Arizona Relay

I flew down the Phoenix over the weekend to run in the Relay Del Sol. My team won the race last year, and we had a strong contingent again this year. The competition was stronger this time, though, and we finished 3rd.

Here's how my legs (10,22, and 34) went:

• My first leg was long -- 7.4 miles -- and rated very hard, but I expect to do well because I was fresh and it was cool in the middle of the night. I started out way too fast (11:15 at two miles), but hung on to finish about a minute and a half under the projected time. Everything felt good except my stomach about 10 minutes after the run.
  
  
• My second leg was just before sunrise. It was suppoed to be short -- 3.3 miles -- but they put the exchange points in the wrong place, so it turned out to be about 3.7. I expected to do 3.3 in less than 19 minutes. When I saw a "One mile to go" sign with about 16 minutes on my watch, I wasn't a happy camper. I think I came in a bit under 22 minutes, but it was a frustrating run.
  
  
• My third run was bad. It was in the 80s and I wasn't ready for the heat. My legs were dead and I hadn't been able to sleep at all. I had to cross 7 major intersections -- stoplights with 8-lanes (including turn lanes) across. The good news was that I was expected to run a reasonable 6:21 pace and the route was slightly downhill. The bad news is that I just couldn't do it. I only had 3 decent miles in me, and had to fight through the last 3 miles. I ended up at about a 6:28 pace, ready to fall over.
  

Despite my struggles and our team's failure to defend our title, it was a good race. I'll be in better shape for the next relay -- plus, who can complain when they have beer at the finish.