"You Guys are BEASTS"

Friday.
Drive 4.5 hours to West Virginia. Set up camp in the dark.
We blow up the full size air mattress and then realize the mattress is quite a bit wider than the tent "door".
Hmmm.
So we let some air out fold the mattress in half and 1 - 2 - 3 PUSH!
Perfect!
Some camp fire time and off to bed we go.

Saturday.
We wake up and damn is cold. My clif bar is frozen! it wsa a jaw work out chewing that thing for breakfast. Especially while watching everyone else eat their biscuits topped with sausage, eggs, and other goodies. Stupid trying to eat healthy. Time to slip (only if it were really that easy) into our wetsuits and splash jackets. PFD's and helmets on and clipped. After a pre-rapid briefing we are in the water - what the day has ahead of us we are soon to find out.
Gauley Season. A glorious thing. The Army Corps of Engineers lets out the dam every so often...
Lucky for us the day we were rafting , the dam was being let out to it's max - 2800. what does this mean? BIG ass rapids. oh yeah.
we climb into the raft. I am seating in the last row with the guide behind me and the guide in training to my side.
we cruise thru a few class 5 and i finally think i have my foot placement. This may be the only time in my life that I actually thought to myself "mm I wish I weighed more so I could stay seated better". Although I never fell out (even though IronGreg refuses to believe so), I definitely fell into the "floor" quite a few times from being bounced around.
the day was coming to a close. and my bum sure was irritated from sitting on a raft in a wet suit for 8 hours! and oh yeah - I had to pee! it's not like in a tri where I can just scootch into the water, no no I had to hold it! yes there was a potty at the lucnch stop - but you people know what it's like to get these things on and off - especially wet! no thanks.
we made it downt he 13 foot drop - success.
then comes a class 3 - and shiiiiiiiiiiit there goes the guide and the guide in training i luckily hold on for dear life and stay int he raft.
why is crashing on the rapids so funny?

we clean up and watch the video (which was puchased so be on the lookout). unfortyunately I have to do that whole training thing so I have to get home. luckily my marathon training girls switched our long run to sunday so I could do this adventure. so after rafting I get bakc in the car for another 4.5 hour trek back home. finally at 11:00 I make i tot my comfy warm bed (Princess was still with IronGreg - she didn't want to come rafting for some reason)

Sunday morning alarm goes off. Good thing we picked 8:00 instead of our normal 7.
we are plannign to do 2 10 mile loops.
koolers are dropped off.
shot blocks are out for refilling.
here we go.
around mile 6 we are at the first water stop and who sees us - IronGreg and his pal. "that doesn't look like running girls" oh poop on you.
we pass the half way mark. feeling good. a guy that we have seen on the nbike multiple times by now passes us again and sayd "You girls are BEASTS". thank you , Mr. Biker guy. we reminded each other of this as we continued the trek. our knees locking up. cramps. thirst. fatigue. but - we are beasts! and i mean with Miso's singing how could not be motivated to keep going?!
mile 14 - fatigue ws setting in.
mile 16 - this sucks.
mile 18 - yeah so I may look like i am 80
mile 20 - woo hoo!
mission accomplished.
palani drive wraps and smoothies (and beer).

Upper Gauley and a 20 mile run - now that's a weekend!