Having taken 2 months off from running, I tried to convince
myself to buckle down and get back into a good training schedule. But I couldn’t do it. I lacked motivation and now had a three mile
wall I couldn’t break. So I was
definitely apprehensive about the race.
I finally threw my gear into a bag, haphazardly grabbing what I needed
and dashed to the airport. As I approached
security, I recognized my friend and teammate just a few people in front of
me. What a way to kick off! We sat together on the flight, catching up,
anticipating the weekend and suggesting future races. Our flight came in late but we found our way
through the airport and found our team.
I love being with my Rag-family!
Some old friends, some I had never met, but I love my run-cation weekends
so much that I think I already knew this was the therapy I wanted and could get
me back on track. We headed out for the
team dinner at Olive Garden, laughing and talking. As soon as we ordered, I announced it was
time for “2 Truths and a Lie” and was almost surprised how they immediately
went for it and had so much fun. We
spent the night at a friend’s house and then because I was in van 2, we got to
sleep in and go to breakfast. (Much of
my Ragnar experience revolves around food.)
We settled into our van, drove to our starting exchange and completed
our check in. We had a brief wait and
soon I took off on my first of 3 legs. I
had sunshine, warm weather, good music and my new Garmin watch to coach me
along for a 8.6 mile run. I was slower
than I would like but being so undertrained, I didn’t want to push too
hard. I sailed into the exchange, passed
the bright orange slap bracelet off to my teammate and then spent the next few
hours lounging in the van, snacking and cheering on teammates. (In particular, I was cheering for my friend
that ran the “Ragnar Half” which is a 13.5 mile run. Tough but since she got an extra medal, I was
still jealous.) Once our van’s runners
were finished we stopped at a Chili’s for dinner, enjoying the tabletop trivia
game and piles of chips and salsa while we waited. We headed back to the house for a quick
shower and an hour of sleep before heading out for our midnight runs. I had an easy 2.6 in my best run costume yet:
my rainbow yeti boot covers, hot pink tutu and pink light-up antennas. I crashed for awhile during my teammates’
runs and our van finished around sunrise.
We went to breakfast, discovering a local’s favorite that served
traditional German pancakes (amazing!!!).
Our break was brief and then we were back on the road again, finishing
with a 3.6 and then running it into the Cubs stadium with my team. Overall we were a little slower than hoped
but mostly stuck to our projected times.
We had a celebratory team dinner at the local brewery, said goodbyes to
van 1 and then spent the night at another teammate’s house. We stayed up late, repacking, showering and talking,
reluctant to leave. We went to the
airport together, sending each other off and already starting the countdown to
our next races. I love my new medal,
love my new hoodie (I finally splurged after drooling for six races) and feel
recommitted to running. Looking forward
to my next Ragnar adventure: Zion’s Trail in two months.
I got
home from my “run-cation” and the house was quiet. Husband and my cute girls were at
church. I immediately noticed the vase
of beautiful pink tulips on the table, quickly followed by how clean the house
was! Way to go husband. He also spent an evening with the girls
watching Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and now they all think they are
ninjas. But best of all, our littlest
girl was having trouble sleeping and he started using Pandora’s Mozart station
to get her to settle down and sleep more deeply. All the girls are hooked and beg for it each
night! He is so amazing!
No comments:
Post a Comment