For me, the relay was by far the least interesting thing that happened during my Nuun sponsored vacation. Yes, it was awesome and yes, I’m proud to say that I’ve ran in the mother of all relays in my home state. But it was kind of just another relay. I’ve done relays before. I know they’re awesome. No surprises. The best part of this trip was definitely meeting the people behind Nuun Hydration and all the running bloggers. To say I felt humbled and honored to be there would be an understatement.
The group at Oiselle HQ. Might be our only group pic! Look at me sweating pink!
The Nuun Hydration employees truly are achievers, many of them phenomenal athletes in their own right. However, they were also incredibly patient, generous, and funny. Apparently there had been some kind of behind-the-scenes drama but, to everyone’s credit, I NEVER heard about it or even knew about it until the weekend was all over, and even then only by accident. I was nervous about being under the care of a business that I didn’t know much about other than what flavors they sold. I was relieved to find that Nuun isn’t just a business; there are good people behind Nuun, not perfect, but hard working and with good character.
The runners/bloggers…where to start? We were a mixed bag. To compare myself to the others would be silly. I’m a slow runner (for now) with a fairly new blog and not a lot of followers. And then there were the others; there were some amazing runners, there were some very successful bloggers, there were some very strong and intelligent minds. I tried not to be intimidated. I tried to keep my ears open and learn what I could from them. Spending time with these women, getting to know a bit about them and seeing them in action was, hands down, THE best part of this trip.
I hope I can get CrossFit guns like Jess!
It was like a fitness/social media/running/mother/wife/career/health camp where we could all tell our worn out race stories to a fresh audience and actually share the ugly details without scaring/scarring anyone. I admit I was nervous about being around a large group of women for so long because I kind of hate fashion, celebrity gossip, and drama. However, there was NONE of that. Wait, WHAT?! We talked about running shoes, not purses. We talked about real life, our families, our running journeys, things we had learned. I could not get enough. After this trip I understand how powerful it is to surround yourself with the right people. It can make all the difference in fueling your passion and your ability to get after your dreams.
My Hood to Coast posts will be mostly about what I take away from this experience, the things I learned about running or the stories that inspired and challenged me.
With Jessica, Harmony, Elizabeth, and Katie wearing our Maui Jim sunnies!
