Running an overnight, 200-ish mile, 12 person relay is a great way to tap into your inner-child. You can experience that feeling of going to camp and competing on a team all in one. The experience is rounded out with the feeling of withdrawls when it's all over. Because you can't share that intense experience and walk away like nothing happended. Mostly because you may never have experienced sore legs like the aftermath experienced from running three different legs of varying distances with no sleep - but also because there is such an elevated level of bonding and trust that is developed in such a short time. Erik and I updated our profiles on the Ragnar site several months ago. This included indicating that we can both run a sub-7 minute mile paced road 10K and checking boxes for races we would be interested in running. This allowed people to contact us if they are looking for runners to fill their 12 person teams. One of the races we were interested in running was Hawaii, because Hawaii. We were asked to join a competetive team and - even knowing that our lives were about to be shaken up with layoffs - we said yes. Once we made the rest of our decisions: to get engaged and quickly married then start traveling, we built Hawaii into the itinerary. (That #swedberghoneymoontour yo!) Having run one other Ragnar a couple years ago, I knew what to expect in terms of struggling to manage nutrition as well as what it felt like to run on no sleep. I didn't know what to expect in terms of my ability to hold a consistent speed through each leg, however, because my fitness level was drastically improved since the previous Ragnar. (I knew I could run a sub-7:00 pace for one of the legs, for example, but could I do it for all three? With no sleep?) There was also that small factor of running a full marathon 5 days before I would toe the line in Hawaii and I had no idea where I would be from a recovery standpoint. And finally, this was the first time I would be running on a team with strangers - and didn't know what that dynamic would feel like. With all those unknowns, we dove right in. Here are some things I learned and some of the high-andlow-lights: strangers While it's a team of 12 people, it's really the 6 of you in each van that spend all your time together. And I have to say, our van was the shit (possible pun intended, more on that later). Our theme song was "Let Me Love You" (yup, that one Justin Bieber sings, don't judge) and it was the most supportive group of people I've met. Over the course of 105 miles (our vans approximate total mileage) we stopped at least every 2 miles to cheer on each runner, offer water, give a high five, etc. There was a collective concern to make sure everyone had what they needed to run their best. And we remained mostly calm when we realized we were driving down the hwy with the trunk wide open and, more than once, drove away with the parking brake on. Road side group stretches and dance parties were definitely part of our support structure. stomach problems One of the worst realities of running races is that your stomach does not always care that you are in the middle of a race and demands that you find a bathroom - or a ditch, immediately. I've been fortunate in my running history to never be stopped in my tracks for one of these emergencies. I held on to this stat - during this race - but it was definitely touch and go. I don't know if it was something that I ate the day before or if it was perhaps an impact from the vog (volcano fog) but over the course of 24 hours - I had to go to the bathroom 15x. Unfortunately, this was during the time I had to run 21 miles over three legs. My van got to know me really well during this time as I talked more about poop than I ever have before (even more than when I raised funds for the crohn's and colitis foundation). The low point was having to go to the bathroom in a ditch because I couldn't make it to a porta potty at the next exchange. Super classy. My team finally convinced me to take some imodium before my last leg which stopped that immediate concern but also caused me to vomit a couple miles before I finished. So, even though I was in pain and had extreme stomach discomfort while running, I didn't poop my pants... winning? I'll take it. speedy splits (total mileage: 21 // average pace: 6:49) I respond well to failure. Or even to subpar performance. I consider my performance at the Portland marathon a mix of both: a failure in my ability to run a smart race therefore leading to an incredibly subpar performance. But because of running the marathon far slower than I would have liked - my legs were completely recovered five days later and I was ready for some redemption. I was ready to run hard. I was runner one and felt it my responsibity to set the tone for this race - for myself and for my team.
mile I've ever run to date was 5:54, and that was ONE mile, paced on a track. So even with the downhill advantage, I knew this average for 9 miles was unattainable but I also knew I could push my limits and have fun with it. I think the most exciting part of this leg for me is that 2 years ago, I wouldn't have been able to run downhill this long or even close to as fast due to my knee problems that impacted my performance for years. I didn't feel any knee pain this whole race and that is a massive accomplishment in itself. (Oh and to note, I didn't stop at the exchange point after passing the braclet...I ran straight to a portapotty where I stayed for the next 15 minutes.)
time but not enough to stop me - that is until about mile 5 when I doubled over, threw up, caught my breath for 30 seconds and dropped back into a sub-7 minute mile. I passed 19 people and ran this leg a couple minutes faster than projected. Overall, even with the stomach pain and intense terrain, our team ran incredibly well. I met people that started as strangers and ended as friends. We came in 4th in the mixed open division (originally thought it was 3rd but a team re-classed after the race and we dropped off the podium) and 11th overall! I am so proud of everyone's effort on such a tough course and I walked away (hobbled away at first because 2,000+ feet downhill is no joke!) with a fresh love of relay running. Okay fine - it's a bit of an addicition. I've run two more since mid-October and we're running the last Ragnar of the season this weekend. I recommend running Ragnar if you'd like a new healthy addicition.
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AuthorA Midwest girl gone global. I choose happiness everyday: I run, eat well, travel, and love completely. Archives
March 2022
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