gnar gnar ragnar

so this post was typed up, but i didn't post it somehow.  i think i was waiting for pictures...

with a group of 15 other runners, i ran my first relay race starting in ventura and then ending in dana point, ca. the experience was very cool.

the night before the race, half of our team slept over at our friend's house kent and nellie sommer.  we first went to lucille's bbq and frosted cupcakes on 2nd street in long beach.  we prepped our playlists for the run and then slept all over the house.

woke up at 5:45am and packed up our vans... to meet the rest of our team in ventura, ca.  there we saw a lot of friends from all over.  we were team cornballers.  the reference is from arrested development... and not sure if this is the best link but it will do.  this team has done an arrested development theme for the past three years.  they were so sweet to allow me to run with them.  someone couldn't make it so there was a spot they needed to fill.

...karl was the first to start out our race at 9:00am.
we cheered him on throughout his run.

then it went to danielle...
we weren't able to cheer her on because we had to buy markers for the vans...

then the handoff went to lindsay sommer...
we had pretty great cheers for her.

then it went to adam romeny...
we weren't able to cheer him on because some of our team wanted subway...

then the handoff was for janea sherman...
who did amazing up some crazy hills...

and then last on their van, dave axeland...
who had a super tough and longest leg run of us all but did it effortlessly.

it was our van's turn to take the slap bracelet.

nellie started us off in moorpark, ca.
she did so great!  so fast.  i think she ran through two beautiful cities.

next was tiffany jordan...
who ran seven miles, through semi valley to camarillo, ca.

next was kent sommer through thousand oaks....
who roughly had sevenish miles up some pretty steep hills.  we all felt badly for him with the inclines.

then i had the next leg...
which was through agoura hills.  it was so beautiful.  i ran next to trees, farms and highways.

then lance sommer went...

who doesn't normally run but did flawlessly.  we didn't have a vest for him so kent took the bright orange shirt off his back...

then last but not least, zachary edwards went.
he had some mileage there through the beginning of los angeles. he did so great!

we passed the slap bracelet on to the other van, grabbed a quick dinner and headed to tiffany's house.
it felt so sooooooo soooo good to take a quick hot shower, brushing teeth was heavenly and laying on a clean couch felt like a full nights rest despite it only being two hours.  you know my friend shauna lewis who did that pop art on my blog a while ago?  she made this for us!

we met the other team at the santa monica pier.  other teams were actually sleeping on the pier! some with only just a blanket with their running shoes hanging out.

nellie started us off there and went through venice beach.  she was doing great... oh did i mention, it's 2am by now.

everyone took their turns, having us finish at long beach.
the best was when following zach and he yells out..."i hit a serious wall" after .5 of his first mile at around 5am.

we then grabbed our things and headed to zach's house to sleep, shower and get ready for our last leg.  i couldn't sleep well since i was in the kitchen using a roommate's nicely ironed collared shirt for a blanket.

we packed the van again with our tired bodies and met the rest of the team at the beach in huntington.

nellie met dave and took off!
we all took IB profin by now to help our sore muscles breath a bit.

i was so nervous for my leg.  i had the second longest leg at 8.8 miles through a VERY HARD trail as the map said.  being runner ten, i talked to other runners and they assured me it would be VERY HARD.  good thing kent got lost/not good... because it helped me mentally prepare.

i did it!  there were lots of hills but luckily i've driven that route a lot and knew the curves and passed four runners... i almost apologized for passing them!  i'm such a dork.  i had too much energy with these little shark energy gummies my friends gave me.  i ran faster than expected because in my head i built up this nasty run.  it went from irvine, through the toll roads of aliso, to laguna canyon to PCH.


then i passed the snap to lance at the bottom of the hill of laguna beach.  he ran all the way to aliso creek beach so fast that we missed him and he had to wait for our team to get there!

then it went to zach who had this GNARLy hill up crown valley and then to my hood in dana point.  we all raced together to the end... some of us not prepared (candy in hand)... running to the end which happened to be on salt creek beach.

it was a lot of fun.  
we are already signed up for next year as nellie is now working for them.  they are sweet to think of me to be on their team again!  i'm excited to run with them again.  loved this experience!