Quaff is doing a 24 hour relay to try and raise money for cancer. Each group of 5-6 people is to run 3 x 2 hour sessions spread out over 24 hours. Our goal for the 24 hours is to run 240 miles total. At 6min./mile average, we all keep a close watch on the capabilities of each of our groups and run intervals accordingly.
Our first session: 6AM-8AM: wonderful weather - the sunrising to start our session was awesome. About 55 degrees and nice and low humidity.
This first one essentially a track session with full recoveries. Our group of 5 people wound up doing 3x1mi. and 2x800m each within our first 2 hour window. We have 2 more 2 hour sessions of somehting like this today - one at 2pm and one at 10pm. We turned in to pretty solid efforts. Its hard to resist going a little faster with alot of people around watching, too :)
3x1mi. - 5:30, 5:21, 5:17 with full recoveries (we're talking like 20 minute recoveries, while 4 other people run 1 mile), and then we decided to finish up the 2 hours with 800s:
2x800m - 2:25, 2:26
A little harder effort to maintain pace on the 800s than I would've liked, but, hey there were alot of people out there watching...
8.91 mi. total (between mini WUs and cooldowns) - 57:55
more to come at 2pm
Second Set: 2pm-4pm. 85 degrees and sunny - much more difficult in the heat and on somewhat tired legs. Group decided on 800s this time. Started off hitting the first couple hard - somebody offered some racing flats that were super light and my size for free, so had to try to run fast wearing them. First 2 x 800s were 2:26, 2:28... paid the price - the rest hurt - 6x800s: 2:54, 47, 45, 45, 47, 47. And then somebody got the bright idea of finishing up with a 400m. Little kids walking around the track (a bunch of people there for other Relay for Life events- walking and kids' stuff) liked to try and race us (for about 100m) They actually helped along - 64 for last 400m. That hurt.
7.59 miles total - about 53 min.
1 more 2 hour session tonight from 10pm to midnight to finish out the 24 hours. Wow - I pulled out all the tricks to try and convince my legs that they could move fast enough for some 1mi./800 intervals again. Could barely hobble around the track once during a WU jog. We called in some alternates and I enjoyed the conclusion of the 24 hours of running with pizza, coffee, and snacks. Hats off to my group and about 10 other guys who filled in randomly on top of their group assignments. 268.5 miles total for the 24 hours!!
The real story was that of all the cancer survivors and families of cancer victims. One of the girls in my group recently lost her mom to cancer - the relay happened to fall on the day of her mother's birthday also. On her last lap of her last rep, the DJ (guy running the loud speaker) sent out the dedication song to her mother... and, as she was coming down the home stretch and passed off the baton to the next runner, she broke down in tears. As her husband consoled her and they held each other by the fence outside of lane 8, the emotion of the moment and the event really hit home with me.
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