Ginny-congrats and I'm sorry to hear about the cramps.  I believe I hear the forest calling to you.....

Camille-not much help on this subject other than in theory.  targeted work on that area theoretically will reduce it.  I do know that when I was in PT and doing all of the upper / outer leg type of work my saddlebags were greatly reduced.  Apparently they don't bother this cowgirl enough to eliminate them on a regular basis.  I bet you'll be back to that LRS again!!

Damaris-funny that you have to find an outfit that matches your shoes.  I get it but it's still cute.

Gatsby-nice run and fresh strawberries are so good!

Marjorie-from one end to the other, eh?  good to know and have somethng to work on!

Carol-woohoo.. packing for R2R!

Didn't take many pics as dumb phone won't hold a charge with the new updates and getting cell reception in Hell is... well..... Hell.

Relay team this year at the end.

RR...

Gene's mom had passed last week after a lengthy illness so I jumped in to assign legs.  We knew that with this being the 20th anniversary Randy, RD, would have surprises in store for us.  David and Katie (run buddies) had been trying to talk me into doing the 50K but I was having NONE of that.  Distance is hard enough without having to get onto the relay sections as RD does on 5 year increments.  They set off at 6:30am. We start at 7:30am.

We meet up at a high school at 5:45am (after I had just arrived from NYC at 9:30pm night before. Ugh) and transformed Gene's (red shirt) van into our rolling aid and changing station.  Dark as Hell when we arrived.  Just getting out of van when we hear the 50mile and 50k ultras start.  Picked up a new DWD sweatshirt at the "store" they have set up and started to watch the surreal encampment take shape.  We didn't dress up but others sure did.  There were superheros, Disney characters, fairy tale characters, the cartoon characters from Toy Story, celebrities, nuns, St Pauli girls, men in black suits, Cleopatra carried in on a platform by costumed Egyptians, babies, monsters, hookers, a wolf with 3 pigs and red riding hood.  All pretty much with a "hint" of raunchiness.  First place costume team was the Egyptian team.. she was lounging, eating grapes and looking very bored as they carried her around. Second was the Bad Habits... nuns with extra short skirts, nilla wafers for communion, holy "water" who prayed before their runs and blessed all.   One team arrived by parachute!

I had the second leg, Buttslider, 4.5 miles.  Pretty much all off trail up and down hills that aren't supposed to have trails on them.  I knew to wear good trail shoes for this dry leg and tights.  When I had to straddle a tree to get over it I was glad for the tights.  Hard because of the tree jumping and vertical climbs where you had to hang onto trees to pull up.  Some mud but nothing shoe sucking.  Stick to roots of trees (off trail remember) and matted grassy parts and you stay above muck.  Saw one mountain biker, who said "I sure picked the wrong day to come here didn't I?"  I told him "yes, there are 1500 more of us out here."  Come out by lake where Carol ran with us and pointing to different finish spot.. towards the lake?  See 10 foot white pole with a pink ribbon in the lake about 10 feet out.  Ordered to touch the pole to finish leg.  Sigh.  So much for being dry.  1:06 time for 4.5 miles.  Leg 1 done.  Took advantage of beach changing room to change into dry clothes.

Leg 2 for me was Styx: River of Death.  Went out from Hell Creek Ranch (where Run Woodstock had been).  Crazy off trail portions that I had been warned about so I had taped shoes on.  Ankle deep muck only but glad they were taped.  4 or 5 stream/river crossings with water at most to knees.  Felt good.  Then we hit those same pines as Ginny and I had run in.  Nice!  More off trail with a couple of young people behind me talking about how crazy this was.  We got to the river and I slowly lowered into thigh deep water.  They said "where are the ribbons on the other side?"  Told them, not going across this time.  Course is in river.  Got above my bib so about bra line high.  Current was really strong this year with all of the rain we've had.  (basing that on what ultra friends told me)  We are in river for a good .25 mile, maybe more.  curves around many times, goes under the main road.  continues to the dam.  Yes there is a damn dam in Hell.  This weekend also happened to be the weekend of the hearse gathering.  So we have people who collect and like to look at hearses watching us wade through the river.  (they probably thought that they were strange until then)  Up the steep muddy embankment where the mayor of Hell is standing to welcome us.  This used to be an exchange station but the hearses have taken over so we have to basically do a double leg.  Realize that most of the add on part is the same as my first leg.  Not happy about that since I just have run shorts on.  Oh well.  Scramble, run, duck, run, jump, run... okay, walk.  6.1 miles in 1:29.  Leg 2 done.  On the move to next exchange in car.

Gerry-tall guy, has injured himself on his second leg.  Who is going to run his leg, the "Bridge" leg which is swamp?  Should be noted that I am exhausted from travel, late night Yankee game, early morning Central Park run, travel... I literally was laying down on a blanket almost asleep while we waited for Gene to finish This Sucks leg.  Not a usual thing for me.  Gene is coming off of his mom's funeral.  Both of us would do it if need be but .. groan.. luckily Michele (on right) wants to have the swampy leg and had done the ultra last year so is game for it.  Woohoo!

At some point, Gene hands me a blue jello shot.  After I've had it he tells me that the smurf team was handing them out. Sheesh.  I thought he had made them. LOL  Give it to Lisa, she'll eat anything.

We are cheating-running concurrent runners so that we can finish by 6:30pm.

I have Simply Bovine for my last leg.  Starts and finishes at The Farm.  In a pasture, with cows on the other side of the fence.  I knew this was a lot of dirt road so had 3rd pair of shoes be road shoes.  Still half was off trail, lots of wild raspberry bushes to scratch and scratch it did.  Looked down at one point to see blood dripping down leg.  Nice. Must note that I wish all were clued in on trail ettiquette of saying "on your left" or even just "may I pass?' vs breathing down my neck with me not knowing if they want to pass or hang behind me for a bit.  Countless times I said "let me know if you want to pass" or "just tell me on your left if you want to pass."   Final part of leg is in the pasture (stink) where one sticks to the trodden path for sure.  Final part is through a "pond".  Done!  3.4 miles in 45 minutes for me.  14 miles total.

RD is yelling that no one should be waiting anymore for their runners to come in.  If this is your leg get out there and run it.  If not, get to the place you should be running from.  Everyone should be running!  <there is a storm coming and he knows it>

Traffic backups mean that we find our finished runner coming towards us on the road, driver gets out and starts his leg, we continue to drive to next exchange.  Now it's drizzling.  I change under a tree with a towel for coverage and really don't care.  Break out the beer, I'm not driving.  Get back to finish to wait for final runner to come in. Get distracted by the nuns talking with us and totally missed her.  She was looking for us since they won't give her medals without out time card turned in.  Run in.  Take pic above (in the rain), grab out pizzas and run to the van.  Heavens open up, wind howls and thus ends DWD.  Poor volunteers trying to clean up in the torrential downpour. (same storms that delayed University of Michigan football game for 4 hours). Took forever to get out of park and to freeway since all leaving at same time.  I didn't get home until 9pm which was crazy!

This year's shirt (20th anniversary), medal (flames double as a bottle opener), and pin for the race.  It's a classic and a true experience.

Day after.. 3 pair of shoes, hosed down and drying.

These are run buddy, Katie's DWD 2014 medals from doing all 4 50k's.  By doing them she earned the belt buckle.