A little sweat, blood and tears...

WARNING LONG POST AHEAD

I had a HUGE accomplishment this weekend!

I RAN & SURVIVED THE RAGNAR RELAY RACE

A TEAM OF 12 GIRLS*

FROM PRESCOTT TO MESA

208 MILES TOTAL IN 35 HOURS!

I do want to post in detail about my race just for me to remember this experience just the way it was! Anyone who knows me well enough knows I AM NOT A RUNNER! All my cheer friends you know what I am talking about...the LAST in the mile EVERY TIME, wheezing, breathing into a paper bag and cursing the coach the entire 15 MIN. it took me to WALK/JOG the mile! Yes that was high school (almost 10 years ago) but I hadn't done much CARDIO since then. So running NOT MY THING and I swore it NEVER would be... Here I am 4 months after baby #2 with only a month and a half of training and I ran a total of 13 MILES in the RAGNAR RELAY RACE!

FROM THE TOP

THE DRIVE

Thursday night we (van1) met at my Aunts house where they had an AWESOME spaghetti dinner for our carb load before the race! Then it was the van ride to Jane's house in COTTONWOOD.

We got to Jane's house about 9ish and it was bunking up and going to bed! We were up at 5am loading up and headin out!

GETTING READY

My very FIRST running number, Ruthy with the slap stick we pass off & my very own runners shirt! OH BOY was I excited!

THE START

we all went up and cheered Ruth on she ROCKED her first leg in some crazy time and was passing off to Andrea who hugged her on the exchange! As Andrea ran the van hit up the star bucks on the corner! Then it was Jeri, and I do have to put in here what Jeri had to run...

notice that her run was majority UP HILL!

MY FIRST LEG

NERVOUS...GETTING PSYCHED AND READY TO GO!

Jeri's pass off to me, it was encouraging! ;)

So I am OFF and feeling GREAT, they say my first 2 miles I made really good time, it could've been because, remember Jeri's UP HILL, I got her DOWN HILL! Ya that was nice, I sure did slow down when the hills came up! Now I had 3 other girls come in and none of them acted like they wanted to quit after their first leg, so why am I the ONLY one thinking this is going to be my first and LAST leg of this race! I even thought about sticking my thumb out to hitch hike the rest of the way! I DIDN'T! I did make it, even came in strong and feeling GOOD!

Passed off to Megan and she did AWESOME (sick & preggers) IMPRESSIVE! Then Wendee ROCKED her leg and passed off to van 2 RACHEL!

VAN 1 GETS A BREAK

We drove on to the next exchange and laid out sleeping bags along side of a street, slept (or at least tried), ate and waited for van 2!

MY SECOND LEG

This leg was at 10p.m. running down the 93 highway! We had a reflector vest, butt light and a tiny head lamp! Now this leg was my FAVORITE! It was night, the STARS were out the air was nice and it's just you and the road! I tell you what I must have been on some kind of endorphin rush because I was GIDDY! I was truly ENJOYING the moment and NEVER have I enjoyed running! I seriously wish I had someone there with me to share the moment, I was excited to see my van (jonathan) to give me water just so I could talk to someone! it was that great! I ran my ENTIRE leg and feeling GREAT, about a mile away from the check point I was coming down a hill, trying to make up time so I leaned forward to get my momentum going when I decided to KISS THE ASPHALT! Yep I ate crap! I fell so hard my legs bent backwards over my head!!!! There was a runner a few yards behind me yelling at me asking if I was ok! I was up and running again by the time he reached me, he asked if I were ok I said ya just bruised my ego a little, he laughed and said "I didn't know people could bend that way!" thanks man, they don't! It didn't slow me down though and I ended that run BUMMED that it was OVER!

My slightly skinned, turning into a bruise, knee and the tiniest scab (bottom of palm) where I had to pull a rock out of my hand! They really are weak injuries video of the fall would've been so much better! ;)

The other 2 runners finished strong and we were all beat and ready for some sleep! We made the exchange with van 2 and drove to a school that let the runners brush their teeth and sleep on the gym floor! Now one may think that a gym floor is no where to sleep being that it's uh HARD but I tell you it was HEAVENLY! It was the BEST 3 hours of sleep EVER! Next day up and at it at 5 a.m. to meet the other runners!

3RD & LAST LEG

Ruth you were AMAZING, enough said and GREAT JOB! Andrea you working the hills in the heat, I am still not sure how you did it! WAY TO GO!!!! Then it's me and I am PUMPED to be on the LAST leg, 3 miles I got this in the bag!

K let me just tell you, it's the last day running all day prior and I am running on 3 hrs of sleep in the last 2 days, I shouldn't have worn sweat pants in the desert at the dead of noon! You know what I don't wanna talk about my last leg...
This picture just about says it all! If there was anytime I thought I was going to die THIS was it! I even asked a guy in a golf cart if he would give me a ride to the bottom of the hill, he laughed, I wasn't joking! Since he wouldn't I had no other choice but to FINISH!

THANK GOODNESS THE RACE IS OFFICIALLY DONE FOR ME!!!!!!!!!!!!

VAN 2

Fun random pictures

Jane, Faith and Jeri
these are the girls to blame for this craziness, actually they blame Faith


MOM getting ready to go

coming in strong

FINISHED!

SETH MESSING WITH FAITH...

THE TEAM RUNNING TO THE FINISH LINE TOGETHER

THE WHOLE TEAM + DRIVERS

VAN 1

ANDREA WE MADE IT CUZ!