Ragnar and Leg #1

POST #100 WOWZER!!!

What a memorable, crazy experience Ragnar Relay was! I don’t think I will be able to come close to describing it all in my recap. First I want to say that it was like nothing I have ever done before. Everything felt different and exciting in an entirely different way. The whole team effort thing changes the whole dynamic of the runs that you do. From supporting runners to being supported, it was one of the most fun things I have done.

The dynamics of the race are crazy, 187 miles, 24 hours, 3 legs, two vans, no sleep, sweaty people, little food, competing with other runners, beautiful sites, night running, moonlight, red blinky lights, text tattling, porto-potties galore, funny outfits, crazy team names, holy HILLS, laughter, hot sun, downhill, and an amazing team describe it a little.

So true...

I really had no idea what to expect. I knew who most of my team were but have never spent a lot of time with them so I was looking forward to getting to know them better and I all I can say is that in a van for 36 hours with no sleep…you get to know people! I will say that I really have nothing bad to say at all…all of it was great.

Our Team name: Smells Like Team Spirit

Team Members:
Van #1 Alice, Jordan, Dave, Lindsay, Darcy and Holly
Van #2 Remy, Min, Jen, Corinne, Jill and Shannon

Start time: 11 am Blaine, WA
We decorated our van the night before which was great to meet the majority of our team. Woke up early and headed out for Blaine. Packing is a challenge when you don’t know what you will need. I realize now that I packed too much stuff and had way to much stuff all over the van…lesson learned.

The starting line...

Alice starting us out. She is an amazing runner. She ran Boston this last March!

Here our some of the crazy costumes....

Nice...

Since we were van #2 and didn’t start until 4 pm or so we had some down time. We saw Alice off at the starting line after some team pictures and headed to get some lunch before we met up at the exchange. Was hoping for a nice sit down meal before our starting time, but no luck and downed a burger from twilight zone hamburger place. Not my usual fuel but I was desperate! It really was a strange place, but the burger was good. Got to our exchange and waited for our team to come in.

Jen and I before all the crazy running began.

Go, Min Go

The ladies of Van #2 Shannon, Jen and Corinne

You can't read it but it says.."I'm petrified of Nipple Chafing"

The gents of Van #2 Remy and Min

Van #1...finishing their first LEG...our turn now.

I was curious to see how things would change once we started the race and it was GAME on once Remy started his leg. Remy was our first runner and went out like a champ! He had super hilly 1st Leg and KILLED it. He is a great runner…super speedy. IT was fun to cheer him on throughout his leg.

Exchange 6...where it begins for Van #2

Holly finishing her first leg...Way to Go HOLLY!

Van #1 finishes and Van #2 begins...Go Remy!

That is a hill and he still had more to go!

A few more runners and then it was my turn…Runner #11. My first leg was marked as hard and would be my longest of the 3. I had a major hill, then downhill and then flat. Looked decent….Corinne handed me the bracelet and I was off. My pace was way too fast during the beginning, sub 8’s and I knew I had to slow down to make it through, but it was feeling so great. Great music and it was shady during my run. Headed up the hill and it wasn’t bad…it was a good size hill, kind of like Mile Long hill but maybe a tad steeper. But then my iPod stopped working, just died…maybe because it was in my sweaty bra? Who knows but it had still not turned back on. I was so bummed because I had just downloaded some great music and was only 1.5 miles into my first leg…this was not good. My team drove by and I told them and at the top of the next hill our team captain Jen loaded me an ipod…whewww! Luckily I have run without an iPod so it wasn’t all bad. I just figured God preferred I talk to him for a bit during this leg which I was down with. Had a great few miles of talking to God about some things and then turned some music on for the long flat part of my leg. The view was AMAZING, beautiful farm lands and cute houses all around. Other teams cheered me on and it was so fun seeing my team drive my hollering cheers at me. It strange that when you’re running for a team, you push yourself so much harder the WHOLE time, it’s weird and I can’t say that I have ever experienced that feeling before. It was so exciting and the time seemed to FLY by and before I knew it….I was passing the bracelet onto Shannon, our last runner before we exchanged with Van #1 and we got a long break.

Waiting for Corinne

Corinne finishing her first and me starting my first

Woohooo...there is my team!  Loved seeing my team on my runs!

Running at about mile 3 of my first leg.

This is getting long and we aren’t even halfway through…more to come!