Outside the Comfort Zone

Today the S2S Relay starts. I am on a team of 12 women running a total of 180 miles (approximately) across the state of Florida. Apparently there are 38 teams taking part. That’s a lot of crazy runners. Clearly, there are other people who thought this was a good idea. But I am starting to wonder.

First of all, there was the effort involved getting here in the first place. It was not terribly taxing, but I had to arrange some logistics: booking tickets, organizing the girls schedule, and so on. I wondered briefly if it was worth the effort for a weekend that did not promise to be relaxing.

The doubts started in earnest as I was making my packing list: baby wipes in lieu of a shower, clothes that are easy to take on and off in a moving vehicle, snacks that are unlikely to make me ill, etc. My doubts reached their pinnacle at about 4AM when I was awakened by what sounded like the drum section of a marching band outside my window: the stacatto beat of a hard driving rain. Are you kidding me? Not only do I have to run three times in 24 hours, including 7 miles at approximately 2 AM, but I am also going to get drenched like a rat in a tsunami. Great. And now I am getting instruction on what to do if I run across an alligator. Literally. Suggestions are welcome.