Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Hope Oregon Likes Me

Me, jumping for joy

I'll just shut up and say it (in caps so you get the gist):


I WON THE CONTEST!!


I will be going on an all expense trip to Oregon (Aug 27-29) to run on a Strands sponsored team in the Hood to Coast Relay.

I'm not sure why Strands chose me. Maybe it was my boobs (but, oh so small - a handful at the most). Or the fact that sometimes I crap myself while running. Maybe my entry - my goofy poem - was just all that good. Or more likely, they didn't have that many entries. But you know what? I don't care because I get to go on this trip and to run in my first relay with strangers and beer. Check out http://www.hoodtocoast.com/movie.html for a pretty cool video view into the event.

I suppose I should be kind of concerned that it is 197 miles, starts at the top of Mt. Hood, runs through Portland and down to the coast. It requires me to run 3-4 legs of the race. Maybe it should bother me that we run all day and all night and that I will be in a van for vast amounts of time with 11 team mates who I don't know. Maybe I should worry that I'll be the slowest, the dorkiest, the smelliest and/or the weirdest.

But you know what? I don't give a shit!! I am going on an adventure into the unknown world of relays and Oregon-people. At my age (42) it's all about keeping the fire burning and the risk alive so that I don't settle into some mundane and apathetic suburban lifestyle where my world becomes smaller and smaller and where fear starts to rule over shutting up and running. How'd you dig that run on sentence?

So, THANK YOU, everyone who signed up on Strands to support me. You guys are the best and I'm convinced that you all helped me win this thing!!

Oh, and as promised, there will be some killer blog entries and hopefully some body shots (not body shots as in putting salt on my body parts and getting it licked off by some stranger chugging tequila), but photos. Those are for you Vanilla and Jamoosh.

24 comments:

  1. Congrats!! How fun!! I ran Reach the Beach Relay and it was a great experience. You'll love it!

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  2. CONGRATULATIONS!!! See... all of us who told you your poem was great were right. :) You are seriously becoming one of my role models for being brave, stepping outside your comfort zone and trying new and adventurous things. I'm sure you will do well and your teammates will love you.

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  3. You are LYING! Holy CRAP! Congratufreakinglations! OMG what an adventure! And I just wiped a tear from my eye after reading your fire burning sentence. So true. So true. Keep shutting up and running, you are one rockin' mama!

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  4. That's SOOOO exciting!!!! CONGRATS!

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  5. NO FREAKIN WAY! Congratulations! How exciting is this?! It's going to be such a crazy adventure!

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  6. Congratulations!! I hope you have fun!

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  7. AHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!! I AM SO SO SO HAPPY FOR YOU! CONGRATS BETH!!!!!!!

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  8. oregon will HEART you! CONGRATS, that will be an amazing experience. JEALOUS.

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  9. Congrats. I am so happy for you!

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  10. Yea!!! Congrats and have a hell of a lot of fun.

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  11. CONGRATS!!! That sounds like a great time!!!! How exciting!!!!! :) :) :)

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  12. That is fantastic! How fun! I am doing the Wild West Relay, in a similar situation, except that I didn't win and I get to pay for everything, whee!

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  13. Congrats!! What excellent and exciting news!

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  14. Woo hoo! Oregon is sweet!

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  15. Congratulations!! Sounds like a great time.

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  16. Big HUGE congrats!!!

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  17. Congrats!! Sounds like it will be awesome!

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  18. WooHoo. This is so awesome. Your going to love Oregon and Oregon will love you...well, it will probably love kicking your ass - but it's all in good fun. I can't wait to hear about it. Prety sure you wont be the weirdest, smelliest one.

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  19. HOLY CANNOLI!!!! That is AWESOME!!!! YAYAYAYAYAYYA!!!

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  20. WOW! I AM SO EXCITED FOR YOU! This is going to be so much fun. Yay!

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  21. Woot! Congrats! Everyone wins! ;)

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  22. Congrats Beth. That's very awesome.

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  23. Congratulations! I have heard nothing but wonderful things about H2C. Btw, everyone I know who has run it (with the exception of my dad) tells me that the smellier, dorkier, weirder the better. You'll have a blast! I am running a relay in AZ in Feb with a bunch of bloggers and can't wait.

    I found your blog from Marlene's blog and had to stop over here and check yours out. I am also a 42 year old runner. Also, I used to be a blackjack dealer once upon a time. You commented on Marlene's post that you'd be bummed to miss your BQ by 50 seconds if McMillan was correct. Good news! To BQ at our age, you need to run it in 3:50:59! You'd have 9 seconds to spare. The BQ time goes up to 4:00:59 when we are 45. I am THERE.

    Sorry for the super long comment. I thought this would be a way to introduce myself. I look forward to reading your posts. Have fun at H2C!

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  24. Congrats! Can't wait to read all about it!!!

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