I had been in North Carolina most of the week for work. On Wednesday, I drove down to Greenville, SC where I would pick up 3 of my teammates. We all met up on Wednesday evening and headed to our hotels. We had a nice dinner before getting back to our hotel to get some rest before picking up Mara and heading up to Boone, NC on Thursday to meet the rest of the team.
Mara’s plane came in on time. After picking her up we headed over to the Sprouts to pick up our van food for the race. Once we had purchased all the food, we decided to grab lunch in Greenville before making the 2 hour drive up to Boone. We had a nice sushi lunch which was the perfect food before a race. The drive up to Boone from Greenville was beautiful. But it was obvious to me that these were not just hills we would be running starting Friday morning. They were truly mountains. I figured that I had trained hard for this race so I would be fine. I wasn’t sure about the rest of the team. Little did I know what I personally was in for.
We got to Boone about 4 pm and checked into our hotel. 4 of our runners were delayed in Asheville. They would not be able to join us for dinner on time. So we all headed over to the restaurant to have a few drinks and some good food while we waited for them to arrive. The restaurant was really good. It is called The Local. The menu is made up of delicious local recipes and had a full bar with a great beer selection in a warm, ambient setting. We were hoping the rest of the team would get there before we finished our dinner. They never made it. So we all headed back to the hotel to get our last rest before heading to the starting line at Grayson Highlands State Park in Virginia.Grayson Highlands State Park is near Mount Rogers and Whitetop Mountain which are Virginia's two highest mountains. The views as we approached the park were beyond belief. The sun was just coming up and we had scenic views of alpine-like peaks that are more than 5,000 feet high. I wondered just how high the “hills” would be during the race. After checking in, we hung out together waiting for our 7:30 am start time.
Right at 7:20 am they called the teams for that wave to the starting line. Our first runner Michelle was ready to go. The gun went off right on time at 7:30 and we were on the run. Since I was in Van 1, we had to head to the exchange area to meet Michelle. I was Runner #3 so I wanted to have time to get ready and stretch before my run. We did have to stop along the way to the exchange to admire the views. The scenery was one of the main reasons I wanted to try this relay. We were not disappointed.
Michelle handed off to Gordon ad we headed to my exchange. I was pretty excited about getting started. I had trained hard for this race and wanted to see if I had prepared enough. Gordon showed up at the exchange at 9:29 am and I headed out from the Helton United Methodist Church for a hilly first leg. It was only 66o but the humidity was 100%. Despite all of my preparation and training, I was dying after the first 2 miles due to heat and elevation gain. I was pushing myself so I wouldn’t let the team down. But I was running up a hill that gained 506 feet in 2.5 miles. I pushed myself as best I could but I could not get my pace down to 8:30 per mile. I took the downhill and tried to pick up the pace at the end running hard into the exchange at the Landmark Baptist Church. My second mile is what killed my average pace having run a 12:02 mile. I had to walk a couple of times at the steepest portion. But given the weather conditions and temperature I was pretty pleased with my overall time.
Mara’s first leg started at the Friendly Grove Baptist Church. She had to cover 6.7 miles which would be her longest leg. Once she started, we headed to a place where we could pull over and give her some water as it was getting pretty hot. She said she was doing fine. We met her one more time for a quick check before heading to Frosty’s Choose & Cut where the big exchange to Van 2 was located. Mara did really well and came into the exchange with a huge smile on her face and at a strong pace. After a little exchange of barbs between our vans, we headed back into Boone to grab lunch. Once we had eaten, we headed to the next big exchange area at the Mount Vernon Baptist Church. We all grabbed our blankets, towels, etc. to lay down in the grass and try to get a little nap in. I was able to get a little bit of shut eye. Unfortunately the church was next to a baseball field and there were little leaguers practicing and making a ton of noise. After a while, we got the call that Randy was on his way. So we gathered up all of our stuff and got Michelle ready to head out for her 2nd leg.
Once Randy handed off to Michelle, we were off and running again. After Michelle handed off to Gordon, we headed to the exchange so I could get ready for my very hard second leg. Gordon came into the exchange to hand off to me at 10:00 p.m. I took off from the Grandfather Country Store knowing I had a very challenging leg ahead. It was still 66o and 100% humidity. I headed out figuring my goal was to finish the leg and not worry about time. It was a relentless hill climb the entire way. The road was pitch black with almost no traffic on the road except for the other team’s vans. I was totally drenched in sweat after 3 miles and was already struggling with the climbs. Overall I gained 1,666 feet with only 934 of downhill over the total course. I had to take several walk breaks to not overheat and keep moving foward. As the run progressed, I was getting mad at myself for not being able to run faster. I had trained for these hills. What I couldn’t simulate in Arizona was the North Carolina humidity. It simply sapped all my strength. After a long struggle, I pulled into the exchange at the entrance to Grandfather Mountain at 11:45 pm. I felt defeated because I had lost so much time for my team. But I couldn’t worry about it. I had to get some rest and prepare for my final leg.Mara’s second leg started at Newland Elementary School. It was a run through the town of Newland. I was a little nervous for Mara because of the darkness and the lack of runners around us. We had a little scare when she called to make sure she had made the correct turn. I didn’t see a turn on the map. So I told her to stay put and we would come back and find her. But another van came by an confirmed she was right. We found her and made sure she was doing ok. She was pushing herself as hard as she could. But this course was rough. She made it to the exchange and handed off to Brian. We all were wrecked at this point and we still had one more leg to go.
We headed to the Bakersfield Fire Department to get as much rest as we could before having to run our final leg. There was some nice grassy areas to grab some sleep. We all found a comfortable place to lay down and it was pretty quiet. I actually got some decent sleep although it was shortened when another van pulled in and left their bright lights shining towards where we were sleeping. We got the call from Van 2 that they were on their way. Again we gathered our things up and got ready for Michelle to run her final leg.
Michelle took off just before sunrise and had a great run. Gordon headed out after getting the hand off and we headed to the exchange at the Tipton Hill Elementary School. I wanted to redeem myself on this final leg after a terrible performance the night before. Our team was running very close to last place. Everyone was struggling in the heat and humidity. Gordon came into the exchange and I headed out. I knew I had a quick steep climb and then a long downhill before a gradual climb for 7 of the 9 miles I had to cover. I rocked it down the hill with a sub-8 minute pace. Then I just locked into a comfortable pace. My goal was to take walk breaks only if the heat was getting to me. I did take a couple to lower my heart rate and recover a bit. But I was able to push on through and get back into a pace I trained at for the past 3 months. The humidity had dropped to 94%. I was really gassed the last mile. But I ran into the Clermont Elementary School and handed off to Vanessa. As I cooled down, I tried to lock into my memory all of the beautiful vistas I had seen so far during this race. My last leg along the Toe River was spectacular. It almost made it worth the pain.Mara’s final leg was brutal. Our team was 2 hours behind our predicted pace and were definitely one of the last 3 teams in the race bringing up the rear. The race was really hot and humid. We stopped to give her water several times. She was getting pretty frustrated because she couldn’t run as hard as she wanted. The rest of the team assured her she was doing really well given the condition. Despite the difficulty, Mara did appreciate the beauty of her last leg. She finally came in and handed off to Brian who gave her a big hug before he headed out. We were finally done.
Since we knew we would have some extra time before Van 2 finished, we headed to the hotel in downtown Asheville. We took a little rest and a much needed shower. It was nice to wash off all of the sweat and grime that had accumulated on our bodies running in the high heat and humidity. Unfortunately we really were one of the last 3 teams vying for last place. The race team stopped our Van 2 and had them jump forward 3 legs to ensure that they would finish before the cut off. As frustrating as that was, I was glad that we would at least get to run across the finish line as a team which I wanted Mara to experience.
We waited at the finish line area for Van 2 to come in. I have to say that the finish line area was a huge disappointment. There was nowhere to sit and they has absolutely no refreshments of any kind. Not even any water. Randy finally came running around the corner and the team joined him as we all ran across the finish line. Even though we clearly had our numbers showing the race announcer didn’t announce our name. Pretty lame in my opinion. Despite all of the things we didn’t like about the race, we had done our best and finished in 35:38:15. We were the 3rd from last place team. The team gathered together and went out to dinner at Buxton Hall BBQ. We all discussed the race and in the end were proud of how well we did despite the course difficulty and weather conditions. There obviously was some disappointment that we were moved ahead on the course. I personally felt pretty good in the end. As I said, this was the toughest relay I have ever run. In the end, I ran 24.3 miles in 3:59:14 seconds which was an overall 9:51 pace. Not bad considering the heat, elevation changes and humidity. Mara did really well and ran further in a race than she has ever run. Since the race did not give out medals (They give you a refrigerator magnet), Leslie and I got her a necklace of hills made by a local Asheville artist. Mara loved it.
Now almost a month later I can say simply that I am proud of the team. We are not the most serious group of runners. When challenged though, we get out there and push ourselves beyond our limits. I am so glad to have had the chance to share the experience with my daughter. As I look back I am glad I pushed myself way past my comfort zone. As Anne Sullivan (instructor and lifelong companion of Helen Keller) said, “Keep on beginning and failing. Each time you fail, start all over again, and you will grow stronger until you have accomplished a purpose - not the one you began with perhaps, but one you'll be glad to remember.” I will always be glad to remember the Blue Ridge Relay.
Aug 20 – 6.50 miles (58:54, 9:04 pace)
Aug 23 – 3.10 miles (31:02, 10:00 pace)
Aug 24 – 10.20 miles (1:26:35, 8:29 pace) – Tempo Run
Aug 25 – 10.20 miles (1:39:27, 9:45 pace)
Aug 26 – 10.20 miles (1:38:16, 9:38 pace)
Aug 27 – 8.10 miles (1:32:12, 11:23 pace) – Hill Repeats
Aug 28 – 9.50 miles (1:26:13, 9:04 pace) – Mile Repeats
Aug 30 – 10.20 miles (1:27:05, 8:32 pace) – Tempo Run
Aug 31 – 7.10 miles (1:06:34, 9:23 pace)
Sept 1 – 8.10 miles (1:18:05, 9:38 pace)
Sept 2 – 8.20 miles (1:17:16, 9:25 pace)
Sept 3 – 6.10 miles (1:01:00, 9:59 pace)
Sept 7 – 5.10 miles (45:49, 8:58 pace) – BRR Leg #1
Sept 7 – 10.30 miles (1:45:14, 10:13 pace) – BRR Leg #2
Sept 8 – 9.20 miles (1:28:11, 9:35 pace) – BRR Leg #3
Sept 11 – 5.10 miles (47:52, 9:23 pace)
Sept 12 – 5.10 miles (48:38, 9:33 pace)
Sept 13 – 5.20 miles (48:00, 9:13 pace)
Sept 15 – 3.20 miles (28:39, 8:57 pace)
Sept 16 – 13.10 miles (2:08:52, 9:50 pace)
Sept 18 – 5.20 miles (45:44, 8:48 pace) – Speed Work
Sept 19 – 5.10 miles (52:21, 10:16 pace)
Sept 21 – 3.20 miles (28:52, 9:02 pace) – Tempo Run
Sept 22 – 4.10 miles (41:22, 10:05 pace)
Sept 23 – 7.10 miles (1:05:27, 9:13 pace)
Sept 25 – 5.20 miles (45:40, 8:47 pace) – Speed Work
Sept 26 – 5.10 miles (56:22, 11:04 pace)
Sept 27 – 3.10 miles (26:24, 8:31 pace) – Tempo Run
Sept 29 – 4.20 miles (38:27, 9:09 pace)
Sept 30 – 14.10 miles (2:15:34, 9:37 pace)
Total Miles: 210.2 miles
2018 Total Miles: 1,420.5 miles
