day, all night, and all morning. Reflective vests were required at night and whenever we ran on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Red blinking LEDs were required at night along with a headlamp (otherwise you wouldn’t be able to see anything). Sleep was possible, but not really with all the excitement. With 3-5 hours between legs I made attempts at sleep, but only managed to get rest between the converstation, encouragement, door shutting and anxiety.
Some things I learned: Don’t fight gravity. Love your downhills. Treat them right and they’ll treat you right. Ice injured limbs. Use ‘the stick’ after each run. Eat plenty of carbohydrates, proteins and salts to avoid cramping and provide energy. Don’t push it – set a safe, smart pace and maintain it; with the number and size of the hills you’ll spend all of your energy if you don’t spend it properly and your overall time will suffer.
And now for some leg recaps, detailed information, and pictures! We’ve got more pictures and video coming soon!
Leg 6
Time start: 11:07am Friday
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/13246412
Before I began my first leg I was worried about my ankle. I was hoping it would hold up and I think I worried so much about it that I actually made it hurt. I say that because now, after 36.4 miles it’s fine. Weird. Anyways, this leads to more and far greater problems later. Keep reading and you’ll see. Oh, the reason for the huge jump on the map is because I forgot to reset my watch and when I started it for my next leg I was miles away. The main stats are still there.
Leg 12
Time start: 4:25pm Friday
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/13246403
This was my hardest and longest leg. About a month ago some of the legs needed to be adjusted to use different exchange zones to accomodate the increased number of runners. This year was the biggest event to date with 102 teams. A big increase from the previous years’. Lucky me, I got all the extra miles, which is why the race went from 208 to 211 miles. This leg was one of those that received the additional miles. Originally it was 7.9, but it was modified to 9.1. Jason Martin of the team was kind enough to print, laminate and prepare little cards with the mileage, directions and a map that we could carry with us as to not get lost. However, a few of them weren’t updated when the legs were. As a result I began this leg with 7.9 miles in mind, only to keep running confused as hell to 9.1. It wasn’t until I hit the 8.8 mile mark when I kinda realized what had happened.
Leg 18
Time start: 9:59pm Friday
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/13246397
This was one of my two night legs and the first leg where I was really hurting. I was looking forward to the downhill too, but because I was worried about re-injuring my ankle I was overcompensating for that possibility by not running properly. As a result I ended up screwing up my shins, calves and knees which will only hurt the remaining three legs. Instead of leaning forward and letting gravity do the work, I resisted and “stomped” my feet slowing myself down. Never a good thing and it’s terrible on the knees.
Leg 24
Time start: 2:43am Saturday
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/13246393
My second night leg. Actually it was early morning on Saturday. I’m feeling the pain from the previous run but hoping this 3.2 miler is as easy as it looks. With an all-downhill run you’d think it’d be easy, but when you’re shins and knees are screaming at you from the previous run, running uphill would seem far less painful. I don’t think I can get across how much pain I was in. Running at night was creepy. You run though some really backwoods, isolated places. The team made mention of Deliverance several times and even though I hadn’t seen it, I was able to make a synopsis from the details given. It’s pitch black and you’re running on narrow roads with a few houses here and there. The only source of light is my headlamp and two blinking red LED’s that are required during night runs. The air is damp and every little noise gives you a little spook. Imagine my surprise when I hear a low growling all of a sudden coming from behind me. I stop, turn around, and there’s a dog bearing it’s teeth at me. I scream at it to scare it and it backs up slightly. I continue to run and it’s chasing me growling again. I stop, turn and scream at it again a few times. Then I hear its owner calling it and it runs off. For the next few minutes I felt no pain as the adrenaline subsided. Scary leg, that one.
Leg 30
Time start: 8:22am Saturday
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/13246388
I’m hurting. Bad. And for some odd reason slightly welcoming this uphill leg. Okay not really. I was maybe a little glad it wasn’t a downhill leg though. Nothing super exciting here other than the pain shooting through my knees, calves, ankles, soles and shins. And the fact that we’re almost done. Big uphill leg here with 1,892 feet elevation gain.
Leg 36
Time start: 1:48pm Saturday
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/13246383
The final leg of the race. 6.8 miles of painful, agonizing, tear-jerking running. Or in my case, very slowly limping. This leg begins with exiting the Blue Ridge Parkway onto a nice residential road winding down into downtown Asheville. By this time, I’m seriously wondering if my knees are going to bust and that is absolutely no exageration whatsoever. Earlier in the day my team kept saying that if I didn’t think I could finish, to let them know and they’d pick up my leg. No way was I going to come this far and not finish. I wanted to finish this race, no matter what kind of pain I was in or how broken my body was. I had to sit down and stretch several times during this leg, each time the runners passing me asking if I was okay and offering me water. I had exhausted both 8oz bottles from my fuel belt half way through this leg. Seeing that they didn’t have much water left either, I declined their offer and wished them a good rest of the run. I was seriously very ready to have one of them tell my team to come get me I was in so much pain. But, as runners passed they encouraged me by saying things like “Come on buddy, only two miles to go!” and “You can do it, come on!” Eventually, I made it downtown with only .7 miles to go and eventually across the finish line.
How am I feeling? Everything from the waist down is in excrutiating pain. My left shin and right sole are competing for the most painful making walking extremely difficult. Driving home in my Honda Civic, a stick shift, was pretty interesting as my left foot didn’t seem to want to depress the clutch. I’m pretty sure my left leg is seriously injured warranting a doctor visit this week for an x-ray. I’m hoping it’s just a really, really bad tired muscle and not a stress fracture. Mentally and emotionally I feel very energized, proud, satisfied and more confident in my running. This was an extreme event that pushes the limits physically, mentally, and emotionally. A fun challenge that I’d gladly do again next year.
All in all, this was the hardest physical, mental, and emotional challenge of my life. 36.4 miles in 32 hours is no easy feat. Thanks a bunch to my team, family, and friends who gave me support and strength to make it through. I look forward to running again next year, hopefully with the same team.
Thanks to Jason Sutton for these pictures. I’ll put up more pictures and some video later: http://www.flickr.com/photos/suttonscoop/sets/72157622231803313/
Thanks to Kevin Davis for these pictures: http://justkev.in/pics-from-blue-ridge-relay
Other related blogs:
Jason Sutton, Kevin Davis, Melissa Oyler
Thanks to Kevin, Jason S., Jason M., Alex S., and Whitney T. for being awesome teammates and for all the support from friends and family.
12 Sep 2009
Melissa here, bringing you an update on the Blue Ridge Relay via text messages and phone calls from Chris. He’s having trouble getting much signal, so I told him I’d update his blog readers with some fun tidbits from the race thus far. He’ll be back soon to elaborate!
From Chris:
After his first leg: “I’m exhausted but it’s impossible to sleep because there is so much excitement!” (for the record, he went to bed the night before at 10 p.m. and woke up around 2 a.m.)
After first leg: “This is tough.”
Then “Kevin says to tell Jeff to bring Jim Beam.” (Kevin is my brother who invited Chris to run the relay with him and four others.)
After the second run: “My card was wrong! That was my 9.1!!! Holy shit that was hard. 4.5 uphill!”
For the record, the route changed a couple months before the relay, changing Chris’ long run from 7.9 miles to 9.1, which he blogged about below. I guess he forgot though! Sucky time to remember, possibly 8 miles in …
Before the third run (I think): “About to run my 5.8 run. One of two at night.”
After the third run: “Legs cramping up badly! Three more to go!”
After getting some rest in the van (I’m sure it was a great rest with 4 other people in there): “Morning. I’m hurting.”
After I asked him about his ankle: “Ankle is fine, it’s my legs and knees that are killing me. Be safe on your run. Don’t push it. But good luck.” (I ran 10 miles this morning. He’s running 36 and telling me not to push it. I love it!)
“This is the most physically demanding thing I’ve ever done! This is hard!”
About his overnight runs: “My midnight leg was a lot of downhill and I think I pulled several muscles. My following 3.2 was awful! And this 4.4 won’t be much better.”
“Kev is good. Knee hurts. He’s doing really well!”
Oh, and he added this little gem right before he went for another leg: “I got chased by a dog.” I for one can’t wait to hear more about that one!
That’s all I have for now. On the way to Ashville to meet them at the finish line. So proud and inspired by this team! (who was in 16th place out of more than 100 the last I heard.)
Team 4tunate FTW!
09 Sep 2009
It’s two days before the big event – the Blue Ridge Relay – and I’m excited and nervous and everything in between. With some leg modifications (course legs, not my legs, though that would be pretty cool) my mileage increased from 32.5 to 36.4. The short leg I was looking forward to which was previously 1.9 miles was upgraded to 3.2 miles. And my longest leg which was previously 7.9 miles was bumped up to 9.1 miles. If you don’t already know, I’m runner 6 of 6 on our team, meaning I get every 6th leg. Here’s where I’m sitting:
Leg 6, 5.2 miles, rated medium
Approx start time: 11:47am (Friday)
Description: A good climb and a steep gravel/dirt decent early on, followed by a gradual climb through the valley.
Notes: Enjoy the view of Bluff Mountain and its waterfall as you begin your first big decent.
Leg 12, 9.1 miles, rated very hard
Approx start time: 4:57pm (Friday)
Description: Great running on the Blue Ridge Parkway, but tough leg because of the distance and a long hill.
Notes: Support vehicles are not permitted on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Runners must wear a reflective vest while running on the Parkway. Run on the right on the sholder on 321/221, grassy shoulder may be uneven.
Leg 18, 5.9 miles, rated hard
Approx start time: 10:19pm (Friday)
Description: Big downhills and one good climb make this a tough leg.
Notes: None
Leg 24, 3.2 miles, rated easy
Approx start time: 2:58am (Saturday)
Description: Short and sweet.
Notes: None
Leg 30, 4.4 miles, rated easy
Approx start time: 8:22am (Saturday)
Description: Flat along the Cane River. (Be thankful that you’re not running Leg 31).
Notes: None
Leg 36, 6.8 miles, rated hard
Approx start time: 1:25pm (Saturday)
Description: Big descent into Asheville, with big views of the valley.
Notes: Town Mountain Rd is winding. Stay alert for traffic. Run on right sidewalks on College and Woodfin.
I plan to blog, flickr, and twitter through the event so if you’d like to follow my/our progress you can follow us using the links below.
Me:
Blog: www.inathought.com/blog
Twitter: www.twitter.com/illuminatedeye
Flickr: www.flickr.com/photos/mythirdeye
Jason:
Twitter: www.twitter.com/jasut
Team:
Blog: http://brrscoop.wordpress.com
05 Sep 2009
What if life is death is life.
And happiness is really unhappiness is happiness.
And love is really hate is really love.
Maybe we wish and hope for good because we are bad because we are good,
and living – even dreaming about being good is enough.
Maybe we’re all living in death, living, waiting for closure;
waiting for a start, for a glimpse at something different.
What if life is our way of coping; a way to make the intangible tangible,
because to feel the tangible pain
would validate and make life real and death real,
so that love and happiness exist and are true.
And then we wake up, realizing nothing is really as it seems.
That we are all happily alone and unhappily together.
And we’re enlightened that both good and bad,
happiness and sadness,
are created to conflict and to feed off one another.
To make each other real.
To validate life, to validate death.
Having seen Synecdoche, New York for the first time last night I was blown away by the truthfullness of it. It was ugly and beautiful and sad and happy all at the same time. It emphasises the imperfections so much that the perfections become imperfect because they’re abnormal, if not rare, if not non-existent. It makes one realize the beauty in connectedness and it awakens the soul, the mind, and the heart by shoving the fact that, unless we as individuals make life meaningful, life won’t mean anything. It’s bold, brash, and to many probably quite offensive.
It makes you realize that every second counts. I know I take seconds as nothing. Like pennies I usually toss them out or throw them away because they’re pointless. But what if I put every penny into a jar rather than tossing them out? I think that pennies are such a small amount that I’ll never acquire enough to use. Life presents us with a limited number of seconds to use. The more we throw away and toss out or pass by and the more we don’t use is a second we’ll never ever be able to reclaim.
Call me emotional, I’ll admit it. I think people tend to shy away from emotions these days. They stuff them in bottles, or bury them or hide them… It’s emotions that make changes in life. Emotions are the start of anything great and anything terrible and it’s the emotion that people remember. I’ll definitely remember this film. It’s truly life-changing, but only if you let it. I’ll close with some quotes that really stuck out to me.
“We’re all hurdling towards death. Yet here we are for a moment – alive. Each of us knowing we’re gonna die. Each of us believing that we wont.”
“Knowing that you don’t know is the first essential step to knowing, you know?”
“And they say there is no fate, but there is. It’s what you create.”
Life is beautifuil because it’s ugly because it’s beautiful.
03 Sep 2009
I’ve never been a huge fan of strip clubs before, which is probably why I’d never been. But a few weeks ago I went for my first time with my friend Melissa while she was in town. I gotta admit it was pretty fun. But being there just made me realize why I’m not really a fan. I’d never suggest a trip, but if a group of friends decided to go I wouldn’t be opposed.
Melissa comes to visit pretty often and we’d heard stories about the girls at the club downtown here, about how the quality goes up with the cover charge. “Don’t go Mondays,” they’d say. Suddenly, visions of the three breasted woman from Total Recall flashed in my head. But the Monday that we went, I’m happy to say all the girls have two rather normal breasts. In addition to having not three, but two breasts, the girls were decently attractive. Now, I’m not the kind of person who’s gonna think a stripper is hot, because well, a lot goes into me thinking someone is hot and a lot of it has to do with personality and character. No offense to the poor girls who are just trying to make a buck, but I’m sure there are more respectable ways to make money.
Okay, all that aside our trip there was actually pretty fun. No, we didn’t sit in front (close though) and no we didn’t stick dollar bills in their panties (though there was this one older Japanese guy…) but it was a fun time. A trip to a strip club isn’t cheap though. Beer (we drank cheap) was like $3 a bottle and I could easily see why people could easily spend a lot of money on other things too. Especially when…
So Melissa uses the bathroom so I decide to drink my beer and watch a little, mostly out of curiosity but a little out of uncomfortability of being in front of a lot of people who think this is normal and I’m just trying to “fit in”. I lean against a wall and before I know it, this fairly attractive blonde comes up and puts her arm around my sholder. She’s chewing gum and has no shirt on (I really don’t mind either). “How ya doing sugar?” she asks. I tell her I’m doing rather well and thanks for asking. I told her it was my first time, partly to see her reaction and partly out of honesty. “Thirty dollars in the back for a private dance,” she says, “forty and I’ll suck your ____”. While the offer is just slightly (okay, above slightly) tempting I felt sorry for her. If I actually did take her up on her offer though, the thirty bucks would be out of sympathy, not for my enjoyment.
I’m just not into that kind of thing. Don’t get me wrong, I love a kinky woman, but strippers just don’t turn me on. A stripper might enjoy what she does but my bet is that it’s forced, kinda like having a nice waitress – while possibly genuine, it’s sugar-coated for tips. Is that weird? I could easily find something better to spend thiry or forty bucks on, like say, bills or beer or paying off credit card debt or something like that – something that’d bring a lot more satisfaction than a stripper.
Read Melissa’s story here.