Double the Trouble and Twice the Fun??

The Double Grizzly (which has now faded in my memory...oops very late on this post) was everything it's name implied.  Grizzly.  And Double.  And I am not even referring to the running part of it!

Let's get real....put 4 women in an SUV (a pretty good sized SUV) for nearly two weeks driving some 4,000 miles and sometimes it is gonna get a little ugly. And silly and downright squirrely (golf ball sized hail anyone?). 

There were many things we could have done better.  I suspect that you learn a little with each trip (I'll share those thoughts with you below).  And in the end, if you can account for everyone you left with and no one had to go to the emergency room, I am gonna call that a success.  I like to think that I am practical about human nature, not just that I have low standards.  And in the end if you can ask yourself "Would I do this trip again?" and you resoundingly yell out "HELL YES".  Then it is all good.  And it was all good.  I'd go again...maybe not specifically to Grand Tetons and Yellowstone, but I'd double again and I'd road trip to do it.  Er...Grand Canyon/Zion/RMNP/?? here we come??

The thing is to have your expectations screwed on right.  You are embarking on a two week road trip to unfamiliar terrain with more people in tight spaces than you have probably ever had to deal with (or at least not since the freshman dorms).  When we weren't in a hotel or house we were Suburbanites out camping (okay, we had good/great equipment but you are still in a tent and nearly on the ground).  So add in some pretty serious sleep deprivation.  And weird food.  Weird animal encounters.  And probably more adult beverages in two weeks than you've consumed since college (back to that dorm thing).  Everything is different and nothing is the same as home sweet (or sour) home.  Trust me, this is not how the elites do races away from home. 

As for the races themselves...I learned there is no oxygen in the air around the Grand Tetons or in Yellowstone.  If anyone says there is, they are lying to your face.  You will not acclimate to the lack of oxygen in 5 days no matter how optimistic you are or how much you (legally) encourage your blood cells.  So your second race at even higher altitude will hurt just as much and maybe even more than the first.  If you are a mid-pack runner at sea level, you will be a mid pack runner at elevation.  If you don't do a lot of trail running and you then run a trail race, you won't be good at it.  It is a different skill set to bomb downhill on a trail of loose rock and rubble than it is to do repeats on the biggest hill in your paved neighborhood.  Oddly enough, this is one thing I was good at in the Yellowstone race.  Go figure?  Must have been that 50k relay I did in the mud!!  Although this was a bit dicier footing.  I swear I saw (and heard) someone step in a hole that was camouflaged by grass and break their ankle.  I do know I heard "a lot more than a few" 4 letter words.  Honestly tho, I didn't say any of them.  I was too busy trying to find some oxygen for my sad little red blood cells.  Correction, mad little red blood cells.

In the end tho...oxygen or no...it was a great time...as the swag clearly shows...

If you are thinking about doing this type of trip (extended, in the car, multiple people) let me suggest the following:

1. Don't forget to actually sign up for the races.  No one in our group did this, but I know others where this has happened!  
2. This is only for if the trip is long enough and you have cooking facilities such that you won't be always dining out (see #9).  While you make the meal planning and food list together, only one person purchases and packs the food.  No one else is allowed to bring food.  This includes coffee/tea.  Anyone who needs anything special submits a request to the food person. The food bill is then split by the number of people period.  No nit picking for special request/flavors and brands.  Hash it out before it's bought and then let it go. 
3. Said food person packs the cooler(s).  Nothing else goes in the coolers.  
4. Each person is allotted a number and size of bags.  Nothing else goes.  Period.  
5. Everyone should have at least a valet key to the vehicle.  Should meet ups after the race go awry or someone be seriously injured, everyone needs to have access to their phones and personal belongings.  This is a challenge in light of today's expensive hi tech car keys.  Alternately a key needs to be stashed with the vehicle.  This is a race, not a Walmart parking lot in a shady area of town.  No one is going to steal your gluten free crackers.  And if they do, meh...maybe they will choke on them. 
6. Discuss, understand and agree upon the rules of the use of electronics prior to the trip.  Some people can't live without their cell phones.  Some people barely live with their cell phones.  Some people need to be connected to home and some people want to disconnect from home.  You need to know and understand these things ahead of time.  
7. Have everyone in the group's contact info in case of an emergency.  Again, we didn't need it, but had we needed it I am not sure we could have found it, or at least not found it easily.
8. Understand each other's medical conditions whether that is everyday medications or serious allergies and reactions.  Again, we didn't have any serious problems, but that doesn't mean it couldn't happen.  
9. When you go out to eat (and you will) have everyone pay their own check.  No buying appetizers for the table or splitting.  99% of restaurants will do this for you and save you a a lot of  grief.  
10. Once you get it all together, just go and let it go.  Will the world end because you didn't have the exact coffee you wanted?  Hey, you had coffee.  This is supposed to be fun, so just put it all behind you, enjoy the time that you have and let all the rest go.