Run! Drive! Sleep? Repeat!
Yesterday and today, I participated in the Del Sol Ragnar Relay Race. This is a 204 mile relay race, starting in Prescott, ending in Mesa, with teams of 12 people in 2 vans. My team was the Dessert Runners, and I was runner number 10, putting me in van number 2. My other van mates included: Christian, Bethany, Glenn, Burt, and James W. Below is a picture of the members of our van before we drove up to Prescott (minus Christian, who we picked up at exchange 14).
We made it to the first major exchange point (where van 1 stops running, and van 2 begins), decorated our van, and got all ready for the adventure ahead of us. While at this exchange, we met Kelli, Scott, Walter, and Misty. It was Kelli's birthday, and I was a loser and had forgot her birthday cake... but that's a different story. Regardless, HAPPY BIRTHDAY KELLI. Okay, back to my race report... Below is a picture of our van.
As I said before, I was runner 10, which is the 4th runner in our van. My first leg was 7 miles on a hilly dirt road. I rocked my first leg, running in an average of 8:48 min/mil. I felt awesome. The one nasty part of the run was the fact that it was on a dirt road, and when all the vans passed by, they kicked up dust like crazy. It is really hard to run when you can't breathe. Regardless, I finished the 7 miles in less than an hour and was super happy about it. I did inherit 2 blisters, and at the end of my leg, my knee started bothering me. Below are two pictures from my first leg. I'm excited to say I passed 2 people on this leg... :o)
My 2nd leg was 6.2 miles, starting at 4 in the morning. Brandon was awesome and met me at the beginning of the leg to pace me. At this point, I had not slept a wink, and was so tired and tight. I really appreciated his company. With the fatigue, knee, and head wind, I averaged a 9:49 min/mil... not my best time, but I was pretty happy with it. Brandon and I passed 4 people. He was so funny. He'd point out someone ahead and say "See that person... We're going to pass him. You are much faster than him and much stronger". After we had passed 3 people, he said "3 down, 1 more to go". Sure enough, he was right. I passed all 4. :o) I love him.
My 3rd and final leg was 3.1 miles at 1:30 pm. It was HOT. I think HOT was an understatement. And, I think I had screwed up the day before and didn't drink enough water. I'm pretty sure I was (and may still am) slightly dehydrated. I was in pain... and I am not too ashamed to say, I didn't make the time I was hoping to make; however, I am happy that I finished. :o)
I am not sure I'll be walking right for a while. My knee is killing and I can feel all the muscles in my legs. Apparently running 16.4 miles works all your leg muscles, not just your favorite ones. :o) But, there is something awesome about finishing a race like this. It makes you feel like a super hero, if only for just a minute. While I was running... my daughter learned a new word. Until now, she had 2 definite words in her vocabulary "Da-ee" (daddy), and "Ti-ti" (Monkey). But, when I crossed my last exchange point, she cried "ma-be" and reached for me. I have been wanting her to say mommy for forever... I'm also not ashamed to say that it made me cry, if only for a min.
Below is a picture of the team momments after crossing the finish line. As you can see, all the people from van 1 are cleaned up and in their normal clothing. I promise they didn't run in those outfits.
PS. I don't know our race result time yet... when I do, I'll update the report | 