Eat Drink Run Woman

I first heard about this race through the LUNA Chix message board when one member had to back out due to work. I offered my name as a replacement, but they went with someone else (a fatal error, I’m sure. They obviously didn’t realize what a bad-ass studdette muffin I am).

But once I get something in my head I can’t let it go. Years ago I ran the Hood to Coast relay and had an absolute blast. This race promised to be just as fun. With Hood to Coast, if your team needed a replacement, you could contact the coordinators and they’d match you up with a runner (or runners) looking for a team. Although the Mt. Si Relay didn’t mention such a program, I shot an email to the coordinator just in case. Sure enough, a couple of weeks later I received an email from a team captain saying one of their members had to drop out due to injury. Hooray! (Let me clarify: “hooray” that I’m in; NOT because a team member became injured).

I was to be on one of three teams formed by a local running and fitness coach. Although everyone was serious about fitness, the group definitely put fun above competition. I was inspired by their stories; Coach Lesley had recently qualified for the Ironman competition in Kona (unfortunately a knee injury kept her from competing in the relay); Deanna, one of my team members, has run 59 marathons; and several other members were triathletes and marathoners. And in one of the “it’s a small world” coincidences, I had met our team captain Julie through a women’s networking function more than two and a half years ago.

Julie also happens to live close by, so we decided to carpool. Our wave started at 7 a.m., so we planned on having her pick me up at 5:30 in order to meet the other teams by 6:30 to pass out bibs and t-shirts (we also had to pick up another team member). Pre-race jitters started early, as on Friday night I dreamt I was sitting on my couch in my jammies — with nothing packed — when Julie arrived. The next night I dreamt it snowed more than a foot and a half, but I kept telling everyone it would melt away before the race start. (Fortunately neither of those scenarios came true.)

The day promised to be cool with a few sun breaks. However, Julie warned that conditions could worsen for the legs near Rattlesnake Lake (she’s run the race a couple of times and has volunteered for many years). Apparently snow is not an uncommon sight along the Iron Horse Trail. Fortunately I was prepared for whatever the elements threw my way: I had two full running outfits, a couple pairs of socks, a light shell and my heavier raincoat for running, and a fleece jacket and shell for standing around cheering my teammates on. I debated bringing my iPod, but decided I’d have more fun interacting with bystanders and the other runners.

The morning of the race my darling popped awake at 3 a.m. and was unable to get back to sleep. By the time I dragged my butt out of bed at 5 a.m. he had a large pot of coffee and a bowl of steel-cut oats waiting for me (he’s the BEST!). Julie arrived promptly at 5:30, despite getting only three hours of sleep (she helped out with a catering event the night before). We picked up Amelia and made a quick stop at Starbucks so they could get sufficiently caffeinated.

By the time we arrived at Snoqualmie Elementary School I was ready to empty my bladder (the first of many potty breaks). Lesley introduced all the team members to one another and handed out our Coach Lesley t-shirts (a really nice Brooks technical tee; MUCH better than the one we received as part of the race!) Our team consisted of Joe, Julie, Amelia, Deanna and me. We originally had two men, but one came down with a nasty cold just days before the race. Fortunately Julie convinced her friend Amelia to join us the night before. Turns out Lesley also found a replacement, Linda, so they decided to have Linda run the first leg and Amelia the second.

First up was Joe with a 7.9 mile leg. The rest of us piled into his car and drove to the first exchange. I decided to take advantage of the short port-o-potty line and empty my bladder once again. A little over an hour after starting Joe passed off to Julie, but he obviously was not a happy camper. He didn’t speak a word; he just kept walking. “Uh oh,” I thought. “This is going to be a LOONNNNGGG day.” Lesley caught up with him to make sure everything was okay. Fortunately he was fine; he just started off a bit faster than he should have and ended up bonking a bit in the end. Before we headed off to the second exchange I stopped by the port-o-potties yet again (oh shush).

Julie’s leg was a little over 5 1/2 miles. Although she typically runs at about a 7 1/2 minute mile pace, given her lack of sleep she figured she’d be much slower. Lack of sleep must be good for her, as she passed off to Linda in under 43 minutes. Linda’s 6-mile leg was out and back, so we got to stay put for a while. I was up next, and of course I hit the potties yet again (feeling like I have to pee while running is not something I enjoy). By now my stomach was beginning to growl, so I also downed a Clif Bar and a Clif Shot for energy.

My leg was Julie’s in reverse. I started off strong, but then… What’s this? Oh for criminy sake: I have to pee!!! Oh well, nothing I can do about it now. Then I feel a small pebble at the ball of my foot. DARNITALLTOHELL. Is THIS how the race is going to go for me? I managed to shake the pebble from under my foot and tried to ignore my bladder.

Most of the race follows the Snoqualmie Valley Trail, a flat, wide, dirt and gravel trail that winds through rural countryside. It truly is beautiful. However, because cars have no access to the trail, it meant there’d be no water stations or spectators cheering us on. In fact, I was pretty much alone most of the time (I kinda wished I brought my iPod).

I noted the time as I passed a trail mile marker and was thrilled to see another marker just 8 1/2 minutes later. I was FLYING! Several more minutes passed before I saw what I thought was another mile marker (the top was lopped off, so I couldn’t be sure). I looked down at my watch to see more than 11 minutes had passed. Hmmmm, perhaps the mile markers aren’t that accurate.

With less then a mile to go the route turned down a gravel road, so I was able to pick up speed. As I headed toward the exchange I could see that Amelia wasn’t ready for me to pass off to her, so I started frantically yelling her name. Oopsy! That’s right, Deanna is up next. My bad. I’m not sure what my exact time was for the leg (I had forgotten to start my watch in the beginning), but I think it was approximately 50 minutes, which would put me at a little under 9 minute miles. I’ll live with that!

The weather decided to turn during Julie’s second leg: 7.1 miles uphill toward Rattlesnake Lake. Fortunately it wasn’t a particularly cold rain, but it started coming down hard. She looked pretty miserable as she passed off to Amelia, but she still managed to come in in just over an hour.

Amelia’s leg was about 4 miles; she typically runs about a 10-minute mile pace, but we figured we’d start looking for her after 36 minutes just in case. At about 30 minutes I decided to hit the port-o-potties one last time. Four people were in line in front of me, but I figured I still had plenty of time. Just as I was leaving the loo I see Amelia sprinting toward the exchange. Yikes! I quickly stripped off my shell, threw it to Julie, slapped Amelia’s hand and started down the trail.

My leg was once again Julie’s in reverse, but I got to run downhill. Fortunately it’s very gradual, so it did not aggravate my runner’s knee. Although it would have been really easy to go all out, I knew I’d regret it when I got to the 2-mile flat portion at the end (it would feel like an uphill by then). Within the first mile I was passed by three other runners, but I kept my pace steady. About the half-way mark I passed my first runner, however, my elation was short-lived once I realized she was an ultra runner (and would have run more than 40 miles by that point).

At 40 minutes into the run my legs started announcing their presence, so I took a quick walk break to down another gel. Fortunately my aches and pains were typical for that distance; they weren’t a sign of a more serious injury. Once I get to that point I remind myself I need to get used to that level of discomfort; otherwise I’ll never get through a marathon. I also kept repeating three words to myself: Flamin’. Hot. Cheetos (they were waiting in the car for me).

With about a mile to go I passed one of the runners who passed me in the beginning — HAH! Slow and steady DOES win the race, huh? Finally I saw the exchange and Deanna waiting for me to slap her hand. Yeah! It’s over! I mustered up the strength to sprint to the finish, knowing that soon I’ll be chowing down on my favorite spicy snack. When we saw Deanna turn the final corner we all joined her for the run to the finish. After 8 hours, 45 minutes, we were done!

This was definitely a fun and well-organized race. I’m hoping my darling and a few of our friends will want to do it next year!