Adventures In Running: Hood 2 Coast Pt 3
I left off the last post sharing my first Hood 2 Coast experience.
In the dark, I got through my second leg (something like 4 miles), but I was starting to feel sick to my stomach. I was exhausted. I couldn't believe I had to run one last time.
Slight tangent:
Each Hood 2 Coast team decides whether the runners will do the driving or whether someone who is not running will drive. My sister had raced the year before, and decided to volunteer to drive instead of run this time. She says it's actually more stressful being a driver than being a runner.
My parents decided to follow our van (van 1) since both my sister and I were there just to spend time with us and the family. They had borrowed my uncle's mini van.
In this post-second leg time frame, I had to visit the Honey Bucket a few times. This in itself is not a pleasant experience. In the dark, after some hundreds of runners have already visited the port-a-potty before me...you can imagine. I really felt sorry for the teams that started later.
Due to my need for frequent Honey Bucket visits, I hopped into the van with my mom and dad. The combination of my period cramps, stomach cramps, and the fact that I get car sick VERY easily began to crush me. I cried and asked them to pull over every time we passed the Honey Buckets. It was the epitome of misery. My poor mom and dad didn't know what to do.
In the midst of all this, van 1 took a wrong turn. We were supposed to drive to a place where we could sleep for several hours. However, something happened. I don't remember who pointed us the wrong way, but my sister ended up driving down the wrong road, and we got stuck in the van 2 traffic jam. This prolonged our time in the car where I continued to feel sicker and sicker.
By the time we got to the place to stop and sleep, I couldn't really do anything but keep visiting the Honey Buckets. So I didn't get much sleep. Soon, it was time to get moving and run again. My cousin, Anna, was leg 1 now so she took her turn, then leg 2, then leg 3, and then it was supposed to be my turn. Someone looked at me and said I was white as a ghost. Because Anna had only run twice (Tori, if you recall from the other post, took the first run of leg 1), she offered to do my leg for me.
Relief washed over me. I was so grateful that Anna did that for me.
In the end, we all finished together on the beach at Seaside. Sadly, I don't have pics of that, but I have pics of the house we stayed in afterward. I have never slept so hard in my life. Not even after the other Hood 2 Coasts I've done.
So my first Hood 2 Coast felt like somewhat of a failure, but it's okay. Things happen, and the memory is surprisingly vivid to me as I retell it because of how wrong everything went.
Overall, I still had a good time. Here are pics from my old digital camera (not the best quality):
In the dark, I got through my second leg (something like 4 miles), but I was starting to feel sick to my stomach. I was exhausted. I couldn't believe I had to run one last time.
Slight tangent:
Each Hood 2 Coast team decides whether the runners will do the driving or whether someone who is not running will drive. My sister had raced the year before, and decided to volunteer to drive instead of run this time. She says it's actually more stressful being a driver than being a runner.
My parents decided to follow our van (van 1) since both my sister and I were there just to spend time with us and the family. They had borrowed my uncle's mini van.
In this post-second leg time frame, I had to visit the Honey Bucket a few times. This in itself is not a pleasant experience. In the dark, after some hundreds of runners have already visited the port-a-potty before me...you can imagine. I really felt sorry for the teams that started later.
Due to my need for frequent Honey Bucket visits, I hopped into the van with my mom and dad. The combination of my period cramps, stomach cramps, and the fact that I get car sick VERY easily began to crush me. I cried and asked them to pull over every time we passed the Honey Buckets. It was the epitome of misery. My poor mom and dad didn't know what to do.
In the midst of all this, van 1 took a wrong turn. We were supposed to drive to a place where we could sleep for several hours. However, something happened. I don't remember who pointed us the wrong way, but my sister ended up driving down the wrong road, and we got stuck in the van 2 traffic jam. This prolonged our time in the car where I continued to feel sicker and sicker.
By the time we got to the place to stop and sleep, I couldn't really do anything but keep visiting the Honey Buckets. So I didn't get much sleep. Soon, it was time to get moving and run again. My cousin, Anna, was leg 1 now so she took her turn, then leg 2, then leg 3, and then it was supposed to be my turn. Someone looked at me and said I was white as a ghost. Because Anna had only run twice (Tori, if you recall from the other post, took the first run of leg 1), she offered to do my leg for me.
Relief washed over me. I was so grateful that Anna did that for me.
In the end, we all finished together on the beach at Seaside. Sadly, I don't have pics of that, but I have pics of the house we stayed in afterward. I have never slept so hard in my life. Not even after the other Hood 2 Coasts I've done.
So my first Hood 2 Coast felt like somewhat of a failure, but it's okay. Things happen, and the memory is surprisingly vivid to me as I retell it because of how wrong everything went.
Overall, I still had a good time. Here are pics from my old digital camera (not the best quality):
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| Mt Hood (glare from inside the van) is not so snowy in August |
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| My cousin Tori and my sister Larisa |
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| Larisa and me |
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| Our van 1 team. I don't actually remember everyone's names! Some of the girls were friends of Anna and Tori |
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| We are Wonder Women! |
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| I didn't get many action shots, but this is....Brooke, I think? She was awesome! Super runner |
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| An exchange zone |
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| Here I come! First leg almost over |
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| Why am I running so fast on my first leg? Oh, right. Needed to get to that Honey Bucket ASAP |
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| My night run. Mom and Dad are so proud |
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| On the right, my cousin Anna. These two are friends of hers |
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| Larisa, me and Mom |
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| Aunt Betty was such a help with my training |
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| At the Seaside beach house. It's all over! From van 2, Missy and Nicole |
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| Aunt Angie and her friend were in van 2 |
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| Uncle Will and Scott helped us out since we were all limping around |
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| Me and Anna. My hero! She ran my last leg for me and I'll never forget it. |
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