Raid the Hammer!!

Raid the Hammer is an adventure running race.
I didn't even know about it till about 16 days ago when I had a former running buddy Jim, flag me down as I ran past his house on a training run, to ask me if I would be part of his team since the female runner had injured herself. My head started spinning with the possibility.
So basically there are teams of 3, some guy teams, some girl teams and some co-ed teams.  (Jim's team being co-ed he wanted another female to replace...)
As I had been training for my half marathon I felt like I was in top running shape and the distance (supposedly 23-27 km) didn't really scare me. It seemed like a great opportunity.
Granted I was supposed to go to an awards banquet to celebrate my Duathlon wins of this past summer, but I just didn't really want to and so when this chance to race (for free :) came up, I thought it would be super cool.
I had one week to recover from my half marathon before this race. Hard, but doable. Took some serious doing nothing in regards to training. Turns out my teammate Adam had done the full marathon on the same weekend, so there were two of us dealing with recently fatigued muscles.
I was sure I'd be the weak link.
 I was scared it would be rough since it involved orienteering (map and compass) and only one of us on the team was knowledgeable on that front.
And I really didn't know these guys that well and wasn't sure how we'd function as a team and if this would turn out to be a good or bad experience.
Wasn't sure I could just have fun instead of being driven to be competitive.

Race started out in Oakville (which seemed a bit off as we were supposed to Raid the Hammer (aka Hamilton) but whatever, guess it's close enough). They bused us to the start in a nearby campground.
I just assumed Jim was team captain since he had the experience of having done a few raids in the past.
There were actually a lot of trails in the area that we could utilize (rather than bushwacking) to get from checkpoint to checkpoint.
Teammate Adam was bearer of the finger time chip which needed to be inserted into the checkpoints to prove we had been there.
It was a great day for a run! Sure it was cool and windy in parts with a bit of light rain in parts, but really, nothing to complain about!
I love how I could invite God into an experience like this! It was so good to be able to know He was Lord even over something like an adventure race (and on a Sunday to boot!)
I found myself really praying over the event, over my team.
And sometime when one prays one can see the grace in things more clearly.
There were a lot of teams out there and a lot of people following other people.
3rd checkpoint was a challenge to find but, fortunately, they weren't all as difficult to find.
I found it quite fascinating to use the maps we had been given to plan the routes and figure out our bearings.
I feel like God has blessed me with a good sense of direction which certainly came in good use today!
God was gracious also in giving me a keen eye to spot the checkpoint flags.
There were a couple of spots where I got soakers because of the streams we had to cross. The woolen socks worked well in that situation, but nasty running in water logged shoes!!
Jim started fading some after checkpoint 6, not a good things since we had 24 checkpoints to cover!!!
I kept encouraging my team mates to keep eating and drinking (we all had to carry water with us).
I kept putting gels in my system whether or not I felt hungry because I knew my body needed the carbs going to my muscles. (I LOVE peanut butter gels!! So yum!)
When we came to a place where we had a checkpoint ahead of us but a massive ravine, in my crazy go-get-er style I encouraged the team to go down and back up the crazy ravine, it was a bit crazy scrambling up the ravine with so little grip and such a steep grade, but it was only the beginning...
At one point we had to jump over the rotting carcass of a deer that lay on the path, not so pleasant...
We had more steep sloops to scramble up. It takes a lot of energy pulling yourself up by trees and sticking out roots to get to the top of the escarpment. Not exactly what I had envisioned, but okay.
God was definitely present in those moments, and it seemed he provided roots and trees and sufficient energy to enable me to make it to the top.
 I felt bad that Jim was struggling so much, but patiently took the requested walk breaks (using those times to reorient myself with the maps, of which there were 3), and seeking to encourage him to keep on as best I could.
Somehow we got through "the void" a place of few definite features, this was were the compass came out.
I continued fueling and my body keep enduring.
Time kept passing but I didn't really notice, I was just focused on getting to the next checkpoint, and the next, and one at a time conquering this race. Checkpoint 17, 18, 19 and 20 were no-brainers, basically right on the trail. Spectacular views of the rivers below, and the late fall trees, the cliff like drop offs. Didn't really take the time to soak it in. But there were moments when I caught myself smiling as I ran and thanking God for the opportunity to be in His marvelous creation, to be out there running and know it was grace to have the strength and energy and even ability.
Jim continued to lag and I struggled to keep my competitive streak in check.
I felt like I was up front a lot pushing the pace.
There was a lot of times when it really took a lot more mere running, it took smart choices and I feel overall, our team did really well as a team in making moves and opting for action plans.
I felt amazed that I felt comfortable enough to have a say, to really BE part of the team and have input in decisions made.
Jim got this impression that I was this super runner girl (oh yes, and I got called a machine, yet again). Ironic how my fear of being the weak link got blasted and how I ended up taking on something of the team captain  role instead.. (I still don't see myself as being all that great of a runner though... I'm decent, not great.. perhaps it depends on who one measures oneself against).
We were a team and had to finish as a team, so all I could do was patiently do what I could rather than acting independently.
We finished the 30 odd km's of running in 4 hours and 43 minutes. Happy ending :)
It was a good day, maybe because I wasn't with super elites who needed to win, that I had moments where I could think instead of just being out there running my brains out.
Jim seemed happy as well. We had soundly beaten his other Running Room buddies and that was what mattered most to him.
I felt super energetic still... ah so there is hope for me to do more endurance type sports!
I think the hardest thing was the way my feet ached from all the odd angles, the scrambling up those sloops, the uneven terrain. Glad I chose to wear my road runners with good support!
I thanked God for all of what this race ended up being, the grace that held our team and enabled it to be what it was. It was cool :)
(We didn't place, but there's more to racing than winning, it was a really neat experience to be a part of.)
Now my body is starting to feel really exhausted. Ah yes, tomorrow is going to be an interesting day at work.