My Need for Speed

Today was the 2008 Need for Speed 50 mile relay race. I ran again with Flyers Team Black which had all but one runner returning from last year.

Last year's race was an important day in my new running life, and I really looked forward to this year's version.

Certain aspects of the experience were just like last year -- the camaraderie and the excitement of running with a team in a sport that I have only otherwise experienced as an individual. Sure, I run as a Flyer in all the races, but this is different.

So what was different this time? Well the weather, for one. It was brutal. It started hot and got hotter, reaching the mid nineties at its peak. Also, coming off injury, I opted for a short leg, rather than taking the challenging (and rewarding) lead off leg that I had last year.

So, do I have a personal "Need for Speed"? Yes, I do.

The heat made it impossible to run at the pace I would have otherwise expected. But just going out and running hard felt so good....

The Good

• Hanging with Team Black again!
• Matt from the Hellgate team who rode with us in our team van for two legs. This is a whole story that I will post on separately.
• Every minute of my leg. Me like to run.
  
• The two new additions to the team -- my good friend TH, and new Flyer the Laminator. It was great introducing TH and Team Black to each other, and it was a pleasure to meet the Laminator, who up until now I have known only from his blog. The reality lived up to my image.
• The Flyers had 4, count 'em, 4 teams in the relay. With 8 or 9 runners on each team, this meant that the transition points were loaded with Flyers, adding even more good vibes to the event.
  

The Bad

• A lot of folks got of course during their legs. Whenever a runner didn't show up for any team when expected, we had to worry that not only may they have gotten lost, but that they might be in serious trouble due to the heat. Fortunately, all of the Flyers participating made it through safely, although a few were pretty teed off at the extra miles they ended up running.
• Oh yeah, and late in the day, the "race was canceled" Chicago Marathon style. Everyone was allowed to finish the leg they were on, and since some teams were on the last leg, they completed the race, but many didn't. We missed by just a few minutes, so we didn't officially complete the last leg. Nyflygirl ran the leg anyway, without a chip.