running the Ragnar

Last weekend I ran the Ragnar.  It was amazing!  Don't know what a Ragnar is?  click here!  We had a team of 12 of the funniest, nicest women out there.  I couldn't imagine having a better team.  I haven't laughed so much in years!!  We ran 200 miles, starting at the Canadian border and ending up on Whidbey Island, just north of Seattle.  I am really sore and hurt my knee on my last leg.  My knee brace had been bothering me so I decided to not wear it on my last leg.  big mistake.  But my goal was to run all three legs the entire time and never walk, and I did it!  So I'm proud of myself.  And all that physical therapy paid off.  no problems with shin splints! 


check-in time.  Although it's a team of 12, it's six girls per van.  so it really seemed like a team of six. These were the women I spent 36 hours with in a suburban.  they are so fun!

 our van

this was just after I finished my first leg, 4.1 miles.  my others were 8.9 and 4.7

leg 1--even though it was 8 pm, and light outside, I still had to wear a reflective vest and head lamp.  Also, my shirt is huge.  I had bought a new shirt for this and gotten the wrong size, but didn't try it on till that morning and it was too late.  lesson learned:  try on your clothes before race day!

leg 2--8.9 miles almost killed me

 

passing off to Alison.  the first time this happened, the other van went to the wrong exchange and I came in and had to wait 20 minutes for them to find me!

what made it bearable, was that your team would be in the van cheering for you every mile or two.  We would do high five walls, tunnels, chalk messages.  We had glow sticks and cow bells.  It was a party.

the finish line!  I decided I didn't like being runner #12, because I came into the finish line sweaty and tired, and the other team members were waiting for me rested and had time to do hair and makeup etc. oh well.  I looked authentic, right??

the other van.  we had 48 kids between the 12 of us.

other van at one of the exchanges

Rachelle is crossing Deception Pass, the bridge that gets you onto Whidbey Island.

Pre-race--making tutu's and dinner party

 

other team vans and costumes--

we ran one leg with this BYU team.  they were really nice! 

 

and when I got home at 2 AM,  the kids had left me this cute sign!  with Napoleon Dynamite quotes all over because our family loves that movie!  (taken the next day, after church)