{Monday Memory} It was EPIC

About this time last year, my cousin had the bright idea that we should do a relay race.

I was dumb and said, "Oh, that sound like soooo much fun!  I'm in!"

Okay, I'll be honest.  I have wanted to do a relay race for a really, really, really long time.  The kids pediatrician has called me at the last minute for 3 years in a row to be on his Ragnar team.  I was never able to.  Year 1 - I hadn't been running.  Year 2 - I was 6 months pregnant.  Year 3 - We had a bee-jillion things going on that weekend and I just couldn't swing it.

So, when my cousin said she was getting a team together for EPIC I jumped up and down and said, "I'M IN!!!!"

We were a hodge-podge team of relations: sisters, cousins, in-laws, out-laws, friends, you get the idea.

My sisters and I (see us below?), my sister's 4 month old baby - V, and my brother headed up to Logan the night before the race.  My brother was on baby duty until his wife could get up there to spell him off. Aren't newlyweds great?  They have no idea how much "fun" 4 month olds can be.  :)  So grateful they decided to be honorary members of the team so that sister #3 could come and run with us (all the way from Maryland!!).

Pictures taken from teammate D.  Collage stolen from sister #3.

Sister #1, Me (Sister #2), Sister #3

Van 1 - (Left to Right) - Sister #3, D, K, Me, T, Sister #2

The race was so much fun.  I loooooved it!

Here's the breakdown (taken from my dailymile.com entries):

EPIC Relay - Runner 4 - Leg 1 - Hard - 6.4 miles - Friday 8/12: I didn't realize this run would be on a dirt road! I felt pretty good, but it was getting a bit on the toasty side. Can't complain though. I ran in the morning - around 9? Other members on the team had pretty hard runs in the heat of the day. Loved having my teammates on the side of the road cheering me on and running through beautiful, golden fields.

EPIC Relay - Runner 4 - Leg 2 - Mild - 2.7 miles - Friday 8/12: Completely dark by the time I ran. My van kept me in their sites the whole time, otherwise I might have been a bit scared to be out in the middle of nowhere running on the side of a highway! It was a great run.  Passed one girl, felt so proud...until she passed me right before the exchange!  Ugh!!

EPIC Relay - Runner 4 - Leg 3 - Very Hard - 7.15 miles - Saturday 8/13: This run was a constant climb. I entered the canyon at mile 2 and continued to climb the rest of the way. My legs felt like Jell-O jigglers by the time I finished. No, really, they did. the first two miles I had a nice side wind. As soon as I turned into the canyon, it blew full-force straight at me. Some of the gusts just about knocked me off-balance. I was nervous running with traffic. The shoulder wasn't very wide. The canyon was absolutely beautiful!

Pictures taken from teammate D.  Collage stolen from sister #3.

Sister-in-law M, Sister #1, Me, Sister #3

We Finished!!!!!

This race was so much fun.  So glad I was able to do it!

My arm has been twisted for 2012.

I can't wait!

The training has begun.

No, for real, it has.