RUN RUN RUN! We love to RUN! Part 2

My race: RAGNAR - So Cal Huntington Beach

April 15th, 2011

It was a relay, and I was on a team of 12 girls. My total mileage was about 16 miles, which doesn't sound that bad when you say it like that. Running all night with no sleep was insane! We ran from Huntington Beach, CA to Coronado Island. It was a different experience than I expected, and a lot more challenging. We started the race at 7am on Friday, April 15th and finished around 8pm on Saturday evening, April 16th. Our runner #8, Lisa, ended up in the hospital with a heart condition after her first leg, where she remained for several days after the race. This was a tough wall for our team to climb, but we pushed through and although we had to skip Lisa's remaining legs, we still did our very best to finish the race. I really enjoyed getting close to some of the girls on my team. And I loved the challenge of pushing myself to run through complete exhaustion, and knowing I could count on my body to still work hard under those circumstances. It was very empowering. And an experience I will never forget.

My first leg was really tough, my teammates were at the hospital with Lisa and I knew I would probably get to the end and no one would be there waiting. Plus, it was SO DAD-GUM HOT! Probably the hardest 5.8 miles ever (even worse than my first 1oK, when I was barely pregnant with Noah a few years ago). Started around 3 in the afternoon, I ran out of water half way through, and was parched, and could hardly get my body to move. And my stomach was KILLING me. I did not keep a good pace at all, but I did finish, and was ready for more (not sure why)! My second leg was a quick 3.8 miles in the middle of the night. I started around 4:30am (I think). Loved this run, even though I felt miserable when I started. The air was cool and crisp, I knew it was a short run, and right off the bat, some chick flew past me and I was determined the whole leg to catch her. At the end I smoked past her, and she was not real happy about that. Third leg was about 5pm the next day. Ugly boring 6.8 miles. But I felt great and kept a nice pace, and finished strong even though I was running on 1 hour of sleep in the past 36 hours.

Our ward (plus a few extra siblings and friends) had two Ragnar Teams this year!!

I took a picture of myself right after my first super hot leg. I was so thirsty! I waited 20 minutes for my van to get back from the hospital. Tough day, but I was pumped up and ready for more!!