"Lindsey doesn't run."
That's probably the only phrase I've ever uttered in which I refer to myself in the third person. I'm not sure when it originated, and I'm not sure why it always comes out as if I'm talking about someone other than myself, but it's a fact. Or at least it was...
Some forgotten number of months ago, I heard that my company was going to sponsor a team for the Spokane to Sandpoint Relay. Twelve runners, three legs each, 185 miles. Volunteers?
I think my thought process was something like: "Yeeeeeeah, no. Hope you can find twelve crazy people to run to Sandpoint, ALK, but I'm certainly not going to be one of them. Have fun."
It was apparently very easy to find those twelve people, and they began training at once. I pretended it didn't exist and went on working as though nothing was different. There was some buzz from time to time, but I didn't hear much about it after the initial email.
Two weeks ago, there was another email.
"Spokane to Sandpoint Relay *Needed Runner*"
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My former self would have scoffed at this again and deleted the email, but then again, my former self wasn't turning 30 in a month. I was suddenly stricken with the urge to participate. Some crazy-ass voice deep inside was screaming at me. Prepare for inner monologue:
"Lindsey! You should run! It's fate!"
"How is this 'fate'?"
"Um, how 'bout the race could have been scheduled on the 18th and 19th (Saturday and Sunday), making it so you couldn't participate because you're leaving for Vegas on Sunday, but it wasn't. It is scheduled for the 17th and 18th - Friday and Saturday."
"So? I don't run."
"Maybe you should run."
"Maybe I should."
"These three legs are short (in comparison to everyone else's). They're mostly flat."
"..."
"Wouldn't it be nice to know you participated in something you never thought you'd do in a million years...before you turn 30?"
"Maybe. Yes. Yeah! I could totally freaking run to Sandpoint the day before I turn 30!"
"Yeah! You could!"
"Wait...I only have three weeks to train."
"Three weeks is plenty of time."
"I've never run before in my life. As a matter of fact, I have spent a great portion of my existence avoiding that very activity."
"That was the old You. Look how much you've accomplished this past year. This is *your* year. This is the new You."
"And I'm running to Sandpoint."
Okay, so it wasn't *exactly* like that, but it was very similar. I walked two cubicles over to Courtney's desk. I never took Courtney for a runner. Hipster, fellow science geek, and bookworm, maybe, but not a runner. Apparently he does run though, and I knew he was in the relay. I told him about my sudden aspiration to become a member of Team ALK.
He shrugged and said, "Anyone can run three miles."
I looked at him skeptically and reiterated the fact that I have never run before, ever.
"Okay, it's Friday. Ginger is giving everyone until Tuesday to get back to her. Go run this weekend and see if you think you can do it."
Courtney is so wise.
By some stroke of luck, I do own running shoes. I took the kids to the pool at Mom and Tim's on Saturday (Race = 20 days away). I had delusions of grandeur, and thought I'd run the whole road before heading home that evening while Mom watched the kids. Then I pulled myself back into the Realm of All Things Possible and decided that the railroad tracks were really a more reasonable goal.
I did it. I ran to the tracks and back, then to the short end of the road and back to the driveway. I didn't die. I *did* cramp up like no one's business though. My inner thighs where my hips and pelvis meet were killing me. I stretched and drank water and vowed to do both of those things in greater quantity *before* I run next time - if there would even *be* a "next time".
I was kind of fired up though. I already felt like the spot on the team was mine, and I wanted to prove to myself that I am capable of this. This personal goal that I didn't even have two days ago was sort of consuming my every thought. Maybe it sounds lame to those of you who run on a regular basis, but even this ridiculous jog of 3/4 of a mile (train tracks-to-end of road loop) was a huge personal achievement. Think of how awesome I'd feel about myself if I could finish all three legs in the relay!
The next night, I went to my dad's house to visit with him and Dorothy for a while. I told them about this psycho adventure I was determined to pursue, and Dorothy mentioned that it was a mile from the driveway, around the block, and back again. My running stuff was with me for some reason. I took off, and after pushing past the first (horrifying) half mile, I was good to go. I did the loop, had a good cool-down, and didn't cramp up.
Monday morning, I emailed Ginger and told her I was in. She had two other people email her, but both said they would participate if no one else would. I was the only one who said I wanted to do it. I hopped on the treadmill (We have a fitness center at work now. It's okay to be a little jealous.) and ran after work - I think just over a mile. Tuesday I waited to see if I got the spot or not. I did. (If I hadn't, wouldn't this have been the worst blog post ever?)
I ran Tuesday (Race = 17 days away) and Wednesday (Race = 16 days away). I ran Thursday (Race = 15 days away). My muscles were angry at me, and I knew I needed to rest them so they could rebuild, but the race was so close and I wasn't even up to two miles! Friday, I took the day off and went to Art on the Green/Street Fair/Taste of Coeur d'Alene with my mom, grandma, and sister. We walked about eight miles that day (in flip-flops), so I don't know how much of a rest my legs got, but it was fun. Saturday I ran the road at my mom's while Kami and Mom rode the bikes, pulling the kiddos in the bike trailer. I finished the two miles. It was rough, but fulfilling.
Sunday (Race = 12 days away) I debated on whether or not to run and decided to go for it. Beginning Runner's Tip: After a week of pushing yourself a little too far physically, don't drink two Mike's Hard Lemonades on an 80-degree evening and expect to zip out two miles like the previous day. I made it 3/4 of a mile and threw in the towel.
Monday my left knee (the one I had surgery on in '06) got pretty swollen and achy. I elevated it and took an anti-inflammatory, and I tried to massage it when I wasn't too busy. By the end of the day it had gone down, so I ran on the treadmill after work. Steven P. started using the fitness room after work, too, so he's sort of become my workout buddy. He cruises on the elliptical and yells inspirational (sometimes super corny) things at me to keep me going when I want to give up. It helps. Wednesday, I ran 2.5 miles on the treadmill, and tonight (Race = 7 days away), I went 3.76 miles!! I had set my goal at three, but Good Charlotte was playing and boosting my energy, and somehow I blew right by three miles. When I hit 3.76, I decided I could make it to 4 if I slowed down just a little bit. I reached up to adjust the speed and whacked the emergency stop cord out of the slot. Dead stop. I know I would have made it to four though. Darn safety features.
We are now one week away from the relay though, and I have officially run further than my longest leg in the race. I can *so* do this.
So the race is from Spokane to Sandpoint. There is a maximum of 12 runners allowed on a team, and each runner does three legs (Runner 1 would do Legs 1, 13, and 25). We run from Friday morning to Saturday afternoon, even through the night. There are two vans and if your van isn't the active van, you can pull off at one of the interchanges and try to sleep for a while, but I've read that you don't get much rest at all.
There are random "Contest" legs with different themes and prizes. There is a "Wild Wig" contest leg, a "Costume" contest leg, a "Time Trial" contest leg, a "Brightest Runner" contest leg, a "Tattoo and Mustache" contest leg, and a "Best Light Show" contest leg. "Wild Wig" (Brent) and "Costume" (Tim) are pretty self-explanatory. The winners get an S2S canteen and an S2S apparel item, respectively. The "Time Trial" leg (Mike) is a speed challenge - if you have the best time for that leg, you win a pair of running shoes and they name the leg after you. "Brightest Runner" (Heather) has to wear super-bright neon colors and the winner gets a Road Noise running vest with built-in speakers. "Tattoo and Mustache" (Ginger) is also pretty self-explanatory, and the winner gets an S2S canteen.
The "Best Light Show" contest is MINE. It's at night, so you have to deck yourself out in lights for your run. I have ordered an LED Fairy Lights tutu, spiky LED wrist cuffs, LED shoelaces, and some El Wire (which is like 7 feet of LED wire you can use to wrap around you, sew into your clothes, outline fairy wings, etc.). Sadly, the tutu is on backorder and I have to call them Monday to see if I will be getting that or a "suitable replacement". I also have to hope I receive my whole order by race time, or my light show won't be very grand at all. However, I also ordered Dreadlights, and they were shipped from a different company. At the very least, I have them. They're dreadlocks, attached to a headband with streamers. They have LED lights inside of them and they're awesome. I had a little trouble getting the headband to stay on, and I was saddened by the thought of it bouncing off my head after I jogged a few steps, but I quickly devised a solution to attach them using my own hair.
Dreadlights!
Anyway, I'm really excited about this. I think it's going to be a really great way to bond with some of my coworkers that I don't get to interact with very much, and I know it's going to be a lot of fun. I'm sure that it's going to be a lot of work for me, but I know I'll have a huge sense of personal accomplishment when it's over. This will be referenced at ALK for years to come, and I'm so fortunate that I get to be a part of it. Oh, and I get a medal and a shirt for finishing, in addition to the Team ALK jerseys that were made up. I have my eyes set on a Gryffindor-colored (and more practical) shirt though - they're selling merchandise at the start and finish. I was going to add a picture of it, but I just went to the website and it's not on there anymore. That makes me a little sad. Oh well. Maybe they'll still sell it at the finish line.
If you want to check out the relay, go to spokanetosandpoint.com. At any rate, wish me luck, and hope I don't bring shame upon my team by being the absolute slowest runner in the whole thing. I think there are like 75 teams though, so there's gotta be someone slower on one of them, right? Just say, "Right." Go Team ALK!
Right!
ReplyDeleteI love it when you blog Lindsey. Of course then it makes me feel like my blog is crap, but that's okay. I hope you have a great time on the relay, I know you'll do great.
Ashli, I adore your blog and you keep it much more current than mine. Plus, you put up adorable pictures and videos all the time, which the kids and I enjoy. :) Thanks for the encouragement! I was hoping you'd be proud of me. :D
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