Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow

Day off. Feel good after First Dam Run 5-k, no recovery needed. Today's Sunday Blog topic: Relays Relay races have been around for awhile, but they are gaining steam quickly and becoming some of the hottest and fastest-growing new races. New relays are springing up right and left. The Wasatch Back (Utah), Great River (Wisconsin), del Sol (Arizona), Wild West (Colorado), Green Mountain (Vermont), and Fall 50 (Wisconsin) are all new relays, less than a few years old. I'm assuming there's all sorts of new relays that I haven't heard about, but these are just the ones that have contracted me to make their course maps. :-) The point is that they are spring up and growing like wildfire. Why all growth and excitement in relays? Well, in a nutshell, they are just a riot to run. Combine a college road-trip with running and racing, and you get a relay. Most relays range in distance from 50-200 miles, have 6-12 person teams, and can last well over 24 hrs. The general process is 1)pile a bunch of runners into a van; 2)jump out and run 4-8 miles really fast (or slow if you like); 3) jump back in the van and drive for awhile; 4) repeat several times. Sleeping is optional, and is the exception more than the rule. Due to the non-standard leg distances, and often the harsh topography, getting a PR is not an option, which is actually a good thing because it lets you relax and actually enjoy running for running sake. Forget your time and mile splits, and just run hard! Relays make running how it was when you were a kid. Fun. No pressure. Combine that with the comradery and friendships that will develop from being in a van with the same people for 24-hours, and sharing the same adventures and supporting each other, relays give some of the best "bang for buck" for the "entry fee to enjoyment" ratio. I have ran the Wild West Relay once (2005), and the Wasatch Back Relay twice (once as a runner in 2005 and once as a driver in 2006). I've seen landscapes and visited places I never would have seen before and made friends with complete strangers that I would have never met otherwise. I recommend that anyone looking for a new aspect of running and racing try a relay. I'll be running the Relay del Sol this March 30-31. The 190-mile race starts in Wickenberg and ends near Phoenix, AZ, and will travel through some truly outstanding desert landscapes. Any bloggers who may be interested in running, let me know. I am trying to put together a competitve, but laid-back and fun team. Post-edit: Check out the new PC TV clip on You Tube about the Wasatch Back Relay. Pretty cool clip, with a few familiar faces in there!

Went to gym and did 30 minutes on elliptical and some lifting. Afterwards, ran 5 miles easy from gym to Millville and back along TOU course.

Ran the Canal Trail Loop with Cody. Averaged around 7:30 miles for whole run. Beautiful warm weather; soon it will be snowing, so I'm enjoying it while I can.

Crosstraining day. Did 40 minutes on the elliptical, lifted, and stretched. My gym got 6 brand new ellipticals. Joy.

Ran Landfill Loop backward. Averaged 6:45 pace, so a good brisk run. Ran around the block with the dog afterwards. Wet and snowy up here in Logan; winter is beginning. Maybe I will be skiing by the weekend...

Ran Gym-to-Gym Loop easy. Stopped at gym in middle of run and did 30 minutes on the elliptical, plus lifting and stretching. Weighed in at 134 lbs after the elliptical. Closing in on old college racing weight.

Ran easy on the Logan Canyon River Trail with Dave, from the parking gate to Third Dam and back. There was snow along some stretches, which made for slow careful footing in places. But most of the trail was clear, and we had it to ourselves. It took about an hour, and I'm going to call it 7.3 miles so that I can log exactly 30 miles for the week. 33 miles scheduled for next week. The slow steady progression continues, with no setbacks so far (but I am paranoid of every temporary ache or weird feeling I get anywhere in my body).