52 in 2012: Week 16 {growth}

I spent 36 hours of the last weekend on a team, with 10 other people, running a 200-mile relay race from Huntington Beach to Coronado Island.  It was Ragnar SoCal and the slogan goes:  Run, Drive, Sleep ?, Repeat.  The distance is divided into 36 legs, with each person covering 3.  Except we had a last minute drop-out on our team, so I covered 4 legs, 26.5 miles in total.  I’ve run 7 marathons before, but the challenge of dividing that distance into 4 legs, run over the course of 36 hours, while hustling to exchanges and cheering on teammates was something entirely different.  Entirely more challenging.  Entirely more crazy and exhilarating.  Entirely about personal {growth}.

I have 2 images to share that I feel sum up the experience.  The first is our team, heading for the finish chute approximately33 hours after we set out on the journey.

The second image was taken with my iphone as I ran the final mile of my fourth and final leg (Leg #27).  In my exhaustion, the beauty of the foggy coastline did not escape me.  Nor did the camaraderie of other runners, not participating in the race but who just happened to be out for their Saturday morning workout, who cheered and offered encouragement.  It’s quite different than the finish line of a major marathon (what greeted me the last times I covered over 26 miles in less than a 24-hour period), but no less a cause for joy and celebration and relief!

As always, you can follow along with several other talented photographers in the Photo-a-week project for 2012. Here’s here’s the list!
Michelle, Heather, Jenn, Heather. Rhonda, Tracey, Stacey, Andrea, Jessica, Amanda, Sarah, Janet, Lesli, Carla, Lena, Rose, Naomi, Tracy, Heidi, Veronica, Amy, Kristin