Texas Independence Relay

Well TIR... that was the funnest challenge. TIR, for those of you who don't know, it's a 200 mile relay with twelve ( we had eleven) of the best teammates ever! We have organized legs to run and two vans for each team so while one is running, the other can rest.

Me and dad showed up at our team captain's house, Cassie, at around 4 o'clock. We headed out for Gonzales for the start of Texas independence Relay. Gonzales is the supposed location for the first shot of the Texas Revolution so it was appropriate that we started there. As a team we ran the epilogue and Holden took off from the start to run his first leg. I ran midday Saturday... a 5 miler. This run was fast because of a tail-wind and the scenery was unchanging. High grass and the occasional farm. Then I handed off to dad.

My next run was a 5.5 miler at midnight and because it was so dark, I couldn't tell how fast I was going so I ran hard. This run was eerie and I didn't like it a whole bunch. I had to cross the Colorado River and the police were supposed to be stopping traffic but they didn't go very far into the bridge which was about a 1/2 mile across. So as I ran I waved my arms and directed traffic myself, screaming at a few cars to slow down so I wouldn't plunge into the river 30 feet below. I handed off to dad once again.

The 3rd leg that I ran of four was a small 2.3 miler so I decided to run it hard but just enough so that I could run my last leg. I finished in around 16 minutes so about 7 to 8 minute pace. Oh and this one was at about 5 in the morning. Not much to this run except for a little bit of directions to remember. After a couple more people finished, our van took off to Cassie and Manny's house to take showers and sleep for a few hours. This was vital to how my last run went. Thanks Cassie
and Manny!!!

My 4th and final run was a 6 miler and man this one was brutal. I started off hard and led a guy for about 1-2 miles. Then the heat set in. It was about 80-85 degrees- much too hot to run in. I felt dehydrated and was swimming in sweat and then God showed Himself to me. I saw dad in the distance with water and Gatorade. I took a few sips of Gatorade and ran with the water making only one stop for it. Without the water and the energy the Gatorade gave me, that run would have HURT. The next 4 or 5 were great except for the fact that this leg was almost untouched by direction. But once again God helped. The first time I needed direction, the guy I was leading knew which way to go, but he took off later. Then I was by myself needing direction and there was a man on the side of the road who told me that he saw runners in the direction I was going, which meant well. THEN I was about to keep going straight when I was supposed to turn and my van with my teammates in it was where?! On the side of the road! The pointed with their fingers in the direction to turn and I was on my way again. The last time I was approaching the next turn and I didn't know it so I stopped and looked around. There was a man in the van who screamed me some directions and I went and told him thank you a whole, whole bunch. So God was a huge part in how I ran and how I found direction in this run, which is an incredible metaphor for life. Not only did He give me energy to finish but He directed me in the right path and to Him I owe it ALL.

So anyways, I caught up with the person I had led the first mile and finished just a little behind him. I handed off to Cassie with a grimace as I slowed down to a walk. Cassie did great on leg 39 and dad did incredible too on leg 40 to finish off the race. We took pictures and ate pizza and had a great time at the finish.

I just want to say that I could not have handpicked better teammates or better runners. Everyone I had on my team ran because they loved to run and had a great attitude the whole way. I have no complaints whatsoever. The whole team ran great and even fast. We beat last year's time by over an hour! Wow! Do the math... that's pretty incredible. But really thanks to everyone cause I had an incredible time and can now say that that was the funnest running experience of my life. I would really love to do it next year but there will be a big ocean in my way, and a plane ride of no sleep with 20 miles of running and no sleep wouldn't go great together. Here are a few things I learned over the past weekend...

-God shows Himself to you in many random times but also at your greatest times of need.

- Trail mix is a great pre-run/post-run snack.

- Make sure you stop at the port-a-potty the leg before you run or the next runner might sneak up on you.

-The Kolache factory never tasted so good.

-Don't eat a spicy sausage roll before you run. You fart the whole course... which isn't completely a bad thing for so many reasons.

-Take the camera everywhere. Mom you don't know how many good shots you missed.

-I learned more about Texas history in the last 200 miles than I did the whole 7th grade. I will be promoting this run to all schools... just kidding.

-Oh and if you want to learn all of Texas history summarized without having to take a whole grade of it, just go to the San Jacinto Monument... it's all written on the dang thing. It would have been a great cheat sheet.

-I sort of understand what kind of sleeping issues you would have in a one hundred mile race which I thought was crazy cause you were staying active... but I now know that you can run and want to fall asleep at the same time.

-My dad is nuts for running his last leg in all black clothes in the middle of the day. I surprised he didn't shrivel up into a raison. That dude is a crazy runner and a very good one at that.

and...

-Watch wear you stretch because you just might be sitting in an ant pile. Ouch...