Mt Si Relay

Last Sunday, I participated in the Mt Si Relay on team Dae Han. Here are some things I learned:

• Watch Best of the Best, just do it.
• Running while on antibiotics BLOWS, and I would still consider myself sick that day
• There are more than 13 versions of the song "Wuthering Heights" and the Houck brothers consider that pump up music. It's not. 
• It is possible to listen to the same song, in 13 different versions ALL DAY and mostly stay sane
• The Houck's consider vomiting at the handoff the only indication that you have worked hard enough
• Being in first place when you take the handoff and subsequently losing that placement really sucky
• Everything with the Houcks is a contest, including chugging Guinness
• I am a better beer drinker than Brian

We came in second place overall, but first place in the mixed team division!

Happy, tired and sore!

It was a super fun day, and I hope I am invited back on the team next year! The event isn't just a relay - there are people who do a 50K or a 50 miler. They are insane!

The order was:

Total	min/mile
Scott	06:32.0
Brady	06:47.4
Elizabeth	07:17.9
Brian	06:23.8
Heidi	07:41.0

(I was super pleased I was a lot faster the girl who I replaced. She ran an 8:05 pace last year. You always want to be an upgrade ;))

I think I could run a lot faster if I wasn't still sick and on antibiotics. I averaged 7:17 pace over my two legs - 5.7 and 4.1. The first leg was almost pancake flat, and we were in first when at the handoff. That changed about a mile into my leg - when we moved to 2nd. At about mile 5, we moved to third. Both those other teams were all male, so not in our division, but still. The one Husky Runner kid was mad fast. I threw up at mile 2, and at the end. In spite of my regimen of pre-race immodium, my stomach was completely ick. (When I texted Dave to tell him how we were doing, and the vomiting, he responded that he was making breakfast. He loves me.)

The Houck's brought us back into first, and then Heidi unfortunately got passed by one of the Husky runners as well. (I was so excited to meet Heidi - she's super fun, nice and a great runner!)

We were in first by 4 minutes when I started my second leg, which was 2 miles up the Iron horse trail and 2 miles back down. Ouch. I am not the world's best hill runner, and my hip and hammy were acting up after my first leg. I was passed by that fast mo-fo at mile 2.25, and he put 2.5 minutes on me by the time I handed off. (That other team that had passed us during my first leg had imploded, and were no longer a concern.) Brian managed to pass the husky team's next runner, but not by much, and we ended up in second place overall by only 86 seconds. We were the first place mixed team, though, so we got award mugs!

Winner mugs and beers to go in them!

Thats when the beer drinking started. The Houcks were chugging Guinnesses, so of course I joined them! how could I not? That results in some ride home shenanigans which may or may not have included public urination. I mean, don't these guys look like trouble?

In spite of his expression, Scott is not a serial killer.