4/4-4/5/14: Ragnar So Cal Relay (Runner's High)

This was my third Ragnar Relay. I ran both Ragnar So Cal and Ragnar Las Vegas last year and loved every moment of it.  We had five new runners of our team this year and everyone was a lot of fun. I was in Van 2 again this year and my total mileage was 12 and some change. I like to keep the mileage low because when I don't sleep since I don't enjoy running all that much when I am dead tired. I also told my team that I will be backup for anyone who gets injured or cannot run their leg for any reason. I am also glad that I didn't go for much more than I did because of the issues that I have been having with my hip. I knew that I was going to have to take it easy which is hard.

The same company, TRL Systems, that sponsored our team last year was nice enough to do it again this year. They paid for our vans and the gas which is the largest expense for a team unless you use your personal vehicles. We did have a huge scare with our two 15-passenger vans the day before the event. Enterprise called our captain and told him that due to the Chevy recall that is going on, they were not able to rent the vans to us. After explaining our situation to them, they found two SUV's for us and that is what we used this year.

 

We also had some great volunteers who also volunteered for our team last year. They are so nice to do this for us. One of the girls on our team (pictured below in the middle) finds all of our volunteers and drivers. She is awesome and saves us a lot of headaches, time and money since we would have to pay if we did not find volunteers.

 

Our driver was awesome as well. He drove Van 1 last year and this year he drove us in Van 2. He told us that it was a whole new experience driving Van 2. I guess we were a little too crazy for him. He slept whenever he could but I know the poor man was tired.

My team had a start time of 6:45 am but we ended up starting at 7:00 am since we were busy taking team photos and missed our start time. Ooops! Not a big deal because we do not run this event for time but simply for fun. This year we ran for a more important purpose. We ran in honor of my running buddy's husband who was the driver of Van 2 last year.  He took his own life last September and he is the one who started "Runner's High" so our team ran in his honor by wearing these bibs.

The weather was so much cooler this year which was a real blessing. It was in the 60-75 range which was really nice. It was so hot last year which made it pretty tough. So here is a quick summary of the three legs that I ran. 

Leg 9: 5.3 Miles (3:23 pm): Average Pace 8:02
My first leg was the longest but the easiest. I was a little nervous because I wasn't sure what to expect with my hip but it was actually pain free and I did push it a little just to see if I could run faster than a 9:00 pace which is the pace that I committed to. I really enjoyed this leg because I haven't ran an 8:XX pace in a few weeks. I think I got 16 kills on this run too!

 

Leg 21: 3.25 Miles (2:28 am): Average Pace 9:07
This leg was tough! I had not slept at all and I was running on empty. My dinner did not sit well and I was just not feeling it! I just told myself to take it easy and try to stay at a 9:00 pace if possible and forgot about the kills. I didn't want to run alone in the dark so I pretty much stayed with another girl who was out running. We came to a signal and when the it was our turn to go she looked at me and said "Happy Trails. See you at the Finish" and took off. I wasn't sure why she said that to me. It started to sprinkle and it felt really good to run in the cool weather. I eventually caught up to "Happy Trails" and ended up passing her and she was kill #10. I think she gave me the motivation I needed to get to the exchange.

Leg 33: 3.52 Miles (11:49 am): Average Pace 8:31
My last leg was probably the most enjoyable! Most of it was on a beach path and the ocean view and breeze was amazing. I had slept for about an hour at this point so I was still lagging but wanted to finish this last leg at a decent pace because I was about to be done. My goal was an 8:30-8:35 pace and I was able to accomplish that even though I was exhausted!

 

We had a lot of fun in Van 2 and from what I hear, Van 1 was very quiet. They called themselves the "Library Van." Our van was non-stop and we had a lot of fun. We provided leg support to our runners whenever possible and we also handed out bottles of water and snacks to the other runners out there. That was pretty fun and the runners really appreciated it.

We ran to the finish line as a team which was really fun. We finished in 33 hours 2 minutes and 47 seconds to be exact and placed 304th out of 510 teams in the Regular Mixed Open Division.

And I Ran...

Running has not been my favorite subject to talk about lately. It is a great topic when you are able to run and everything is going as planned but as you know, that has not been the case for me. The past few weeks have been tough since I have pretty much kissed my goal race goodbye. I have lost three weeks of training and my confidence level is pretty low at this point. I really have to think about how I am going to approach this race. I want to make the smartest choice so I need some time to digest all of this.

On a positive note, I ran this week. It was only a few miles, but I ran. This is better than nothing and the miles were pain free. 

The hip pain seems to be gone and I hope that it does not return. I have been doing all of the things that you great people have recommended to me. I have been icing, foam rolling and doing lots of different stretches which have helped a lot. 

Ragnar Relay is this coming Friday and I really want to run it. I don't have a lot of miles so I think if I keep the pace super easy then I might be okay. I have 12 miles to run and I think I can handle that. Thankfully we run this race for fun and we will be wearing tutus because #tutusrock! 

Who else is running Ragnar So Cal?

It looks like the weather is going to be great this year! Last year it was so hot so I am looking forward to the cooler weather!

Adding to the Race Calendar

I was looking at my Upcoming Races and thought that it was looking pretty empty so guess what I did? I signed up for two more race! I haven't made a decision on a marathon yet but I plan to after I get a solid 20 miler in the books. I have been itching to run a 5K ever since I spectated the Pasadena 5K a couple of weeks ago. The combination of  zero speed work and the summer heat will most likely result in a non-PR but I want to do it anyway just to see where I am at in the 5K department. The course is pretty flat but I don't do well in the heat period so my expectations are pretty low. The Cypress 5K is a local race (anything that does not require a hotel stay is considered local to me) that is pretty cheap so it is hard to pass it up. They also offer bib pick up the morning of the race so I like having that option to so that I don't have to make a double trip since it is a 40 mile drive.

I also committed to running So Cal Ragnar again with the same group that I ran it with this past April.  A few of the runners were not able to commit so we are adding a few new faces to the team next year. We registered early to take advantage of the lower pricing so there is no turning back now! It will be fun and our team will again be sponsored by our captain's employer who sponsored us last year. They will be paying for the vans and the gas which is a huge help! We are very lucky and blessed!

How is your race calendar looking for the remainder of 2013?

Are you planning to add any big races to close out the year?
Another marathon is still on my mind..I just have to pick one and pull the trigger!