Hood to Coast with Nuun, Part II: Race Recap

Awesome. Incredible. Perfect. Fantastic. Beautiful. Unforgettable.

These are just some of the words that come to mind when I think about my Hood to Coast experience. I wouldn't change a thing about how it all went.

My teammates: Lauren, Leslie, Lisa, Jolene, and Dre were such great teammates.We were always there to cheer each other on, and to share stories. Thank you for motivating me and showing so much caring and heart, and providing countless hours of smiles and laughter. You all have such positive attitudes, which I LOVE. I feel like we all clicked right away. I am so glad that I have you all as new friends! xoxo.

And Jay -- we couldn't have done it without you! Thanks for putting up with all of us, driving 200 miles, keeping track of our times, cheering us on, and helping us get whatever we needed... like lots of chocolate milk!

The running: Each of time I ran was just so much fun. I nearly exactly hit my predicted paces! It was hard to wait to be the last runner to go in my van, but cheering for them kept me busy and helped quiet my pre-race nerves

Leg #6 -- 6.7 miles 52:44 (7:53/mi) starting at 5:10pm
For this run, I really just wanted to focus on having fun, not pushing it too hard, but finish strong. My awesome teammates cheered me up the one big hill I had (they are awesome!) with a power arch. Seriously, that dropped my pace a ton and really revved me up! I powered into the exchange and handed off to Kim.

{Dre gave me water but had to chase after me to get it back! Also, I officially LOVE power arches!}

At the end of this leg, my Mom was there to cheer me in to the exchange!! She had never seen me running a race before, so this was very exciting! I don't get to see her very often since we live across the country from each other. I was so happy to give her a big hug!

{Love you Mom! So exited you were there!}

Leg #18 -- 5.25 miles. 44:14 (8:30/mi) starting at 3:15am
I'm not much of a stay up all night kind of girl, so I wasn't sure what to expect with my energy level at this time of night. But I think I was just still so excited and having fun with my teammates, that the adrenaline was keeping me going. This run was 5.25 miles of gradual up hill. It was partially on a highway, and partially through a neighborhood. It was hard to decide if I should run in the road or on the sidewalk in the neighborhood. The sidewalk had lots of little juts up and down, but the road wasn't very good either, so I kept changing it up. This leg was pretty quiet -- I only saw and passed 4 people! There was a little bit of light mist happening during this leg, which I thought was kind of awesome. It was the perfect temperature for running!

Also, the start of this run was at a high school, where they had a pancake breakfast as a fundraiser. Jolene, Lauren and Leslie got a breakfast. I had to make myself stay outside because the smell of the breakfast at that moment was so incredibly tempting, but I knew there would be some bad things happening to my GI system if I ate any of that stuff right before running.  Luckily for me, I didn't have any issues during my middle of the night run!


Leg #30 --5.35 miles. 42:00 (7:52/mi) starting at 12:45pm
This was probably my favorite run of the relay as far as scenery -- I was running through winding back country roads surrounded by big beautiful trees. It was getting cooler as we neared the ocean, but the sun was shining. Gorgeous!

My legs were starting to feel the accumulating mileage, but I was so excited to say that I finished running my first relay and Hood to Coast! I wanted to really put out there everything I had left! I expected this run to be almost entirely downhill, with some of it being pretty steep. While this was true, it also had many short and steep uphill sections, gradual climbs, and sharp banked curves that made it a fairly difficult run. My team stopped one more time to give me a power arch as I was flying during one of the downhills. I was seriously just so happy! Thanks again for keeping me going ladies!

Finish line fun: After I finished running, we drove to Seaside to await van 2! When they arrived around 6pm, we all got to walk through the finish line together! We celebrated our accomplishments with drinks and ice cream along with enjoying the post-race concert and fireworks. Perfect ending to an amazing relay experience.

  
The support: None of this would have been possible without Nuun and its great employees. Everyone was so welcoming and positive, making us all feel at home and part of the family. Thanks for making everything run so smoothly, and for providing all of us with the experience of a lifetime. I am so glad to be a part of your team. I love how supportive you are of endurance athletes of every level.

Big thanks also to all the other companies who helped keep us moving including Oiselle, Naawk, Tigertail, Endorphin Warrior, Sparkle Athletic, Amphipod, and Swiftwick. Check them out -- some seriously awesome products!

The incredible women I met on this trip: (Too many to name, but you can find a list of everyone from Lindsay, here) Thank you for the motivation you provided, and the brief chance to get to know you for real rather than just what we see on your blog. Thank you for showing me how unbelievably supportive the running community is, and for giving me so many memories. For showing me that hard work and dedication can lead to something magical when combined with happiness and laughter. For reminding me how much fun it is to race your heart out and love what you are doing. I am so glad to have met many of you and I can't wait until we can have a reunion!



What has been one of your most favorite adventures?

Hood to Coast with Nuun, Part I: The Fun Before the Race

To start describing this epic adventure of running Hood to Coast, I first want to tell you about all the fun we had in Seattle before the actual race.

I arrived on Wednesday morning with an easy direct flight from Sacramento. Meeting new people started right away, as Karen was on my flight too! After arriving in Seattle, we were whisked away straight to Nuun Headquarters to drop off our stuff, and left to explore the city on our own for a few hours.

A group of us (Meghan, Leslie, Catey, Mallory and I) headed to Pike's Market and the waterfront. I love checking out the beautiful flowers and grabbing some fresh fruit at the market. I actually ate an almost 1 lb yellow peach as part of my lunch.... it was amaaaazing!

{no, not enough time to go on the ferris wheel}

As we were wandering around, Meghan mentioned that a friend she used to work with was now working at Brooks/Moving Comfort, and that he had invited her to come for a visit. She called Daniel to come pick us up, and he gave all of us an awesome tour! It was cool to see where the magic happens there since I wear their products -- both shoes and sports bras.

{excited to be at Brooks! Mallory and I fit inside this shoe on wheels -- but I just have a pic of Mal only}

After our little tour, we headed back to Nuun HQ to meet up with all the other ladies who had arrived. Nuun took us out to The Garage to play pool and bowl, eat snacks, and give us some time to get to know each other. It was really cool to meet so many other bloggers in real life that I have started to get to know online.

Thursday was another great day! In the morning, we headed to Oiselle HQ for a run and some more hang out time. It was a gorgeous day for an easy run around Green Lake. Those ladies are so lucky to have a perfect run spot right outside their doorsteps.

{The whole group post-run!}

In the afternoon we went on a Duck Boat Tour, which was an absolute blast. I think I was laughing the entire time because our driver was hilarious -- Captain Chaos! Plus, how can you resist quacking at everyone when you are on a duck! We saw a lot of sights including many Starbucks, the Space Needle, Pike's Market, and Lake Union.

{Party on a duck!}

{Great view of downtown Seattle from Lake Union}

The evening was filled with dinner and van decorating at Nuun HQ. Plus there were even cupcakes in each team flavor! Thanks Megan!

By the end of the day I was exhausted and so ready to start running the relay! Stay tuned for Part II--all about the running!

OBX Marathon Training Week 8

OK, I know you were probably hoping to see a Hood to Coast recap already, but I'm still trying to wrap my head around everything I want to write about! But, in case you were wondering -- it was amazing. From getting to know so many wonderful women from all across the country, to running my first relay, I loved every second of it. I expect I should have a more complete recap up in the next couple days. For now though, here is just a taste of the adventure....

Monday: swim 1250 yds. Kept this swim easy for recovery from last week's long run

Tuesday: total body strength workout. Also kept this fairly light so I didn't stress my legs too much, but I knew I would have a few day to recover so I wasn't worried. But, I didn't want to do a hard intervals day like my typical Tuesdays.

Wednesday: rest.
I traveled to Seattle, and did lots of walking. Checked out the Public Market for lunch. In the evening, we all went to a bar/bowling alley called the Garage for some time to get to know each other, and have some food and drinks.

Thursday: 3 mi run, easy
We visiting Oiselle in the morning and went for a run around Greenlake. It was an absolutely gorgeous day! In the afternoon we went on a duck boat tour. Then there was dinner and van decorating at Nuun!

Friday: Run HTC!!!
We started at 1:15pm, so I had one run on Friday afternoon, one overnight, and one Saturday morning. Like you saw in my previous post, this run was 6.7 miles with some rolling hills and a long downhill.

Saturday: Run HTC!!
My second run was at about 3:15am -- 5.25 miles mostly uphill. And the third run was about 12:30pm for another 5.35 miles of rolling hills and some winding downhill. We had really great weather the whole time (a few sprinkles over night, but the temperatures were awesome). Post race festivities were also fun including pizza, a beach concert, and ice cream. And never wanting the weekend to end!

Sunday: Hang in Oregon.
My Mom made it out to Oregon to visit her friend, so they picked me up and we toured around the Oregon shore before heading back to Portland to relax. Somehow with dead legs I climbed up this huge tower (164 steps of a spiral staircase) in Astoria, OR (home of the Goonies) -- but at least I was greeted with an incredible view.

I'm now back in Sacramento -- looking through as many photos as I can. I had an amazing time and I look forward to sharing more about it with you this week!

What were you up to this weekend?

Also, reminder that there is still time to save 15% on your Nuun Hydration order using code hydrateHTC at checkout through the end of September!

From Hood to Coast

First thing Wednesday morning, I will be traveling North for Hood to Coast thanks to Nuun Hydration!

First, I will be flying to Seattle to prep with all my teammates and visit Nuun headquarters. I'm pretty excited to meet these incredible women I have been getting to know virtually over the past few months.

The actual hood to coast race is Friday to Saturday.I am in the lineup as runner number 6 on team lemonade. Here's a little more info on each of my three runs.

1. 6.75 miles. Classified as difficult. This run is estimated to start around 5:15pm

2. 5.23 miles. Classified as difficult. This will take place overnight, around 3:30am.

3. 5.35 miles. Classified as moderate. My last run will be at approximately 12:30pm.

I am both nervous and excited, just like before any race. I love that a relay comes with a team -- something I have missed a bit since running and triathlon are usually individual events.

I think I have everything I need packed in my bags, but I always feel like I'm forgetting something when I travel, so this is no different. I guess we will just have to see what happens! I'm guessing that no matter what, I will have an amazing time! I'll be sure to tell you all the details when I get back!!

If you are interested in following along on my Hood to Coast adventures, follow me:
On twitter: @KristenL_DYL (#nuunhtc #teamlemonade)
On Instagram: kmelli

Rockin' HTC

Yesterday morning I found out that I was chosen to be a part of the Nuun Hood-to-Coast team!!

When I applied a few weeks ago, I was not confident I would be chosen after seeing so many other hilarious and awesome application videos.

I am already looking forward to running my first relay! I have heard so many awesome things about Hood-to Coast!

Besides the running, I am SO excited to make some new friends!!!

Check out this list of other amazing women who will also be running:
Kimberly - Healthy Strides
Jolene - Journey of a Canuck Mom on the Run
Megan - Meg Runner Girl
Lisa - Run Wiki
Mallory - Run Eat Run Eat
Leslie - Triathlete Treats
Holly - Leaps of Faith
Kara - Welcome to Karadise
Jesica - runladylike
Catey - Random Thoughts from the Zoo
Lisa - Lisa Runs for Cupcakes
Sarah - Run Far Girl
Meghan - Shoe Stories
Devon - Dev on Running
Karen - Reason to Play
Andrea - the MF Dre
Jenny - We Wander and Ponder
Lindsay - Twisted Running
Hannah - Fit Girl Happy Girl
Alternates
Holly - Fashionable Miles
Melissa - Melissa Runs

I'm so grateful for the opportunity to run, and I'm thankful to have been chosen. Thank you Nuun!

Anyone run Hood-to Coast before? What's the best leg to run?

If you haven't, which would you choose?