H2C

I was lucky enough to run in the Hood to Coast relay this year. I had been running but not a ton and was asked to join a team just two weeks prior to the race. This is a race that I have heard others rave about and it is one that I have wanted to run since we have lived here in Oregon. So since we are moving soon I just had to do it. A few days before I was freaking out. I even emailed a friend and asked if they wanted to take my place. I was unsure of my running ability, or the people and how the kids would do without me. I ran on a team of people that I did not know. The girl that found me to run with them was in the other van and I was in a van with all men. Years ago I ran the relay in Utah so that helped but I was very nervous!   

My name on the van made it official!

I was so glad Kevin came with the kids to my first run, I loved and needed the cheering, Kaleb was especially cute!

Part of my team, runners from both vans at the exchange in downtown Portland.

I love running at night, it is by far the best leg of the race. There is something about the peace and quite in the night that just makes a run that much better. If you turn out your head lamp you can see the stars and run by the moonlight, it is a very "becoming one with nature" run!  My night run was at about midnight on back country roads.

Oregon is one beautiful place!

Everyone is sleeping, it is an exhausting race but so fun!

I was the first runner in our van so I was done with all three of my legs at about 11am, oh did that feel good!

Driver Jerry with his two sons, Jerry and Jay

There are all types of people participating in H2C, ha ha!

Most of our van. It may have been a little stinky in our van but these guys were considerate, funny, easy going and great runners! Jerry (driver), Jay, Bob, Wade, me, Loren.

Our Team at the "finish line!"

In the parking lot of the last drop our brakes went out. So we sent our last runner off and called van 1 and told them to go ahead and cross the finish line without us. We called and talked to a mechanic and they told us how to rig it so that we could head down the hill into Seaside. It was almost a good thing that there was tons of traffic since we rode down the hill with our emergency brake. Needless to say we would have never made it to the finish line to meet our runner anyway. So we went straight to Les Schwab to drop the van off. The rest of the team meet us there. They greeted us with a toilet paper finish line and our medals. It was not the ending we dreamed of but we made it and there is always next year!

I am so glad that I took the opportunity to run this race. Finishing a race really gives me confidence in my running and in life. There is something about getting your physical self to do something you didn't think you could and then telling yourself that if you can do that physically then you can do other things in life too!