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jephmatLast weekend I was part of my good friend Kiki's So Cal Ragnar Relay team Running C2C. (A team for her crossfit gym in San Juan Capistrano Crossfit to the Core!) It was my 5th So Cal Ragnar and my 13th Ragnar Relay.
For those of you not familiar with a Ragnar Relay: The Ragnar Relay is a long-distance relay race a la' Hood to Coast. The average team has 12 runners, and the course is around 200 miles long. Each runner runs 3 legs of 3 to 9 miles, and the race takes an average of 30 hours to complete. The runners get from exchange to exchange via two passeneger vans. While one van's runners are running, the other van is resting and trying to get some sleep. For more info, check out this link.
My Teammates: Our fearless leader and my good friend Kiki led us runners in Van 2, which included me, Iron Woman Guin, comic relief Jack, thee Kevin, and John. (Who was running with a cast on his left arm. Play hurt!) The interpid Brian was our driver, letting the rest of us concentrate on running duties. We comprised van two, runners seven through twelve.
First Leg: Gettin' Ultra
Because I had asked Kiki for a lot of miles, she assigned me the runner 7 position. (Got the handoff from the last runner in van one!) My first leg was the longest leg on the entire 200 mile-ish course: 12.1 total miles, from Orange to Irvine in Southern California.
I got myself good and psyched for this run. Only three weeks before I had attempted to hit my half marathon PR at the Oakland Running Festival, (Missed it by three minutes,) and I decided I wasn't going to run this just for fun, I was going to try and kill it!
I stood in the chute along with all of the other 12.1 miler runners, waiting for my teammate Steve to charge in. I'm always antsy when I'm waiting for a runner to come in at an exchange, but this leg was making me extra antsy. I've run a longer Ragnar leg than this one in a previous race, but that was for my ultra team. This time I had eleven other runners waiting for me to kill this distance, and I was determined to keep it as short as possible!
I started off at an even pace. I didn't want to burn myself out too early. The course took me along suburban streets for a good four miles before veering off onto a concrete trail that ran alongside a dry aqueduct. By the time I had hit the trail, my water bottle was empty and I was drying out again. Fortunately the first of three water stations appeared and I was able to resupply myself.
The weather for this run was on the border of being warm and hot. The heat didn't really affect me on this run. In fact there was a cool breeze for most of the twelve miles. But one thing I'm not used to is the dry air. I brought a water bottle with me, but I had to refill it at every one of the three water stations. I basically drank the equivalent of three bottles of water for this run.
There were a few small hills during the first four miles, but the trail for the rest of the run was pretty even, only dipping under and up again for overpasses. Younger and leaner runners zipped past me for my first six miles, as they looked to tear up this leg as well. It wasn't until I hit mile seven that I started passing up runners, some who were slower runners than myself, but also a few others who were obviously having a hard time with the course. Even though it wasn't very hot, some runners were having trouble coping with the warm weather. Others were either just hitting the wall or tightening up. Overall I managed to keep a decent pace, though I did start to slow down around mile ten, just from general fatigue, and the warm weather was finally starting to get to me.
At the exchange I handed off to my teammate Guin, who then ran an ovary-busting 9.3 miles for her first leg. I received an organge and white hat stating that I had tackled the longest run of So Cal Ragnar 2015. After that run, all of the number seven runners from all of the other teams were wearing that orange hat.
I felt good after the run, which took me a little more than two hours, but I can't help but feel I might've been able to push myself a little more and shave some more minutes off of my effort. After all, I had run the Oakland Half in less time.
As for Guin and myself, out combined mileage on our first legs totalled more than 21 miles, which also comprised more than 11% of the entire course! We shall take the street cred, yes.
Crazy from the heat?
In all of my previous So Cal ragnars I had to run through oven-like heat. I've run four miles, five miles, and one time more than eight miles inside the outdoor So Cal furnace. Several years ago one run was in 110 degree heat! So when I found out my first leg was going to be a whopping dozen miles, I didn't fret about the distance, I was worried about trying to run through So Cal Hell.
But this time the weather was quite mild. It never got very hot at all, oftentimes it was just warm, and I even had to bundle up at night. It actually got cold! This time the weather gods were smiling down on us. Even so, I did eventually sunburn my nose during this Ragnar and got a decent tan.
Night time trot
My nighttime leg was a rather uneventful 3.54 miles along suburban streets of Vista. I got the baton and ran along a main street, then down some residential streets until I got to the exchange. It was cooler than I expected it would be. There wasn't anything particularly difficult about this run except for a few "sidewalks" which were just broken concrete and dirt, but it was pretty much an uneventful run.
The only factor I was unsure of was who I would be handing off to. My teammate Guin had just been getting over the flu just before the race, and now she was not feeling well at all and had decided not to run her second leg. They were still working out the replacement plans when I took off from the exchange, so I didn't know if I was going to be handing off to Kiki or Jack, both of whom were discussed as replacement runners.
But when I got to the exchange, who was suited up with headlamp and reflective vest? Iron Runner Guin, who decided to woman up and tough out her run. Playing hurt is one thing, but running while you're under the weather, that takes some real cajone's!
Last leg: Stop and go, Stop and Go, and Stop Stop Stop...
My last leg was a 7.3 mile run through San Diego, starting just by UC San Diego. After two miles we came to a nice decline, where me and all of the other runners scurried happily on down, but that was followed by a hill that was as steep as a ski jump. No one ran all the way up that thing. Even the ripped young Hanz n' Franzers said "Screw it!" and walked up at least part of the way.
The weather was warm and I brought my bottle of water, but it wasn't as dry as my first leg, so I held up well for the entire run. I never once got dried out. The only drawback to this run were the stoplioghts. Lots and lots of stoplights. All of which had really loooooooooong red lights. I kept catching up to a young man who was at least twenty years younger than me and at least twenty pounds lighter. "There's no way I should be catching up to you all of the time, seriously!" I told him. "See you at the next red light!" he called out as he took off when the light eventually turned green. I was also followed by young woman who was a much slower runner than me, but I couldn't lose her because of the red lights. Basically we all ended up clumping together because of constantly having to stop. It was a pleasant run, but it was the most stoplight heavy Ragnar leg I've ever run. Talk about putting a crimp in your pace!
I finally finished this run off, feeling good. After nearly 23 miles of total running over two days, I didn't feel worn down or too stiff or achey. It was like a mini-ultra for me, and I'm so glad I was the one who got to tackle the twelve miler.
We finished up in the late afternoon on Saturday, as our fearless leader Kiki came in to finish up another Ragnar So Cal.
I've done many different Ragnars, but So Cal is my favorite. The weather is always great, the spirit is the best, and the friends old and new are always awesome. This is definitely a tradition I want to continue!
Pictures!
Thee hat for running the longest leg!
Me and Iron Woman Guin. We ran more than 10% of the course on our combined first legs!
Me, right before running that 12.1 miler. You are correct, I can't stop talking about it!
Teammate Kelly from Van one, holding up a GoPro that I didn't know was recording, and our Captain Kiki. The red beanies were so we could find each other in the crowd.
Someof my teammates, killing time at the start line.
Me handing off to Guin on the first day of running.
For those of you not familiar with a Ragnar Relay: The Ragnar Relay is a long-distance relay race a la' Hood to Coast. The average team has 12 runners, and the course is around 200 miles long. Each runner runs 3 legs of 3 to 9 miles, and the race takes an average of 30 hours to complete. The runners get from exchange to exchange via two passeneger vans. While one van's runners are running, the other van is resting and trying to get some sleep. For more info, check out this link.
My Teammates: Our fearless leader and my good friend Kiki led us runners in Van 2, which included me, Iron Woman Guin, comic relief Jack, thee Kevin, and John. (Who was running with a cast on his left arm. Play hurt!) The interpid Brian was our driver, letting the rest of us concentrate on running duties. We comprised van two, runners seven through twelve.
First Leg: Gettin' Ultra
Because I had asked Kiki for a lot of miles, she assigned me the runner 7 position. (Got the handoff from the last runner in van one!) My first leg was the longest leg on the entire 200 mile-ish course: 12.1 total miles, from Orange to Irvine in Southern California.
I got myself good and psyched for this run. Only three weeks before I had attempted to hit my half marathon PR at the Oakland Running Festival, (Missed it by three minutes,) and I decided I wasn't going to run this just for fun, I was going to try and kill it!
I stood in the chute along with all of the other 12.1 miler runners, waiting for my teammate Steve to charge in. I'm always antsy when I'm waiting for a runner to come in at an exchange, but this leg was making me extra antsy. I've run a longer Ragnar leg than this one in a previous race, but that was for my ultra team. This time I had eleven other runners waiting for me to kill this distance, and I was determined to keep it as short as possible!
I started off at an even pace. I didn't want to burn myself out too early. The course took me along suburban streets for a good four miles before veering off onto a concrete trail that ran alongside a dry aqueduct. By the time I had hit the trail, my water bottle was empty and I was drying out again. Fortunately the first of three water stations appeared and I was able to resupply myself.
The weather for this run was on the border of being warm and hot. The heat didn't really affect me on this run. In fact there was a cool breeze for most of the twelve miles. But one thing I'm not used to is the dry air. I brought a water bottle with me, but I had to refill it at every one of the three water stations. I basically drank the equivalent of three bottles of water for this run.
There were a few small hills during the first four miles, but the trail for the rest of the run was pretty even, only dipping under and up again for overpasses. Younger and leaner runners zipped past me for my first six miles, as they looked to tear up this leg as well. It wasn't until I hit mile seven that I started passing up runners, some who were slower runners than myself, but also a few others who were obviously having a hard time with the course. Even though it wasn't very hot, some runners were having trouble coping with the warm weather. Others were either just hitting the wall or tightening up. Overall I managed to keep a decent pace, though I did start to slow down around mile ten, just from general fatigue, and the warm weather was finally starting to get to me.
At the exchange I handed off to my teammate Guin, who then ran an ovary-busting 9.3 miles for her first leg. I received an organge and white hat stating that I had tackled the longest run of So Cal Ragnar 2015. After that run, all of the number seven runners from all of the other teams were wearing that orange hat.
I felt good after the run, which took me a little more than two hours, but I can't help but feel I might've been able to push myself a little more and shave some more minutes off of my effort. After all, I had run the Oakland Half in less time.
As for Guin and myself, out combined mileage on our first legs totalled more than 21 miles, which also comprised more than 11% of the entire course! We shall take the street cred, yes.
Crazy from the heat?
In all of my previous So Cal ragnars I had to run through oven-like heat. I've run four miles, five miles, and one time more than eight miles inside the outdoor So Cal furnace. Several years ago one run was in 110 degree heat! So when I found out my first leg was going to be a whopping dozen miles, I didn't fret about the distance, I was worried about trying to run through So Cal Hell.
But this time the weather was quite mild. It never got very hot at all, oftentimes it was just warm, and I even had to bundle up at night. It actually got cold! This time the weather gods were smiling down on us. Even so, I did eventually sunburn my nose during this Ragnar and got a decent tan.
Night time trot
My nighttime leg was a rather uneventful 3.54 miles along suburban streets of Vista. I got the baton and ran along a main street, then down some residential streets until I got to the exchange. It was cooler than I expected it would be. There wasn't anything particularly difficult about this run except for a few "sidewalks" which were just broken concrete and dirt, but it was pretty much an uneventful run.
The only factor I was unsure of was who I would be handing off to. My teammate Guin had just been getting over the flu just before the race, and now she was not feeling well at all and had decided not to run her second leg. They were still working out the replacement plans when I took off from the exchange, so I didn't know if I was going to be handing off to Kiki or Jack, both of whom were discussed as replacement runners.
But when I got to the exchange, who was suited up with headlamp and reflective vest? Iron Runner Guin, who decided to woman up and tough out her run. Playing hurt is one thing, but running while you're under the weather, that takes some real cajone's!
Last leg: Stop and go, Stop and Go, and Stop Stop Stop...
My last leg was a 7.3 mile run through San Diego, starting just by UC San Diego. After two miles we came to a nice decline, where me and all of the other runners scurried happily on down, but that was followed by a hill that was as steep as a ski jump. No one ran all the way up that thing. Even the ripped young Hanz n' Franzers said "Screw it!" and walked up at least part of the way.
The weather was warm and I brought my bottle of water, but it wasn't as dry as my first leg, so I held up well for the entire run. I never once got dried out. The only drawback to this run were the stoplioghts. Lots and lots of stoplights. All of which had really loooooooooong red lights. I kept catching up to a young man who was at least twenty years younger than me and at least twenty pounds lighter. "There's no way I should be catching up to you all of the time, seriously!" I told him. "See you at the next red light!" he called out as he took off when the light eventually turned green. I was also followed by young woman who was a much slower runner than me, but I couldn't lose her because of the red lights. Basically we all ended up clumping together because of constantly having to stop. It was a pleasant run, but it was the most stoplight heavy Ragnar leg I've ever run. Talk about putting a crimp in your pace!
I finally finished this run off, feeling good. After nearly 23 miles of total running over two days, I didn't feel worn down or too stiff or achey. It was like a mini-ultra for me, and I'm so glad I was the one who got to tackle the twelve miler.
We finished up in the late afternoon on Saturday, as our fearless leader Kiki came in to finish up another Ragnar So Cal.
I've done many different Ragnars, but So Cal is my favorite. The weather is always great, the spirit is the best, and the friends old and new are always awesome. This is definitely a tradition I want to continue!
Pictures!
Thee hat for running the longest leg!
Me and Iron Woman Guin. We ran more than 10% of the course on our combined first legs!
Me, right before running that 12.1 miler. You are correct, I can't stop talking about it!
Teammate Kelly from Van one, holding up a GoPro that I didn't know was recording, and our Captain Kiki. The red beanies were so we could find each other in the crowd.
Someof my teammates, killing time at the start line.
Me handing off to Guin on the first day of running.
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Date: 2015-04-15 04:57 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-04-15 07:09 pm (UTC)