RAGNAR!

I had a great time at Ragnar even if I was sick. I had a little cold going into the race and felt okay before the race but by the end I was really sick.

If you don't know what Ragnar is it is 188 mile relay race where you have 12 runners in 2 vans with 6 people in each van that leap frog each other taking turns running. Each runner runs between 13 and 21 miles split up over 3 legs of running. http://www.ragnarrelay.com/ for more info.

Here are some pictures of the weekend and then my boring details of the race are below.

Me, My sister Danielle, and Ruth (from Check City they sponsored our team)
This team ran their legs in full costume.

Teresa, Me, Chris, Ruth, Angie, Danielle

Sisters

My first leg was 3.5 miles up a mountain. It was around 4 in the afternoon (it was hot) so I hiked up that mountain with a little running mixed in with the hike.

We went to a high school and laid on the grass in the shade by a river. It was still light outside so I couldn't sleep. Our van started running again around 11PM.

My 2nd leg was around 3:30AM for a little over 6 miles. It was fun running at night it was my favorite leg. It was nice and cool outside. I ran the leg at my marathon pace which I think is pretty good for no sleep and sick. I finished when the sun was coming up it was so pretty.

Our van went to another high school and you could shower and sleep but the shower's were cold and the locker rooms were nasty some people are so gross. I skipped sleeping inside it grossed me out sleeping in a high school hall and there was no way I could sleep with people walking around me. I went and laid in the 15 passenger van I didn't think I would sleep but I got about 30 minutes. My cold kicked in full gear I felt like crap.

Our last leg of running started around 10 or 11. I cant remember the exact time of any of our start times time was a blur.

When we were going over the last mountain that they call the Ragnar Legs they are the 2 hardest runs they are leg 33 &34 they gain 1400 and 1600 feet in elevation. They are going over a mountain between Heber UT and Park City UT. We were on a dirt road and I had blown my nose a million times over the past day and ended up with a bloody nose that wouldn't stop. It was bleeding for an hour. I thought for sure I wasn't going to be able to run my last leg because it wouldn't stop. I put an ice pack on it and it finally stopped. I was so worried it would start again when I was running. Imagine a bloody nose and having to go 4 miles. That would suck.

I was runner 12 so I was running (walked) leg 36 which is the last leg. My friend said she would run my last leg for me but I felt that if I didn't run my last leg I wasn't earning my medal. My friends were so sweet they said they could follow me in the van the entire time. At mile 1 I got a bottle of ice and told them to go ahead to the finish and I would be okay. I had a bandanna if the blood started again. I told my team I was walking the entire thing and that is what I did. There were a few down hills that I ran but other than that I walked it.

I felt like crap. I don't know the last time I felt that sick. When I saw I had 1 mile to go I started crying and I am not a person that cries very much. I felt like crap and wanted to be done. I was still walking but not moving very fast for the last mile. When you get to the finish they have the entire team of 12 run the last 100 yards. The other van runners found me and we started running and my van team wasn't there. We started running and I heard my friends yelling for me so we stopped and they jumped the fence and ran in with us. My friends made a good point that if someone had run the last leg the van wouldn't of made it in time to the finish with the traffic.

When I crossed I was crying because I was so sick. My throat was on fire all I wanted was more ice. My sweet friend Teresa had me sit down and she went and got me a cup of ice.

Here is a picture of our team at the finish. I don't look very happy I just wanted to shower and go to bed.

Cool Medal Hanger

I ordered this cool custom Medal hanger for my medals for Marathon's/Half Marathon's. I have it hanging in my office at work so now I have something hanging on the wall other than my cork board & White Board.



In the picture below the medal's on the left of the red line are for some of the half marathons I have run (not all half marathons give out finisher medal's). I now try to run half marathons that only give out medal's. Why run a race if you don't get bling?

The medal's on the right are for the 5 marathon's I have run. My favorite medal is Surf City Marathon. The medal is a surfboard and they do a different surfboard each year.

If you want to order your own custom or not custom here is the link http://www.alliedsteelfab.com/catalog/

I will be adding 1 more medal after this weekend. I am running Ragnar Relay. I am feeling a little sick today hopefully it will go away in time for Friday. If not I will be run sick.

Socks or No Socks?

My husband thinks it is gross that I don't always wear socks. He puts socks on the second he gets out of the shower. I think the only time he doesn't have socks on is in the shower I only wear socks if I have shoes that I think I have to wear socks with. Tonight we went for a walk and I was wearing shoes that didn't need socks and he thought I was crazy. He said it must run in the family because my brother and his kids never have shoes on. We were at a wedding and someone asked me if his son was mine I said nope it is my brother's little boy. Their response was "I should have known he doesn't have shoes on."

Am I the only one that doesn't always wear socks? I don't like socks because I got athlete foot when I was younger and I think the Doctor told me to go barefoot as much as possible to prevent it. Why get socks dirty it is just more laundry that you have to wash and fold.

While on the subject of feet. I am proud to say I have not gotten any black toenails from running. I guess wearing running shoes that are 1.5 sizes too big have paid off (size 11.5 in women).

Have a good weekend everyone. I am running up the canyon with my mom and sister in law to Bridal Vail Falls for hill training then going to a baptism of one of the kids in my class at church and a family dinner on Sunday. I like lazy weekends.

I Love Long weekend.

I love that it is a long weekend even if it is a busy one probably over booked.

Saturday

Run in the morning

volunteer at a packet pick up for a half marathon in the afternoon

5 kids sleeping over at my house tomorrow night

Sunday

take 5 kids to church with me

taking dinner to sister in law that had a baby last week

Monday

Half Marathon If my run goes okay Saturday morning. I tried to run last night but I am having pain in my right leg and left heal. I am worried so I am going to decide if I can run a half after tomorrow. If I don't run it I am going to Volunteer at the finish line because I talked my mom and friend into running it and now I am having problems. GRRR

I hope your long weekend is nice and relaxing.

I love volunteering at races. I just went to the Utah Valley Marathon Volunteer meeting and i am excited to help at the Expo/Packet pickup.

I have volunteered officially at 3 races and at 2009 Ogden Marathon I had a coke and pretzel stop at mile 22.5 for my friends. When I passed the stop at Ogden Marathon I was wishing someone was there cheering me on but my friend called me right after and it helped me finish the race.

I have found that at smaller races if you email the race director you can work the packet pickup the day before the race and they will give me free race entry. One race they said not to tell anyone that they are giving me free entry but I volunteered last year and I am volunteering this year and I get to race for free.

One race director is trying to put on 6 half marathons in Utah this year. He has finalized 3 of them and he told me I can get free entry to any of his races if I volunteer at the packet pick up or if there is a race of his I don't want to run I can volunteer race day and run another race for free. So on Memorial day I am running a half Marathon for free. The following Sunday I am running Casper Half Marathon. All my friends are running Casper full but after having a personal worst at Ogden I am not ready for a full yet. The Saturday after Casper I am running Utah Valley Half Marathon. So I am going to run 3 Half Marathons in 12 days.



P.S. If you are interested in running a half on July 3 in SLC or October 30 in Provo and want to run for free for volunteering let me know the race director said any of my friends who want to volunteer can get free entry to his races.

I love this picture

We ran a 3k to raise money for my niece's Elementary which is the Elementary that I went to in 6th grade. The below picture is my niece Grace and nephew Christian fighting over who gets to hold Jason's hand. Tiffanie already had the other hand.

Jason ended up running with Tiffanie. Grace ran with my mom. Christian ran with me we finished around 40 minutes. So fast! He ran the first few blocks and then sit down on the curb then get up and walk and sit down again. I would tell him he needed to get in the stroller if he wanted to sit. So he would get up and go a little farther. He was so cute to ""run" with. The school raised $14,000. I think it is the best fundraiser a school has done.

Christian and Grace slept over and Jason is now Christian's favorite. We went to dinner with them the week after the sleep over and Christian told him mom that he loves Jason.

They are sleeping over again this weekend. When I talked to their dad about the sleepover he said the kids will love it especially Christian. Got to love 3 year old kids.

#2436

I know this is a late blog but I made my goal of becoming a marathon maniac on April 17th. I am maniac # 2436 by running Surf City Marathon, Napa Valley Marathon, Salt Lake Marathon. It felt great to run Ogden Marathon in Maniac gear and have other Maniac’s notice me in the gear. I am going to go on a Marathon break till September when I run Pocatello in September and St. George in October.

Work has been really busy the past few months and the week of Ogden was extra busy at work and home. Then we got kicked out of our hotel that was across the street from the bus pickup and had to drive 20 minutes the morning of the race. The room below us was loud till midnight and I swear I could feel the floor shaking from them or people in the hall. So I went to bed a little after midnight and woke up at 3AM. I think that affected my Ogden marathon or that is my excuse for a personal worse race. I cried at mile 14 or 15 and wanted to be done. There was a van that drove by and asked me if I wanted a ride to the finish. There is no way I would be pick-up off a course unless I was hurt. I was in the bottom 10 runners but that is better than being picked up.

Because of running crappy at Ogden it has made me not want to run Casper Full Marathon that only has 150ish runners. I know I would be in dead last or close to it if I run the full marathon. So I am going for a new goal of running 3 half marathons in 3 weeks and run Ragnar Relay the week after the 3 half marathons.

Here are some pictures to enjoy.

My first race in my Marathon Maniac shirt as Maniac #2436

Me and my mom at mile 8ish of Ogden Marathon

My mom and I at the finish line.

she got picked up at mile 17. She was less than 400 yards from the canyon where you have to be to not be picked up off the course at 3.5 hours. They gave her a medal she ran over a half marathon so she totally deserves it.

Me and 2 other Utah Maniacs Kevin & Franz.

Franz is the most motivation runner along with my 2 friends Angie and Teresa. He waited 2 hours after he finished to cheer me at the finish line. He told me how great and wonderful I did when he was 2 hours faster.

Salt Lake Marathon.

I went out way too fast and was ahead my 15 minutes of my best time I am not sure what mile this picture was at but I think it is before I hit the wall at mile 16.5 I walked the last 10 miles. I finished 5 minutes slower than last year so not to bad.