LV Ragnar (Runner 2). Cold and very windy--in fact, it was snowing at the start. This was my 3rd LV Ragnar, 10th overall. First leg (9:55am) was 4.8 miles, and I averaged a 6:19 (downhill, of course). Last .8 was 6:08. Wore my Asics Gel racing flats. Second leg (5:55pm) was 4.7, uphill (570ft elevation gain), dead into a strong headwind. Not as fast as leg one, for sure, but I passed 41 runners (a number were going really slow the last mile). By the time I ran my third leg (4:25am), the wind had finally died down. It was a 7-mile leg, nothing to really write home about, but my calves were a bit sore from constant use of my racing flats. My 4th leg (7:32am and yes, I ran 4 legs as we had a runner that had to get home for her son's soccer game) wasn't long--just 3 miles--but my calves were burning. Took all I had to squeak out a 7:00 final mile. Had a great time. It's the same team I always run with, so we know each other pretty well. As far as my calf muscles go, I'm not unhappy. Up until about six months ago, I've worn Brooks Beasts for about seven years. I switched to the Adrenaline GTS, with a lower heel drop, and now race in minimalist shoes (including Altras on shorter races). They seem to be working great, and I'm getting more adjusted to them all the time.
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