How To...Run From Miami To Key West

Phone call circa 2011 with my darling friend, Kasey:

Me: You did what?

Kasey: Ran about 200 miles. Slept in a wet field in the middle of the night. Had to take a shower in a makeshift hut with nothing but cold water. Survived on beef jerky. 

Me: Sounds crazy. And awful. And crazy. 

Silence.

Me: Did I mention how crazy that sounds?

Fast forward to January 2012 and there I was doing something awfully crazy -- running nearly 200 miles from Miami to Key West, sleeping {but not really sleeping} in random fields and surviving on beef jerky. Did I mention how crazy it was?

Welcome to the experience of a Ragnar Relay.

Here's how it works: A team of 12 people run a 200-mile relay race. Each team member is responsible for running three legs of varying lengths. You run the race straight through over the course of about 36 hours. You rest when you aren't running {usually in a cramped van or a predetermined pitstop, usually a school, where you can spread out on the soggy grass or hard gym floor}. Sometimes you run in the peak of the day, other times the dead of night.

We ran through palm tree farms, a speedway, a makeshift path in the Everglades {alligators, eeps!} down the highway, across bridges connecting tiny islands under blue moonlight and along the sandy shores of Key West.

It was epic.

Here was our adventure:

Tutus equal proper race attire. You didn't know?

Some of the people on our team were complete strangers from Florida and Georgia and Washington D.C. Some were my friends. One was my husband. 

But all of them were undeniable athletes.

We shared salt tablets before race legs, took goofy pictures of each other, compared running playlists, discussed racing tips, ignored the fact none of us showered for nearly two days, rooted for each other even at 3 a.m. in the morning and believed in each other. 

The most incredible thing about this race was the sheer force behind it. There were hundreds of white vans carrying teams all focused on the same goal, so when you were running and your legs were feeling like jelly, you would hear hoots and hollers from passing vans. Our team carried a cowbell and rang it as we passed by our runners. It made you swell and your strides seemed stronger, steadier. You would high five fellow Ragnar runners at gas stations, race check points and pitstops. 200 miles of team spirit.

The experience of this race was unlike anything else I have ever done before. It challenged me immensely, both mentally and physically. When I finished my last leg, there are few times when I remember feeling more accomplished. It makes you feel powerful. And alive. My heart started beating differently somewhere between watching my teammates tackle 15-mile runs {with two more legs to go!} to when we all crossed the finish line over 36 hours later.

Together.

And the chilly beers and key lime pie the race coordinators had waiting for us at the beach at the end of the race wasn't too shabby, either.

It was crazy.

It was hard.

It left me limping for days.

Did I mention it was crazy?

But I can do it. 

And I did.

Psst...we stayed in Key West for a few days after the race. I'll share those pics tomorrow!

What was one of the craziest things that you have ever done, something that really challenged your spirit and changed your focus? Have you ever run any type of race before?