TSP DIY: The long, long night at the lake

 Let me tell ya, I do NOT like running at night. And deep down inside, I didn't like our strategy. Normally, I am all about distance. But after a summer of training for a mile time trial (that I BOMBED), my legs were full of speed. I was feeling the short, fast stuff a lot more than a five mile tempo. Our team plan was to revert to 5-milers at night, with the idea that we would be able to run long in the cool night. The problem was that it just wasn't happening. It wasn't cool. It's never cool in Louisiana in early September. The temperature dipped below 80F for a few minutes, but the humidity stayed sky high. Even the weird windstorm couldn't drive the humidity away. And people felt like crap. I checked our standings as I got ready to try to sleep, and we were falling off. We were 6th in the early evening, but by night, we were 12th. 

I decided to try to nap in my car, so after my last-of-the-night pumping session (and putting bags of milk on ice, as if they would stay cold in this heat), I pushed the seat back and laid down. With the windows down, and the really stupid wind, it felt kind of like a fan. I was definitely tired enough to sleep. But my car was parked on the route, and the runners and cheering support were keeping me awake! I got back up and wandered back to the house. I'm glad I did: I overheard others talking quietly and realized that they'd been cutting their runs to four miles. The wind had died down a bit, but it was still bad, and no one felt good. The bike support crew had identified an alternate route that avoided some of the worst wind, but it was not quite five miles. I checked the spreadsheet, updated my alarm, and tried to sleep on a bench on the porch. I think I dozed for a bit, but I was ready to run far before the next runner finished. I joined Jimi, our coach, up on the seawall. He was bike support and he told me that the wind was a lot better. Ha! As we waited for Josh, the wind inexplicably picked back up to about 20 mph. I couldn't believe it. Another run into the wind! Because of the seawall separating the below-sea-level neighborhoods from Lake Ponchartrain, we had decided that runners would start at the top of the sea wall and finish at the base, rather than anyone running up the steep hill. So when Josh came down the home stretch, his biker shouted, "Go!" up the hill. I hit start on my Garmin, tucked my head, and pushed into the wind. Man. It was harder the second time. And even when, two miles later, we finally turned off the lakefront, I didn't feel good. My dinner sat obnoxiously in my stomach, and it was dark. Jimi was a great biker - he kept my route as lit as he could, gave me directions, and kept encouraging me. A bad side cramp hit before mile four, and my last mile was slow and painful. I crept back up the street and handed off to Jonathan at the 4.74 mile mark at 6:37 pace. Eek. Getting slower wasn't part of the plan! But I had no time to sulk: my plan was GET SOME SLEEP before my 5:40 leg. 

The front lawn crew

There was a small group of runners and support people sitting on the front lawn as I walked back to the house. I lamented my difficulty as I talked to them and discovered that everyone was likewise suffering. But I got a huge boost when I reported my pace and was met with incredulity: "I don't think I could run that pace right now!" said Will, and he is approximately 90 times faster than I am. I was somewhat mollified by that. 

Showers mid-relay? Heck yes! 

I hopped in the shower in his parents' cute little pool house, threw my pajamas on, and saw Wayne's scrawny, sleepy body on the bench I'd planned to sleep on. I stuck my head into the house and glory be! For one thing, there was A/C. For another thing, there was a beautiful sight: an air mattress on the living room floor. I tossed my blanket and pillow onto the mattress and tried to sleep. 

I think I did get about two hours of sleep in. It wasn't glamorous. I found out later that the air mattress had materialized at the house because Will's uncle had brought it over to throw it in the pool to try to find a leak in it. He never did find it, but I did! About ten minutes into my nap, my butt was touching the floor. I should've known that an unoccupied air mattress was too good to be true. My dozing was cut short when Paul stuck his head in. "Grace, you're in the hole. Josh is up next in a few minutes. You have about half an hour." Half an hour! My alarm wasn't even set to ring until 35 minutes later! While I was sleeping, the team had switched to three mile loops. My turn was up. And if any of you readers have breastfed, you know that before I was running one single step, I had to pump. 

This is so, so, so miserable

I raced to my car, struggled into a jog bra, stuffed the pump into the bra, and turned it on while I rushed to get ready to run. I ran back to the house (with all the people in and out, and the street construction, I was parked two blocks away) to use the bathroom, but it was occupied. I ended up giving up on the bathroom and heading to the transition area. I didn't have enough time to get a full pumping in - I carefully set the full cups of milk and the pump on the side of the road, turned on my GPS, and had just moments to spare. 

I'm sure you can guess how this leg went: it was 5am, I was dehydrated yet still not pumped dry, I hadn't used the bathroom, and I was virtually sleepless. Pat was my biker. He'd been up all night himself, but he didn't let that disrupt his usual smooth demeanor. I followed him on the new three mile loop and was happy to see that the route had the wind as a tailwind along the lake and a headwind in the more sheltered neighborhoods. I still sucked. I felt terrible in every possible way. I stumbled in for 3 miles at 6:37 pace. Ouch. I handed off to Jonathan and saw Kevin standing alongside. He was incredibly cheerful. Apparently Kevin thrives on this kind of stuff and felt great! I collected my milk and trudged back to the house. After putting my milk away, I reviewed the changes to our plan. We had fallen behind overnight to 13th, and that wasn't how we wanted this race to go. We weren't heading back to Audubon Park, and we weren't doing any more five mile or three mile or even two mile legs. We were heading to the practice track at City Park, and we were going to run 400s for the rest of the race. We put our exhausted heads together and created two teams to switch off, allowing the other team to rest for about an hour. We'd trade off for six straight hours of track work. 

TSP DIY: Evening, and the first change of plans

 I drove to my first leg, which started at Josh's house, and was in for a surprise when I arrived. The house was dark and quiet. Josh had told me his wife might be late, and texted me the alarm code. But - it didn't work. He either forgot his code or typed it wrong. I had a car full of food for other runners, some of whom would be transitioning here later, and I had to go to the bathroom, and I couldn't get in the house. At first I assumed his wife would come home, because Josh had said it was just a slim chance she would miss me. But as the clock ticked down, I repacked my car (I'd unloaded onto his porch) and got ready to run. Just then, Will and Paul showed up. Will had dropped his bike at the house earlier, and they were back to get it. They had news: plans had changed. The other runners had realized that the exchanges happening at multiple locations was too difficult. We were already having problems getting our runners to the right transition area on time. Will's parents lived near the lake, and we decided to use them as a home base, and just run loops from there all night. Cool! I was much relieved to hear that. But they also had bad news. I couldn't tell from that sheltered neighborhood, but a bizarre windstorm had whipped up. Josh was running in it, and I was about to, too. But before any running - I had to PEE. And I was in the middle of a tightly bunched neighborhood. Oh, well. Sorry kids. I pulled Josh's trash can close to his house and squeezed behind it. It would have to do! 

I saw Josh approaching - looking like death! - and ran alongside Drew, my bike pacer. Drew took my phone and a bottle of Gatorade from me, and things immediately went south. Drew dropped back to discuss logistics of the change, and I didn't know the route. I hit a T-stop and had to double back to grab Drew for directions. And then - then the wind. Oh my word. We were dodging traffic and lights for a bit, so I didn't really register the intensity, but once we got onto the lake, we were being pummeled. Someone had said it would be a tailwind for me and guess what? They lied! It was so windy, and it was a side-headwind off the lake the whole time. I was laboring against the wind. Dirt was blowing in my eyes. It was so windy it was drying out my mouth. It was the first time I felt discouraged. I couldn't get my pace under 6:30. My route was a little over five miles, and by mile four, my stomach was cramping. I lumbered toward the handoff point and...no one was there. Drew's phone rang and I saw Paul just then. Jonathan had gone to the wrong transition point in the confusion of changed plans, but Paul gamely stepped up for an early leg. "Keep running a bit," he directed, as I approached. I ran alongside and realized he was still trying to get Garmin signal. "Got it. You're done," he said, and headed off into the wind. I was beat. And I'd only run 6:33 pace. And my car was five miles away, with all my food and things in it. 

Luckily, Tyler was there for support, and he offered a ride. Ha. I messed that one up big time. For one thing, there was construction on the street, and Tyler had to make a tight U-turn. And he hit some of the barriers. I was dying of embarrassment, because it was my fault he scratched his car, and to make things worse, then I gave him the wrong address for his GPS and lead him miles out of his way! We finally retrieved my car, and I headed back to Will's parent's house. 

That back patio livin'

WOW. It was just what we needed. There big house had a spacious backyard where we could all spread out, a pool, and an outdoor pool bathroom. We could snooze between legs on various bits of patio furniture, and they'd ordered pizza. It's no small feat to pull off hosting eleven runners and half as many support crew in the middle of the night, with no notice, and with pandemic restrictions, but they managed to safely do so. Such hospitality! I grabbed some pizza (yes, more pizza) and, since it was now 9:30, decided to try to get some sleep before my projected midnight-thirty leg. 

So, those projections: Josh had put together an incredible spreadsheet we relied on for the race. Originally, it predicted our leg start times based on the pace we had all told him we expected to run. But when it became clear that we were well ahead of pace, he changed the formula to reflect each runner's current average pace. The way TSP kept up the leaderboard was by following our Strava, which we all synced at the end of each leg, but we also kept our totals up to date for our own tracking purposes via a Google form that we reported to after each leg. It fed into the spreadsheet to calculate our average pace, updating our predicted leg start times as we went. It was a pretty reliable tool...as long as the plans didn't change. And of course, they did! 

TSP DIY: Day one, Audubon Park and City Park

 We started the race in front of Audubon park and Jeremy kicked us off with a five-miler that ended up back at my house - our first home base. The guys had been trickling in and had tents, trucks, and coolers set up by the time he handed off to Rich. It was insanely hot. Insane. It hit the 90s before Rich started running, and stayed consistently high 90s for most of the day. The humidity was brutal. But we expected that, so after three legs we switched to 3 mile loops. Team members were out as bike pacers, and we needed them to navigate Saturday traffic to the park. I didn't run until almost nine, so I played hostess and kept the baby. I knew that once I handed him over for my first leg, he'd be all David's responsibility for many hours! 

Prior to my first leg, I did something I've never done before...laced up a pair of VaporFlys. And this was a key move. Not only are the shoes *magic*, they make you think you're magic. There is something about believing that you have magic shoes that makes you perform like you have no limits. And that is what this weekend was all about for me. It has been over a year since I've raced for real, and I wanted no reservations. When I tied those shoes I told myself, "Leave it all out there. Every leg. Don't save anything." Maybe a stupid strategy for a 31-hour relay, but I truly believe it paid off. 

Josh handed off to me in front of my house, and I took off to run the Audubon Park route I've run thousands of times. Tom and Kate paced me on their bikes. It took me about a mile to understand the Vaporfly - there is a lot more underfoot than I'm used to, or than their weight leads you to believe. And I think for that first leg, I didn't really appreciate them. They made much more of a difference later on, when my legs were exhausted. I'm not used to running just three miles, so my leg was done in no time, and I had a moment of panic when I saw 6:24 average pace. Too fast! You'll regret this! The day is still young! But no, that wasn't the plan. Leave it out there! As soon as I finished, I ate some rice and eggs, showered, and put the baby down for a nap. The whole nursing and racing thing was going to be a challenge, but it worked out better than I expected. My next leg would be in City Park, where we transitioned in order to use a 2-mile loop. The baby woke up from his nap just in time for me to feed him before I raced out the door. I had just enough time to park, change back into my racing shoes, and find a satellite before my turn. 

Josh ran up to our tent and I hit go, following Van on his bike around our familiar running loop. We managed the car traffic ok, and I was feeling fresh still. The sun was blazing down, but I shrugged it off. The whole team was running in blazing sun. I could, too. I didn't even pretend to run half marathon pace. It was early in the race, I had new shoes, bystanders were cheering, Van was pulling me forward, and I ran two miles at 6:07 pace. And it didn't hurt. I handed off to Jonathan and immediately ate something. Throughout the race, I would eat as soon as I finished, then drink Gatorade a few minute prior to my next leg. David showed up with the baby, and we hung out under the tent, watching the team go.

 The team was on fire. Every last one of us cranked our legs out with astonishing speed, 97F temperatures and high humidity aside. We were set up under a canopy cheering each other on, and it was an amazing feeling to be a Power Miler. At some point, we modified the route to be two one-mile loops, so we could cheer the runners on at the halfway point. I watched Rich nonchalantly complete two milers in race-worthy times, Jonathan run a 2-mile PR, and Kenny show off his consistency. Tyler showed up with his bike, and then Tarak and Mark showed up with bikes...and speakers! Now our runners had music! 

Me and my bike pacers

For my next two miler, I let the music set the tempo. I let the team's cheer power me. And I ran 5:57 pace. Yeah, 5:57. That is faster than my 2-mile PR. I was riding high, and I kept telling myself, "Let the shoes do the work." The funny thing is, that helped. I was wearing the magic shoes before telling myself that, but after just thinking those words, I could pick up the pace! I finished that leg and reminded myself that I was going to leave it all out there on every leg. I didn't let the fast pace scare me. At that point, our team was averaging 6:11 pace overall, and we were in 8th place on the leaderboards. 

Kevin

Me

Kenny

At some point, it hit feeding time for the baby - and I had to pump. I have a conveniently wearable pump, but it was weird as the only girl on the team. I just put it on and threw a T-shirt on (I was most obviously wearing jog bra only for the whole race. It was hot as blazes). But the dehydration that followed was a surprise to me. I know breastfeeding is dehydrating, but I normally just drink enough water to replenish, and it's no big deal. Mid race, when you are running in high 90's temperatures - and also just sitting outside in those temperatures between legs - it makes a huge difference. I felt a little fuzzy-headed and quickly took a salt tablet and guzzled water. My leg was up next. I shrugged off the dizziness and took over for Josh, running alongside Mark, Tarak, and their music selection. The sun scorched my scalp and flashed in my eyes. I dodged oncoming traffic, squeezed by a family on bicycles, and let my legs bounce off the firm pavement on Victory Avenue. 

Freaking hot

"This is a fast surface. You know it from all the workouts you've done here. Take advantage," I told myself. I had a bad turn heading down the homestretch - there was traffic, I waffled, I cut too narrow, and I sort of lost my momentum. But I could see the PMTC flag up ahead, regrouped, and ran it in strong for a 6:02 pace. 

Vaporflying

It was my final leg in the park, and we were moving to the lakefront. The plan was to extend the distance of the legs in the evening, so I had enough time to go home, make dinner, and feed the baby before my next leg. If I hurried! 

I rushed home, scooped up my baby, whipped up a homemade pizza, hopped in the shower, and fed the baby. I packed my car with a change of running clothes, food, my cleaned pump, a pillow and blanket, chargers for everything, and pajamas. At the time, my legs were projected to start at 7:45 and 1:45, and the next leg after that would be back at Audubon Park. My plan was to head home after my 1:45 run and sleep in my own bed before a 6:30 run the next day. But just in case, I packed for bed anyway. Honestly, the night plan worried me. I didn't like it at all. I knew from my Hood to Coast experience that night running is really hard. You can't see, you're tired, and your body is sending all kinds of signals that you should be asleep, not running. Nutrition is tough to manage: your body is also not used to taking in food at that time. And the route we had planned worried me, too. We had to leave the parks because they close at night. But our lakefront route had a bunch of different exchange points, and none of my legs started where the last leg left off. So I would need to be ferried from spot to spot. With eleven runners on the team, and limited support crew able to stay awake all night, how would we manage? So with trepidation I set out for Josh's house, my first transition point. 

The Speed Project: DIY 31 hour relay

To quickly explain the race, TSP DIY is a relay with few rules. You collect your team's total time via Strava, and you make up your own route and legs. You can have a team of any size, and your legs can be any length. You don't even have to be in the same place: you can virtually hand off (we used this method when changing base locations). You run for 31 hours and 15 minutes, and the team with the highest mileage wins. There are some specific categories, too, but we were in the Freestyle category which is essentially the open division.

 You want me to recap 31 hours of running? Thirty one hours of relay, of working as a team, of making decisions on the fly, of scrambling to meet the competition, of fighting fatigue, storms, heat warnings, and dehydration, of watching some of the finest running I've ever seen? 

It will be a long race report. Let's start from the beginning. 

The cast of characters: The Power Miler Track Club

Rich: Reliable, consistently fast, a 2:28 marathoner with a chronic knee injury and a chipper attitude. Projected pace (our team coach recommended we aim for half marathon or a little slower for the race): 5:45

Will: A duathlete who is very fast and sharp when in shape. He's in shape: he ran a PR mile at our recent time trial. He comes from a large family of runners and his parents live near part of our proposed route. Projected pace: 5:45

Kenny: A masters runner with incredible track speed and a straight up beautiful form. He joined the club last year after being pestered to do so for years; moving into the city from the 'burbs made up his mind. Projected pace: 5:45

Josh: The brains behind our race administration, a Brooks guru, and a runner who has made giant strides since joining the team. Projected pace: 6:30

Kevin: We're never quite sure if it's Kevin or his twin Jason. Kevin is a physical therapist - just graduated! - and incredibly good at grinding out consistent tempos. Projected pace: 6:45

Paul: Pastor Paul is 57, mellow, team oriented, and prepared to suffer silently. In fact, he has a single tattoo that reads, "amor fati". Paul ran a sub-5 mile at age 50, so he's a weapon. Projected pace: 6:20

Mike: How a busy businessman like Mike got away for 31 hours is beyond me, but he managed. He also managed a lot of the delegating and directing for this effort, and his organization was priceless. Mike, or Pou as we call him, is a quietly effective runner and one of the most encouraging people I've ever met. Projected pace: 6:45

Jeremy: Jeremy was the one who got us into this mess. After reading about the relay in Tempo Journal, he proposed a team for 2020. We sputtered initially and couldn't field a team for the original date in March. The pandemic moved the relay to a "do it yourself" format, and suddenly it was more manageable. Jeremy pushed us to put a team together and represent the Power Milers. He also got a professional photographer for the event! Projected pace: 6:45

Jonathan: Jonathan joined the club as easily the slowest member, and I admire that. Because when I joined, that was me! It's a bold move, and it obviously pays off. Jonathan has made giant improvements and has been game for all our workouts, even though he is an ultrarunner: something our workouts don't cater to. I knew his ultra experience would be key. Projected pace: 7:00.

Me: Coming off a disappointing mile time trial, a left hamstring tear, and a threatening right hamstring strain, I was a liability. I think the rest of the team had understandable reservations: I missed a lot of the beginnings of our Zoom planning calls since they started while I was still driving home from work, so I was playing a lot of catch-up. I have a 7-month old who is still breastfeeding. I haven't really raced since Boston 2019, so my fitness was up in the air. BUT I have a secret weapon, and that weapon is that I am very good at suffering. It's like a hobby of mine. I would have made a great nun. Projected pace: 7:00. That pace...when we put together our race plan spreadsheet, I had to think hard about this. I thought my half marathon pace was probably around 6:50 at the time, but then I had to take time off for my hamstring, and we also all took the weather into account. A labor day weekend race in New Orleans was bound to be hot, so I added a few seconds for that, too. If all went well, I hoped to run closer to 6:55.

Our first home base: My street. 

The race and race plan: 

Our plan was to start in Audubon Park, where we had a smooth surface closed to traffic, and do some five mile loops before the sun came up (the race kicked off at 6am). We'd move to 3 mile loops as it warmed up, and then transition to City Park for the afternoon. Our thinking was that City Park might be cooler since Audubon can be extremely humid (lol, like what isn't humid in NOLA?). In the heat of the day, we'd do just 2-mile loops. As the sun set, we would then venture to the shadeless lakefront at night. The lakefront has been closed to traffic during the pandemic to reduce crowds, so it was a safe option at night when both parks are closed. The plan was for 5 mile loops overnight when the temperature dropped, although the low was 79 and humidity was still in the 90s! We'd move back to Audubon for some early morning stuff Sunday, more 3-milers, then finish up at the track back in City Park to crank out as many track 400s as we could. 

Spoiler: that plan totally changed. To be continued! 

Mile Time Trial

 After a long, hot summer of training, we finally ran our mile time trial and it was slooooow. I have oh-so-many good excuses. 

1. It was hot, feels-like-100 at race time (although I've raced miles in worse weather).
2. It was windy! With tropical storm Marco just retreating, and hurricane Laura heading in, we had a very breezy day. 
3. I just wasn't in shape, thanks to the hamstring pull. I was able to ease back into running over the last few weeks, but only got in one mile speed session in the month prior to the time trial. I tried to do a few of the workouts, but re-pulled my hamstring. 
4. I brilliantly started a diet, which is wreaking havoc on my running. 

So the race! Er, time trial. Time trial on the track with (non-certified) tape markings and stop watches and the rest of my team! Outdoor exercise without a mask is permitted and outdoor groups of 25 and below are permitted, so while we can't run regular races, this worked and was legal! We did a two mile warm-up and some strides and then spread out for a waterfall start. I lined up all the way out, since I am one of the slowest in the group. 

With a casual, "Go!" we were off, and I felt bad AT ONCE. I planned to sprint out of the gate to get into position, then settle into my pace, but I never could settle in. My chest was burning immediately. And it didn't help that we turned that first corner into a wild headwind. My first lap was my fastest, but it was still several seconds off my planned pace. The plan had been 1:22 for the first lap, 1:21s after that, and then GO on the last one. HAHA. None of my laps were even close to my goal. My first lap was 1:27 (including the extra 9m).

 

I didn't DIE die in the second lap, but I was hurting a lot. The wind was really challenging: the track has woods blocking the slightest tailwind on one side, but wide open fields allowing hard headwind on the other. You can't win. I knew I was slowing down, but I was slightly cheered that I was not falling too far back off my teammate Jeff (although he was pretty far in front - he just wasn't getting even farther in front). But the third lap was a total struggle fest. My hamstring was making itself known in that "if you push me, I'll pop" manner, my gait was inhibited, and I couldn't breath at all. As soon as we got into the last lap, Sara passed me, and even her encouragement couldn't get me to sprint. I was just in slow motion. 5:43 finish with almost zero sprint. I absolutely couldn't stretch my stride out. My hamstring isn't there yet. And my fitness clearly suffered from the injury, as well. 

I should have kept up with my laps during the race to see exactly where and how I fell apart, but I didn't remember to do that, and I couldn't hear people calling splits after the first one. Probably because of the blood pounding in my ears! I think I could run under 5:30 if I was in better shape, and I am planning a time trial do-over: maybe after my upcoming relay, and once my hamstring is really recovered. I was happy to pseudo-race, but I am not happy with my time! 

Currently

 "Currently" is a blog post theme some of my favorites have been using for a while, and I decided to hop on board! 

Currently eating: Peaches, sirloin pork chops, and tofu! I got some amazing peaches for $0.78 per lb, so I stocked up. I'm mostly eating them plain as a snack, but I plan to make some panna cotta with peaches next week. I also got some sirloin pork chops at the grocery. I prefer that cut to loin cut as it is much more flavorful! And lastly - I bought homemade tofu from our Asian market a few weeks ago and oh my word, it is so much better than store bought. I was at the Asian market buying a huge bag of random Asian foods for my sister for her birthday: this kind of gift is right up her alley, as she loves Asian foods and doesn't have a specialty store near her. 

Related story: I also bought myself a bunch of produce from the Asian grocery, much of which did not have a label in English. When I got home, I Googled the names of the items off my receipt. Turns out that I bought a loofah! I threw it into a curry and it was just fine - like a mix of eggplant and summer squash in texture. I resisted the urge to make a bunch of "wash your mouth out with soap" and similar jokes. 

Currently reading: Lithium, by Walter Brown. It's the history of how lithium came to be used in bipolar disorder. It's actually less interesting than I expected it to be. 

Currently drinking: Old vine zinfandel. I don't know what's going on in California (besides there being no power), but the old vine is CHEAP these days. I am taking full advantage. After the baby goes to bed I get a glass of wine and read my boring book and I'm very happy. Old vine zinfandel is one of my favorite wines to drink on its own. 

Currently running: While our mile time trial is next week, I've had to keep my workouts tame to avoid aggravating my hamstring. I did 8x30 second accelerations today - from easy to mile pace - and was not thrilled that my legs feel heavy and I'm moving pretty slowly. 

Currently wearing: I bought these pink mirrored sunglasses and I'm loving the reflective look! Between these and my mask - you can't see me at all ;-)

Also loving these beaded earrings I made this week. 

Currently watching: I really haven't been watching much at all. We sometimes watch something on Sunday night; it would generally be sports, but with the Pelicans out of the playoffs, I haven't been that interested in the rest of the NBA season. I did watch an episode of Unsolved Mysteries, which was fun, even though OBVIOUSLY THE HUSBAND DID IT OMG. 

Currently waiting for: The inner tubes I ordered for my bike to come in so I can get back on Snow White, my little single speed road bike. I got a flat when I hit a major pothole I misjudged, and my bike takes weird tubes with 60mm Presta valves. None of the local bike shops carry them (and actually, most bike shops have been sold out of nearly everything or only services current customers, ie you bought your bike from them, since the pandemic started). 

Currently loving: Our city counsel just voted to change the name of "Jefferson Davis Parkway" to "Norman C Francis Parkway" and I couldn't be happier to see the name of the president of the confederacy removed from our street signs. These Jim Crow era monuments are a blight on our city.

Currently hating: Politics. Oh, my word, I am so tired of it all! 

The Speed Project DIY

The PowerMilers are racing: a relay! We had signed up for The Speed Project, a crazy Santa-Monica-to-Vegas relay, before all the COVID cancellations. The replacement event is called "TSPDIY", and we've adapted. We're running a route of our own concoction for 31 hours. It's a set time, so we're going for distance!

The Speed Project doesn't have a lot of rules for a relay: you can read some really fun (and anxiety-inducing) recaps over at tempojournal.com. You make your own route, your relay legs can be any distance, and your team is basically on its own. It's even loser this year, as we're just running for time, and in fact your team doesn't even have to be in the same city. 

We have eleven studs running for our team. And I'm one of them. Because you know what? 

Yeah, there's a pandemic. 

Yeah, I have a baby. 

Yeah, I already did one relay and it sucked. 

Yeah, my hamstring is iffy. 

But I am ready to RACE, this sitting around doing nothing is getting old! I haven't run a race since Thanksgiving of last year, and I was running that one easy (highly pregnant and highly injured). My last real race was the Jazz Half in October, when I lumbered across the line in 1:39:xx, which felt like a victory at almost seven months pregnant. I'm looking forward to running for a reason, and it's been years enough since my last relay for me to be able to look back at it through rose-colored glasses. I guess it wasn't the WORST experience of my life. And this should be slightly less horrible: when I get a chance to sleep, it can be in my own bed, and I can take a shower, too. Of course, the relay is in early September, so we should still expect temperatures in the 90s and even overnight in the 80s, so that won't be ideal. Hopefully we are heat acclimated enough to deal with it for an estimated 290 miles: what our team predicts if everyone performs according to fitness!

Relay starts September 5th. I'll be ready!