Outside the Comfort Zone

I learned many things from doing the S2S relay. Some I learned from challenging myself and pushing myself to my physical limits. Most I learned from being in a van with 5 other women for 30+ hours.

– It’s good for me to get over myself. Yes, I was driving around in a car with bras hanging off the mirrors and wipers. Yes, that would normally be considered an uncouth thing to do, and it certainly is excessively attention-seeking. But it was rather funny. I am not saying I advocate putting underwear on one’s car on a regular basis, but if it’s humorous and in the right context, go for it.

– Too much drama is a buzzkill. If you are doing something for fun, you should remember to keep it fun. Enough said.

– Women and men aren’t all that different. It turns out that we, too, swear, pass gas, and can be crude and blunt with each other. It just takes us longer to let it all hang out. And we prefer to let it all hang out in the privacy of our own van.

– A running relay is not just about running, it can help you in other sports. For example, after van-sleeping in a position worthy of a drunk contortionist, some of those wacky poses in yoga will be a breeze.

– Nighttime running is peaceful and beautiful, even if a small part of me still thinks wearing a headlamp is freakishly dorky. And I still have the urge to sing “heigh-ho, heigh-ho, it’s off to work I go” whenever I put on the headlamp. But having your own personal interrogation lamp strapped to your head is kind of fun.

– I am more afraid of a roaming pack of dogs than I am of gators. But I am even more scared of that sandwich I got at a rather unsanitary Subway. At least with the dogs I had pepper spray. At Subway, I needed some Lysol spray. The kind with bleach.

– Severe sleep deprivation can either make you crabby or punchy. I prefer the punchy people. If you are going to suffer physically, you might as well have something to laugh about to ease the pain.

– Life is more fun when you do stuff. But I guess I already knew that, since I am a signupaholic and will try virtually any interesting activity that comes down the pike. Doing the Relay was just a nice reminder of that. And it was a nice reminder of the simple joys in life, like a shower and a bed.

Yes, it turns out that staying up for 36 hours, running 15 miles, biking 10 (in the middle of the night) and exploring the back roads of Florida in a very fragrant van can be a fun experience. Believe it or not.