Courtney somehow talked me into running Hood to Coast with her this year. She ran 2 years ago and loved it. She told me it is an experience she feels everyone should experience..and now I am a complete believer! Her co-worker Nicole who is a member of the Timber's Army put together a team this year and was nice enough to let me join them! I loved running in college, but since moving up to Portland 4 years ago, I lost that love and only did it (which was not very often) for the exercise. So, I thought this would be a good way to get back into shape and find that love for running again. With the poor weather we had this spring and early summer, I found it hard to train. As HTC got closer, I started to panic, thinking I am not in good enough shape for this I need to get my butt into gear. So, thats exactly what I started to do and at some point, I started to love to run again.
Courtney and I were both in van 1. Courtney started out the race and the top of Timberline at 4:30 am on Friday morning! On our way up to Timberline, we heard a radio emergency announcement informing us of a major storm heading north in our direction. When we made it to the top, we saw some wild lightening and wondered what the day was going to bring us!
First Leg:
Length: 5.67 miles
Difficulty level: Hard
Description: Severe downhill through Government Camp and HWY 26 on paved street and shoulder.
My Experience: 5:15am, thunder, lightening, pouring down rain, pitch dark, cold, wet, pissed off at the semi trucks driving by at 60 miles per hour getting me more wet. The first 3 miles, I was thinking, what the heck did I sign myself up for?! Then the rain turned from a torrential down pour to more of a comfortable sprinkle, the sky lightened up so I was able to enjoy some of the beautiful scenery, I kept a good pace and made it to my first exchange feeling great about the condition I was in!
Running in the dark:
The hand off to Hoss at my first exchange:
1st legs down and soaking wet:
After my run, I was so cold and wet, I failed to stretch out and re-hydrate myself and instead changed my clothes and curled up in the back seat to warm up and rest. Biggest mistake ever!
After the rest of my van finished their first legs and we met up with van 2, we grabbed lunch at a nearby cafe and headed to of our teammates house for showers, rest, and to re-decorate our van (the rain washed off all the writing on our windows). We had about a 6 hours before we had to meet up with van 2 again. Thank you Cord to opening your house up to our team during this break. It really worked out perfect.
Nicole, Courtney and I waiting to meet up with Van 2:
Van 2:
Courtney starting out leg 2 in Portland:
Second Leg:
Length: 6.08 miles
Difficulty level: Moderate
Description: Basically flat terrain along Front Ave / St. Helen Road / Highway 30 on paved shoulder and sidewalks.
My Experience: My second leg was the easiest leg but the one I struggled with the most. My muscles were sore but most of all the afternoon heat just did me in! It was about 87 degree's outside at 5:30 pm, along a busy highway. This time I was thankful when the semi trucks drove by me at 60 miles per hour so I could catch a nice breeze. During this leg I thought, no way am I ever going to be able to finish my 3rd leg! I had to walk a couple times during this leg, give myself a few pep talks before making my next exchange, and was a little disappointed with my speed and performance.
During our second van exchange, we tried to find somewhere to eat in St. Helen's, only problem was that it was 11:45 pm and everything was closed in the small town! Desperate for food, we stopped at an open Muchas Gracias for dinner. I decided to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich instead of consuming Muchas Gracias but the rest of the team ate there. Then we headed to an open field to catch a little sleep. We got a about 2 hours of sleep before we had to get up and meet at the next van exchange. Due to traffic our runner from van 2 was waiting for 30 minutes before we got there.
After 2 hours of sleep in a field, coffee was a must!
Third Leg:
Length: 5.77 miles
Difficulty level: Hard
Description: Beginning with gently rolling hills, long uphill toward the end, finishing downhill for half mile on paved roads.
My Experience: It was 6:15 am, the air was fresh, and I was feeling great! This was by far my favorite run. I saw a deer cross the road, it was light enough to take in the scenery, and the temperature was perfect. I was a little worried about the hills in this leg, but thanks to my training in OC, I did just fine! I finished strong and felt great!
Cord kickin' butt at leg 3:
We met up with Van 2 for our last exchange, ate lunch and headed to the finish line in Seaside! Cody, Kim and Loren met us there to watch our team cross the finish line, we had a few celebratory beers, said our good bye's to the team and hobbled home.
It truely was a great experience! Our team finished the 200 mile race in 36 hours and 11 minutes. Thanks Team Wood Rather Be Drinking and Sawing Logs for letting me join you in this amazing experience. I feel so lucky to have been a part of this team!
Crossing the finish line as a team:
Looking forward to running Hood to Coast again!
-Chelsea
