Making A Change

Runners are creatures of habit. We eat the same foods prior to long runs, we have the same pre-race rituals, we wear a certain outfit. Many of us tend to do the same thing with our shoes. With running shoes, I've always thought, 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' and have been wearing the same shoe (although they keep updating it and changing the number) for two years.

Well, for some reason, I decided to make a change. I wanted to try out a lighter weight shoe. The Brooks Adrenaline 12s that I've been wearing are great, don't get me wrong, but I also know that they were suggested for me when I was training for marathons. (The way I run, I need a support shoe) Since my plans for 2013 do NOT include a 26.2, I thought it was the perfect time to look at new models of shoes.

I tried the lighter weight Brooks shoe. Of course. I love my Brooks and have had about 10 pairs of them in the last three years. Unfortunately, they didn't feel right. The sales rep brought out the Mizuno Wave Elixir 7s. I told him that I've never tried on a Mizuno shoe and he looked at me like I was a crazy person. He said, "You'll love them!" I told him that I'm a Brooks girl and I tried them on. WOW! Immediately, I was ready to buy them! But, I ran up and down the aisle a few times to be sure, but I really wanted to go for a run in these shoes.

Pretty, aren't they?!

With running shoes, if they don't immediately feel like you can go out and run in them, do NOT buy them! You should NOT need to break them in. However, many models of shoes you should wear them several times for shorter distances as they use different muscles and you need to get used to how your body and the shoes work together. The Wave Elixirs are that way for me since I've been wearing such heavily cushioned shoes.

Here we go! (Don't you just love the
pink socks with the blue/purple & orange shoes?)

When I went out for my first run in them, they felt great. I concentrated on my form, but noticed a little bit different foot strike (which was my goal with the lighter weight shoes). 3.1 miles was my limit for the run to make sure that I didn't over-do it.

LOVE! Yes, LOVE my new shoes! I wore them for a second run of 6miles and had no issues. I will be keeping my Adrenaline's around for my longer runs, but these are definitely a winner for shorter distances! So happy that I went outside of my comfort zone and tried something new!

Do you ever go outside your comfort zone and try new shoes, or are you a creature of habit like I usually am?

OrthoLite Fusion Insoles Review and Giveaway

As many of you know, I have been running consistently for just over three years now. In that time I have learned a lot by talking to people and also by trial and error. In a way, I think the latter one teaches me more. (Yes, I'm a little hard headed, my kids come by it honestly!)

When I was contacted to see if I wanted to try the Ortholite Fusion Insoles, my first thought was, no thanks. I don't wear insoles in my shoes. In my mind, I figured that if my shoes needed a new insole, then I probably needed new shoes. So I thought about it a little bit more and figured, "why not?"

Look how pretty and clean they are!

I received this information in the original email:

OrthoLite Fusion insoles are available at ortholite.com or amazon.com for $19.99. Features include:

• Designed to fit all athletic and outdoor shoes or boots
• Made with open-cell foam, allowing air to circulate around the foot, keeping it cooler and drier inside the shoe
• Wicks moisture away from your foot leaving your foot cooler and drier
• Unique spring-back technology ensures that your insole won’t flatten out and it will retain over 95% of its thickness over time
• Our patented anti-microbial formulation (approved by the EPA and FDA) fights fungus, bacteria and shoe odor
• Lightweight and fully washable

Ok, the next to last statement was what really sold me...fights shoe odor! After sweating for miles and miles in a pair of shoes, we all need a good odor defense, don't we? I read the directions, got out my scissors and set to work. I was still a skeptic, so I decided to get out my Brooks that had the most miles on them that should probably be retired and see how they feel. 

wow, my original insoles are worn!

Hoping I was doing it right, I started cutting the OrthoLite Insole. It was actually much easier than I anticipated and I put it in my shoe. Perfect fit, yay me! I did the other and tried them on. It felt like a new shoe! However, that was only walking around in the house, I still wasn't convinced they would make a difference while running. So, I headed to the basement to try them out on the treadmill. I couldn't believe how much difference this little insole made in the feel of my old shoes. They helped me extend the life of my old Brooks Adrenaline 11s, but don't know how it would work or how many extra miles I would be able to get out of a pair of shoes had I used them from the beginning.

See? Easy!

I've worn them for runs on the street and the treadmill and both feel great. Now that I've retired those shoes in the picture, I have moved them to another pair of my shoes that have pretty high mileage on them.

The even better news, OrthoLite is allowing me to share the goodness with one of my readers!

One of my readers will be able to try these insoles for themselves!

Enter by the following ways:

Here's how to Enter: (total of 4 possible entries)

1. Follow @Ortholite on Twitter and tell me that you did.

2. Follow @runningmom2boys on Twitter and tell me that you did (or tell me that you already do).

3. Share this giveaway on Twitter, Facebook, or your own blog. Then leave me a comment saying you did.

4. Leave a blog comment below telling me about any experience you have had with insoles or if you've never tried them tell me why.

This giveaway will be open until Friday, November 30, at 8:00pm (eastern). A random winner will be chosen via Random.org and announced on Monday, December 3. The winner will have until Thursday, December 6, 2012 to contact me. Should the winner fail to contact me by 8:00pm eastern on 12/6/12, the next number chosen via Random.org will be the new winner. 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Thankful Thursday

Our Thankful Tree

Happy Thanksgiving to all of my friends and family in the States! This year, we made a Thankful Tree and hung it on our kitchen wall. Every couple days, we made more leaves, added what we were thankful for that day and stuck it to our tree. The sign above the tree says "Give Thanks". 

One of my favorite parts was seeing what the kids would come up with! Some days they made my heart sing and other days, they made us laugh. 

Just a few:

My Family

My Healthy Family

A Good Job

Video Games

Running

Getting hugs

Coffee

Toys

Friends

Laughing

Sunshine

New Experiences

This time of year, everyone always states what they are thankful for, but I've been trying to live that way through the entire year. Our Thankful Tree will be coming down next week to make room for the next holiday, but I hope that the idea will continue to live in my children. 

To anyone traveling today and this weekend, drive safely! Enjoy your time with your family and friends, and remember to give thanks for the big and little things in life. Don't let the crazy shopping and sales get in the way of what is important this weekend...quality time with your loved ones!

Do you have anything similar to our Thankful Tree? I'd love to see pictures if you're willing to share.

The End of the Race, Ragnar TN Relay

The final post in my 2012 Ragnar Tennessee Relay Race "series"..... See, I told you I'd be done...eventually! If you missed the earlier posts, here they are (Day 1, Leg 1, More of Race day 1, Night Running/Leg 2, The Third Leg) This includes the randomness of waiting for the rest of the team to finish.

Awesome medal doubles as a bottle opener

After the final big exchange with Van 2 and our yummy lunch, we headed to the finish line to wait for the rest of our team. We waited and waited. The beer tents were open but we were waiting for our team to finish so we could all celebrate together.

The finish chute and finish line.

We hung around the finish line for a little while, enjoying the rest and the sunshine, checked out the Ragnar merchandise.

Me and Jamie, my BRF (best running friend)

Then Jamie and I got to meet a twitter friend, Meg. She lives in the area and stopped over to meet us. 

Jamie, Meg, and me

Back at the van we talked, we laughed, we re-lived the details of the race. We talked about our next Ragnar. Yes, the next one. I tweeted this on our way home from Tennessee:

Yesterday, I said "maybe" to another @RagnarRelay. Today, I said "When and where are we going?" 

It was THAT much fun. Even with the injury. Even with no-sleep and lots of travel and no shower. It was a huge challenge and we all know that I LOVE a big challenge!

Me and Kate just hanging out.

We got the call from our other team that they were on their way, Ken, runner 12, was out on his leg. Ken is an AMAZING runner, super fast and consistent, so we expected him to be there in no time. We saw him and we all got ready to run across the finish line together. Well, I hobbled with the help of Doug to cross the finish line as my leg was NOT cooperating with the running aspect of it. Thank you Doug for helping me get there! We got our medals and car stickers then headed for the most important part...

We passed out the beer coupons, thank you Ragnar for a free beer! (and pizza that disappeared faster than you could ever imagine!)

Melissa and Kate showing off their much coveted beer coupons

Since Jamie doesn't drink beer and I was injured, I told her that I could take one for the team.....

My mom will be so proud! :)

Although, after two days of no sleep, not enough food and LOTS of running, I couldn't drink both. Greg, thanks for helping me with that problem, just another example of the team players that we had!

Team 16, We Thought They Said RUM
Ragnar TN Relay FINISHERS!

We left and headed for the hotel and showers. Finally, a shower!!!! I could have stayed in there forever, it felt so good. But I knew there were several others that also needed a shower. (We were staying 4 ladies per room). Plus, more pizza and a party for our team. We had pizza, beer, martinis and snacks. Sitting around re-living the experience, telling of the different experiences both vans had was a lot of fun. Then we all started dropping off... I think we may have made it until 9:00pm! Honestly, with how exhausted we all were, I'm surprised we made it that long!

Sunday morning, we were up much earlier than I think any of us thought we would be, but there was a free breakfast buffet calling our names. Yep, 12 runners and 2 drivers, they didn't know what hit them! Show a runner to a buffet full of carbs and they will show you how to take care of it. That waffle was perhaps the best waffle I've ever had!

We loaded the vans and headed for home.

And this was waiting for me with
2 little smiling faces when I got home!

Such an awesome adventure, that was made much better by the team we had. Running a relay, it's all about the team, it's not about "you" like most running events are. I wish I could have told you all the details, jokes, funny stories of our shenanigans, but I think you had to be there. If you have ever thought about running a Ragnar or similar event, I strongly encourage you to go!!!

***Special thanks to Jamie for being our Captain, for getting us organized and getting us there!

***Thank you to Jeff, my wonderful husband, for taking time off work to take care of the children for a long weekend enabling me to go on this running weekend and not having a heart attack when I mentioned that we want to run another Ragnar Relay in 2013!

***Thank you to the rest of my Rummers...without you, it would not have been the same experience! It's one that I will remember forever.

**Thank you to the rest of my friends and family for listening to us talk about this race for the past year. For next one, I'll try not to talk at it...as much! 

Thank you to my team for sharing your pictures with me!

THE END

(Mostly) Wordless Wednesday...Another "Why I Run"

Otherwise, I'd miss the gorgeous sunrise and 6 deer
that you can't see in the picture!

Ragnar TN Relay, Day 2 Continues

Another successful handoff with Van2 and we were off to the next major exchange to hopefully catch some sleep. Six runners and a driver in a van with three bench seats...got a little crowded. We got it figured out and we all quickly went to sleep. For whatever reason, we all started waking up about 2.5 hours later and good thing we did as Van2 had made up time and were 30minutes ahead of schedule! We scrambled to use the indoor plumbing at the school where we were parked for the exchange and start doing our pre-run rituals.

On our trip down to Tennessee on Thursday, we were a little snobby about our choice of rest areas. By Saturday morning, we were thankful for anything that was NOT a port-a-potty. Definitely gave me a new appreciation for indoor plumbing! You know, when you see a man walk into a port-a-potty, immediately leave, try another one and then say "I"ll just wait until the next exchange", as a woman, you KNOW that's bad!

We got Melissa off and headed down to cheer for her along her third leg. At this point, I was popping ibuprofen like crazy. I had muscle soreness which I expected, but I also had a pain in my right leg. I was hoping that I could ignore it for my final leg of six miles.

It was finally my turn. The end was in sight! The sun had come up for a gorgeous morning, but it was still only about 7:15am (central) when I took off which is officially "night hours" (4pm to 8am) for Ragnar. That meant that I had to wear my headlamp, blinking butt lights and my vest. I would rather have not worn it all since it was quite bright outside, but do appreciate how much they look out for our safety.

I started trucking along and started getting warm. The temperature had said 37*F when I started so I opted for a short-sleeved shirt and a jacket. After a mile, I realized with that sun, that wasn't going to work. So here I was, running down the side of the road, trying to take my jacket off, keeping my vest on and not stop running! I had to be a funny sight! I was determined that I would not slow our team down, that I would keep up my time for them.

My legs thought differently. The muscle soreness, I could ignore, but at about 2.5 miles or maybe closer to mile 3, with every step I took on my right leg I had shooting pain and it buckled a couple times. Uh, oh. I quickly texted Jamie to tell her NOT to change yet, that I might need to hand off. I wanted someone to be ready just in case I needed it. I kept going, but it was getting slower and slower. I had another decent sized downhills that the knee just did NOT like. The pain was exactly like I had last year while training for my first marathon. I tore the meniscus on my right knee; not a good thing to do!

Definitely not as bas as the others, but see all that down? Yeah, that
did it....

Leg 3:
Elevation Gain: 105ft
Elevation Loss: 103ft
Distance: 3.58 miles
Total time: 35:05
Avg pace: 10:01
Total miles run at Ragnar: 15.35 miles

My van found me along the road, I stopped to talk to them, and it was decided that Jamie would take over. I was devastated for a while, but I knew I needed to get back home the following day "whole". I have a very important job to do and my kids are too young to have mommy laid-up for a week (or more!). There will be people that think I "sand-bagged" the run, but I know had I kept going, it would have just gotten worse. I actually practiced what I am always preaching to my friends "Listen to your body, it's smarter than your brain." A good friend said to me a couple days after the race; "Did you come home whole for your family? Did you have fun? Would you do it again?" As sad as I was to not finish my third leg, I know it was the right decision for me. As runners, one of the hardest things we have to do is make the decision to stop.

The rest of our van finished up and we headed to the final major exchange. We met up with the rest of our team and I had some more tears and a few pictures.

Van 1 is DONE! 

Thank you to my Van1 Teammates for your awesome support, for letting me be upset for a little bit, then making me get over it. You guys are AWESOME! Thank you to Jamie for picking up my leg and finishing it; you definitely went above and beyond with the extra miles. Thank you to driver Kurt for meeting me out there, for the chocolate milk and just for being an awesome supporter during the race!

Finally....FOOD! We headed to Jimmy John's where food is "Freaky Good, Freaky Fast" and yes, it was. It disappeared in record time! Now the waiting game started......

**Thanks to my Kate, Jamie, and Greg for all the pictures that I've used.

In case you missed them and want to catch up, here are the links first Ragnar posts:
Ragnar Tennessee Relay Race Weekend
Running down a mountain
More of Day 1
Running in the Night

What?! There's More? Night Running during Day 2 Ragnar TN Relay

When I last left off (end of race day 1), we were taking over from van 2 again. It was dark. It was cold. We weren't really sure what was going to happen out there. BUT, we all had our safety gear on. Ragnar takes safety seriously and I thank them for that. We all had our reflective vests on. Definitely gorgeous, if I do say so myself. Runners had to wear headlamps and blinking butt lights. Unfortunately, we don't have many pictures from the next few hours. We got Melissa and Jamie out for their 2nd legs, stopped half way and got to my exchange.

Quite a difference in temperate from the afternoon's wait for leg 1! It was approximately 40*, but the sky was clear and gorgeous. The spotters thankfully had headlamps to try to figure out the team number of the runner coming in, but there were often difficulties in translation. Jamie came down the hill and we completed another handoff.

Unfortunately, my exchange and the next several were in the "Quiet Zone". Ragnar asked us to please be quiet in a few towns and counties as they were in danger of losing their permits. It sure was hard to quietly cheer for our runners, but we did the best we could.

Finally, I was able to warm-up! I took off down, then up, then around the corner. After I turned that corner, complete darkness. I was by myself, again, but once my eyes, ears and brain adjusted to the darkness, I LOVED it! It was so peaceful and quiet. The stars were unbelievable! At one point, I thought I saw a shooting star but figured that I was probably hallucinating. (Later on I did find out that there was a meteor shower, so I DID see it!).

I got passed by a super fast guy and we talked for a few minutes about how gorgeous it was out there. Unfortunately, I got passed again and never saw anyone else. It did make it really nice to see their blinking lights up ahead and know that I wasn't completely alone, though. My legs were actually pretty lonely. Or maybe I wasn't fast enough to see other runners? Nah, I'll go with lonely based on our start time.

The only two things I knew about this leg were that I would be running through a forrest (too bad it was dark!) and running across a lake. Lots more ups and downs. My poor legs liked the up more than the down after the beating I gave them during leg 1 (read about that here). I was so happy to see my van in the middle of my leg! Honestly, I can't remember if I saw them once or twice, but when I finally found the bridge and the lake, they were on the other side. I was partially afraid of the bridge as there were a ton of potholes on it.

Funny story....you know how your brain stops communicating well when you're tired? Try being sleep deprived, tired from a hard effort run earlier and in the middle of another tough run. Yep, my brain could not get thoughts to my mouth. I was very concerned that I get the information to Katie that the bridges were in bad shape. When I saw my team, I yelled to them to tell Katie to be careful on the bridge. "Tell Katie there are.......umm....CRATERS! on the bridge" and I continued up the hill. As I made my way, the word craters just kept rolling around in my mind. Later on in the night, i finally came up with the word potholes and brought it up. Jamie said "we didn't even question the word craters".  However, Katie didn't have a bridge, Greg did. Hopefully he paid attention to the craters. :)

I was very ready for my favorite sign to appear. I could have kissed it! There are no mile markers like a road race. The only thing you see other than unmanned water stops are:

THIS

I will be buying the t-shirt at the next Ragnar that we do. Yes, I did just say next.

Overall, a great run. My body can do so much more than I give it credit for. 

While we waited for Greg to come into the exchange, we decided to utilize the paved parking lot. Rolling, ibuprofen, some rest and we'd be up for our 3rd Legs.

This is how we "roll" at 2am...

Leg 2 

6.73 miles 

Total Time: 1:03:02

Avg pace: 9:23

Elevation Gain: 247

Elevation Loss: 2:09

Definitely not as bas as my first leg, but some good up and downs.

** In case you missed them and want to read more about Ragnar, check out these posts:
Getting to TN
Running Down a Mountain
More Day 1 Fun

Ragnar Tennessee Relay, More of Day 1

My first leg may have been over, but we still had a LONG way to go. Literally.

Best Running Friends sporting the Ragnar Logo.

First, we had received our temporary tattoos from our Swag Bag and we had all applied them during Melissa's leg. I've never gotten a real tattoo and probably never will as I do not like needles, BUT, it was fun to have one for a few days. Meanwhile, with the vans parked, Kate, Greg and Richard were "tagging" all the vans. We didn't realize that this was something you were supposed to do and we got really upset after the start that "Gabe" joined our van while we weren't around (a name added to our van).

I just realized that this is my third post about my Ragnar experience, but did not really explain Ragnar for those of you that don't know. Amanda had seen/heard that Ragnar Relay is a party in a van with a side of running. Perfect description. This was taken from their website:

Ragnar is the overnight running relay race that makes testing your limits a team sport. A team is made up of 6-12 individuals; each individual runs 3 legs. The legs of the race vary in difficulty and distance, from 3-8 miles, allowing elite and novice runners to run together. Over 2 days and 1 night, teams run across 200 miles of the country’s most scenic terrain. Pair that with crazy costumes, inside jokes, a great finish line party and unforgettable stories. Some call it a slumber party without sleep, pillows or deodorant. We call it Ragnar.

Couldn't get enough of the beautiful views.
Exchange 4

So when we left off in my second post in The Ragnar Series (Day 1, the first part) I had made it down the mountain and Kate had taken off on her leg. We started on our way and met up with her about half way to cheer for her. Cheering and supporting our runners (and the other runners, too) I think was just as much fun as the actual running part. This was my first team experience with running and I LOVED it! We got to the next exchange for Greg to warm-up and Kurt (our most fantastic driver) had rigged up a pseudo changing room for us to use to get out of our sweaty running clothes. We had taken baby wipes since it would be many miles and hours between showers.

Side note: if you ever do a relay like this, use a driver! It was AWESOME to have a dedicated driver so we could relax between runs. And Kurt? So helpful and supportive. He made sure we had what we needed before, during, and after our runs. I'd use him for a driver anytime! We were super lucky as a team to be able to find a dedicated driver for each van, and it just so happened that they are married. Thanks Kurt and Mary for hauling us crazies all over BFE Tennessee all weekend. Plus there and back.

"Van Support" brought new meaning to us as we filled waters, took extra clothes, etc. Originally, we thought van support would be cheering. So, while we were cheering for Greg,  I could tell he was trying to get rid of something.... yep, he handed off his Heart Rate Monitor. No need for that in the mountains of TN, I can only imagine how much it was yelling at him about his level of exertion! Those "rolling hills" we saw on the elevation charts were NOT the rolling hills we were expecting! We yelled and cheered and acted like lunatics a little more, then loaded up into the van to head to the next exchange.

Exchange 6, the hand-off between vans 1 & 2

We got George Jorge Richard out on his way and headed to Exchange 6, otherwise known as hand off to van 2 so they could (finally) start running. I was lucky as one of the first runners as I didn't have to wait around all day like runners 7-12 did. Do you know how hard it is for runners to wait for their turn to run?! After the exchange was our down-time to eat, rest and head toward Exchange 12, the next Van exchange.

Jamie sporting the flags. They were mandatory to cross the road
and we had a lot of fun with them.

Now, during these past 36 hours that we have all been together, we have (obviously) gotten to know each other a lot more. We've shared stories, jokes and had a lot of inside jokes. I'd love to share it all, but honestly, if you weren't there, you probably wouldn't understand and/or appreciate half of it. Thanks to technology, much of it was already shared via "The Twitter" and Facebook. And let's face it, some things are just MUCH funnier at 2am.

Our van found a mexican restaurant for chips and salsa plus everyone else had dinner. I made a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for my sensitive stomach thinking that Mexican, no sleep and a longer run would not mix well. After we made our way to Exchange 12, we tried to sleep. Honest, we did. But, it was relatively early in the evening (around 7:00pm or so if my memory is right) and we were honestly still hyped up from the experience. Greg was the smart one (yeah, yeah, I admitted it)....he left the van and headed into the gym for some sleep. We decided to try stretching out in the van to sleep. I MAY have slept for about five minutes....

We were getting punchy...Melissa climbed into the back to sleep on the cooler...the guys parked next to us were sleeping on their roof...feet were going where they should not go...madness, I tell you, madness!

Melissa sleeping on a cooler. "I swear it's comfy"

It was finally time for the van exchange again. We met up with the van 2 runners, and Melissa headed out for her night time leg. Wow, it got COLD! I was starting to get nervous about my next leg, but happy to get out and cheer for Melissa coming into the exchange. My legs were still feeling sore after my sprint down the mountain and knew that the "rolling hills" would be more rolling than the rolling hills that I usually run in flat Ohio.

The waiting was done....time to run!

Ragnar Tennessee Race Day 1 Recap (the first part!)

Luckily we have some creative people on our team!

Race Day!!!! Finally! We were all up early because we were too excited to sleep. Honestly, I'm surprised that I slept as long as I did, thinking we got about 6 hours of sleep. We hit the buffet for breakfast and coffee, packed up and headed outside. Since we ran out of time Thursday night for decorating the vans, we had to get creative and get the dew dried off in order to decorate it before heading to the starting line. 

The starting area was so exciting! There were lots of other teams around and different groups starting their race experience every half hour. We had to attend our safety meeting, check in, get our flags, etc. 

We took pictures and waited for our 10:00am start time. Some teams ran in their team shirts, some teams wore costumes, some were sponsored. There were runners of all ages, too. 

The team!

As runner three, I luckily didn't have to wait too long to start my run. I was able to experience the fun at the starting line seeing Melissa off, then supporting and cheering along the way for runners 1 and 2. I know Melissa was surprised to see us during her run as we weren't sure where we would be able to stop. Since we were all first time Ragnar runners, we had no clue what was acceptable and what wasn't by the rules. We were quick learners though from watching everyone else!

We were able to help cheer Jamie up the mountain and finally we reached exchange 2 for my first leg. There were people everywhere waiting for their runners to get up the mountain. Ragnar was so well organized that it was easy to figure out what we were supposed to do, where we were supposed to be. The "look-out" or spotter, finally called "16" for our team meaning that Jamie had been spotted and I was next up in the exchange. 

Being the prepared runner that I am, I had studied the map of my first leg. I had trained as much as possible for the downhills, but really, in FLAT central OH, how much could I really do to mimic a mountain?

Here I am, clueless.... waiting for the exchange.

Jamie handed the "baton" (actually a slap bracelet) to me and I was off. The first half to 3/4 of a mile were up, then I was over the top of the mountain and headed down the other side. I was FLYING! I was also afraid to look at my watch at one point, thinking I would lose control of my feet by hitting a hole or loose gravel. The scenery was gorgeous. It was a perfect day for running. I was really enjoying the run. Well, for the most part. At times the continuous downhill was very painful, but just looking around and the fact that gravity really helped out made it super fun.

The hand-off! Here I go!

Can you tell I'm FLYING?!

At this point, I said "ouch!"

Unfortunately, there were no other runners for me to pass. I did get passed by a few men that were definitely going at the speed of light---I don't know how they did it! Sadly, there was no way that I could catch them to make them my "roadkill", but watching them run was amazing.

I got to the bottom of the mountain and the road started to level out a little bit and I saw the runner spotter. I made my legs go as fast as I could and got to the exchange.

I handed the bracelet off to Kate and she took off for her run. At this point, I finally looked at my time. Holy cow! I couldn't believe it. Originally, I was hoping for 45:00. My team, especially our driver Kurt, said they thought I'd go faster than that and would come in at 40:00. Little did I know....

My legs were shredded at this point, so my fantastic team helped me over to a grassy area, got me more water and I sat for a minute. Then we loaded up to go cheer for Kate and provide support for her run.

Garmin stats:

Distance: 5.1 miles

Time: 40:26

Avg pace: 8:00mm

Elevation Gain: 139ft

Elevation Loss: 1,362ft

Yeah, we don't have hills like that in Ohio!

My legs weren't working too well at this point, so the van was helping me out!

**Thank you to everyone on the team for sharing your photos and letting me use them. Day after we got home my phone (and all pictures on it) died***

**11/15 update with my pictures as I was finally able to retrieve them!***

Ragnar Tennessee Relay Race Weekend

I seriously do not even know where to start. My Ragnar Relay Race Weekend was more fun than I could even have imagined! In fact, I tweeted this yesterday:
Wondering how in the world I can accurately recap my@RagnarRelay Experience? Seriously fantastic and no clue how to put it into words...

When we started planning and looking for our team a year ago, we had heard stories of how fun a relay could be. Then over the past year, I went through many emotions from excitement to fear of the unknown to nervousness. But, FINALLY, the time came!

We chose the Ragnar Tennessee race based on time of year and location. About a 7 hour van trip from central Ohio would make it a little more cost effective than flying to another location. Van rental was able to happen locally and we were all (except for Melissa from NJ) able to travel together. We loaded up two 15 person vans and hit the road. 

Kate, Andrea, and me in the "girls' van".

Yes, we did segregate into a boys' van and a girls' van for the trip down. It was great to all spend time together since we wouldn't necessarily be able to during the race.

We look so well rested and clean, don't we? With no real clue what we were in for the next day!

For such a long trip, the time passed quickly with stories, laughs and of course snacks. We got to Tennessee finally, and every mountain we saw, we wondered if it was on the course or not. 

We picked up Melissa (Jamie's cousin) from the airport and headed over to check-in to our hotel. From there we decided to head to the Olive Garden for a team dinner. 

I won't get into the saga that was dinner, but at least we had good food and fun times!

Gorgeous scenery along the way

Team: We Thought They Said RUM!
12 runners and 2 drivers

We headed back to the hotel and got ready for bed, hoping to get at least a little bit of sleep. Other than waking up at 5:00 am and being unable to go back to sleep, it was a good night's sleep.


***11/15 update with more pictures as I was able to retrieve mine!***

It's Here, it's here!!!

After all the time spent planning, it's finally here! What you ask? Why, Ragnar Tennessee, of course! What is Ragnar? Well, it's a 196 mile overnight relay race. We will have 12 runners, 2 dedicated drivers, 2 large passenger vans, 36 hours of running, and a whole lot of fun. We won't be the fastest team, but we may just have the most fun!

We started planning this LAST YEAR. You see, it takes a lot of time to A) save up the money for this event and B) find enough people crazy enough to join us! Thank goodness for Jamie, the queen of organization! She has kept us all on track and was the keeper of our lists over the past year. 

Tomorrow, we leave. We drive from Ohio down to Chattanooga, TN for the start Friday morning. We all run anywhere between 10 and 20 miles over the course of three different legs. Each of our legs is approximately 12 hours apart. It will be crazy! So I will be running around lunchtime, then around mid-night, then again the next morning. Not much sleep to be had.

Our team is all newbies to Ragnar, but luckily a few teammates ran a relay in Columbus last year so they know at least a little bit of what we're doing.

Packing has been stressing me out....when I pack for races, I tend to over pack and triple check to make sure I'm not forgetting anything. However, this packing for THREE runs, plus the time in-between is very different. Lots of phone calls, texts and emails with Jamie and Kate to compare lists! 

And that's not everything!

I've been laying out my outfits, shoes, headbands for each leg. My nighttime safety gear (MANDATORY, well, and just plain smart!), my in-between clothes. Whew. I'm tired just talking about it. (and this doesn't even include our food, drinks, games, etc!)

We have read blogs, we've picked other runners' brains, and we've compared lists. Hopefully, we have everything we need to make this an unforgettable experience!

I'm a little nervous about the running, wondering what my body will think after not a whole lot of sleep and a lot of running. But from what I've heard, that's all part of the experience of a Ragnar. 

Non-runners may think this sounds a little crazy, but then again since I became a Marathoner, everyone already thinks that anyway. Yes, I run for FUN! 

Now, I need to head upstairs and figure out how to fit it all (organized) into my bag(s). 

Have you run a Ragnar Relay before? Have you run another relay race? Did you love it?