Race Report 1 - Ragnar Washington DC 2012

September 21st, 2012

My Ragnar Report has been holding me up on my blog, so time to get it done!  I had an amazing time at Ragnar this year with some of the strongest most brilliant and determined women I have known.  The experience was worth it just to be able to spend 2 days with them!  We were in Van 2 this year (second time for me, I have yet to have the "van 1 experience").  Van 2 is generally more challenging than Van 1 because we run in the heat of the day (afternoons) on both days, and we also run through the middle of the night.  So we have to try and force our bodies to get rest at odd times of days in between our running shifts.  My first leg was 9.3 miles, hot but shaded, long, straight and very flat.  So I kicked it the whole time, gave as much as I could give, keeping in mind I still had 2 more legs to run.  My average pace was around 8:05 min/mile.  I felt great afterwards, but my legs were aching and felt like noodles.  I did my best to refuel and get some rest.  My next leg was around 4:30am, 9.6 miles, and extremely rocky, potholey, and hilly!  I climbed up and down the entire time, and it was tough!  My average pace was around 8:45 min/mile.  The next several hours were the toughest.  The exhaustion set in.  My wonderful patient amazingly strong friends helped me stay positive (while ignoring my lamenting), and we did our best again to rest at a strange time of day for sleep.  I think it was about 9:30 or 10 am by the time we hit our pillows in the hotel room and we were back up at 11:30 and on the road to our last set of legs.  My last leg was only 3.7 miles, but it was pushing 90 degrees outside and there was a nasty headwind.  Probably the most miserable 3.7 miles of my life, on the ugly boring part of the Mt. Vernon Trail in D.C.  I hated every second of that run, going into it with a nasty cramping stomach ache, and a body that was just plain tired.  I made it through but let my emotions get the best of me as the adrenaline hit me when I finished.  My team was amazing and they rocked their stuff!  Apparently our Team Fried Green To-Mammas came in 3rd place in our age group!  (Disclaimer : I posted my pace estimates for my own record)

 

Yes, it was that bad!

Determined to finish this craziness!