In a Nutshell: Hood to Coast 2015

I'm skipping ahead in time to write about Hood to Coast. So my next few posts after this will go back in time. I hope this isn't too confusing.

Last weekend was Hood to Coast. It's a 198 mile relay that starts on Friday on Mt. Hood in Oregon and runs to the "sea" which is actually Seaside, OR and finishes on Saturday. So teams run all day, through the night and then the next morning/day.

Our team had a 1:00 pm start time. Each team has 8-12 people on it. Most teams have 12 which translate to each team member running 3 legs. The 12 people are divided up into 2 Vans. We were in Van 1. We got started and began our journey of running.

I ran leg 2. Jeff ran leg 1. He passed off to me and I took off running. I had so much nervous energy that I ran faster than I normally run. And, it's all downhill. I had a 6 mile leg. All legs are different lengths of distance. I ran about a 7:50 minute pace per mile that first leg. Our van finished around 6:00 pm and passed off to van 2. We then drove to Jeff's parent's house and took showers, had a meal and rested.

Our next legs started round 10:30 pm. We drove to the exchange point. We took over from van 2. We started running. I ran from around 11:00 pm till a little after midnight, another 6 mile run. My pace was slower this time, only about a 8:30 minute pace per mile. At this point, everyone is wearing reflective gear, a headlight and LED lights. It's a little nerve racking, but it's not too bad. Also, the weather decided it was going to send us a nasty storm, and it started raining soon after. Our team finished around 3:00 am. We passed off to van 2. Then we drove to the designated parking/sleeping area. We parked the car and slept in the car.

We started waking up soon after and get mentally ready for our last leg. This is difficult because at this point we are all so exhausted, but we are also so excited to be done with the last leg. We took over from van 2 around 8:30 am. It was rainy and wet. The storm had been really terrible with lots of wind and rain all night. Van 2 really took the brunt of the storm. Then we got started with our last legs. This one was tough for me. It was about 5.5 miles. The last mile was all uphill. I was much slower and was only about a 9:10 minute pace per mile. But then I was done, and what a wonderful feeling that was.

Our runners continued and we finished and handed over to van 2 for them to finish their last legs. Wet stopped in Astoria and had a nice meal. Then we drove to Seaside and waited for van 2 to finish. The tradition is that the whole team runs across the finish line together. The wind was so bad that they had to move the finish line off the beach. If you get a chance, you should look up pictures online. The tents were torn, things had blown over, the beach was a mess! We finished together as a team, and then we drove home. It was an amazing experience. I would do it again in a heartbeat!