Ragnar was full of ups and downs. This was my first Ragnar race, and it was pretty different than any other race I had ever been to. There were some good and bads. There was the typical race hype. That is always fun, good music, all the excitement, feeling like you can do anything. Ragnar was different in the fact that there are 8 runners on each team, and once the first one left, you are basically left waiting til your turn. We got in Thursday about 5:00 pm and unloaded our things. Once we found our camping spot, we were setting up camp and waiting for other to arrive.
Camping is always fun! Thursday night was so cold! There were people walking around, arriving, and setting up camp all night until about midnight. We had so much condensation in our tent, there were times it dripped on us, but we survived and it was fine. Friday morning came, and our start time was 9:45 am. we were in the second wave of runners that started (9:30 was the official start time). I heard there were 350 teams of 8 at this Ragnar, and teams started every 15 minutes. There were other teams (let's just call them faster teams) that started as late as 6:00 pm on Friday. The faster your average times, the later you started.
Camping is always fun! Thursday night was so cold! There were people walking around, arriving, and setting up camp all night until about midnight. We had so much condensation in our tent, there were times it dripped on us, but we survived and it was fine. Friday morning came, and our start time was 9:45 am. we were in the second wave of runners that started (9:30 was the official start time). I heard there were 350 teams of 8 at this Ragnar, and teams started every 15 minutes. There were other teams (let's just call them faster teams) that started as late as 6:00 pm on Friday. The faster your average times, the later you started.
I had made up this spreadsheet with approximate start times, and it held up pretty true to what I guessed.
Heidi was runner #4, so her first loop started about 1:30. Her first loop was the "green" and was the shortest, but still was actually very difficult.
There was some single tracks, ups and downs, and also some switchbacks that were pretty rocky. Also a lot of loose sand areas that made running pretty tough. The Green loop had about 150 ft of elevation change in it.. which might not seem like a lot, but go out and try running up about 15 flights of stairs. :) (My Garmin wouldn't connect so the above image doesn't look like a loop.. but it did start and end at the same place.)
I was runner #5, so my first loop was the 'yellow' loop. I started out strong, but then about mile 2 it started going uphill... and stayed that way for almost 2 more miles. Over 500 ft of elevation gain on this bad boy. I walked that section... the whole way. I couldn't run it, but I ran the downhill.
After my run, we had some downtime, while the rest of the team ran. We spent some time in the CoP tent we had down there handing out swag and giving information about the college. Heidi also had a volunteer shift at the elevated legs (this place was amazing. It's a big compression sleeve you put on your legs, and it fills with air and massages the lactic acid out and gets the blood pumping again. It was so awesome. I totally want a set) and sport suntan lotion place.
Heidi's next run was the red loop.. and it was the longest, and the hardest... AND.. she started it at about 11:30 at night. Should be fantastic, right? Chilly weather? check. Hardest course? check. Never seen the course? check. Running in the middle of the night? check. Well of course she rocked it. She said it was the hardest thing she has ever done, and I am so so proud of her. She didn't fall, she ran faster than expected, and she is amazing! So proud! I then ran the green loop at 1:30am. I came back to camp, got into bed and slept for a few hours.
We must have slept harder than we thought because about 3 am or so, there was a gal over in the medic tent who had broken both her bones in her leg on one of the loops. ouch! :(
Heidi's next loop was the yellow and she was excited to be done. The yellow had some pretty technical parts in it but she handled them great and again ran faster than expected. Then it was my turn.... on the dreaded red loop of death! (my nickname for it) the red and yellow have the same first mile... but after that, the red just keeps going up and up.. but its not a subtle up.. it's up a steep hill, then it tricks you with a short downhill... then a longer up, shorter down... until you lose your mind! I ran this at 11:00 am, and I was having a hard time. (I am more impressed now that Heidi ran it in the pitch black with her headlamp! WOW) by this point, I had had it, and was gassed. I told myself I could walk uphill, but all the flat and downhill sections I wanted to run and make up time. This loop almost broke me. I was wanting to give up running and this whole trying to get fit crap. I wanted to just walk back to camp and go home. The guy who said I didn't look like a runner (see the "inner dialogue" blog post) had gotten to me too. I clearly wasn't a runner. I was failing my team, slowing them down, etc etc... step by step, walking and running.. I finally made it! I was so gassed at the finish line, and sweet Heidi was there with a cold towel and some chocolate milk for me. I was a little delirious, and needed her help to walk back to camp. Thanks for being there!
Overall, it was fun. Right now, 4 days post race, I am not inclined to do it again, but it certainly was a bucket list item for me. We shall see what the future holds for me and Ragnar.
The above is a photo of our camp. we had about 8 tents and our table of goodies!
no public bonfires or open fires, except for the main one at the Ragnar Village. People would just hang out here and get warm while waiting for their next runners to come in.
The transition tent.. when you start and stop each leg.
After my run, we had some downtime, while the rest of the team ran. We spent some time in the CoP tent we had down there handing out swag and giving information about the college. Heidi also had a volunteer shift at the elevated legs (this place was amazing. It's a big compression sleeve you put on your legs, and it fills with air and massages the lactic acid out and gets the blood pumping again. It was so awesome. I totally want a set) and sport suntan lotion place.
Heidi's next run was the red loop.. and it was the longest, and the hardest... AND.. she started it at about 11:30 at night. Should be fantastic, right? Chilly weather? check. Hardest course? check. Never seen the course? check. Running in the middle of the night? check. Well of course she rocked it. She said it was the hardest thing she has ever done, and I am so so proud of her. She didn't fall, she ran faster than expected, and she is amazing! So proud! I then ran the green loop at 1:30am. I came back to camp, got into bed and slept for a few hours.
We must have slept harder than we thought because about 3 am or so, there was a gal over in the medic tent who had broken both her bones in her leg on one of the loops. ouch! :(
Heidi's next loop was the yellow and she was excited to be done. The yellow had some pretty technical parts in it but she handled them great and again ran faster than expected. Then it was my turn.... on the dreaded red loop of death! (my nickname for it) the red and yellow have the same first mile... but after that, the red just keeps going up and up.. but its not a subtle up.. it's up a steep hill, then it tricks you with a short downhill... then a longer up, shorter down... until you lose your mind! I ran this at 11:00 am, and I was having a hard time. (I am more impressed now that Heidi ran it in the pitch black with her headlamp! WOW) by this point, I had had it, and was gassed. I told myself I could walk uphill, but all the flat and downhill sections I wanted to run and make up time. This loop almost broke me. I was wanting to give up running and this whole trying to get fit crap. I wanted to just walk back to camp and go home. The guy who said I didn't look like a runner (see the "inner dialogue" blog post) had gotten to me too. I clearly wasn't a runner. I was failing my team, slowing them down, etc etc... step by step, walking and running.. I finally made it! I was so gassed at the finish line, and sweet Heidi was there with a cold towel and some chocolate milk for me. I was a little delirious, and needed her help to walk back to camp. Thanks for being there!
Overall, it was fun. Right now, 4 days post race, I am not inclined to do it again, but it certainly was a bucket list item for me. We shall see what the future holds for me and Ragnar.
The above is a photo of our camp. we had about 8 tents and our table of goodies!
no public bonfires or open fires, except for the main one at the Ragnar Village. People would just hang out here and get warm while waiting for their next runners to come in.
The transition tent.. when you start and stop each leg.
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