Ride the Wind 16-Mile Recap

On May 3rd, I ran a 16-mile race. Ride the Wind.

It's kind of an odd distance for a race, so automatic PR for me! Whoo hoo!

But wait... It gets better...

I was 4th overall and 2nd female to finish... out of 7 overall and 4 females. :-) Yeah, it was also a super small race.

Since it was so small, I really felt no pressure at this race. Which was good, since it was a last minute decision to register/run this race.

Ready to hit the trails!

I was just happy to be out there on the trails. It was so quiet and peaceful and gorgeous!

Sometimes you'd turn the bend to a view like this of Red Rock in the background.

Absolutely breathtaking.

Around mile 2, we passed a couple of girls and a couple of guys that were running one of the Ultra distances. It then became our mission to stay ahead of those 4 for the rest of the race.

About 4-5 miles in was the first aid station.

Yes, that's a tarantula

Me: Is that a tarantula?
Volunteer: Yes. It was hanging around right over there.
Me: Oh. I thought maybe you'd brought your pet.

After fueling a bit, we took off again. We didn't want to linger, as the girls we'd passed were closing in on us.

The next 5 miles were filled with uphills...

 And downhills.

And more gorgeous views.

We were rewarded with a 2nd aid station around mile 10. This station was unmanned, but fully stocked. As we were signing in on the check-in sheet, one of the girls we'd passed early on caught up with us. So much for staying ahead of both of them. We fueled up a bit. I applied a little more sunscreen to my face, just as the 2nd woman we'd passed was hitting the station. We reminded her to sign in on the check-in sheet, and we were off.

Off to face 3-4 miles of a big, relentless hill.

They warned us about the hill at the beginning of the race, but I kind of didn't believe it until I was out there. Running walking the hill. The hill that didn't seem to ever end.

And then there was the wind...

Ride the Wind? More like Fight the Wind. While I appreciate the breeze, why does it have to be a headwind UP this relentless hill? Would definitely love a tailwind to help push me up the hill instead. :)

At the top of the hill, we had about two more miles to go. I must have looked pretty hot and tired, because George gave him his instant cooling towel that he'd been filling with ice at the aid stations.

Downhills aren't always my best friend, and I knew that George wanted to fly down the hills, so I told him that I was in no fear of not finishing. That he should just run down the hill.

I sucked down one more gel, saw the 2nd girl that had caught up to us at the unmanned aid station rounding the bend, and took off down the hill. There was just no way I was going to let her catch me. :-)

I wanted to take a couple more pictures during those last couple miles, but well, I didn't want to stop even more.

The course was very well marked throughout the race with pink ribbons and sometimes orange arrows on the ground.

The only spot where I was a tiny bit confused, and almost went the wrong way, was at the very end. I chose the correct way. :)

The finish was a little lackluster, but I can't really complain. There were only a few runners, after all. And the finish support was awesome! They had so much food and a whole cooler of ice.

Cuz everyone should jump in an ice cooler after a 16-mile race in the desert.

Overall, I really enjoyed this race. It was small, yes, but very well supported. It was a warm morning, but not unbearable.

I would definitely run another race put on by Elemental Running.
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Catch the Leprechaun 5k Recap

This past weekend I ran the Catch the Leprechaun 5k just outside of Vegas.

Pre-race. All smiles. :-)

Wow! What a completely different race experience than my previous 5k.

The before and after race were fun, but the actual race itself was TOUGH!

Dirt trails, rather than paved, will always result in a slightly slower pace. It's physics. ;-)

And most of this race was on a well groomed dirt path. Not really a trail per se, but enough to slow me down slightly.

But I can't really blame the terrain. No, my body just wasn't feeling this one. Everything felt TIRED - my legs, my feet, my mind. There were many times throughout the race that I just wanted to stop.

But my C Goal - no walking - kept me going. If I hadn't made that one of my goals for this race, I know I would have stopped to walk. Probably more than once.

Around mile 2, I got a pretty nasty side stitch that simply wouldn't go away. Still, I pressed on. I kept trying to push myself to go faster, but it just wasn't in the cards.

Around 2.75 miles, the course had to cut back over to the paved trail through the park. This part of the course wasn't nearly as well groomed. Larger rocks in the gravel. Traversing across some grass.

And a twisted ankle. :-(

Nothing too serious, though. When I hit back on the paved section to head to the finish, I was finally able to give it my all all I had left.

Official time: 28:04
Splits: 8:39, 9:07, 9:38, 0:40

Nowhere near a PR for me, but I'm still happy with my time. I did make my B Goal (sub-30), after all.

After the race, we stuck around for the awards - something we normally never do - but we're so glad we did this time! You see, my friend, George, won first in his division and walked away with this neat award/vase.

And everyone who ran got this really cool medal.

And this really cool medal also got us a free Mimosa (or champagne) at Rachel's Kitchen, so naturally, we had to go out for breakfast after the race.

I wasn't very hungry, and I mistakenly thought that pancakes would be a bit lighter. I was wrong. They were delicious, but SO FILLING! :-)

It was a pretty good start to the weekend, even if the actual race wasn't my favorite.

Did you race this weekend?
Ever have an off-race, where nothing was clicking?
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Sprinkler Sprint 5k recap

This past Saturday, Jeff and I met up with some friends for the 2nd annual Sprinkler Sprint 5k. Last year's race was on my birthday in Aug, and we had so much fun running it, that we knew we wanted to do it again in 2014.

We bought another Groupon for the 2 race entries, which meant no shirt this year, so we just wore the ones we got last year. :-)

We biked the 3+ miles to the race start to make the 5k into our own little duathlon. We hadn't ridden our bikes in forever, so we left with plenty of time to take a nice, easy ride. It was a great warm-up!

Trails of Fury Race Recap

Saturday morning, I got up bright and early - so early, it wasn't even bright yet actually - to head out for Trails of Fury. In a moment of insanity, I'd registered for the Dirty Double - which meant a race in the morning and a race in the evening. I'd decided on the Half Marathon to start the day and a 5k at night. Since I'm still a little new to trail running, I didn't want to push it any more than that.

And it's a good thing, too, since I ended up exacerbating a little injury during the half. I don't think I could have done any more than I did. More on that later.

Race #1 - Half Marathon
What a gorgeous morning for a race!

Ready to run!

The race started with a pre-race briefing.

Going over things like the race course and some basic trail race rules. You know. Stay on the trail. Unless you see a desert tortoise or a rattlesnake. Or a wild horse. Or if you need to step out of the way, so another runner can pass.

The course started out on a single track trail, actually the majority of the race was on a single track, so it was a little crowded at the start.  We started out a bit faster than usual, and I knew I wouldn't be able to maintain that for the full 13.1, so I stopped off to the side and let a few runners pass.

Desert Dash did a fabulous job marking the course. They felt it should be a race - not an exercise in orienteering. :-D

The course was absolutely gorgeous!

The weather was perfect. For me. Others probably thought it was a bit too hot, but I loved it! It was in the low-to-mid-70s with a nice cool breeze. I never really felt too hot and uncomfortable. Like I said, perfection.

George and I had previewed part of the half marathon course the week before, so we were familiar with about miles 2-5. These were some of the toughest miles of the course, in my opinion.

There were aid stations around miles 2.75 and 6. We ran right through the first aid station. I still had plenty of water and didn't really need anything. I did pop 3 ShotBloks from my own stash around mile 3, though.

We took advantage of the 2nd aid station, though. I grabbed a bunch of pretzels and some M&Ms. Plus we just took a short breather.

Shortly after that 2nd aid station, we ascended Satan's Escalator. This was most aptly named. Haha!

Actually, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. George zoomed up the switchbacks as I slowly plodded my way to the top.

Finally near the top of Satan's Escalator

View from the top of Satan's Escalator

Miles 6.5 to 8 was a fantastic, mostly flat, savanna stretch of the course. It was so fun to just run and enjoy the beauty all around me - without feeling like I was going to fall down the hill or die struggling up the hill.

The 3rd aid station was around mile 8. We spent a bit of time here. They had all kinds of goodies. Bananas, oranges, Oreos, potato chips, pretzels, water, Coke, Island Boost, Tailwind. There might have been more, but that's all I can remember. I tried most everything. :-D

This aid station was located at Wilson's Tank, which has a gorgeous view of the Vegas valley. You can see the Strip WAY off in the distance, but I didn't get a great picture of that.

I was way too mesmerized and excited about the WILD HORSES down below.

Sorry it's such a bad picture. They were so far away! 

I'm not sure why, but I'm incredibly fascinated by the idea of wild horses. Until a couple years ago, I never really knew that wild horses still existed. Apparently, if I were a stronger, faster runner I would have seen one up close. The volunteers at the aid station said there was one right in the trail for awhile that startled several runners. Then the horse moved off the trail and hung out behind the volunteers for awhile. I wish I could have seen that!

Way down there in the valley are some WILD HORSES!

5 more miles to go!

Probably about a mile or so later, my butt really started to hurt. It's a pain that I've been ignoring for awhile too long now. After looking at some images, I'm guessing it's my sacrotuberal ligament or obturator internus muscle or maybe piriformis muscle. It's basically a nagging pain near my tailbone.

It got progressively worse the further I went. And maybe it wasn't the smartest idea, but I kept running along - thinking if I kept going, at least it would be over that much sooner.

George started to have some IT band issues and kept stopping to walk. I kept running ahead, but then I knew he wouldn't have left me, so I stopped and ran/walked with him to the finish.

Around mile 10.5 or so, we got to a really pretty part of the course. I wanted to stop and take pictures at nearly every step.

The beginning of some absolutely breathtaking views

Probably around mile 12, a girl that we'd leapfrogged with the first half of the race had caught up to us. That was enough motivation to keep running with no more walk breaks.

The finish line was bittersweet. It was wonderful to be finished! The pain in my ass had moved down into my knee for the final miles, and I was in a good deal of pain, so it was good to be off the course.

But the course was so beautiful and the weather was so gorgeous that I could've spent the whole day out there!

Time: 3:25:44

The post-race treats were great!

I had some salted watermelon, a banana, and a quarter of muffin. It was a perfect spread.

After the race, we headed back to George's car, which had been broken into. Booo! He had a credit card stolen and some cash, and they stole one of my credit cards as well. There were a few other cars that had been broken into as well. So sad.

I wasn't going to let it damper the rest of my day, though.

We headed to the M Resort's pool. We'd reserved a cabana for the afternoon. I'll save a recap of the pool for another day, but it was a lot of fun!

Unfortunately, even splashing around in the water irritated my knee. I knew it was going to be slow 5k.

Race #2 - 5k
Jeff met us at the M pool and we hung out there until around 6:45pm, when we headed back to Cottonwood Valley for our 2nd race. George had left the pool earlier, so we met up with him back at the race.

The race started with the Race Director doing a roll call to make sure everyone was there. I'd never been to a race where they called off everyone's name. It was kind of neat. Roll call was followed by the race rules. Pretty much the same thing as the morning, so I know I didn't pay as close of attention this time around.

About 1/2 mile in, we turned right for the 5k loop. The 10k-ers did this loop twice; the 30k-ers did this loop at the beginning and again at the end. Not too sure of the 50k course, but it started with the 5k loop as well. :)

I knew I was going to have to walk most of this race, as my knee and butt were in a lot of pain now. George and I started way in the back, and we stayed there for the full race. I think there was just a slow walker behind us.

We were both A-OK with walking, but we did try to keep up a good pace.

Only pic George took of the 5k; I took none.

The downhills were much worse for me, and probably half of the course was downhill. There were some downhill switchbacks after dark. George's IT band apparently didn't mind the downhills as much, so he took off while I slowly made my way down. It was difficult to see in the dark, and I'm pretty sure that I missed part of the trail and cut across the rock. Oops!

We were passed by a couple of the 10k-ers, who started at the same time we did. Oh well. We still finished strong and under 1hr. Yay!

Time: 55:02

Oh the things we runners do for bling! I love that I got a medal for the 1st race and a pilsner glass for the 2nd.

Despite my injuries, this was a fantastic race! It was my first Desert Dash race, and I would definitely register for another one of their races. Their signage was perfect and very helpful for both distances. The aid stations were nicely stocked with all kinds of goodies and provided a perfect breather. The weather was amazing, though Desert Dash didn't really have much control over that. :-D The volunteers were awesome as were the race directors.

Now, it's time to focus on healing this injury.

Did you race over the weekend?
Have you ever pushed through pain in order to get to the finish faster?
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Marathon Monday #16

This week's training ended so well that I'm inclined to say it was PERFECT.

It wasn't. Not even close.

But all's well that end's well, right?

Here's what it looked like.

	The Plan	The Reality
Mon, 11/11	2	REST
Tue, 11/12	6 Hills	REST
Wed, 11/13	REST	REST
Thu, 11/14	7 Speed	3
Fri, 11/15	REST	REST
Sat, 11/16	13.1 Valley of Fire Half	13.1
Sun, 11/17	REST	REST
TOTAL	35	16.1

My overall mileage was about double from the previous week, but far from my plan. But I listened to my body, and allowed it the rest that I needed.

You might remember that on Thursday, I'd decided to downgrade to a 10k. I felt really good about that decision. It alleviated a lot of stress and helped get me really excited for the race.

If you follow me on social media, or read yesterday's post, then you know I threw that plan out the window when I got there, and change my mind back to running the Half.

It might sound weird, but I really think this was the BEST DECISION FOR MY BODY. I experienced NO shin pain during or after the race. In fact, running the half really made me feel so much stronger. I was only planning on wearing my compression socks during the drive there and then on the drive home, but I ended up running in them as well.

Yesterday, I shared how the day started. Very early wake-up. Picking up a new friend. Driving the hour to the race. Hemming and hawing on whether or not to change to the Half.

After talking to the RD about switching distances, we headed back to Genie, so I could put on my number and gather all my stuff.

I'd brought my new Camelbak Ultra LR hydration pack - even though it wasn't necessary for a 10k. Perhaps subconsciously I always knew I'd switch distances. I'd never run with it before, and I wanted to try it out. I plan on writing up a full review of it later, so let's just say it was difficult to get used to. It kept rubbing again the right side of my neck. It was annoying, to say the least. I kept re-adjusting all the straps, but nothing worked. It has two front pockets and finally a few miles in I had an epiphany. Move my phone to the right side pocket. It worked! It was just enough weight to keep it from rubbing my neck. Phew!

So, I dealt with that for the first few miles of the race, but it is simply so beautiful at Valley of Fire that it was completely bearable.

The beauty of the park also kept me going through the massive hills. The first big hill came pretty much right away. I asked the RD afterwards about it, and she said it was probably at 16% grade. That's steep! And there were many more like it throughout the course.

I thought it was a simple out-and-back course, but just before mile 2, we jutted off down a side road. About two miles on unpaved trail. It wasn't too bad. A bit rocky, but not super sandy like the other trails in the state park.

There were so many views I wanted to take a picture of, but I knew if I did, I'd want to stop all. the. time. So, I first stopped after we were back on the paved road.

As I was pulling out my phone, a fellow runner asked if I'd like him to take my picture. Sure!

The hills were pretty tough, but since I was doing this for fun and trying not to push myself too hard, I walked up most of them. And down the really steep ones as well.

As I approved mile 6, I'd forgotten about the 2ish mile loop we'd done early on. I kept looking for that turn-around sign, and it wasn't coming. Probably around mile 6.5, I realized the turn-around point wouldn't be the same as the halfway point. Duh!

No big deal. I was still jamming to my music. Enjoying the beauty around me. Running my own race. I was feeling great.

We finally turned around at 7.6 miles. This is was the first aid station I stopped at. With my camelbak, I had plenty of water, but I wanted some fuel. They had an apple cinnamon gel that I sucked down and little cups of plain M&Ms, which I slammed. And then immediately started running again. Not my best idea. I was trying to chew, not choke, and run all at the same time.

After turning around, I started getting a little chatty. 

I'd been playing tortoise/hare with a young boy for the previous several miles. We were running the same pace just after the turn-around, so I asked him how old he was. 13. It thought that was pretty awesome. I told him he was doing a great job with the hills and asked if he'd run hills a lot. He told me not really. He also told me about the last half he'd done, how his family had gone camping in Valley of Fire over the summer, and then his mom found this race. His mom was out on the course, too, but further behind us. We ran together for a few minutes, but then I slowed down and never caught back up to him.

Next up, I talked with an older man from Quebec. I thought it was a long way to travel for such a small race. It was fun talking with him for a bit, but eventually, I started walking and he kept moving along.

Then there were two guys who I'd seen earlier in the race. I think we'd passed each other a few times back and forth. Since it was the same weekend as Rock 'n Roll Las Vegas, my first question was always, Are you running tomorrow? These two were! They underestimated how challenging this course was, and I assured them that Strip at Night would be a breeze after this one. :) They were having a tough time, so after a couple minutes, I put my ear buds back in and continued down the road.

I glanced at my watch every mile. Mostly because it would beep at me. But I never really looked at the cumulative time until 2:05. Could I finish in 2:30? Maybe. But I'm not going to push. Seriously, it was just too beautiful. I'm not sure I would've wanted to run much faster than I was. I was just enjoying being out there. Enjoying the course, you know.

I probably should have turned off my music altogether. I wasn't really feeling it, and I ended up losing some time trying to find something that would really grab me and pull me to the end. That never really ended up happening. Meh.

After walking down most of that first nasty hill, I managed to finish pretty strong.

Passing the 13 mile marker, and knowing how the finish line was set-up, I knew that I needed to turn into the parking lot, but it would've been nice to have a volunteer down there directing runners at this final turn. Maybe it was just me, but at that point, I wasn't really thinking straight, and I hesitated about turning in.

I didn't quite finish in 2:30. My time was 2:31:47. I'm totally happy with that.

This was a very small race. Less than 300 runners for all 3 distances. But the support along the course was fantastic! And the finish line was fun with lots of goodies. I had some chocolate milk, crackers, chips (for the ride home), a Clif bar. Plus there were more things, too.

Also, they announced your name as you crossed the finish line, welcoming you back. I still had my ear buds in, so I'm not sure if they did it for me, but they did it for most of the people that finished after me.

Overall, the race was very well organized, the RD was right there to answer any questions, the volunteers were supportive and encouraging, and the course was beautiful. I definitely plan to run this one again!

Here's a short video I took while running.



It's the same company that's putting on the Tri-States Marathon in less than 3 weeks! Running this half only made me more excited about the marathon. It is going to be so. much. fun!

Up this week? Taper time has begun. Sort of. I'm going to try to stick to my training plan, which is decreasing mileage, but I do have 15 miles on the plan for Saturday. Hopefully that's do-able. I also hope to focus on core and strength exercises to further prepare me for the marathon. These are things I know I should have been including in my training all along, but I've neglected them. I figure taper is the perfect time to increase that focus.

Did you race this weekend?
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Great Santa Run Recap

Several weeks ago, an email appeared in my work Inbox asking that anyone interested in signing up for the Great Santa Run to contact HR. I asked a couple questions, went to the website, got super excited, and immediately contacted HR to add my name to the list.

Here's a little video about the 2011 run.


Since my work is a major sponsor, my registration was actually free. Can't beat that! When you register, you get a Santa suit to run in. The hope is to get as many Santas together in one area as possible. Last year, they won the World Santa Challenge and raised over $400,000 for individuals with disabilities! How cool is that!

There were over 8,000 Santas in 2011. The numbers weren't available yet on the website of how many were there this year, but I'm glad to have been a part of it. :)

Around 8:20, my ride arrived to pick me up. I knew that parking was going to be, um, complicated, so I asked a friend if he wanted to carpool. And yes, by carpool, I meant him pick me up. This is, I think, the 2nd race he's picked me up for, so he's kind of becoming my race chauffeur. (Thanks, Crosby!)

I'd picked up my Santa suit, race number, etc the day before (conveniently at work. yay!), but he'd registered with a team, so we needed to meet up with them to get his race packet.

He had brought his sweet girl, Maya, with him, so I didn't mind the wait at all.

I couldn't get her to look up at me, but isn't she a cutie!

Finally, the four of us were dressed as Santa and ready to go!

While we waited at what we thought was the start line, we got to see 4 skydiving Santas glide in to the starting area.

The race was supposed to start at 10am, and shortly after 10, they started announcing that all 5K participants should line up behind Santa. Um. We were ALL dressed like Santa! ;) So, we just started following the crowd and 10 minutes later, we were at the starting line. Phew!

I got my CharityMiles started on my phone just as we crossed. I ran for The Global Fund to fight against AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, since yesterday was also World AIDS Day. I didn't want to lose sight of my ride home in the sea of Santas, so I did my best to keep up with him. He's normally super fast, but I had two things in my favor yesterday. 1) There were a ton of Santas, so it was hard to run very fast anyway, and 2) He was running a marathon the next day (today!), so this was just kind of a slow warm-up, make-sure-everything-is-working-okay type of run for him.

Our final time was just shy of 32 min (31:58). Definitely no record for me, but it was fun! Weaving in and out of the throngs of Santas was exhilarating!

At the finish, we were just finished. There wasn't any food that I could see anyway. They were handing out bottles of water as you crossed the finish, but they had also handed out bottles around mile 1 in lieu of a water stop. It was kind of cool to get a whole bottle - except then you had to run with the bottle for the remaining 2.1 miles.

Also, the first 1,000 finishers were offered a shirt, but we didn't feel like standing in line. Plus, we had no idea if we were in the first 1,000, so we headed back to the car, where he completely changed out of his Santa suit before we headed back to the finish to meet up with our friends.

Ugh. I hate this picture of me. Next year, I'm wearing my own suit that will actually FIT! :)

After the race was finished, and before heading back home, I headed to the portapotty. I'd been holding it since before the race began and knew I wouldn't make it home. Now, I only mention this because instead of simply having hand sanitizer stations for disinfecting those germs, they had actually set up portable handwashing stations. This was a bad idea. I thought it seemed pretty cool, but the water didn't work very well, and there were no paper towels or anything for drying. I couldn't rinse off all the soap or try to wick it off with a paper towel, so I ended up wringing my hands continuously until the suds kind of went away. It was annoying. I'll take simple hand sanitizer any day.

All in all, it was a great way to start the Saturday! Now, if I could just figure out how to run a race in the morning and then not veg out and eat like shit the rest of the day!!

Have you, or will you, be running in a Santa race this year?
Do you ever accidentally type Satan when you mean to type Santa? oops!
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Fitness Friday: The Much Anticipated RAGNAR RECAP

Two weeks ago today (has it really been that long?), I stumbled out of bed at 3 a.m. to don my brightest tights and awesomest 80s gear to head up Mt Charleston with Van 1 of The Fanny Pack.

We got off to a late start and ended up leaving my teammate's house way later than we should have. Plus, it turned out that we didn't have the required # of LED back lights, so we had to stop at the home of our team captain (in Van 2) to grab one of their extras. And then there was the stop for gas.

Finally we were on our way. 

Now, Van 1 is supposed to check it at least one hour prior to our start time. We were supposed to start at 6:30, and I think we arrived somewhere around 6:20. Parking was full, so we had to park down the mountain a tiny bit. Then there was checking in, the safety briefing, and picking up our flags, shirts, and goodie bag. Phew!

And I cannot neglect to mention the COLD!

We all look so damn cold!

By cold, I mean 30s with some slight snow flurries. Nothing compared to winters in MN, but very traumatic for unprepared Las Vegans. :-/

After completing all our pre-race duties, we sauntered up to the start line to find hear the announcer saying:

Get ready to start in 10 ... 9 ... 8 ...

Shit! Our first runner barely had his shoes on let alone a race number and the slap bracelet. We slapped that bracelet on his wrist and he was off for his first run. 7 miles down Mt Charleston in the cold and HAIL. Yes, the snow had turned to hail at that point.

He still didn't have a number because, well, I'd forgotten about that in the flurry of getting our runner to start with the 7 a.m. wave. We were only a half hour late. Woot!

About halfway through his run, we offered him support. Ok, actually, we mostly just handed him his race number, which he put in his pocket. He did not want to slow down to pin it on. :-)

Now, I was runner #4, so I still had a little time to relax and prepare before my first leg. The chatter in the van - despite the cold and early rising, was quite positive, relaxed, and fun. Prior to this morning, I had only met one other person very briefly. I was very relieved that we all got along so well!

There was no bickering or power struggles. Just lots of fun banter.

I pretty much kept my sweats on until runner #3 was out on her first leg. My awesome 80s outfit wasn't the warmest. I also didn't put my contacts in until runner #3 was out there. It was not only COLD but WINDY! My contact flew right off my finger!! In hindsight, I probably ought to have been doing it sitting inside the van rather standing outside of it. Two teammates were standing nearby, and I had all three of us STOP, and we all started looking for it. I'd pretty much resigned myself to running with my glasses, when runner #1 suddenly bent down, picked it up, and handed it to me. THANK YOU!!! Luckily, it was not ripped or damaged. Woot!

Awesome 80s Outfit #1. I'm ready to rock.

Finally I was ready to start my first leg. Runners #1 and #2 complained about the wind but were grateful that it was at least a tailwind. I joked that it would probably turn into a head wind by the time it was my turn. Self-fulfilling prophecy?

Perhaps. The wind was relentless. AND I'D FORGOTTEN MY WATER! This was a no support leg. I was so grateful to see the water stop. Unfortunately, a girl I'd passed earlier was quickly catching up to me. It had taken me forever to pass her, so I naturally didn't want her to pass me again. As she approached the water stop, I could tell she wasn't about to stop, so I took off again just steps before her. I probably could have gone with more water, but I was determined to stay ahead of her.

I'm not sure why, but this Ragnar really brought out my competitive spirit. I was all about the kills. Kills, for the non-Ragnarian, is the term used whenever you pass another runner during your leg. It's all in good fun. I promise.

Two more runners to go until it we could stop, get out of the van, and really rest. Bonus: As we passed off to Van 2, we realized that we'd made up the time we'd lost with our 7 a.m. start time. Sweet!

I don't know what it is about me and Ragnar, but I am rarely hungry for a meal between legs. I'll snack on chips and water and other randomness in the van, but actual food? No, thank you. I think I'm a rarity. At least I was in this van.

So, after runner #6 finished his leg, we headed out for chicken and waffles. Or just waffles. Or just watching everyone else eat while trying to stomach all the smells of unwanted food. It wasn't really that bad. :)

Runner #5 lived nearby, so we headed to his house to relax, stretch, change, and maybe even nap. a little.

Awesome 80s Outfit #2. Stretching between Leg 1 & Leg 2.

Leg 2 was my nighttime run. I had a little difficulty with my headlamp, but after taking it off twice to readjust, it was fine. Not sure I would have made it otherwise. :)

Remember that competitive spirit from leg 1? Of course you do, it was just 6 paragraphs ago. :) Well, it made another appearance in leg 2. I really thought I was done getting kills after 10 or 11. There didn't seem to be many people ahead of me, but then the distance narrowed, and I squeezed out a few more - including one who had passed me earlier! I couldn't believe it!!

By now, I was TIRED. My teammates? You guessed it. HUNGRY! Runner #3 lived nearby, so the plan was to sleep at her house. They ordered pizza ahead of time, so it would be waiting for them upon arrival. I, of course, headed directly to bed. No pizza for me. I slept soundly until my alarm went off at the ungodly hour of 3 a.m. to get back out there for leg #3.

Finally the weather was starting to shape up! I'd had a feeling it was going to be my warmest leg, so I'd chosen the outfit with the most skin showing for this one. :)

Awesome 80s Outfit #3. Waiting for Runner #3 to finish.

My 3rd leg was an off-street trail and should have been my easiest leg, but I was tired and sore and my tummy didn't feel too yummy. Turned out to be my slowest leg, understandably.

It was also the leg in which my competitive spirit really rared its ugly head. :) As I approached the finish, there was a girl in a tutu ahead of me. Ooh, I just wanted to beat her to bring my kills for that leg up to 3. I don't know from whence I mustered the energy, but I kicked it up to full tilt. I could hear her teammates yelling out to her. Looking good, Ashley! Way to go, Ashley! I *almost* started to feel bad for sprinting at the end to finish in front of her. Almost.

I passed her just before crossing the street and rounding the corner to the exchange chute. Steps prior to the exchange, I saw runner #5 bent over tying his shoes. I yelled out to him and continued to the chute where I panted and panted until I was able to slap that bracelet off to him.

I. Was. Finished!

And completely exhausted. So, when runner #6 finished with his final leg, and everyone wanted to eat, I, of course, chose sleep over eating and stayed in the van to catch a little ZZZZZs.

Of course, we were parked next to a McDonald's drive-in. It took me way. too. long to figure out that was where all the voices were coming from. Oh, to be in my head sometimes. :-)

This post was long. Thank you so much to all of you who made it all the way though. It's not really the end of the recap, but I think I'll stop here for now. The ending deserves a post of its own, plus there are a few other comments to make about this Ragnar in general, so STAY TUNED!

I promise it won't be another two weeks.
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