Relay Reflections

THAT WAS SO MUCH FUN!!!

If you have been reading my blog, you know that last weekend I competed with a team in the IMT Des Moines Marathon Relay. 26.2 miles broken up between 5 people. My team consisted of myself, my wife (Erin), brother-in-law (Ben), co-worker (Megan), and friend from college (Joni). It was probably the most random group of people brought together, and all of us had different backgrounds in running, but I think that is part of what made it so fun.

I started off the race by running the first 6 miles, which included a few significant hills (for Iowa anyways). Joni took the baton next to run the next 4 miles, which included a lap around the blue oval in Drake stadium. Megan followed that up with the next 5 miles. Megan is fairly new to running and even outdid her own expectations. In fact, she finished so much faster then expected that Ben wasn't even ready when she ran into transition 3. Ben ran the next 5.2 (which turned out to be more like 5.6) which included a lap around Gray's Lake and a stroll up MLK. Erin anchored the relay by running the last 6 miles. The rest of us joined her at mile marker 26 and ran the last .2 miles to the finish.

Although the relay itself was a little less structured then I expected. We drove our own team car between all of the transition sites and with the exception of some unexpected road construction at the end, the turn by turn directions provided by the race were very good. The transition areas were well marked and spaced well enough that we had plenty of time to drive between them all and watch a lot of the race along the way. Another bonus is that with all of the driving and conversation in between, the race went by ridiculously fast.

We finished in a time of 4:19:48 coming in 54th out of 111 teams. Not that time or place really matters in a race like this, but I think everyone on the team was at least a little surprised at how well we did. As I stated previously, with such a unique team make up, it was hard to know what to expect.

Everyone on the team ran very well and I was excited to end my season on such a positive note. I was able to complete my 6 miles in under an hour (which was my personal goal going in), averaging 9:53 min/mi.

Although running is usually a very personal and individual part of my life, I can honestly say that I had a fantastic time doing this relay. Although it was a little stressful at times organizing and coordinating the team, it all turned out great in the end. Erin and I agree that this relay will probably remain on the schedule for both of us in the years to come. It really is a fun way to enjoy some time with friends and family while doing something that we love and staying healthy.