RFL and RAAM

No, RFL and RAAM are not some hip IM or text-messaging words. At least not is this context.

RFL – Cancer doesn’t Sleep
The Relay for Life was held last Friday and Saturday (June 6 & 7) in Columbia, MD.  A member of the Mid Maryland Triathlon Club, Melissa Simmens, was to run for 12 hours straight. I had to be a part of this so I planned to get out there early on Saturday. When I was heading to the high school at 5:20 am, the temperature was 72 degrees with humidity of at least 150%. Yeah, it was that humid…and thick…and nasty. I got there and there were several MMTC members running with Melissa who looked great for having been running around a HS track for 10+ hours at that point. Sometime after 6:00 am, Melissa asked for pancakes, despite saying she felt like she was going to puke just a few laps prior. So off to Bob Evans went a courier and savior.  No, Melissa didn’t stop to eat the pancakes.  She continued moving around and around the track, on her way to 55 miles. 

I had quite a run during my 1 hour and 50 minutes on the track.  Many of the luminaria had burned out or caught fire so I missed what it might have been like to run with just those lighting the track and any moonlight that may have filtered through the humidity. But the time I spent running was….reflective, peaceful, sad, introspective, and inspiring.  If you’d have told me that I could run almost 11 miles on a track without once thinking that it was boring and without once wanting to stop, I would’ve said you’re nuts.  But the time and miles flew by, some during great conversation, some while listening to the music, some spent looking at all the luminaria bags, “In Honor of…,” “In Memory of…”  I read many names but one in particular caught my eye.  It was that of a young boy who had just passed away of a brain tumor.  I received an email earlier that week from the son of a friend.  He was trying to raise money in honor of his friend, Ricky.  Ricky was just 11 or 12 years old and it was his bag that I noticed.  So young.  I have an 11-year old son and a soon to be 10-year old.  You might understand how the miles and time could just roll by while the humidity became even thicker to the point that you couldn’t see from one end of the football field to the other. That was my first ever participation in a RFL event and I’m real glad I went.

RAAM – Race Across America
The AFC boys are at it again. Riding across the country like they did in 2006. But no, it’s much different this time as they’re taking part in the Race Across America – 3,000 miles from Oceanside, CA to Annapolis, MD. Oh yeah, but like 2006 the guys will be on fixed-gear bikes. Crazy.

The cool thing about the race ending in Annapolis, MD is that the course is close to my home and I’ll be volunteering next week at Time Station 52. On Monday night (6/16), I’ll be at Mt. Airy Bicycles, about 20 miles from my house and 55 miles from the finish. It is the official Penalty Station for the race and I’ll be at the penalty box table where race teams check in.