One week, well, technically less, to go!

Oh my gosh! Less than 1 week until my Keys100 adventure begins! Woo hoo!

 

Up until 2 years ago, I had never heard of the Keys100. Dave and I were down in Key West so I could do an adult ed. teacher training, and on the way back on Saturday, we kept seeing all of these vans & cars & trucks decorated and "Keys100" written all over. So what does any good online teacher do? Google it, of course! When I found out what it was & told Dave, our reactions were pretty much the same: "These people are crazy!" Think about it: mid-May, in the Keys, all day, heat, sun, humidity. Yeah, the word "crazy" certainly fits.

Fast forward to September-ish of 2012 when I started thinking about doing it...allbeit the 50 mile version as a relay. Little did I know that the 50 mile race is not available as a relay. Crap! :(

The race director said "well, if you've done any 10ks or half marathons, you should be fine to do the 100 mile relay." What was the problem with that?! I hadn't done either of those things! In fact, I wasn't even tracking my running. Did I do 2 miles? 3 miles? 4 miles? More? I had no clue! The idea of participating seemed silly...at that point.

Fast forward, again, to January 2013 when I decided that this would be a year when I see what I could do. February would mark my first 5k. March would mark my first 10k and half marathon. April was the 7 Mile Bridge Run. And that's where the Keys100 once again entered my mind.

Before the 7 Mile Bridge Run, I had been thinking about trying to get a team together for the Keys100 relay. During the actual run, I remember thinking "I am out of my mind to even consider doing the Keys100! The heat! The humidity! The blazing, skin-melting sun! Oh, no way!" But then the race is over, I realized I survived, and I knew I really, really, REALLY wanted to make this my next adventure!

Without 5 other individuals who would truly and 100% commit to this endeavor, I knew my next best bet would be to find a team that needed one more member or needed a replacement. I'll admit that I was desperate! I really, really, REALLY wanted to do this, and didn't care what team I got on...as long as I got on one! Once again, what does any good online instructor do? Go to Google! :)

A few searches later, I had come across a page talking about the Coast Guard's Run to Remember. Now, here's the really cool thing: my cousin's in the Coast Guard. So if I needed any of those "signs" that I definitely was meant to participate in the race, here it was!