Reach the Beach Relay - Run

These legs, individually, were not that bad - very moderate to easy terrain, rolling hills, beautiful scenery. Put together within a 24 hour period, combined with lack of sleep, poor nutrition and energy refueling, and heavy rain (uncomfortable), made for a very long 33 hours. I felt great on the first run, okay on the second run, and slow on the third. Running at 5:00 a.m. was tough! The last leg was AMAZING; my teammates jumped out of the van and paced me into the park; I ran the fastest 5 miles I've ever run, thanks to the encouragement and mental fortitude of my teammates; I entered Hampton Beach State Park with labored breathing, soaring HR, but a HUGE smile on my face!! I cried at the finish line when I realized we had made our 6 p.m. deadline. My husband surprised me by leaving work early and celebrating my victorious finish!!

Pack much less and different clothes and food. Sleep more. Investigate different during-the-run and recovery nutrition. Experiment with an inhaler (breathing was poor!). Do speed work and get my MPH faster.

Walking, stretching, changing out of wet clothes, hydrating, laughing, crying, trying to stay awake to drive home, then HOT HOT HOT shower and crash. Sleep for 13 hours and then eat first real meal in 2 days. Fabulous!


Lack of running experience (longer distances than 3-5 miles).


An amazing experience - I'm glad I tried this once. Not sure if I have the energy and desire to do it again, but it has inspired me to try longer distance running.

I can't begin to explain the sense of teamwork and encouragement that comes from forming close bonds with your van-mates over the course of 33 hours. You laugh, cry, shout, fight, corroborate, plan, strategize, console and tease each other to the point of exhaustion. By the end of Saturday, you and your van and all of your clothes smell to high heaven, but you feel like you really have accomplished something big - a run covering hundreds of miles!!