So... The reason for the decision to do intense running training all
summer! The Red Rock Relay! For those of you who don't know what this is
(I stole the description from the website because it was better then
mine)...
Teams of 12 run relay style through 187 miles of southern Utah's most
stunning landscapes in a journey that starts on a Friday morning at
Brian Head ski resort and ends sometime the following day at the base of
Zion National Park. Teams split into two cars so one set of six
runners can rest while the other set of six takes turns running their
legs of the race. Teams switch off running and resting until each
runner has run three times, and then they are all standing together in a
exhausted daze at the finish line, gazing up at the base of an
extraordinary red rock monolith.
Cricket was our team mascot
I feel so accomplished after running this! Scott and I both ran it and I
was so proud of him. Scott isn't really a distance runner, more of a
sprinter, but he trained hard through shin splints and got to a point
where he could run the distances he would need to! I thought he did so
so good! So there is a total of 36 legs. I ran legs 10, 22 and 34 and
Scott ran the legs right before mine so that he would hand off to me. So
he ran 9, 21 and 33. I ran a total of 17.8 miles and Scott ran a total
of 11.5. It was so intense but was also a lot of fun. It was fun to be
apart of a team and to have the support of them and also the other
teams. Our team did great to! We finished the race in 29 1/2 hours! It
was a lot of work with little sleep and lots of running. But like I said
before, I feel very accomplished.
Scott finishing his first leg
Me waiting to start my first leg
Scott handing off to me
Clarissa and her boyfriend Justin were also apart of the team. Clarissa
ran legs 1, 13 and 25 for a total of 10.8 miles and Justin ran lets 4,
16 and 28 for a total of 18.5 miles! I was impressed with Clarissa
because she only started training for the race less then a month before
she ran it! We were glad she joined though because we were a runner
short and that would have meant more running for other people. Other
members of the team consisted of Sharna (my old roommate) and her sister
and father. And a bunch of random other people who came together by
knowing someone or another on the team.
Clarissa and Justin after the race
Justin, Clarissa, me, Scott
So strong!
With our medals!
It was fun having Clarissa run with us! I'm glad she did it :)
Next year we plan on running the Grand Teton Relay with my family! So everyone better get training!
The tunnel... And Scott running like a dork
Bragging time! About a month before we ran the race Scott was given the
opportunity to hike the Grand Teton with one of his old roommates and a
bunch of his friends! This was his second time climbing it and I'm very
proud of him! The first time he climbed it he climbed it in one day.
This time he climbed it in two and said if he ever had the choice he
would chose to do it in one day. They backpacked to the lower saddle and
camped in the saddle on the first day and then finished to the top on
the second before climbing down. He said it was to much work to pack
everything up and then have to pack it down and he would much rather
just have a day pack. He was a little stiff from having to carry the
pack and just had a little bit of a hard time walking the next couple
days but he enjoyed going all the same. He is my mountain goat that's
for sure. :) I hope that in the next few years he'll be able to take me
up with him!
