10 Things I Learned from Hood to Coast
| September 1, 2011 | Posted by Lauren under Running |
You may not believe it, but I’m still riding that Hood to Coast high. Not sure what they put in the water nuun this past weekend – but it was addicting! So intoxicating, in fact, that when I finally ran yesterday for the first time since HTC, I felt like I was floating. It didn’t matter that my knee hurt and my hamstrings were so tight they were screaming…it just felt amazing to be out there running. That’s something I haven’t felt in a long time.
Yep, I’m definitely still smoking the HTC-pipe. And so I present to you Part 2 in what I’ve just decided will be a 3 part series of posts about my experience running Hood to Coast. I hope you’re not sick of me talking about it…because I feel like I’ve got so much to say!
The Top 10 Things I Learned from Hood to Coast
1.) Team uniforms make you run faster.
Particularly when that uniform is a Team Sparkle Skirt (which Kelly and Carrie generously donated to our team). Not only could we spot our sparkling teammates from a mile away, but other teams soon started recognizing us as the “Nuun girls.” And like I said, passing people while wearing a sparkle skirt was pretty fun….particularly if that person was a male.
2.) It is possible to meet people for the very first time, yet feel like you’ve known them your entire life.
Although Sweaty Emily and I go “way back” to the National Marathon, I had never met anyone else on my team before. Yet by the time Van 1 had made it’s way from Seattle, WA to majestic Mount Hood, it felt as though I had known my van-mates for years. Apparently a shared passion for running, Twitter, chocolate covered almonds, and nuun is all it takes to become instant friends.
3.) Never underestimate the power of a short, simple mantra.
For whatever reason, lately I’ve been struggling a little bit with belief – on many different levels in my life. So when Endorphin Warrior offered to donate Warrior Training Bracelets to our team, I knew exactly which bracelet I would choose.
I loved having that constant, one word reminder every time I looked down at my wrist. I still haven’t taken the bracelet off, and I’m not sure I ever will.
4.) Nuun is amazing.
And I’m not just talking about the product, which I truly believe in. It’s the only thing besides water that I can drink while running and will actually quench my thirst while keeping my hydrated.
No, nuun is amazing because in part because the company is amazing.
Every single person in that company went above and beyond for us last weekend. And the second I walked into the pizza dinner they arranged for us the night before, I knew we were in for a treat.
From Mason, the president of the company, who volunteered his time to drive us around all weekend, patiently took me on a trek to find coffee (or rather - espresso soup!) on the outskirts of Portland at night, and hopped out of the van to run 17 miles (3 consecutive legs) with his nuunmates in the middle of the night…all while wearing a pink sparkle skirt. If that’s not dedication to a team, I’m not sure what is!
And Kimberly, who organized every last detail, made sure we were provided with everything we’d need during the relay, and who allowed us to teach her the glory of Twitter (and consequently, get her addicted to it in the time it took to run one set of legs).
To all the other drivers, who gave up their weekends to drive around 20 crazy female bloggers, looked out for us, and helped us get through our runs.
To Kim, who took in the HTC stragglers, and not only allowed Alyssa, Susan and I to stay at her house for a couple of nights, but fed us and acted as an excellent tour guide.
I know I was chosen for this opportunity to represent nuun, and I was excited about that going in. I just didn’t know how in love with nuun I’d fall in the course of one weekend. Or how much gratitude I’d feel in my heart for all the wonderful people who made this happen.
5.) Pink and green are my new racing colors.
All of my fellow Afternuun Delight runners were colors of the rainbow – just like the flavors of nuun. My original intent was to be “lemon lime” but when I saw that the kelly green skirt matched my shoes perfectly, I knew I had to have it.
I spent the entire weekend racing in my new signature colors. There might not be an actual watermelon nuun flavor, but I think it’s an excellent racing look.
6.) Sometimes it’s good to save the best for last.
My first leg of Hood to Coast was a scorcher. High 80s, not a cloud in the sky, and down a long stretch of highway that had been baking in the sun all day. This leg was more about surviving than it was about soaking it all in. But each leg after that got better, until we reached my final leg. It was breathtakingly beautiful with a long stretch of amazing downhills – hills that will tear apart your quads if you race down them at top speeds. Which is what I proceeded to do, of course. And I loved every minute of it. There may or may not have been some tears of joy shed along the way.
7.) The west coast is a wonderful place.
In June, I took a trip out to San Diego and fell in love. My time in Seattle and Oregon only confirmed what I already knew – the west coast is a great place to be. The people, the scenery, the culture…it’s all pretty wonderful. This East Coast girl has a new love.
8.) One weekend really can change everything.
It’s no secret that the past couple of weeks have been low ones for me in terms of my running. Fatigue, leg pain, negativity. All of those things were weighing me down before I headed out to the Seattle for the weekend. But once I stepped off that plane, all the stress and worry of my daily life melted away. And it didn’t matter if my legs were sore or I felt tired – I was there to run. And run, I did! While Hood to Coast didn’t exactly help with the pain in my legs, it revived me. The relay gave me new perspective, and ultimately, got me pumped up about running again.
9.) In the end, a relay is just a relay.
It can’t be denied that the views on Mount Hood are unlike anything we ever see in Rhode Island. Running HTC is worth it just for the start alone. And it was also neat to be surrounded by so many teams, to be a part of such a huge event. But besides that, there were many times when the route we were running could be anywhere in the US. And we still had the same issues you face on any other relay – traffic, lack of sleep, stomach issues, leg cramps. Those things weren’t going to change just because we were competing in the Boston of all relays.
10.) It’s the people that make it.
Ultimately, that doesn’t matter. Because when it comes down to it – a relay may be just a relay, but it’s the people you run it with who make it really special. I couldn’t have asked for a better team. The excitement of all the bloggers and nuun staff just for being at Hood to Coast was palpable. As the weekend went on, that excitement only grew. I fed off all that positive energy, and ended up having the time of my life.
Dear Bart – I love you
I loved all the nuunies I met this weekend, but there will always be a special place in my heart for the members of Afternuun Delight, Van 1 – Mason, Kimberly, Jocelyn, Dorothy, Emily, and Alanna.
Next time I’ll actually tell you about my legs and the experience of the race. And then I’ll stop blabbering on and on about Hood to Coast and nuun. For now…
Sounds like such a wonderful experience. I’m glad you enjoyed it. But you cannot leave the EAST coast!!! It (and me) love you too much to move : )
Great post! I have read so many posts now on HTC from a bunch of the bloggers that were there, but this by far is one of the best! I actually got chills when I read #8 because we have all been in that running “funk” and I think it is really cool that this experience was able to revive your love for running!
Thank you Corey!! I think this experience was just so different from the norm that it snapped me right out of the funk. Plus, being around a bunch of running bloggers who were just as excited about it was contagious! I highly recommend running a relay – or at least spending a weekend with runners – if you ever need to recapture that love of running!
The west coast IS a wonderful place… maybe a place for you to move?
So glad you had a fantastic time and your re-energized! Bravo!
This is so, so great. You girls (and Mason) make an awesome team and I’m glad you all got to enjoy this incredible experience together.
More importantly, can we talk about your abs? Holy hell. You’re impressive.
Ok, I’m sure you’re like “My god woman stop talking to me about Bourbon Chase”, but please allow me one more: My second leg at Bourbon Chase was at 3am, cold, along a highway. Not really ideal, but to me it was MAGICAL. I had tears in my eyes for the last few miles, just thinking about how lucky I was to be there, getting to do this thing I love with such an amazing group of people. Man, I hear you on how relays can re-energize a girl.
Love it!! I know exactly what you mean – that’s the feeling I LIVE for! You totally have me sold on Bourbon Chase. If only next year’s relay weren’t so far away…
please keep babbling on about Hood to Coast because I can get enough. i am soo way to excited to do my own relay and have made it my goal to find one to do at some point. I am so happy for you that this event really revived you and that you had the experience of a life time. Thanks for sharing.
Lauren, I am so happy this trip, (and your Nuunies), revived you and gave you back your love of running. Your writing made me wish I was right there with you. So much so that in honor of you, and your late night/early morning runs at HTC, I went on a very early morning run. It was so dark out I couldn’t see a thing in front of me, AND it was sprinkling rain. The verdict? I LOVED it! I felt like I was floating along, and since I couldn’t see the hills before I was on them, I barely felt them. You gave me the best run I have had in a long time. So thank you! PS. I am glad you are back safely. I love you!
You don’t even know how happy this comment makes me. Seriously. xo
Oh, by the way….you look adorable in your skirt and new do!
I love the blabbering on and on about HTC. I am so guilty of it myself. I love you in the watermelon colors
Coming back to earth has been so hard. I wonder what WAS in the Nuun
Enjoyed reading about your Hood to Coast experience and so happy you enjoyed your time in the Pacific Northwest!!!
That looks like the most fun race ever! I adore the sparkle skirts!
HTC was amazing this year…and i totally agree the team makes the event. it was my 7th year and can’t wait for next year. i haven’t run yet since then… but i did leg 1 so needed the extra recovery time! glad you had fun out on our glorious coast!
Leg 1 looked amazing – but brutal!! Is the quad-crusher worth it for the views??
I love that you’ve done it for 7 years! I really hope I’ll be able to come back next year – it would be an awesome yearly tradition to have.
“THIS IS AMAAAAZZZZING” – Lauren (You forgot your direct quote when running your third leg)
ALSO, you totally rocked the NEW watermelon flavor…soon to be offered by NUUN.
haha, yes…I guess I left that part out. But what can I say – it was so amazing, I couldn’t keep that to myself!!
I love everything about this post and it makes me want to run a relay (in a sparkle skirt) even more! I love the kelly green + pink combo, couldn’t have picked a better one myself.
Also, I agree with Ali – teach me how to get your abs! Or, just teach me how to Dougie.
HTC looks like so much fun! Major jealous over here.
I love your HTC posts! Don’t stop writing them
I am so glad the weekend turned around your negativity and not so great feelings about running! I think you guys have inspired us all to wear our own sparkle skirts.
It’s awesome to see a company with an excellent product like nuun have such great people involved in it too. Also, killa abs, lady!
Love love love this post especially since I can relate to almost all of those things being a relay lover myself! It is so hard to explain why relays are such an amazing experience and you managed to do it! I tell all my friends that you can’t really explain why it’s so amazing and after they run a relay they know exactly what I’m talking about. So glad you enjoyed the Pacific Northwest, it is really an amazing place to live!
So true! I didn’t understand the magic either, until I’d actually done one. Part of the reason why I loved HTC so much this year was that there were a lot of relay-newbies on the team. It was awesome to see them catch the bug after the race!
Your energy for this relay in infectious! I never even thought about a relay before, but now I want to do one too! Plus, I’m going to have to try some of this nuun during my half marathon this weekend
Yes! I hope you like it!!
It sounds like a wonderful experience. I think you should talk about it as much as you want!
yep, its offical: I have totally caught the relay bug
Yayyy, so glad you found your running mojo again! Relays are about running, for sure, but as you said – it’s about so much more. The friendships, the crazy antics, the teamwork, the travel, etc. Loved reading your recaps so far and am looking forward to the next one!
Love this!! Wish I would have had even a minute to spend with you.. You rocked that first leg of yours, I was pumped to be there to snap your photo.. Way to rock it out. Hope we get to do this again!!
These posts are great, definitely not tired of reading about HTC and it even makes me think about trying a relay sometime. Looks like so much fun and so rewarding.
Also, holy six-pack! Very impressive. What is your ab routine?
OMG I LOVE THIS!!!! ALL OF THIS!!!!! ALL ALL ALLLLLL OF IT! What a great post!
Now move out west & run like a watermelon out here! You are so adorable!! Please keep these posts coming, because I love reading what all the other runners experienced.
I can really relate to when you said “it’s the people that make it” .. normally most of the races i dont enjoy because i never would run with a group of people i enjoyed..a lot were alone actually. the moment i started up with my dad’s running group i connected with some of the most amazing and inspiring people that it really made the experience worth while
xoxo <3
Your race posts are always so much fun to read! You describe everything so well – it makes me want to have been there to experience it! I suppose that’s the sign of a gifted writer
It always amazes me how certain events I’ve been to (retreats, Relay for Life, trainings for some of the jobs I’ve had) can create such a strong bonding atmosphere in such a short time — and it seems like relays are like that too! And with bloggers (who don’t really know each other but do because of blogs) I can imagine how HTC really brought you so close together and let you have so much fun together. I can see how all 10 of these helped make HTC so amazing for you and your team. And no, I will not get sick of hearing about it!!
Lauren, it sounds like you had so much fun at the Nuun relay! I love you’re pictures and reading about the race, it makes me wish I was there to experience it! Call me so you can tell me more!!!
I’m so glad you had such a great time at the Relay. Relays are so much fun and such a challenge all at the same time…what a perfect way to bond with such a great group of ladies! I’m happy to hear this passed weekend helped you out of your running rut and thanks for sharing your trip with us