Thursday, April 7, 2016

#Ragnar4Rett: Race Recap {Part II}

Where did we leave off? Oh yes, I had just finished running my first leg, eating a sub and cheering on all my fellow Ragnarians ;) If you need to catch up, check out the links below:

     * Meet Ultra #TeamSparkle 2016!
     * Packing For (An Ultra) Ragnar
     * #Ragnar4Rett: Pre-Race Recap
     * #Ragnar4Rett: Race Recap {Part I}

Now they we are all on the same page, let's jump right back into it, shall we? 

My second leg was going to be my longest and hardest. It was slated for 9.4 miles and a decent amount of climbing. The first half of the leg was on a bike trail, with the second half being on sidewalks.

Leg 8 of the race, my second run of the day.

Although I love running our bike trail in Oceanside, I found this one a bit difficult. Not necessarily because of the trail itself, but because of the lack of runners. I legit maybe saw 5 or so people in those first four and a half miles. It is hard to stay in a racing mentality when you don't see anyone around (meaning, at least for me, it is hard to keep pushing the pace). And then, once we got onto the roads, it literally felt like we were stopping at traffic lights every quarter- to half-mile. This makes it extremely difficult to get into a groove, especially when you are going up hill at the same time.

Here comes Crazy Carlee... Charging ahead like a lunatic!

I swear I run with my eyes open... most of the time ;)

But, I've gotta say, #TeamSparkle has a secret weapon other teams don't... We're running for girls (and boys) who have lost their ability to run! Although it might be a hard run for us, we're physically able to do it. So, with that, we draw from the strength of the girls and their families to overcome because we truly believe that one day they'll be out running with us!

Look at those 9 faces! How can you not want to give it
your all (and then some) when you see them?! 

I pushed through those 9.27 miles (the mileage that I clocked on my Garmin) slower than I would have liked (an average pace of 8:19/minute), but was able to finish because I was running for Amanda D., Renee, Miranda I., Anna F., Abby, Addysen, Audrey, Elianna and Haylee! #UntilSheCan

The end of the leg was so weird because I had to weave through this
building on tiny sidewalks (and it was super slippery), but thankfully
Allison was ready for the hand off and took off like a rocket!

I'll be honest... Seeing these numbers STILL
bums me out... I HATE not hitting my goals!

I'm not gonna lie, it was tough and I felt mentally defeated afterwards, but I knew that my remaining legs were shorter and I would try to give them everything I had as to not let my team down any more (I know, everyone said I wasn't letting them down by adding an extra 3 minutes to our estimated time, but it still felt sucktastic when I didn't hit the pace I expected).

Like my Momentum Wrap says... We are "running until she can"!

After I finished, it was time to get our safety gear on. Anyone outside of the van during "night time hours" (which for us was 6:15pm and 7am) needs to wear a reflective vest. Runners need to also wear a headlamp and backlight. Also, if you are crossing traffic the "safety captain" should have two orange flags to wave at cars to let them know people are coming.


I was still pretty sweaty from my 9 mile run, but with the sun setting you could tell a chill was in the air. Thankfully we had our #TeamSparkle sweatsuits and Girl Power 2 Cure blankies to keep us warm when we weren't running.


After some funny port-o-pottie shenanigans and rushed hand offs, we were on to the next spot. I was able to meet a few blog readers while waiting for Kristen to start (thanks for saying 'HI' guys). We also placed out Chipotle order via an app (technology, I swear, it can be a lifesaver!) so we could grab it on the way to the last leg before our 'virtual exchange'.


We have a military base in Oceanside - Camp Pendleton. Ragnar has not been able to get clearance to run through the base, so for the past two years there has been a 'virtual exchange' - meaning when Van 2 finished at Doheny Beach in Dana Point, they walkie-talkie down to Van 1 at the next stop so that they can start running (hence VIRTUAL exchange, no slap bracelets being slapped). Well, because we are an ultra team and only have ONE van, we are given a time card once the last runner finishes. Then we have to drive down to Vista High School to start again. Our official results will have the travel time subtracted from it, that way we are all on a level playing field again.

As you can see, there is a LARGE portion
of space that has no running through it.

And, just in case you wondered how we kept ourselves entertained in the van, especially when it was dark out... Karaoke with Chipotle is where it's at! JOURNEY IS MY JAM! (As are chips and salsa - DUH!)


Okay, I guess this is as good of a place as any to call it a day... My next post will include multiple legs (I promise). I figured I'd rather break it up into more manageable tid-bits than risk the possibility of you falling asleep while trying to power through a billion word essay.

How do you keep yourself entertained when in the car for long periods of time?

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Lvoe your Journey jamming! <3 Best way to get thorugh a tough run or stretch! :)

ivieanne said...

I feel like every team should have a personal photographer. Those pictures are awesome!