Hood to Coast

Okay, so this post has nothing to do with the Bull City (Durham) or cycling (bicycling). But it does feature a Bull City Cyclist (me). Flew out to Portland, Oregon last week to participate in the Hood to Coast running relay--the self-proclaimed "mother of all relays". Oedipal complexes aside, I highly recommend doing this if you ever get a chance. 12 runners running 3 legs for 197 miles, from Mount Hood's Timberline Lodge (the hotel featured in Kubrick's "The Shining") to the Pacific Ocean (the ocean featured in Ocean Pacific clothing). The description didn't sound too bad; 3 x 10k over about 24 hours. However, the body needs rest and recovery. The first 6 miles was all downhill on pavement and it really did a number on my calves. The second leg was at around 1:00 am, and went through a dark, industrial section of Portland. The third was just after sunrise after sleeping for two hours in a van. Overall, it was probably eaiser than an endurance mountain bike race or an evening at the bars with the bike shop guys, but more difficult than trying to convince Hollywood to buy a bike not made by Specialized or listening to Pirate bust a funky freestyle rhyme. In any event, my other team, The Shagbark Hickories, reeled off the miles in just under 28 hours with only two wounded hands (you can crash while running, too) and a dozen or two blisters (for the whole team, my feet are alright). I'd post pictures, but you've already seen enough pictures of us in tight shorts, you don't need to see me in short shorts.