Free Therapy: Cascade Lakes Relay 2018 Just Us League

by Jodi

The first weekend of August 2018 I ran in my fifth consecutive Cascade Lakes Relay (CLR): 216.6 miles from Diamond Lake to Bend through some of the most beautiful parts of Central Oregon.  I love the rugged beauty of the course.  I embrace the challenge of surviving the harsh elements.  The temperature swings from extreme heat to very cold desert nights.  The mosquitos and bees can be super annoying.  Much of this race is run on single track trails and gravel roads, without support from your van.   And all of the course is at elevation - a race factor that is hard to train for when you live at sea level.  It's grueling and magnificent and altogether amazing.  Every.single.time.

This year I ran with the Just Us League - an all women team that my training partner captains.  We wear red capes the entire race that signify our camaraderie and our love for the race.  I ran Leg 3 (with one leg change in the middle) for a total of 23 miles, 17 of it on trails or gravel.  I loved every mile, even the hard ones when I struggled with my breath control.

Van 1 Ladies 

Van 2 Ladies

We arrived at Diamond Lake the night before the race and checked into our cabins.  As our van settled in for the night we discovered a common theme.  Each of us had walked through personal tragedy, sorrow, or suffering in the months leading up to the race. Our training had been one of mental strength... choosing joy each day in the face of suffocating sorrow.  Our legs and lungs weren't as prepared as we normally are for the race, but our minds were strong.

This year, CLR was free therapy.  Each woman in our van needed encouragement.  Friendship.  A place to be raw.  Grace to run slow and use our time in creation to breathe in. Breathe out.  We needed each other.

She-Wolf Costume Leg.  OH MY GOODNESS! #amazing

Ran into some of my Hood to Coast teammates.  

We cried together. Prayed together.  Laughed together. Cheered each other on.  Danced on the side of the road at all hours of the day and night.  One of our teammates even put her shoes back on and ran with a teammate who was suffering from a broken toe for the last two miles of her leg.  We needed each other.

I like this random photo...

I got my special Five Year shirt.

My friends who don't run, think I'm crazy to run every day.  But honestly... this is why I run.  You can't put a price tag on friendships that are forged in the fire of sweat, tears, and shoulder-to-shoulder of running together.  Some of us started our weekend as strangers, but we all left as friends.  Thank you Jesus for knowing just exactly what we need.  And thank you Cascade Lakes Relay for putting on this race.  I look forward to it every single year.

Oh.. forgot to mention we finished 216.6 miles in 30 hours, 25 minutes and 21 seconds, for an 8:26 average pace.  We won our division and got 32nd place overall. Well done ladies.

podium picture

#whyirun #runeveryday #runstreak

And just for my reference because I sometimes come back here to look up stats.  I ran Leg 3 (for legs 1 and 3.  Leg 2 for the 2nd portion).

Leg 1: 7.8 miles - 7:32 pace (some downhill and the rest flat. Four+ miles of dirt trail; the rest pavement)
Leg 2: 8.9 miles - 8:15 pace (climbing in the first three miles, the rest rolling.  All gravel)
Leg 3: 6.05 miles - 8:51 pace (all uphill on pavement.  Breathing was really difficult.  Had to slow down to catch a breath and be able to finish)

The Spirit of the Marathon

by Jodi

The first of many Sole Sisters photos - after the Helvetia Half Marathon 2011

The morning after Carissa arrived back home, the Sole Sisters had a tearful reunion.  We reunited at the Starbucks where we dreamed up, schemed up, and planned out this blog.  It's also the Starbucks where we meet for most of our long runs.  I've mastered the art of the Starbucks bathroom Post-Run "shower."  The Manager is familiar enough with us that he gave me permission to "use the bathroom ANY time."  Talk about VIP treatment!  It was only appropriate that this was where we hugged and cried, processed and cried, and hugged and cried some more.

Thank you Jesus that Carissa is home safe and sound.  Thank you Jesus that they caught the bad guys.  What a huge relief and a big step toward healing.

For me, processing the tragedy in Boston has been challenging.  I typically work things out while I run.  Running is my time with Jesus where I pray, worship and let the beauty of creation soothe my spirit and clear the cobwebs in my head.  But I'm sporting a big boot on my left foot and facing a "probable stress fracture" diagnosis.  Running is out of the question, although I'm still praying for my miracle.

Grieving Boston

by Carissa

A tearful reunion with my Sole Sisters

I am a traveler on an unfamiliar road.  This is the only time I have had first hand experience with an act of terrorism.  It left me wrecked and emotionally scarred.  Three people lost their lives on Monday afternoon. More than one hundred seventy were physically wounded.  Thousands of others were emotionally wounded.  I am one of the emotionally wounded.

Every day since the marathon I get up and put on my Boston sweatshirt.  It blankets and comforts me.  It is an outward sign that inside all I can think about is Boston.  My heart hurts and there is a dull ache in my stomach.

On Tuesday I flew home.  There was a big crowd at the security check point.  Reporters, family members, people with signs.  They broke into applause as we approached them.  I heard a voice that is now etched into my memory.  A woman calling out, “Good job.  Good job runners.”  The emotion welled up in me.  I spotted my family and my two youngest boys came sprinting towards me like they were running the 50 meter dash.  I wrapped my arms around them for enormous bear hugs.  Next I surrendered to my husband’s strong embrace.  For the first time I was reunited with my eight-year-old son and mother-in-law.  In Boston we had bid each other goodbye in the family meeting area minutes before the bombs exploded.  My mother-in-law broke down a bit as we hugged and exchanged comments about how sad and scary it was.

Krista's Fantastic Flyers - Girlfriends Half Marathon 2012 Recap

by Jodi

Carissa did a really great job summarizing the Girlfriends Half Marathon in her race recap.  It is always such a gift to train and race with Carissa.  Her friendship and athleticism have propelled me to achieve things I didn't know were possible.  We all need Sole Sisters.

This race was special for me.  Not because of my finish time (which I was thrilled with), but because it was a day to celebrate a friend who left this earth too soon.  I posted my race recap on my personal blog.  You can find it here.

What about you?  Have you run a race in honor of a friend or loved one?  Did it help with your grief?  Would you share with us?