Apparently I like to spend my weekends running long distances.
Who am I?
This past Saturday I added the Market to Market Iowa Relay to my list of races. M2M is a relay race between two cities, 6-8 person teams, 75 total miles, 17 exchange points and a celebrated group finish.
It. Was. Awesome.
We set up our groups into two 6-person teams so that each team had one person running every stage. Having a partner turned out to be a great idea. More time to chat and less time to focus on the rainy weather and the miles.
Meet my team:
Team Runaway Brides
And the other team
Off Like A Prom Dress
minus 1 because she was already running
Each team had a runner 1, 2, 3, etc. At each exchange point the runners would pass a timing chip off to the next group. This exchange happened for 17 stages.
I was runner 3 and was teamed up with Tracy, a fellow fitness instructor.
Tracy and I found ourselves with very similar stories, which made the distances seem shorter as we had much to talk about. We also challenged each other by running at faster paces then we normally would. Our running distances weren’t bad at all, but when you combine the distances with long intervals of rest, your body tends to respond with stiffness.
Tracy and I
It took us a little over 11 hours to run the 75 miles. We managed to hit all the weather elements, minus snow. Cold, Rain, Wind, Hot. But, we had an absolute blast. I only knew four of the 12 runners so it was a perfect set-up as we had so much to talk about and learn.
Highlights from Leg One
The Starting Line
.
Finishing with a smile.
Seriously, what is wrong with me?
.
An Exchange Point
.
Go Jessie, Go!
.
Highlights of Leg Two
Happy!
.
They’re smiling too.
We are all insane
.
Waiting for their exchange to happen.
.
Way to bring it in strong, girls!
.
No explanation needed, right?
.
Highlights of Leg Three
Last Stage for Runner 1. Looking good!
.
They finished strong!
.
Runner 2- getting ready to hand off!
.
This totally looks staged, but it so wasn’t!
Stage 3… here we come.
.
This is my
“Oh Thank God I am DONE” look
and Natalie’s
“Oh, Shit, here I go AGAIN” look
.
For the record, Tracy and I’s third stage of 4 miles was BRUTAL.
One mile of it was all UPHILL.
Are ya kidding me?
I thought I was dying.
Done.
Dead.
Holy Sh……
.
Almost Done!
.
Couldn’t resist a cute shoe pic…
.
Rach and Mac waiting for our last runners to come in so we could finish Team Strong!
.
This team carried that American Flag all 75 miles.
Awesome.
.
WE MADE IT!
Teams: Off Like A Prom Dress
&
Runaway Brides
.
Harleys and Heels 
[…] I am a big fan of quick, healthy, grab-and-go treats. They work great for pre-workout snacks as they contain a perfect combo of carbohydrates and protein. They also work for sustaining energy, as proven this weekend when we ate an entire batch of them during the Market to Market. […]
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[…] when I posted about running the Iowa Market to Market not all that long […]
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