Sally and I aren't at Oiselle HQ today. We're en route to Sandy Oregon. Not the adjective, the noun. We are running Hood to Coast! But not together. Sniff. I am running with Team Nuun. You may rememeber my video application for the team. If not I've shamelessly included it at the very bottom of this post. And Sally is running for the legendary Baba Yaga. Seriously legendary. Google them! In fact, let me Google them for you.
This is my first time at the circus, but not Sally's. In fact, one of the first things I saw when I walked in to Sally's house was her 1994 Hood to Coast team photo. She ran HTC in 92, 93, 94, and 09. Three early years with a team called "Chicks that Crank" who placed 2nd in the Open Women's Div all 3 years. And in 2009 Sally ran on a mixed masters team. The woman just can't get enough.
Over the last few years HTC has come up quite a few times. I've tried to wrap my head around the experience, I even bought and watched the movie. But I don't think it'll click until I'm running with my team cheering on our last runner as she crossing the finish line. But here's all the advice I've gathered from Sally in no particular order:
- All woman teams are best. Men tend to become 14 years old when riding in vans over long periods of time. I read this as: women tell better fart jokes.
- Eat some real food. Don't subsist on bars and gels. Expo tummy on the run = no fun.
- No pooping in yards! That's a penalty.
- You think you'll have time to sleep. You won't.
- You will become best friends with those 6 women in your van by the finish line. There's something about the relay journey that ties you for life. No, you won't like braid each other's hair and have weekly slumber parties but they will always hold a special spot in your runner heart.
- Double points for swoosh road kills.
- Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy there is nothing like it!
You can follow us both on the interwebs as we make our way to Seaside.
Sally
Twitter: @oiselle_sally
Instagram: @oiselle
Mac
Twitter: @oiselle_mac #nuunhtc
Instagram: @smariemack
Blog: www.runningstarfish.com
And to follow all the Hood to Coast fun, follow #htcrelay on Twitter and Instagram.
Oh, and please Tweet us if you're running HTC, we'll be sure to try and say hi!!
(nunn htc application)
