Ahhh... the joys of relaying through the Oregon countryside! People think I am nuts when I talk of getting 12 crazy runners in 2 vans and meandering along the back roads with a cowbell!!
Band of the Run is not just a relay team, we are a Band of Friends, running through the night and helping each other get to the next exchange. It is a strange turn of events that brings us together and even stranger events that glue us as a team! Yet, three years ago, I didn't even have a relay on my radar! So it wasn't so much a dream I harbored in my soul, but as of late it has become more of an obsession (there I said it!).
Now, amid the cowbells, water bottles, and Luna bars, I can't imagine doing anything else in the month of June! I used to dream of running a marathon and qualifying for Boston, which still may be wandering around the back of my mind. However, I am slowly consigning to the fact that I may be a die-hard relay rat! There is something magical about 6 sweaty bodies bonding amid the heat, rain, wind, cows, and farmers with shotguns. It is helping a teammate up a gruelling hill and finding that you yourself are strong enough to stay up for 40 hours, run 21 miles and still keep a sense of decourm and humor hidden in the midst of chaos!!!
Just how far can we push our bodies and souls before we drop from exhaustion? Maybe next year we should try to be one of the ULTRA teams!!! Or not!!!
We ARE... BAND ON THE RUN!!! And we will have fun!! I think I need a bullhorn!
