Running at the Beach!

My running shoes are introduced to the beach!

Last weekend my family took a vacation to Longbeach, WA for 6 days- so of course I had to get some running in while I was there!  We rented a small 2 bedroom cabin with a kitchen and back deck about 1/3 of a mile from the beach.  I will post some vacation pictures in a day or two, but for now here is how my 2 runs went! 

This is the direction I was heading- the kites are in the distance.  And apparently my thumb is in
the top corner and I am too lazy to fix it.

On Friday I had convinced my daughter to go run with me on the beach, but the second she found out that the boys were hitting the pool while we were out she ditched me!  Can you believe it?  Haha, I couldn't blame her- she is like a little fish in the water- so I ended up running alone.  I set out for the beach, and headed out through the dunes into the soft sand.  Which is really hard to run in by the way.  I actually think my walking pace and running pace were about the same until I got down onto the harder packed sand! 

The beautiful ocean

But the sun was out and the waves were crashing and there were kites from the kite festival in the distance so I just went to my happy running place and set off down the beach.  I saw tons of birds, lots of dead crabs, some jelly fish, kites and a couple of other runners on my adventure.  After 2 miles I turned around and headed back, and by mile 3 my legs were pretty tired and I was realizing that running 10 miles on the beach was not going to happen the next day!  But my 4 mile run out there was really satisfying and I enjoyed every second of it- even dumping out 2 cups of sand from my shoes at the end! 

I really enjoyed running out there on the beach!

Not that I wouldn't have LOVED to do a long run out there, but the way the sand was slightly sloped was irritating my hamstring and honestly I didn't think my legs could handle running on sand for that long!  So I needed a new plan, and while we were out and about that afternoon I saw a pathway called the Discovery Trail along the boardwalk downtown.  I googled it (of course) and found out that it is an 8.5 mile paved trail that goes from Ilwaco to North Long Beach -perfect!  There is even a half marathon there on September 15th- I may need to add that to my calendar for next year because that path was amazing!



So on Saturday morning I got up and headed out to the highway- I ran 1.5 miles along the side of the road into town to the trail head, then followed the Discovery Trail for 3.5 miles all the was to Seaview, then turned around and headed back.  I stopped about 15 times to take photos and enjoy the views of the kite festival.  I should also mention that I forgot to bring my handheld water bottle and any sort of energy gel with me so I was carrying a plastic water bottle and had brought a pack of Skittles along.  Whatever, I was "roughing" it on this long run lol! 

I saw lots of bikers on the path, and several runners as well

I did stop in the bathroom around mile 4 really quick, and there was a lady in there washing out a shirt in the sink.  She looked at me and said "don't ask.  I dropped my shirt in the honeybucket outside and it's my marathon shirt so I had to save it".  The water was REALLY really blue and I looked at the shirt and it was a half fanatic shirt!  So I asked her if that was what it was and she said yes and we chatted for a little while -turns out she is from Bremerton and we had done a few of the same races.  I don't know if I could have fished a shirt out of a honeybucket, no matter how "clean" it was, rinsed it out and then finished running 2 more miles carrying it though.  What would you have done?

A bronze sculpture of Captain William Clark and a 10 foot long sturgeon

A gray whale skeleton

Overall, that 10 mile run was probably one of my favorite of all time.  The scenery, the sounds, the smells, the weather and I got to eat skittles and not feel guilty about it.  It was awesome.  The only part I didn't like too much was how much my skirt slid down for the first mile, until I got sweaty enough for it to stick to me I guess.  Maybe it is time for some new (smaller?) running skirts!  Hint, hint...my birthday isn't too far away!

Those kites were so cool!

     

I Spent $27 on Apples

Seriously, when did apples become so expensive?  I went to Costco the other day for the necessary items I like to purchase there (peanut butter, chicken, cheese, salad, cucumbers, yogurt etc) and I grabbed a pack of 12 pink lady apples ($8.99!) and two of the containers of pre-packaged sliced fuji apples ($8.99 each, 8 packs in a container).  I know it is probably not cost effective to buy the sliced ones but let's face it- it is easy and convenient, the kids love them and they pack nicely for work and it is way easier to dip a slice of apple into peanut butter than a whole apple.  So there you have it, that is how you spend $27 on apples that will last only about a week (if I am lucky) in my house.  Clearly I need an apple orchard in my backyard!

One of the "skinny rules" is to eat apples and berries every single day, so I add these into my morning and afternoon snacks.  I usually eat berries with my morning snack, in the form of Bob's "skinny shake" which is 8 oz nonfat Greek yogurt, 1 1/2 cups of berries and 12 oz of either water or almond milk. I have been using almond/coconut milk combined and it is soooo good. You should try it. And I like to use frozen berries so that my smoothie is nice and cold. This makes a HUGE smoothie and is really filling- since I run in the morning most often after breakfast this usually is my "recovery" drink.  I tend to see apples and peanut butter as my indulgent treat in the afternoon.  It cures my sweet tooth and I feel satisfied afterwards so that is what I am sticking with.  Sometimes I sub cheese in instead of peanut butter, and that is a great combo as well- plus who doesn't love cheese??

Buy this and enjoy! Sooo good

I thought the hardest rule to follow would be "no carbs after lunch" and it actually was the one rule holding me back from starting it earlier.  How can I live without carbs for half of the day??  Will I die and run out of energy when I go for a run?  Well, the fact that I can have an apple in the early afternoon is helpful- it is not a complex carb so I think that is why it is allowed.  And then I just started eating a nice serving of protein like chicken or steak with some veggies for dinner and I was completely satisfied.  I am not someone who can eat salad every night so sometimes I cut up half a cucumber or a red pepper and just eat that with some protein.  Or maybe some steamed green beans.  But the fact that I have eaten GOOD HEALTHY carbs at breakfast and lunch tides me over and I go to bed a little bit hungry but not starving.

Dinner one night- deprived?  I think not!

Here is the tricky part of that rule- I like to run in the morning.  So when I wake up I am really hungry and basically have zero stored carbs to work with so I HAVE to eat some breakfast before working out, and then I have to let it digest for an hour or so.  I am still trying to get used to this so my runs have been pushed back a little later in the morning than I prefer.  But I am adjusting and now the "no carbs after lunch" rule seems like a no brainer and I do not even crave rice or pasta for dinner.  Crazy right?  Maybe, but I feel great and I weighed in on Saturday and I was down SEVEN POUNDS in just under 3 weeks!  Say what?  Guess the skinny rules are working, and I still haven't been counting calories!

So, does anyone know where I can get a good deal on apples?!? 

Volunteering, Camping and Training for a 30K!

"Gels!  Apple!  Vanilla!"  pretty much what I shouted for an hour straight!

I have definitely been keeping busy this summer and every weekend seems jam packed with activities from the time I wake up until the time I lay down again.  Which is fine, I really do prefer to be busy rather than bored and I do save a day here and there where doing NOTHING is what I have planned.  It balances out!  I have been really wanting to volunteer for a race since last October when I tried volunteering for the Race for a Soldier and they actually had too many so I ended up running it instead (of course I did right?).  So finally the timing worked out and I signed up to volunteer at a water station for the Tacoma Narrows Half on August 4th.  I tried to recruit a group of friends so we could just do the whole water station ourselves but it didn't work out this time.  Jill and one of her friends joined me though and we had a lot of fun!

Jill, Rachel and me being cheesy!

It was interesting to see the other side of a race- luckily us girls had lots of racing experience because we knew how to set up our station properly.  It turns out that we were at a gel station so not only were we passing out water and electrolytes, but also energy gels for those that needed one.  The three of us decided to pass out the gels -there were 4 flavors to choose from and I decided to pass out green apple and vanilla, Jill had kona punch and Rachel handed out chocolate.  It was tricky actually.  Shouting out the flavors, making sure the runner actually had hold of it before letting go, actually letting go.  A couple of runners asked me to open it for them and then I felt pressured to open it quickly and efficiently.  I take my volunteer duties seriously people!  Overall it was a lot of fun, it was cool to see the lead runners as they went zooming by and I saw a few friends pass through as well. 

Ready to pass out energy gels!

I did learn that it is very important to be very clear about what you need as a runner- believe it or not I couldn't read peoples minds and really appreciated those that specifically said "apple" or "vanilla" or "anything with caffeine!" and I was seriously wondering about those people who had never even heard of an energy gel- say what?!?  And 2 1/2 hours later, after the last runner came through we cleaned up our station and headed home around 9:45am.  I will definitely be volunteering more often, and if you volunteer for a Tacoma City Marathon race they even have a reward program- I chose to take $30 off of my next race entry!  Check it out HERE if you would like to volunteer at an upcoming race!

Fun around the campfire, a little college reunion 14 years later!

Last weekend my family went camping over in Cle Elum with a group of friends from Central Washington University (where Will and I went to college).  We spent two nights there and it was great to catch up with old friends and meet some of their spouses and children.  We went to the lake one day and it was beautiful there but the wind was so strong the sand was stinging our skin and I was too cold to get in the water! 

Windy Lake Cle Elum.  Jared, Scott, John, Mike, Will and me! 
Apperently we lined up tallest to shortest?

Roslyn Cafe.  Claire, John, Jeremy, me, Mike, Scott, Jared and Will

Will and I were able to go for a 5 mile trail run one morning- it was hilly but awesome.  The sad part was that 2 days after we left a bunch of wildfires have started in the area and are destroying so much land and homes all the way to Ellensburg.  I really hope the weather cooperates soon so that they can be contained.

Out for a trail run in Cle Elum

Beautiful scenery!

I am also realizing that I have a 30K trail run to train for 10 weeks from now!  Yikes!  Apparently it is closer to 21 miles than an actual 30K so I have been trying to figure out my training plan.  I took a basic "finish it" marathon training plan and altered it a bit so that I am still running 3 days a week but eliminated all speed work because pace really isn't going to be an issue out on the trails.  I am assuming it will take me about 4 hours to finish the race, but I will have a better idea once I get some longer trail runs in.  Also, when I do the trail runs I am running with a time goal rather than a mile goal which seems to make more sense to me.  I am trying to decide how long to make my "peak" training run.  Usually for a marathon it is a 20 miler, so I am thinking for me I will do a 3 hour run in trails and maybe try to do that twice.  Anybody have some helpful tips for trail race training?  This will be the longest distance I have trained for besides my one marathon last year.  And it is my first official trail race except for the mud runs. 

Niko having fun in the sand!

Who kisses frogs when there are so many crayfish around??

I am really excited to be running trails more often- it is such a different experience than hitting the pavement!  In fact- I am heading out in about an hour to run down at the Point Defiance trails with a friend of mine.  I have our route all mapped out, not that it matters because I will indefinitely get lost and end up taking a different route anyways!  One of these days I will know those trails like the back of my hand.  Meanwhile, I will just wander around until I end up back at my car!!

The Skinny Rules

I know, I know, I am a total sucker for trying out new "diets" or eating plans -just ask my hubby.  He is a good sport about it though and just keeps his mouth closed every time I buy a new book and make a shopping list.  Some that I have tried include the South Beach diet, the Flat Belly diet, the Jillian Michaels Body Revolution, simple calorie counting and probably several others I am forgetting.  I do try to make sure I select sensible diets that are healthy but usually they end up being too complicated to maintain and eventually I get completely off track and start eating my old stand by diet (and too many treats). 

It's not that I don't understand what is good for me- I realize that when I choose to eat french fries or some frozen yogurt that I am not making a "healthy" choice.  So I am not really sure what my problem is but if I don't pay attention to my diet on a very regular basis (daily) I get off track and my weight very slowly goes up even though I run and workout constantly.  I must have the slowest metabolism on the planet because I seriously don't think my diet is that bad- but it is what it is and the scale doesn't lie. 

When I saw that Bob Harper (from The Biggest Loser) had a new book out called The Skinny Rules- The simple, nonnegotiable principles for getting to THIN I had to have it!  You can take a look and buy a copy of it HERE.  I read through the book and really liked the whole concept but was too busy to actually put a lot of thought into it and implement the rules until after Ragnar was complete.  Plus there were a couple of rules I was a bit worried about.  Basically the idea is that there is a set of 20 rules that need to be followed rather than an actual "diet" so it actually allows quite a bit of flexibility in food choices rather than just specific recipes to follow.  Much easier, once you get the hang of it!

So how do you get started on a new eating plan?  Here are a few tricks that I have learned along the way to make your life easier:

1.  Read the entire book, make notes and pick a "start date"- just make sure you give yourself time to go grocery shopping and clean out your kitchen and cupboards ahead of time

2.  Go through the section of meal ideas and core recipes.  Decide which foods/meals sound the best to you and pick 3 breakfasts, 3 morning snacks, 3 lunches, 3 afternoon snacks and 3 dinners that you want to eat on a rotating basis for the next 2-3 weeks and ideally have many of the same ingredients.

3.  Write the meals down (including page number for reference) and hang it in your kitchen so that when you are hungry all you need to do is pick from your "menu".

4.  Make a shopping list that includes all of the foods you need to make your core meals- and buy enough so that it lasts for at least a week.  Organize your food, prep your fruits and veggies and prepare anything you can ahead of time. 

5.  Have a "water cup" of the day that you carry with you everywhere.  I use my acrylic Starbucks to go cup and fill it with each meal so that I meet my water quota of the day.

6.  Don't worry too much about calories for the first week or two.  Bob would probably shoot me if I said that but if you are following the recipes and eating sensibly without overeating you will still lose weight (I have lost 4 pounds in 2 weeks and am not counting calories yet!).  After you get used to eating this way you can focus on calories- I just don't see that it is that important in the very beginning.

So far I am really enjoying the skinny rules- they are simple and make a lot of sense.  Plus one of the breakfast options is toast with peanut butter and a banana- hello runner-friendly foods!  I could seriously eat that every morning and be happy.  One rule I was pretty worried about is "no carbs after lunch" but it actually hasn't bothered me too much.  I can still have an apple in the early afternoon and have been mostly eating a salad with chicken for dinner.  So far it doesn't seem to be causing any problems with my energy during runs- but I haven't really done a "long" run so I will find that out soon enough.

Speaking of long runs- I am also not sure what to do with the rule that states "no more added sweeteners" and the one about "not drinking my calories".  Hmmm- so between the no carbs after lunch and having to eliminate energy gels to fuel my running I think I may die once I really delve into my 30K training.  Anyone else out there following this diet and an endurance athlete?  Do you think it is ok to carb load and use energy gels when I do my weekend long runs which will be upwards of 2-3 hours long in the next couple of months?  I have never officially "bonked" on a run and the idea of it scares me!! 

Hope you are all enjoying our amazing weather this week- it is supposed to hit the 90's here which rarely happens so I think a trip to the lake might be necessary!   

Ragnar Relay Northwest Passage- Part 3

There goes Matt starting off van 2's last set of legs! 

If you are just tuning in to my long and drawn out story of our Ragnar adventure, you can catch up by reading part one HERE and part two HERE.  When I left off we were waiting for Van 1 to arrive so we could begin our final set of legs.  The sun was out but the air was still cool due to a light wind so it was really pleasant outside.  Just after 11am on Saturday morning our runner arrived and Matt was off like a rocket- Amy and I tried to give him a "good game" swat as he passed but we only caught air and just looked at each other and laughed.  Oh, did I mention that this is about the time delirium sets in?  EVERYTHING is funny at this point in a relay -you are sleep deprived, sore, hungry and have been living on gummy bears and gatorade for over 24 hours!

Wating to give Matt some water

The water handoff

Our "tunnel" friends

We headed back to the van, piled in and went to chase down Matt and hand him some water down the road.  At this point the scenery was amazingly beautiful- we drove along a winding road with views of the beach and the water.  Stunning really.  We stopped and I decided to offer gummy bears to passing runners while we waited.  We did the tunnel so they could run under our stretched out arms.  Matt finished in record time and then Paul was off on his final stretch which was a 'no van support' leg due to heavy traffic on a busy and narrow road.  We honked and cheered (and maybe illegally stopped to fetch his shirt) when we passed him and headed to the next exchange.

Exchange 31, Paul ready and waiting for Matt to arrive

A water station on Paul's 'no van support' leg

Paul and Steve exchanging the bracelet

Paul came flying in and Steve was ready to take on his last run.  I was kind of jealous of all of the team members that were finished already- and I still had such a long time to wait!  We cheered Steve on and made sure he didn't need anything and then headed to the next exchange area to wait.  He had a pretty significant hill to climb up and down but did such a great job!  We were right on a beach at that point so we took some photos and stretched our legs.  This section of the race really has some great views, we missed this last year being in van 1!

Matt taking a stroll onto the beach- it was really windy!

And there goes Amy!

She made it to the top!!

Hydration is key

Amy was ready to tackle her final 5.8 miles and had several big hills to climb as well.  We waited for her at the top of the biggest one to cheer her on and get her some water- she was just cruising right along and looked great!  We headed to the next exchange where it would be Will's last run- he only had 3.8 miles to run- and then it would be my turn!  I was starting to get nervous and anxious- luckily my body felt pretty good even though I already had 20 miles in my legs. 

Parking lot full of crazy vans and runners!

Will is ready and Amy is DONE!

Will is focused and ready to pass me the bracelet one last time!

Will was carrying water so we didn't stop for him- just honked and cheered when we passed and headed to the last exchange so I could be ready when he arrived.  I was going to carry my water as well -I wanted them to have plenty of time to park, meet up with van 1 and be ready when I arrived so we could cross the finish line together.  It was pretty warm at that point and I believe it was around 4:20pm when Will slapped the bracelet on me for the last time and I was off! 

I am ready!!!

Off I go for 4.7 miles of fun!

I really wanted to finish strong- my first mile ticked off at 8:55 and I was pretty pleased!  Then there it was- the one mile long hill of death!  In one mile we climbed 350 feet- not sure if that is a lot or not, but it felt significant to me!  Seriously, I tried my very best to run the whole way up that dang thing and I only walked twice to catch my breath but then my Garmin beeped an 11:00 mile.  Ugh.  I did pass a couple of people on it though- and one guy passed me, but even he took one walk break!  Once I reached the top I could not find any speed though, and there were plenty more rolling hills to keep it fun!  I held a 10 minute pace the last couple of miles and just tried to focus on the beautiful scenery and the fact that my entire team was waiting for me to arrive so we could celebrate.

Love this photo- I think I need to buy it!!

DONE!

It was so cool to approach the finish line and see my team there- I threw up my arms as I passed them and they followed me in across the finish line and we were DONE!!  I ran 4.7  'moderate' (my ass!) miles in 47 minutes.  Maybe it was the lack of sleep and the previous 20 miles that made that leg so hard -but to me it was a bit challenging!  We got our medals and had a group photo taken then headed straight to the beer garden with our free cold cheese pizza!  I think that was the best, most coldest beer ever.  I was so exhausted I didn't even take a group photo in the beer garden, but we sat and told funny stories and relaxed for a while.

Our group shot upside down- for the life of me I cannot get it to flip around.  It seems fitting though LOL!!  I think we all felt a bit upside down.

After a bit we said our good bye to Steve- he headed home so he could run the Warrior Dash the next day (crazy eh? that is a half fanatic for you!).  Then we said good bye to the ladies of van 1 and headed to get in line for the ferry.  Which took about an hour, not great but it could have been worse.  Matt had never been on a ferry so it was fun to enjoy it with him. 

In case you were wondering what tired looked like!!  Waiting in line for the ferry

Our awesome ferry ride- the view was great!

We were all ready for a nice hot meal, a shower and a bed!!  We headed straight to the nearest pub and had some food and more beer, then checked into our hotel- we must have been quite a sight around Muckilteo!!  I found a hotel suite that would sleep all 5 of us and had a kitchen, 2 bathrooms and a free breakfast and it was perfect!  It was fun being able to stay together as a group after the race and chat.  We had a really great group in our van this year- after all the stress of being a captain and finding runners it all worked out!  And it was fun!

    

Ragnar Relay Northwest Passage- Part 2

You can catch up on part 1 of our Ragnar adventure HERE

What Ragnar looks like at night!

It also looks a little like this!

So our van was getting ready to start running again and it was 12:30am.  We were wandering around in the crowded parking lot at the high school and pretty soon Matt was handed the bracelet and off he went.  At this point I needed to get a few team shirts swapped around- long story short 5 of our shirts were not finished before we left Tacoma so 2 of my AMAZING friends volunteered to drive to Bremerton and get them, then drive them to Burlington Friday night and drop them off for our team.  Thank you thank you thank you Tiana and Bill, you are THE BEST.  Seriously.  You guys rock.  So we got the last 5 shirts to the correct team members and headed off to catch up to Matt and give him some water. 

Matt I think?

Jill found me while we were chatting with van 1!

I must have been resting for the next couple of exchanges- I really don't remember too much and there aren't many pictures.  I do remember that when we passed Paul his tail light was not blinking so we pulled over right away and jogged to meet him and fix it so we didn't get penalized and he didn't get run over.  Apparently it had fallen on the ground and broke apart and stopped working so we gave him a new one and then he was all blinky and safe so we hopped back in the van.  Paul finished his 7.7 mile run in the middle of the night and passed off to Amy.

Paul ready for his run

I believe this is Steve!

Staying hydrated!

Amy had a short leg and was done quickly then it was Steve's turn.  Then Steve passed off to Will who was lucky enough to run over Deception Pass!  It was very early morning (around 4 or 4:30am) so it was getting a bit lighter and there was some fog but it was beautiful.  We stopped to take some photos, and as we drove over the bridge I was actually a bit relieved it wasn't me- I am a little afraid of heights and that pathway was narrow!! 

Deception Pass- so beautiful!!

I had slowly been getting myself geared up for my run- I think I even changed my entire outfit in the front seat of the van.  It was still kind of dark out so probably nobody saw me but I didn't want to go change in a honey bucket in the dark!!  So my second run was 8.9 miles of rolling hills, with the first 5 being non support -meaning the van cannot stop and offer me water or anything.  I was wearing all of my fancy reflective gear and had been up for nearly 24 hours straight at that point.  Good thing adrenaline exists- that is what kept me going for sure! 

I was carrying my handheld water bottle and I adjusted the headlamp so that it felt pretty tight on my head when I jumped up and down.  It would have been helpful to do a test run with one before the race- last year I had a horrible headache so I carried a flashlight on my night run because putting something around my head sounded terrible.  I was pretty content snuggling with Amy in her leopard print snuggie when they announced our team was heading into the exchange but I reluctantly stepped into the chute and then I was off and running when Will slapped the bracelet onto my wrist.

Approximately 2 minutes later the headlamp started slipping down my face and nothing I did made it stick.  Jill and her team drove past me and she yelled out the window at me which was cool!  This is how it went- step, step, step, push up on headlamp, step, step, step, push up on headlamp.  I was losing my mind.  I stopped 3 times to tighten the headlamp, and since I was carrying my water it was literally a complete stop so I could use both hands.  The second time, as an added bonus, the tail light also popped off and fell on the ground in a bunch of pieces.  Swell. 

At 6:04am I finally grabbed my phone out of my pocket and decided to send an SOS text.  Except I can't text and run apparently so I just phoned Will and asked him to please give me my purple headband at the very first possible chance- I was at mile 2.25 at that point and they could not stop until 5 miles but that was better than nothing.  I thought about little else while I was running other than that stupid headlamp and how I really wanted to throw it into the trees.  Then all of a sudden I saw our van up ahead and I knew relief was near!  As I approached it was like my pit crew was there- I threw the headband on and put the headlamp over the top while Amy added glide to my underarm area (I had some chaffing from my previous run) and then I was off again. 

Amy gliding my arm while I fix my headlamp!

"this better work"

Now that is team mate love!!  Thanks guys!

It worked though, and that headlamp did not budge for my final 4 miles!  The van stopped for me a couple of miles later and I tossed them my water bottle and told them to meet me at the exchange.  I think we were all so so tired that I just wanted to be done so we could all go rest.  I did my best to pick up my pace and finish strong but those hills were never ending and my legs were spent.  After I came into the exchange Will just laughed at me and said he needed a picture -gee thanks babe!  I was quite the sight- but it was just after 7am and we were officially on break again for a few hours.  I ran 8.9 "very hard" miles in an hour and thirty minutes- not my goal pace but considering I probably lost several minutes on the headlamp issue I will take it. 

Done!!!

Oh yes, I earned all of that hottness lol!!  What a mess I was!

We drove to the next exchange, parked the van in the first spot we came to and then we all proceeded to pass out for the next 2 hours.  Will went to use the bathroom and clean up a bit and he asked if anyone wanted to go with him.  Apparently Steve said he would like to -but it just sounded "so far away" LOL.  I remember nothing- I fell asleep in about 2 seconds in the front seat of the van and woke up an hour and a half later because I needed to use the bathroom.  I got out and started wandering around the parking lot and suddenly Jill was there again!  I told her I was so tired I felt drunk.  I seriously felt like I was sooo drunk it was strange. 

The exchange area

Mr. Speedy chilling out in the grass

Steve and Paul relaxing a bit

Eventually the whole van was up and about, eating some breakfast and cleaning up.  There were real bathrooms and a hot breakfast available at the High School so I went in and did the Shower Pill thing again, this time just putting my next running outfit on- I wasn't sure I would have the energy to change again later!  The sun was out finally so it felt good to be outside, and we just waited around for van 1 to arrive so we could finish the race off!

Do you want to run a relay race?  It will be fun!