Ragnar

I ran my first Ragnar this year! My sister Mary has been trying to talk me into for years, and I finally decided to brave it. Everyone's first question for me (assuming they know what a Ragnar is; if not, I have to explain) is, "How'd you like it?" And my answer is I loved it ... and hated it ... equally! I've run in several 5Ks and 10Ks and two half marathons, but Ragnar is its own beast. The stop and go and lack of sleep and the event taking two days is pretty brutal. I think running a half is much easier, for me at least. I like to be able to get up first thing, go run when it's cool, and be done. I can stay in the game mentally for two straight hours. 24+ is another story ... On the other hand, Ragnar is a blast because of the social aspect! Running with a team and having that built-in support was awesome, and the wackiness of the whole event -- everything from the decorated support vehicles to the crazy costumes to the amazing people watching -- makes it such a good time!

And I LOVED doing this with my sister Mary. She's my closest sister in age and best friend, and I love sharing my love of running with her. Usually we run a 5 or 10K together on the 4th of July, so this definitely amped it up a bit!  Here we are before our first leg, smelling good and looking pretty (all of that changed in a hurry!)

Our team name was Cirque du Sore Legs. My bro-in-law Scott, who actually goes by Louie (long story ...) was the team captain, and my sister Mary ran with us.  They provided our vehicle, which was generous in more ways than one. The stench of that poor thing by the time we were done ... oy! I think everyone else should have chipped in a little extra with their gas $ to get their car detailed afterward. Hoo-ee!

Members of our van (this is post almost everyone's last leg ... hence the forced smiles and bleary eyes):

Louie and Mary up front, Rich and Kiirsten in back.  Missing is Ty, who was battling up Ragnar Hill at the moment. He joined the team last minute (like the Monday before) to fill in for a friend. He definitely earned the "best sport" award!

Since Mary handed off to me, we decided we needed to practice our "handoff" before we started. Just like the pros do it ...

And every true Ragnar racer needs a tat to identify themselves. In Utah we like to brand everything with that proud symbol -- our SUVs, minivans, and definitely our arms and calves. The thing didn't wash off for a week!

My favorite part about this picture (besides that I look like a hillbilly with a missing tooth) is that the SUV behind us says "Flat Racks" ... speaking for myself, at least, it may be appropriate! Maybe next year I should join that team ...

And we come to (dun, dun, dun) ... the night run!! This portion of the event was more than a little bit crazy.  It was 11:00 or so when we pulled into a campground near a reservoir to "sleep" for a couple hours while the other van finished their second legs, but there's no way you can sleep. It's madness.  It's people crashed out all around in sleeping bags and cars pulling in and flashlights in your face so people can go use the porta potties, car alarms going off and people talking and laughing way too loud. It's organized insanity! And yet that was my favorite part of the whole thing. My sister and I just lay in our sleeping bags looking up at the stars and talked and giggled, just like when we were kids sharing a room. We would snicker at the dumb stuff people would say when they'd walk by (our personal favorite was the man who said, "I had this cousin who used to say "Reservation" instead of "Reservoir," and he'd always ask us, 'I wonder what Indians own this water,' and we never knew what he was talking about.") Really?!

My night run was not too bad. All downhill (6 miles) and nice and cool, but not cold. I was a little creeped out by running in the darkness, but with so many people and vehicles around, it wasn't too bad. My teammates kept freaking me out with wild animals stories, so that was honestly by biggest fear.  Running at 2 a.m. is just not something anyone should do, though! And the hardest part for me was how sore I was afterward, since my run was all downhill.  It made me really nervous for my last leg.  I also felt a bit nauseous afterward, too, so luckily I was able to crash out in the back seat for a few hours.

My last leg was by far the hardest. My legs were so locked up after my night run and being crammed in a car, so I waited in line for 1 1/2 hours the next morning for a massage just to loosen me up! It helped a little, but my last leg was my hardest by far. I had 5 1/2 miles to go in the heat of day.  We lucked out with really mild temps, but at 2:00 in the afternoon, it was still pretty hot. My brother-in-law saved me by bringing me a rag soaked in ice-cold water every mile or so to drape around my neck and wipe my face! Best idea ever!!

And THIS ... is looking down on Ragnar hill!  It was awful! I felt so bad for the guys in our van that had to tackle it! Hats off to you, Rich, Ty, and Louie!!

And favorite moment of the entire event goes to ... photo op with the "Roaming Gnomes" team!! They were hysterical!  They won the Instagram Photo Contest. Their costumes were awesome! Followed up closely by the Bostonians, who were all dressed as Minutemen.  We died laughing when we saw a George Washington-like character run through an intersection and tip his three-cornered hat at the police officer directing traffic.  Maybe when you're that tired, everything's extra funny?!

The Sore Leggers at the finish line!  There were twelve team members total, six in each car (two had to ditch out early for a wedding). It was so much fun, and yes, despite the pain and agony of it all, I would do it again!