TIR - Legs 18 and 19

Ever since my last leg I've been trying to rest and gather strength for my back-to-back legs equal to almost 12 miles. I tend to be a distance snob lately and think anything less than ten miles is a "warmup". But, given the fact that I've been up since 3 am and logged 30 miles already, I was worried about tacking on a near half marathon. I tried to swap one leg with anybody, but it wasn't feasible.

This leg ate me up. I started out over the first four miles at 7:30, but my average ballooned to 8:23 by the end. At the end of the first leg
I met Shon and the only thing I could think of was that I wanted him to meet me with a pb&j AND a ham sandwich. I haven't eaten a real meal all day because I didn't want to upset my stomach, and I think it caught up with me. Who says there is no strategy in running!?
Hillarie was an angel and ran along with me offering encouragement and refreshments. She told me she heard my phone ring and that I was probably an uncle by now (unfortunately not, but Melanie and her baby are resting and doing well, waiting to come out.)

After my leg I ate, had a beer and slept like a baby in the crowded van for at least 30 minutes.

11.73 miles, 1:38:21, 8:23 pace
Total for me so far:
32.72 miles, 4:19:45

I'm going to try to run some unofficial legs tomorrow, but I can't run any more officially because four us the most any one person can run (not including prologue or epilogue). So, I'm done. First one in the team to complete their legs. Right now we are more than an hour ahead of our schedule!

By the way, MVP props go out to our drivers who handle logistics between 12 runners and two vans, with utmost skill and infinite cheer. We would not be succeeding without their help. The night driving is particularly difficult as they have to "shadow" runners by driving 1/4 mile ahead and allowing the runner to pass and get assistance. This quickly becomes monotonous to a driver, but is a lifesaver for us.