Ragnar Relay NW Passage: Recap Pt. 3

We left off at Oak Harbor HS where Van 1 bedded down for a few hours of sleep rest. I found a good spot near the wall (read: next to a plug)  in one of the gyms so I tried to get some rest but I couldn't sleep. I ended up watching a few episodes of The West Wing on my iPad so I guess that was enough 'rest'. I was also a bit worried about one our runners in Van 2 who took a bad spill during her night leg. She bit it hard and the road took some big bites out of her, but she rallied after some first aid and was back on the road to finish off her killer 8.7 miler. Like a Boss.

Lost Lucke - Runner 12 - brought it in and handed off to

 #meanjess for Van 1's final round of legs. 

#meanjess ran her 3.1 miles and then it was my turn again. My final leg was still during 'nighttime hours' so I had to wear the required gear. I am defnitely getting a new vest for next year. The one I have moves around too much while running and it's annoying to have to constantly adjust anything while you are running.

I ran Leg 2 in honor of CW3 Frank Buoniconti,

12/12/2011

WB - R2R

We all had final legs that were on the short side....which means moving between exchanges happened at a pretty rapid pace. Crazy Lady ran her 2.4 miles in a jiffy and then it was Rob's turn. At this point, we were on Whidbey Island and it was a really beautiful combination of farmland and beach scenery - often at the same time. I.D.10.T handed off to Bad Juju after his killer 8.1 miles. So almost everyone had short legs. All except Rob. He had the killer hill from last year, which we actually dubbed 'Norman's Hill' because he was the Beast who had to run it. At least it wasn't hot anymore....because hot damn he had some killer hills. But he ran them like a champ and made us all proud. 

Love these two. If I had a husband, I would 

totally make him do Ragnar with me.

Right before the above handoff, we were driving to the exchange and came across a house whose yard was filled with plastic fake animals. There was an alligator, a pig, some deer, and a bunch of other random animals. And this horse. 

I was waiting for someone with a shotgun to come out & yell at us.
But we are stealthy inappropriate picture takers. 

Bad Juju ran her final 4.5 miles all speedy like and before we knew it, we were off to Coupville HS, the final major exchange to wait for Obama Money to finish her last baby leg of 2.4 miles (which she totally deserved after running heavy miles the day before - nearly 19). 

Final Van 1 to Van 2 Handoff - Obama Money to Honey Badger.

161/196 Miles - DONE!

Happy faces - because we are finished! Nice work Van 1. Up Next - the Big Finish!

Ragnar Relay NW Passage: Recap Pt. 2

We left off after the first major van exchange at Bellingham HS. We were starving - like eat a dirty child starving. So we ended up at the same place we went last year after finishing our first round - Bob's Burgers and Brew. It didn't hit the spot like it did last year though. It's entirely possible it was because I was too smart not to eat a bacon burger last year....that was a bad bad meal choice; it was in a lump at the bottom of my throat for my entire first leg. After grubbing down, we headed directly down to the next major exchange - Burlington HS. We had a couple hours to rest, stretch, and shower if we needed to. Break time was over before long though and it was time for Round 2.

#meanjess ready for her 4.5 miles. 

I was starting to get my 'pre-race' nerves...it was weird sitting the first round out; it made me all the more ready once it was finally my turn. I was also not feeling great since it was approximately a zillion degrees out and the aforementioned burger was not digesting well. But I was still ready to bust it out on fresh legs.

First hand-off picture - and we are twinsies! 

Leg 1 - 3.8 miles.

Photo credit: I.D.10.T

I didn't really pay attention to the route that this leg was on. Turns out, I was running right past where I went to college. I didn't even realize it until all of a sudden, I was right next to it and thinking...'hmmm this looks familiar'. It was a bit hilly, a LOT sunny and pretty warm but I still made good time. 

More handoff pictures!! Sending Crazy Lady off on her 6.7 miler.
Photo credit: I.D.10.T

Leg 1 - I ran for SSG Nathan Wyrick

KIA 10/10/2011 OEF

WB - R2R

Despite the ginormous farm country mosquitos, this was my favorite set of Legs. We were just starting to get a little loopy but still firmly in 'runner's high' territory. This is when the fun starts people. After Crazy Lady got us all the way to La Conner, it was I.D.10.T's turn. The exchange was at this really cute little church. It was beautiful, but all of a sudden the sun set and the temps dropped about 15 degrees just like that. 

Nice little 4.1 miles through farm country at dusk....

he only ate a couple bugs. Gulp.

The exchange where Rob handed off to Bad JuJu was another great little country place - this time a roadside produce stand. There was also ice cream cones - which was a hot seller with this large group of hot, sweaty runners. 

Pickles are an excellent re-hydrating option if you are wondering. 

Salty goodness - which went well with the ice cream cone Crazy Lady is eating...

For this leg, Bad JuJu decided the Leroy needed to get some exercise too. So she brought him along. Unfortunately, he wasn't a very good running partner. He made the rookie mistake of wearing jeans to run in and lost them about a mile in....So Leroy was banished back to the van to think about what he did and Bad JuJu finished up her 8.1 miles like a champ.

We quickly realized that Leroy was better as a mascot - 

once he lost his pants, it was all over. 

By the time Juju was done, it was dark and Obama Money had to run her last 5.6 miles of the day. This brought us all the way to La Connor HS for the final major exchange over to Van 2 for the night shift. There was supposed to be food for sale here, but it was gone by the time we got there....so no dinner for us. We decided to head straight to the next major exchange (Oak Harbor HS) to get some sleep so we could be ready for our final legs early in the morning. 

Ragnar Relay NW Passage: Recap Pt. 1

 

Me and Leroy. He was one of our 'mascots'. 

Photo credit: Bad JuJu

#Meanjess kicked it off for us running 6.3 miles through Blaine. It was early but already starting to get warm....which in WA means it's gonna be a hot one. Our hottest parts of the day tend to be between 4-6pm - so if it's hot early it pretty much means you are gonna melt later. I mentioned that I gave up my first leg of 6.8 miles. Miss Deidra, AKA Obama Money graciously ran those extra miles for me like a boss. So of course, Leroy had to come out of the van to cheer her on.

Go Obama Money Go!
Photo credit: Bad Juju

One thing I did not do this year was get very many pictures. I am not sure why....I just never really brought out my camera and ended up taking most shots with my phone. And I've stolen quite a few from my teammates so I'll try to credit as much as possible. That means this lovely recap will not feature awesome hand off photos for every leg my Van did. So disappointing, I know. 

Continuing the story, we chugged along all morning. Everyone was in great spirits and even though it was getting warmer by the minute, we were making good time. Obama Money handed off to Crazy Lady, who ran her 8.2 miles through Ferndale. This was my leg last year and I didn't miss it; it is a toughy. Crazy Lady handed off to I.D.10.T. and he was off for his first leg (3.9 miles) officially running his very first Ragnar. Rob was our awesome van driver last year and he returned this year as a runner on the team. He did us proud and ran his legs like a champ. Rob handed off to his lovely wife, Bad JuJu, our Team Quackptain for 5.8 miles. That leg brought us from Ferndale all the way into Bellingham. 

Waiting with some water for Bad Juju to pass by.....
Photo Credit: Bad JuJu

After the handoff  to Obama Money for Leg 6, she was off for another 6.5 miles. Girlfriend ran nearly a half marathon during the first round..and it was getting hot. Since her leg took her right by my sister's house, we decided to stop there as our mid-leg cheer stop. We tried to make at least one or two of these for each runner's leg so they got water and felt the love. 

 @deidracanfly's cheering section
Photo credit: #meanjess

It was getting so hot that I texted my sister and asked her to put out her sprinkler so D could run through it...but I forgot that the runners were going to be on the opposite side of the street. So it didn't work out quite as planned....but the breeze sent a nice little spray across the street. 

Once she passed us here, it was only a mile or so to the next exchange - which was the first major exchange - so we hopped in the van and headed over to meet her. We also got our first chance to meet up with Van 2 so they told us all about going back to hotel to swim and the bum fight they witnessed since we last saw them. Never a dull moment at Ragnar. Once we officially passed off to Van 2, we were starved and ready to grub. But first, we had to pay a visit to the Merchandise tent to blow some $$...I was bummed they didn't have the jacket I was planning to buy, but I found a couple cute tops so all was not lost. Once we all were sufficiently swagged up, we headed off to find food and then to the next major exchange - Burlington HS and Van 2 set off for their first round, Leg's 7-12.

Ragnar Relay NW Passage: The Start

Fire Breathing Rubber Duckies - Reporting for Duty!

We had a 7am start this year, half hour earlier than last year. Beautiful Pacific NW summer morning....clear skies, nice sunrise and put all that against a backdrop of crazy runners and you have an absolutely perfect day. We were required to be there an hour ahead of our start time in order to check in and have our 'Safety Briefing'. Ragnar requires everyone in the van have a reflective safety vest and each van must have two headlamps and two blinking tail lights. They actually verify this when you check in and get your van packet, in addition to going over all the safety rules for the entire relay. 

Van 1: I.D.10.T, Bad JuJu, Crazy Lady, Obama Money,

#meanjess, Moi, and The Durfster, AKA van driver extraordinaire, 

AKA 'plus one' of #meanjess
Photo Credit: Bad JuJu

Van 2 could have slept in since they weren't required to be anywhere until their check-in and safety briefing at the first major exchange. But they were nice enough to get up and head over to the start to see us off and get some group pics.

Ran into a fierce Viking....think he belongs to the #fastattacks, 

but it's possible they just found him on the side of the road. 

Once we handled our business, we got some great shots, cheered on other teams starting and just hung out until it was our wave start. #meanjess kicked things off this as illustrious Runner 1. She had big shoes to fill (*cough*aaron*) but didn't let us down. 

200 miles? No problem - we got this. 

Ragnar Relay NW Passage: Prefunking...AKA Getting to the Start.

Van 1 - Canada Border Bound! They let me drive. 

Good news: we made it!
Photo credit: @deidracanfly

Our caravan of madness headed north mid-afternoon Thursday. This year, the team opted for hotel rooms instead of camping out at Casa Wright. My brother and his wife would have totally hosted us again....but after last year, we all decided that sleeping in an actual bed was better for us old folk than sleeping on the ground the night before a 30+hour relay. Good call team. 

Pre-relay carbo-loading done right. Pizza FTW!

Photo credit: Honey Badger

Van 2 made much better time this year; they are mostly our South Sound (Bremerton) folks so they had a ferry ride added to the trip. Which, added to the mad traffic they got stuck in on the way up last year meant we didn't get a team dinner. Really glad we got to this year. Once we were sufficiently loaded up, we called it a night. Well, most of us did.

Everyone was in the same hotel except Norman and I....

so they had a team toast. With Fireball of course; 

it is the official team beverage after all.

Photo credit: Maniac

Next up - the start - so stay tuned for more Duckie shenanigans. 

Ragnar Relay NW Passage - Picture Preview

I know. I know. I am alarmingly overdue for some Ragnar recap action. My sincere apologies for the tardiness. Better late than never, I guess....but just so expectations are adjusted, these recaps will not be nearly as thorough or awesome as last year. But I will do my best not to disappoint.

Just a little preview of the fun that was had. And there was a lot. 

First off, it was hot. H O T hot. We melted just a bit....

   Our van decorating was once again quite stellar. And with the 

Quackptain on board, we were sure to stay on course....
Photo credit: #meanjess

Buckle up kids and pull up your big girl panties**....

it's time to recap some Ragnar!!

**this was not our van. or our underwear. 

Here We Go....

        

                                    We Surrender!! Ready or not........

Ragnar NW Passages - It's Happening People

 The rock above I-5 Northbound heading into Bellingham. 

Courtesy of a Team Roadkill Cafe.

One of my favorite pics from last year's race....

Leg 7 Trail....

Deception Pass

The Fire Breathing Rubber Duckies have stayed the same for the most part. One of our compadres had to drop out but his replacement was our van driver from last year, Juliet's awesome husband Rob. We are officially 3 days out! Our start time is early again this year - 7am. And I am giving up one of my legs - the longest one since I am not quite in that kind of shape yet. I am runner 2 this year (was 3 last year) and will be doing two legs - first is 3.0 miles and the second is 3.8. Totally doable. In the meantime, if you want to read about last year....take a gander. 

Part 1 Recap

Part 2 Recap 

Part 3 Recap

The Big Finish 

Odds, Ends and Awesome Stuff

Joined a Gym....

So the Girl and I have been talking about joining a gym for a few months now. I needed to wait until I finished PT and Lexie cleared me for that....but now that summer is here, it was the perfect time to get started. There is one that is a few blocks from my work (only a short train ride from home) and they allow the Girl to also be a member and come and go as she pleases, even though she is still a minor.

My goals for this are to up my game in terms of cross and strength training. I plan to be there 3 days a week, mostly on my non-running days so I can do the elliptical and some circuit training. In the week since we joined, we've actually gone on running days so I've gotten to experience a treadmill for the first time.

Before now, I had only ever been on a treadmill for warm ups at PT and at the running store testing out shoes. So running a full 3 miles on one is a totally new experience. I totally get why people call it the 'dreadmill'. It's kind of awful. Like I can't stop staring at the screen to check how far I've gone. It's is also much harder. I had no idea. But running at the same exact pace, even when you are tired and would naturally slow down a little on the road, you just keep going. I am not sure I really like it.

And it's boring as hell. They have these little TV's but only get like 4 channels, so I am forced to watch CNN  (love news, just not that network) and get dizzy trying to read the subtitles in an attempt to trick my mind into staying busy. I am thinking I need to a) not go on the same one every time b/c it makes it worse that the view is exactly the same and b) perhaps try watching something on Netflix on my phone to distract myself and c) don't go on the treadmill.

I think the last choice is the winner. At least as long as it's prime outdoor running season in Seattle. I think it might not sound too bad once winter hits and every run is in the dark again. We shall see.

Part of the membership includes Personal Trainer sessions. Never really done that so it will be good I think. I had my first apt. with Zack, my trainer, yesterday and it went well. We have our first workout scheduled next week and he's going to set me up with a good circuit training routine that will cover arms, abs, back and legs.

Also part of this next phase - the Girl and I need to clean up our eating. Like a lot. It's gotten pretty bad and I've been really lazy lately. No more - there is absolutely no point to doing all this work physically if we eat crappy - the bad food will always show on your body and I'm tired of it. Big changes to come - watch out!

June: In Which I "Run" My First Half Marathon in a Full Year

So this happened.....

I started the month still on my NYC high....Love that place. Running there was so fun that the feelings definitely lasted for a bit. Can't wait to go back - I think I definitely want to do a race while I am there next. 

I also went into June feeling pretty good since I officially finished with PT. All that good running juju put me in a race frame of mind. Decided at the last minute to do Rock and Roll....and am SO glad I did.

It was another phenomenal race with Wear Blue  and I had a pretty good race considering I walked over half of it.

Wear Blue Mile 

This photo of my girls was all over the RnR post race emails and updates. Great shot!

Overall a great month and now all of a sudden it's July and time for Ragnar! Here we go...