- 12 runners + 1 driver
- 187 miles (Brian Head Ski Resort - Cedar City - Veyo - St. George - Zion National Park)
- 30 continuous hours of team running
- 75 minutes of sleep
- 6 bagels, 2 Ibuprofen, water, fruit, peanut butter, and chocolate milk
- 3 legs per runner
- Way too many port-o-potties
- Thousands of visible stars in the sky
- Rain, hail, mud, traffic, etc.
- 2 "vans"
- 3 showers
- 90 degree weather, and 50 degree weather (depending on the run)
- Ranked one of the Most Beautiful Relays in the United States
- Countless laughs, a few tears, lots of memories, incredible views, and
- One awesome team that FINISHED the race!
GO TEAM RENRAG!
Here are some pictures and lessons I learned:
1. Sometimes you sign up for something in life thinking you know what that entails only to find out, you had NO idea what you got yourself into! Of the three runs I was expected to do, I thought my middle run was going to be the hardest. Ha! It ended up being the easiest! You never know exactly how life will turn out... Just like the picture below that was to be a "jumping picture." Haha!
2. There is only so much a picture can do to convey how beautiful God's creations are! This race course was AH-MAZING! Every single corner had a new terrain and more incredible views!
3. In the world of Relays, if you pass someone while running, it's called a "kill." But because everyone out there on the course knows how hard it is, your hat goes off to those who pass you and those runners ahead of you sure do motivate you to run faster! Yes folks, below is proof that I got at least one "kill."
5. It is really nice to have someone to cheer you on an motivate you in the hard times! See the picture below? This is my third run, it was my longest run, it was SO stinkin' hot! I had only slept for 75 minutes in the past day and I was DONE! I was walking down the last bit of my stretch of the course, when my dad came up to me and said, "kick it in and finish strong." I won't lie, I responded with, "I can't", but then I felt guilty and I did it. I finished strong with my dad by my side. Once I passed the transition point and was finished, I realized once again, that I can do HARD things. This relay was NOT easy! But, it is in those moments when we have to reach beyond our comfort zone and extend ourselves beyond what we think is possible, that we find how strong we are. Thankfully, I have been blessed with wonderful family and friends who have stood by me during my hard times.
6. Once you finish a race like this, you are best friends with all those who ran with you and around you! During the race, you cheer for every runner, not just your own; you offer water to everyone, not just your teammates, you remind each other how crazy you are for signing up for such an adventure and then laugh together as someone says, "see you next year" because you all know how true that statement is! The running world is a fun, addictive one! Just look at that team below and imagine how many laughs and jokes and good times were had! It was a party! So glad I was able to go! Great job team!
2. There is only so much a picture can do to convey how beautiful God's creations are! This race course was AH-MAZING! Every single corner had a new terrain and more incredible views!
4. Running at night is incredible!! I was super nervous to be out there running on my own in the middle of nowhere! As I took off to run, I turned my headlamp on and could ONLY see the small circle of ground it illuminated. I depended very heavily on my headlamp! At times, I tried to shine my light to the sides to see what I was running through. Then, every large shadow started to scare me so I decided to not think about what could be around me and I just ran. Although it was bit freaky, it was also so peaceful! When I turned my headlamp off and walked for a bit, I was AMAZED at the stars! It was beyond beautiful! It was comforting to know that the van was always nearby with teammates looking out for me! I found a lot of parallel in the gospel in that 40 minute run. I could not see the MASSIVE hill I was climbing (750 ft elevation climb) due to the darkness, and honestly, it made running up it easier! It reminded me of the hymn, Lead Kindly Light. I always feel that if I could only see what life had in store, how it would work out, etc., it would make things so much easier! But from this run, I realized, sometimes it better to only see "one step enough for me" as the hymn says. It makes it easier to conquer the mountains and we are able to focus on the challenge present and not all the other mountains we will face in this mortal life. Heavenly Father really does know exactly how much we need to know in order to succeed. So neat!
5. It is really nice to have someone to cheer you on an motivate you in the hard times! See the picture below? This is my third run, it was my longest run, it was SO stinkin' hot! I had only slept for 75 minutes in the past day and I was DONE! I was walking down the last bit of my stretch of the course, when my dad came up to me and said, "kick it in and finish strong." I won't lie, I responded with, "I can't", but then I felt guilty and I did it. I finished strong with my dad by my side. Once I passed the transition point and was finished, I realized once again, that I can do HARD things. This relay was NOT easy! But, it is in those moments when we have to reach beyond our comfort zone and extend ourselves beyond what we think is possible, that we find how strong we are. Thankfully, I have been blessed with wonderful family and friends who have stood by me during my hard times.
6. Once you finish a race like this, you are best friends with all those who ran with you and around you! During the race, you cheer for every runner, not just your own; you offer water to everyone, not just your teammates, you remind each other how crazy you are for signing up for such an adventure and then laugh together as someone says, "see you next year" because you all know how true that statement is! The running world is a fun, addictive one! Just look at that team below and imagine how many laughs and jokes and good times were had! It was a party! So glad I was able to go! Great job team!
Red Rock Renrags Team, Red Rock Relay, September 13-14, 2013
1 comment:
So true! I love all your analogies to life. I love the one step enough. Good thought! Keep focused on the light in front of you and not worry about the scary around you. So glad you came!
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