When we last discussed Reach the Beach, I had finally completed my first leg, loving every second of night running and feeling strong. (Photo credit: Jack at pixelwiremedia.com / rtbrelay.com)

I forgot to mention how much I loved running into a cheering squad as I sprinted toward the finish. Both vans were on the sidelines with glow rings, dancing and screaming as I ran past them towards the transition point. There is no greater feeling than being surrounded by support like that. In fact, I think I’m going to do my best to build this into my marathon experience this year. Since some of my friends like Melissa and Theodora aren’t running NYC this year maybe I can give them some sparkly rings and find them along the course similar to NYC 2010.

I finished my first leg around 8pm which meant we had approximately six hours until Tina had to start running again. Our first priority was dinner then we’d starting thinking about sleep. Based on suggestions we received from our camera man and other running teams, we stopped in a small restaurant which I ran by earlier, Carbone’s.

Oh how I wish we’d walked in and turned around the other direction. If you ever do Reach the Beach or spend time in Hopkinton, don’t stop here.

By the time we sat down the restaurant was virtually empty which led us to believe that service and food would come very quickly.

Unfortunately, nothing went well during this experience. The running and fresh air we’d enjoyed all meant that we were each exhausted. In fact I think we each almost face planted into our menu at least once while we waited. Next the delirium started to set in. Random bouts of laughter ensued as we reviewed the menu and realized that there was very little “running fuel” on the menu. Elizabeth, Anne, Theodora, and I thought we were being safe by ordering the spaghetti and red sauce. I knew I needed some protein so I ordered the meatballs as well, hoping they would be delicious.

While we waited I sipped on some delicious chocolate milk which in hindsight was the only good decision I made at Carbone’s.

When our food finally arrived we realized that the portion sizes were huge AND the pasta was in a puddle of grease. I barely made a dent in my meal before stopping and deciding I’d rather have another banana and half a bagel later if I was hungry. This food just wasn’t going down well and it wasn’t worth it.

Oh sigh. Looking at this meal now almost a week later, my stomach still pains me. Needless to say, everyone in our van except Theodora dealt with twelve hours of stomach issues after this lovely meal. Which leads me to thank Reach the Beach for their wonderful and numerous porta potties. Every transition area either had a school whose bathrooms we could use or at least four porta potties which were always stocked with toilet paper. We would have been in a bad place without these! At one point or another each of us doubted our ability to run our second or third legs due to stomach pains but luckily we each made it through.

After dinner we headed to the transition area where we would meet Sarah, the last runner in Van 2. Our driver, Monica, headed outside with her sleeping bag which allowed Theodora to move into the front seat for a few hours of shuteye. This meant that I had an entire row to myself which was absolute bliss. My friends and family know that I can sleep anywhere and this was no exception. I lied down and slept for a good 3 hours, not budging once until the alarms started going off telling us it was time to head over to kick off Van 2’s second legs.

IT WAS FREEZING! None of us exited the van expecting the frigid temperatures. Therefore, we took our large blankets with us as we cheered Tina on in the pitch black. Due to the darkness we agreed as a van to follow each runner closely, meeting them four to five times along the course to ensure their safety. Luckily we had all the required safety gear (reflective vests, head lamps, awesome NB hats with lights, and blinking lights) to make sure cars saw the runners but it was still VERY dark along the route especially for Tina and Monica’s legs which were in a more rural suburban area. This is when our van really came together. Each of us was willing to sacrifice sleep to cheer them on in the darkness, motivate them during the tough parts and don a banana suit to bring them some happiness when the darkness was taking over their emotions. (photos courtesy of Tina & Anne)

These legs seemed to fly by because we were following the runners so closely therefore giving us very little down time. As Elizabeth headed out for her second leg I knew it was time to don my safety gear and start refueling again since I had very left inside me (TMI?).

The dozen bagels I brought from NYC came in handy more than one time during the relay. They were easy to cut and have with some peanut butter for quick fuel and didn’t go stale.

I referred to the map one last time to see what to expect and realized that my leg was shorter than I expected and through a state park which I expected to be gorgeous! I was so excited to not only get to run during sunset but also sunrise.

Leg 24 (QUIET ZONE): Borderland State Park to Oliver Ames High School: 3.61 miles: easy [map]

Anne’s hand off to me was perfect this time and I quickly started up a trail path which led into the woods. (photos courtesy of Anne)

I wish I carried my camera for this leg as the trail was beautiful. It went by two large ponds just as the sun was peaking above them and I even saw deer and a few birds along the way. This was my first experience running on a trail and I really enjoyed it. Maybe I’ll give the Bridle Path another try up at Central Park.

I wore capris and compression sleeves for this leg as it was still quite cool outside and I knew the compression would help my tight legs. Unfortunately sitting in tight areas isn’t good for legs, hip flexors or my lower back. This run was the perfect leg to shake everything out and just enjoy. I kept a great pace (9:44) and was sad that it was only 3.6 miles as I would have enjoyed at least another mile on the path before handing off to Gretchen who would get Van 1 started on their FINAL LEG!

In case you can’t wait any longer for the rest or to see us in video footage, feel free to check out the first episode of our Reach the Beach video which was part of our partnership with Reach the Beach and New Balance. Made by  pixelwiremedia.com / rtbrelay.com, it’s pretty hilarious.