Twin Peaks - Hood to Coast Recap Part 2

"The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start." ~ John Bingham

Ok, I know I said I'd write this entry on Monday but it has taken me longer to recover lost sleep than I expected. I've been going to bed early all week.  Anyway, where was I?


Becky's family met her at the end of her first leg.  Her
children ran the last 50 or so feet with her (with their
signs).  They were the hit of the exchange.  So. Cute. 
Even cuter was Becky trying to explain to them she
wasn't done yet but still had two more legs to go.


Oh, so, after I finished my first leg, the final four runners in my van had to finish theirs. For the rest of them, it was very hot and humid. Unfortunately, we were unable to give a lot of support to them as they were running on the Springwater Corridor, a biking/walking path that used to be a rail corridor that stretches from Boring to Portland. For runners #9-12, it was unending blackberry bushes casting minimal shade, heat radiating from the blacktop and no breeze. I'm really glad I wasn't running any of those legs this year.

After being crammed in a van, it was nice
just to stretch out some.

Once we had all finished our first legs, it was back to Nathan's where we ate lasagna, soaked in the local pool and showered. Then, feeling refreshed, we all napped.

On to Exchange 18, the Columbia Fairgrounds. Well, technically, we never made it to the fairgrounds. The traffic going past the fairgrounds was soo bad that Shawn and Bill hopped out about a half mile early to jog up to the exchange to relieve Lauren (runner #6), who had to wait about 10-15 minutes for the hand off. Bill got back just before we passed the point of no return and we were able to by-pass most of the traffic by skirting through the neighborhood. Unfortunately, traffic only got worse from there, with almost every exchange thereafter backing up a half mile to a full mile.

Now we come to the part that people have been wondering about. The dreaded Twin Peaks leg. We managed to get ahead of Shawn but not by much. I had just enough time to use a Honey Bucket. I'd already gotten all of my reflective gear on but I forgot my visor, which helps keep my headlamp on. Nathan started to go back to the van to get it but Shawn came in right at that moment, and I had to go on without it.  I felt rushed and somewhat unprepared.

Now, I'll be honest, I've been scared of this leg ever since it was assigned to me. It looks absolutely horrible on paper (see here) and I'd heard nothing good about it. Everyone complains about the dust, the incline, the length, everything. So, I was worried even though I've been training for it. It really was a miracle that I even started.

But, it was beautiful. There were so many stars and I could see them so clearly.  At certain points, I could look ahead and see vans ahead on the mountainside and know, that was where I was going.  It felt a little humid at the start but not too hot and as I heated up, my elevation increased and the temperature fell so that I was never to warm or too cold.  Vans would pass every so often, illuminating the road.  Runners passed as well, offering encouragement.  But I didn't need it the way I had on my first leg.  I had the stars to encourage me.  I had the quiet of the mountains and the cool night air to refresh me.

My newest favorite quote is one by Marcus Aurelius, our team's psuedo-namesake.  It's listed at the bottom of this blog now but I'll repeat it again.  "Dwell on the beauty of life.  Watch the stars and see yourself running with them."  Last Friday night and into Saturday morning, I was watching the stars and I was running with them.  I chose to dwell on the beauty of life and I loved every minute of it.