Wasatch Back
I don't consider myself much of a runner. That being said, doesn't mean that I never do it or refuse to give it a try. In fact, during the colder mornings from fall through spring, I find it much easier to lace up the shoes, build a little bone density and get a nice workout at the same time. SDAY on the other hand has turned in to quite the running machine. She's transformed from a girl who only ran after tennis balls to a girls who nearly runs across town to buy tennis balls, taking the long route with Layla in the Chariot and Kashi at her side.Because of her running zest she got the itch to run the famous Wasatch Back relay race and with the helps of some good friends, pulled together a solid team of stellar individuals. She also roped me into it. Excited for the competition, the chance to hang out with good friends, loose a lot of sleep and crash on the lawn of a high school in Kamas, I decided it would be worth it.Looking back, actually training a bit more would have helped reduce how much my legs hurt after the race and the following day, but it wasn't anything a nice commute to and from work on the bike couldn't fix. I could have also learned a bit on how to pace my self. My plan for each leg was: Get it over with. I'd ramp it up until I was a bit uncomfortable then back off a bit. I figured that was close to what I could sustain for a few miles. It worked just fine, but my legs we're still blown pretty bad after the race.As for the other rock stars in our van, well they pretty much did what the needed to do to make our team finish the race nearly two hours a head of what we expected.
Lori: She took it DEEP on her last leg of the race. At sometime around 2:00 or 3:00 am she ran 7.9 miles of a "Hard" (that's an understatement) route to finish off her Ragnar experience. She looked fresh and ready for more when she crossed the line as if she had just begun.
Natalie: In addition to being the best navigator from the way back seat (which was VERY helpful. At least someone knew where we were supposed to go and what was next) She was also super solid on every single one of her legs. Consistency is her game and every time she delivered with a full tank of speed with a smile and when it was all over she trucked it home by herself for a full day of family events. I wonder if she ever got any sleep.
Dayna: You'd think she just got back from a training camp with team USA. I nearly missed my first transition because she was ripping the trail so fast. And to think she was doing all this with some sever IT band issues and giant blister on her foot. Well done speed-D. Plus she wasn't afraid of putting down some quality food at the Polar King in Oakley. Thanks for sharing your Oreo Shake with all of us.
Layne: Layne knows a lot about space. You should ask him sometime. He's also a man among men. He brought it home on ever leg he ran. From burning up the DH coming off of Avon Pass to ripping it up the climb to East Canyon, Layne still had enough energy to keep the van laughing with his quick wits and good lines.
SDAY: The girl that continues to amaze me. She's come a very long way and for her to take on the longest combine legs of our van with her second time out on course being one that's you couldn't pay me to run, she simply did an amazing job. Truly an example to me of what hard work and determination can accomplish. If only I had her drive, who knows what I could do on the bike.As for my running career... well I don't really see one in the future, but I'd be happy to get in on the Wasatch Back or another event like this with the same crew any time. You guys all rocked! And a big shout-out to the team in Van 2. Didn't get to spend much time with them but from what I heard, they all put in more than a solid effort and finished us off amazingly strong.