Things to remember

While it's fresh in my mind, I'll share some things to remember.  Hopefully I'll come back to this list next year or it'll be helpful to anyone who's new to relay races of extended distances.

These go in no particular order, by the way.

1.) Don't be afraid to do the race with a bunch of "strangers."  Nobody this whole weekend was unfriendly.  There's a sense of comraderie among runners, so there's always a "connection."

2.) Bring multiples of anything you think you might need: visors, sunglasses, lip glosses or Chapsticks, running shorts/socks/tops/shirts/shoes.

3.) Practice running in the heat & sun!  It's miserable, you'll hate it, you'll want to skip it; but come race day, you'll be happy that you did it!

4.) Document your experience.  It was wonderful to have my netbook and be able to pop it open & blog whenever I wanted.  Don't rely on others' Internet service; get an aircard and use it!

5.) Tell everyone & anyone that you'll be giving details via a blog.  It's free and is so much easier than trying to do individual calls & emails.  (The exception to this is obviously Grandma.  She gets individual calls!)

6.) Towels!  Bring 'em!  One full sized one (like a beach towel) and some smaller ones (like hand towels).

7.) Ziplock bags are great for sectioning off your stuff within one bag.  I Ziplocked each running outfit, had towels in another Ziplock, and had smaller stuff (lip balm, eye drops, deodorant, and a small pill box) in a sandwich bag.  It's much easier to have things in bags than trying to dig through everything all thrown in one bag.  Oh, and Ziplocks are great because if/when you change, you can seal your stinky duds!

8.) Someone on the team had the foresight to put an air freshener in the van!  Great idea!  Despite having most of our time with sweaty runners, the van never stank...that I noticed.

9.) Pickles!  Great snack for sodium replacement, and the juice is good for preventing & relieving leg cramps.  Thanks, SBDS, for that info!  One of my teammates actually did the pickle juice trick twiced and said it was perfect!!!

10.) You can never have enough fruit!  It was so nice to have such a variety in the van from which to choose!  But, for the stuff that can be smushed, you might want to keep it in a cooler so it doesn't get beat up.

11.) Pack lightly, but don't skimp.  You don't want to realize that you should've brought one more towel or one more pair of shoes.  Keep in mind the size of your team vehicle.  It might not have the size to accommodate 6 suitcases!  (Everyone on Team 5 packed pretty lightly, including me!)

12.) Sunscreen - you can't leave home without it!  I liked the spray kind.

13.) Regardless of the length of the run, meet the runner with a cold water and/or Gatorade (depending on his/her preference).  If you don't know what is liked, bring both.  It was so nice to have my teammates have something cold to drink when I finished a leg.  I tried to reciprocate the gesture!

14.) Enjoy the view!  For crying out loud, look around & not at the road!  (I have to remind myself to do that.)  For a race like the Keys100, there's so much to see & enjoy. 

15.) When you're hanging out on the side of the road, cheer on other runners as they go by.  It's greatly appreciated!  I really got a nice "push" whenever that would happen.

16.) Compression sleeves are worth every penny!  I can't imagine how sore my calves would be today if I didn't keep them on the whole time!

17.) The beer at the after-race party was Michelob Ultra, and boy, was it good!

18.) Bring cash, and take at least an extra $25 above what you think you'll need.  Take it in smaller denominations so it's easy when trying to cover meals that all get put on one bill.

Think that's all for now.  I'll probably come up with some others & will add to this list.