Believe to Achieve

After a  1 hour nap yesterday  I could NOT fall asleep last night no matter what I did.  Tossed and turned.  4 hours is probably stretching it on sleep time.  Yesterday my hamstring and lower back was SOOOOOOO tight and painful to touch.  Just before church I scraped it (GUA) and without much pressure had a lot of  petechiae (SHA) in places other than my pinpointed hamstring pain, especially the IT band area close to and above the knee.  It is now a good size bruise but a lot of it went away when I attempted a slow recovery jog of 4 miles (but amazingly felt fine to run 8!!). Yesterday I thought I would be only be able to swim so this was remarkable improvement!!   My arch on my left foot was hurting (not dead center like my usual PF pain) and is due to the stupid shoes I wore (brooks pureflow) Saturday.  A big NO NO.  They cause my left foot to collapse inward and I think that put a lot of strain on my IT band and then my hamstring got the worst of it.   My lower back has also been painful to touch.  I used moist heat all evening and that worked the best along with some ibuprofen.   It is still tight and going faster today would have proved fatal so I just ran easy-- 8:15 pace for 8 miles. Odd that easy is 8:15 lately.  First mile 8:37.  Last mile 7:54.  

I had all intentions of attempting a run this morning with my herniation/sciatica/hamstring  problem along with a swollen ankle (not sure why-- but it is next to the arch) but decided rest was in order-- one more hour of sleep and a long day at work on mom/baby at UV.  Was better than usual.   Besides a painful foot to walk on my day was good.  

tired not sleeping well but managed to get out in the cool air.  felt nice ran slow AP 8:21 for 8 miles.  foot and ankle swollen and tender in the ankle.   i am thinking this is a no pr year as i am exhausted and having a lot of nerve pain issues and a lot going on at home....so I am escaping to Ragnar with Rachelle just for fun.  I am leg 5.  7.8 miles uphill on dirt.  4 miles slightly up, mostly flat.  2.8 miles easy.  345pm, 1230am, 930am. 

gRaveYard mizunos resurrected for a heat simulation run at 1105am.  This was not on purpose.  I had to get Courtney to her Swim Meet at 6am and I was a timer there for 3 hours.  Memory Lane.  Three summers ago all three of my girls were on swim team.  Brooke didn't want to miss out on staying up late and socializing so she quit.  Even though she was really good at it.  Amber only was on her first year and was taken out because her sisters wanted out.  Now Courtney is back at it.  She did quite well for three years off (two seasons off).  I came home from the meet (time trial meet with Lehi Flyers) hungry so ate first then made sure my kids did their dusting chore for the day.  So got out at 11 and ran withOUT looking at my watch once even when the mile pace would beep I CONTAINED myself from peeking.  I wanted an easy run and no focus on pace.  My guess for the first mile was a 9:30 (but it was 8:53) and my guess for overall pace was between 8:30 and 8:35 (and it was 8:15!!)  AP 8:15, 8 miles in the heat.  First thing Brooke said to me when I got back "mom you are all wet!!"   I did go through a couple of sprinklers that I could find.  ANKLE HURT THE ENTIRE RUN but the SHOES were HEAVENLY!!  They are the ones I ran at the Mt Nebo half last year.  Precisions with the japanese flowers.   I had been wearing them to work and that's all.  But my feet weren't jiving with my other shoes and causing more harm than good.  Done with minimalism.

FUN TIMES--- woke at 5am to take daughter to swim meet and watch her team compete until 745am.  Got home at 7:55am, quickly gathered prepacked gear for Ragnar.  Troy drove me to meet my team at Target in AF.  Arrived at 8:15am.  Met my team.  All new to me (except Rachelle) and was very excited to hang with them!!  Thanks Jorge, Jake, Steph, Hollie, and Rachelle.  I really appreciated all your company and getting to know you all!!  Van 2-- even though we met briefly a few times I could tell you all were fun great people sharing in an experience of nuttiness and  pure fun!!

Leg 5, 7.93  miles UPHILL ON DIRT. VERY HARD.  Well, I was hopeful as we arrived in Logan with pure cloud cover and low 80 temps.  What more could I ask for?? Of course THAT would all change by the time I ran at 330pm.  It was in the high 80s and NO CLOUD COVER but fortunately there was a breeze (which isn't always the best on a dirt path with cars passing you however).    After Hollie, Rachelle, Steph, and Jorge pulled off remarkable splits for their legs I was a little leary of my leg as Jorge informed me last night my leg had to be rerouted 500 more feet in elevation gain due to mud slides. FREAK out!!  it already was climbing 1263 feet in 8 miles!!!  BUT just before taking off I got a hold of my sister and the last thing she said before we lost contact was that my leg was no longer rerouted.  I was in heaven with that notion.  I lined up for my leg and there was a guy in the shoot with me.  I started to pump myself up by saying to him and his team "don't even think that I am roadkill!!".  Well it turned out his team left the shoot first and I passed him in the first half mile (I think, as I didn't wear my garmin for any of my runs--- I am trying to break the habit for the best.  I run freer without that thing and this time I certainly did.  I had my stop watch and was timing everyone's legs.  I am OCD that way.  It keeps my sleepless mind busy).  I couldn't believe I was finally running 10 hours after waking this morning.  AND it felt extremely hot (Boston- like except I was on dirt and climbing a mountain).  Oh well I just ran and ran and ran NOT looking once at my stop watch.  I PASSED 35 TEAMS!!!!!   The guy's I first past-- his van-- totally cheered me on like I was a hero.  I was the only one actually running up the entire thing.  I was in TOTAL shock when I saw the ONE MILE TO GO sign.   I thought for sure I had three to go.   It is hard to gauge on trails and uphills.  It was then I looked at my watch turning to 57 minutes when I got there.  I didn't have time for math but I thought Cam (who I was replacing) goal was 63 minutes  and I was kind of disappointed but still felt strong so I booked it uphill (I can do anything for one more mile) passing several more teams walking as this is the steepest mile.  I came in at 65 minutes!!  Seriously a little over 8 min/miles ????  I felt great!!  My team didn't even see me coming when I passed our van in the first few miles.   Totally funny to see their shock.  Apparently my UNDERDEVELOPED calves sprout when I run uphill!!     When I finished I realized Cam's prediction was actually 67 minutes for this leg.  I had gained a little time without feeling like it all!!  AND this leg was 0.13 miles LONGer than written after asking several others that ran it.  Rachelle's next leg was 0.2 miles shorter so it all comes together at the end :D .    Rachelle is the RAGNAR queen.  We decided it is ULTRA RAGNAR for us next time-- TEAM JILL (TEAM Jack for the guys and we will give them a 2 hour head start).    I for one will have to take the whole week off from work the week before  to capitalize on sleep gains.  At 10 pm I wanted to fall asleep so bad and I can't take caffeine so I was stuck feeling NO adrenaline rush until my last leg when just the thought of BEING done kept the flame burning :D. 

Leg 17, 4.22 miles (got this off another runner on the blog).  Moderate, mostly UPHILL. 30:46  minutes.  AP 7:17.  Felt faster than that.      When you run fatigued it always feels faster than it is but it may have been long.  I passed 20 teams.  One VERY skinny fast guy passed me looking very serious.  It was about 1130 pm.  We had gained 45 minutes for our team.   Goal was a tempo run for this leg and run the next leg with Rachelle at 9 min miles.  Well it wasn't wise as RACHELLE was in full on race mode and I was in "I need to lie down and go to bed mode".  I should have bailed out of this run.  My legs weren't tired or sore (except the PF and painful calf that I  had run through even the first run, I am getting used to ignoring the pain there).  I was doing Yoga breathing to stay awake.  I felt like my brain wasn't getting enough oxygen and Rachelle was telling me I was going too slow (in not exactly those words).  I just didn't feel the need to BOOK it for every run and Rachelle was like the energizer bunny.  I swear her 5 hour energy drink lasted well into the night!! :D.  She took off from me the last 1.5 miles.  At the mile to go sign I decided to pick it up a bit.  We were only passed by three fast guy teams.  WE passed many teams but we were talking so we didn't count them.  One girl I completely freaked out by passing her.  I didn't mean to.  I just said "hi" as I ran by.  My AP for Rachelle's leg was 8:50 for 8.2 (probably longer).  

When Rachelle and I finished our leg up the hill in the night to pass off to the next van THEY
 were nowhere to be found.  A cell phone call resulted in alarming (now quite funny) news.  They were at the WRONG exchange.  In fact they had dropped off the next guy (he just joined the team two weeks ago and never ran a Ragnar) at LEG 16 instead of 18.  He was by himself waiting and waiting...wondering where we were when we said we were just a few minutes to the exchange.  Van 2 had to drive back and pick him up and drive him TWO exchanges down the course.  We added almost an hour to our team's time.  I am sure that stress caused Van 2 to gain some strength in their early hour runs.  I know it would have mine!!  I felt bad for them.   For us it was bitter sweet.  We had gained 45 minutes but lost them in an instant.  But it wasn't really a race so it didn't matter.  I had to be to work at noon so I was sligthly stressed but work said it was okay I came in at 1pm.   However we MADE more time  up in our last legs and gain 30 minutes from the time we lost!!  I left for my last leg at 11am instead of the predicted 10:32 am.  Our team would have come in at 27:30 hours but things happen.  I wouldn't my change my team. They were all a blast to hang with!! Van 2 I met briefly and everyone of them had their own special running story.  And I love that!!  We came in 32 in our category and 69th out of all the teams!!    We are FREAKS on a Leash!!  Oh yah!! We lived up to our name. That's all that counts!!   

Drove to exchange 24 to TRY to get some sleep.  Didn't happen.  Rachelle and I were in the back seat of a minivan.  I think we both tried at least 10 positions to sleep in. All of them VERY uncomfortable.  I finally forfeited my spot and got out of the van without a wink of sleep and walked around aimlessly.  Rachelle was greatful.  I just decided sleep WASN'T going to happen.  You would have to drug me to sleep at Ragnar.  Even then that might backfire to the HORROR of the team!! 

Leg 29, 3.0 miles (course tooled long, as I knew it was based on effort).   20:23.  RACING flats SAucony A15s.  I think that's their name.  Not a good idea I realized as ROAD construction made it hard to fly in these shoes.  I was force to run on the side walk with bits of tarry gravel all over the place passing up and over many curbsides at intersections with MORE gravel to traverse.  The last mile was the best with a covered bridge to cross the Provo River (I just learned that it was indeed the Provo River!!) and a treeline path to the finish, passing off to Rachelle.  AP 6:47.  Passed 20 teams!!   Cooled down with Rachelle, although I was thinking more like lying down-- 1 mile.  Off to work.  Arrived at work at 1:09pm.  Worked until 6:45pm.  Left work.  Ate two bites of dinner and made the ascent to my bedroom and crashed at 7:25pm.  Woke at 530am.  10 hours of SLEEP.  OH YAH!!