200 Miles

Last year my girls and I signed up for craziness: running 200 miles as a relay team from Charlottesville to Williamsburg. When my girls rated their most favorite experiences from 2016, this race was at the top of their list. So, we did it again! This year, we added another Abbe girl.

As I ran my miles, I found myself contemplating the ridiculousness of putting ourselves in this "artificial" extreme situation - very little sleep (if any), long miles, and long car rides in between. I'm guessing my pioneer ancestors would scratch their heads in confusion about this activity. But in the middle of the extremes we found laughter, courage, teamwork, and more laughter. And that's why I love it. It's a break from the normal. It's a goal achieved by relying on each other. 

The night time runs included an extra adventure when Elise was startled by barking dogs. I bolted from the car in Mama-bear fashion when I heard her scream, ready to take on the vicious dogs myself. Thankfully, they were fenced. In an act of dedication, Elise decided to finish her leg even after the scary encounter.  

More courage was shown by Jess (AKA bandit runner) who completed her legs in spite of terrible allergies and asthma. That girl pulled out her inhaler, medicated herself, donned the scarf (to the envy of all!) and ran!

There is something beautiful about watching my girls work together and accomplish hard things. One of my favorite moments of the race was catching sight of Amelia, who ran the last leg of the race. Amelia had been in the other van with her best friend, Melanie, for the duration of the race. When I saw her emerge from the woods with a quarter mile left, I felt so proud of her. I was equally proud and touched to see Melanie at her side. They finished the race together. 

Some more memorable moments:

The gratitude I felt as my head hit the pillow, even if the sleep was only for two hours. 

The incredibly rejuvenating feeling of a shower.

Representing OMF again..."See A Cure!"

Sweet Frog before second set of legs.

Enjoying the witty banter of Jess and Joseph.

Crazy man riding a bike past the window of the Iron Horse restaurant (those beads and the bonnet).

Elise's joy at finding a blinkie light during her leg. 

The failure to find breakfast...and the glory of finally eating an omelet and pancakes (post race). Sleeping while waiting for our food to arrive.  

Marci's comment: "I feel so blessed to do this!"

Pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. 

High-fiving preschool kids at the end of my first leg.

"Exchange Zone Ahead" signs.  

Cat-fact questions from Van 2. 

Having Luke Sauter drive down in the middle of the night to run 13 miles with our team.  

Peanut Butter M&Ms. 

Madi saying, "You know you're tired when the asphalt feels comfortable."

Here's the dream team (from left to right): Jess, Joseph, Jenny, Luke, Melanie, Amelia, Madi, me, Elise, Cori, and Kyle. Way to go! Let's do it again!