Ragnar Relay CO Adventures: The Race Begins

If you missed the post on team High Nuun’s finish and time, click here or if you missed meeting the team read on here. We did amazingly well!! Top 3 overall for men and women….not to shabby. Not to brag or anything, but beating some all men’s ultra teams brings a smile to my face….catch us if you can….

Okay, no more trash talking for me, just a little bit proud of High Nuun that’s all.

Also, don’t miss how we recover after an ultra relay. Learn the in’s and outs of running, stretching and nutrition on Ragnar’s blog by clicking here.by your’s truly.

We had a late night Thursday before the race. I think I rolled onto the couch around midnight. I couldn’t sleep. I was up at 5 Friday morning to get my last shower in before running 39 miles with no shower. We were on the road by 6:30 a.m.. We arrived at the start near Breckinridge and posed for countless photos.

Lisa, Meghan, Me, Holly, Vieve and Rebekah

We had to represent each different sponsor, because they were so amazing!!

Saw some friends from back home in Montana, running on Team Beef.

Found the world’s largest chair (or at least the worlds largest chair seen by team High Nuun) and needed some photos.

We like to have fun!! We loving running ultra, because we love having fun!! And we must love the challenge as well. 😉

Before long Rebekah was off, marking the start of our Ragnar CO adventure.

It started to heat up fast and it didn’t seem like to long before it was my turn to brave the elevation and heat. I tried to find shade to stretch and loosen up a bit before beginning my 9.2 mile trek around lake Dillon.

We took in the views of the lake before Holly came in ready to pass on the baton (or slap bracelet).

And I was off….

Leg 1 12:52 p.m.: Starting elevation 9028 feet, ending elevation at 9049 feet. 

During my immediate climb I snapped some photos of the views surrounding the lake.

I felt horrible during this leg. I could barely breathe and I was hot. I had cotton mouth almost instantly. The elevation was definitely kicking my but. I was thinking to myself there’s no way I can do 5 more legs. My legs felt like heavy weights and my lungs were burning. I know I was climbing with a starting elevation of 9.000 feet, but this was brutal.

Mile 1: 7:33, Mile 2: 9:55 (pictures took some time I guess or I was winded with the climb), Mile 3: 7:06

When I began to descend it felt great. I tried to calm my breathing. Storm clouds starting to roll in and I could hear thunder in the distance. It was great to have some cover from the sun, but thunderstorms aren’t my cup of tea. I made a turn and ran the opposite way of the clouds.

Mile 4: 7:28, Mile 5: 6:57, Mile 6: 7:25

I started to climb again, and my quads were feeling it. It wasn’t until mile 5 that my legs were feeling a little lighter. I made a big loop around the lake and could finally see the exchange area. I kicked it into high gear, with burning lungs and fatigued muscles. I was ready to hand off to Lisa.

Mile 7: 7:35, Mile 8: 7:40, and Mile 9: 7:04

I finished and didn’t want to tell anyone that I was completely scared for my next 5 runs. I didn’t know if I could do it, and I was surprised my body was so fatigued. I had no idea what was wrong.

9.2 total miles, 7:45 avg pace, Total Time of 1:09:00, only 2 minutes off my projected time.

What goes on between runs is pretty simple: We cheer, eat, change, cheer, eat, roll, use the stick, change and you repeat this for 200 miles (ish). After too long you’re up again, whether you like it or not.

I wasn’t sure how my next leg was going to go, especially since the first leg was especially disappointing. Night hours were approaching, so it was time for vests and headlamps.

It was pouring rain, but thankfully when I got the baton, it was just a light drizzle. Little muggy out though.

Leg 2: 7:35 p.m. Elevation 8093 feet to start, with a loss of 488 feet and a gain of 259 feet.

I started the run with sub 6:30’s, without even noticing I was going that fast. A young man ran with me nearly the entire way, which was great since my headlamp was dying and it was getting dark fast. We ran along a creek for some time on another bike trail. People in their condos were cheering us along. I felt light on my feet and extremely good. A second wind perhaps?! The run felt effortless, somehow. We had two miles left to go, according to my Garmin, when the young man, Andrew, asked what our pace was. I looked down at my watch and we were running 6:36 – 6:45 pace. It didn’t seem that fast, well at least not to me.

Total Miles: 7:03. Total Time: 46:26  Avg Pace 6:34, Mile Splits: 6:36, 6:32, 6:32, 6:45, 6:50, 6:34, 6:36

I thought, “Ok this is doable. That felt good.” And then within a hour my stomach decided it wasn’t happy, and soon I was nauseous and had the poops. Every exchange zone I was stopping to use the restroom. At some, sprinting to the restroom. I felt like garbage and wanted to puke.  There wasn’t that much time in between legs. It felt like we were rushing to exchange after exchange. My head was throbbing and I wanted nothing more than to curl up in my bed and sleep. Well that wasn’t going to happen.

Since most my legs were no van support, we made a plan for the van to wait 20 minutes before leaving the exchange then drive past to make sure I was okay. Teammates offered to run some or all my leg if need be, but I knew everyone had their fair share of running, and pride wasn’t going to let me give it up. It was great to know I had the option though. I stuffed some wipes and toilet paper in my spi-belt and went with it.

Leg 3: 10:41 p.m. Elevation 6829 feet

It doesn’t seem to cool down much in Denver at night, even in the high elevations. Maybe it was the muggy weather and thunderstorms. I was always drenched with sweat after my runs. Even more so during the night runs, but it could have been because I felt like crap.

The van met me with little under 2 miles to go. I told them I was good and would meet them at the exchange. I nearly crapped my pants through 5.91 total miles, but somehow I managed to keep it all together. I was relieved to hand the baton to Lisa after 40:38 minutes of running. How I managed my 6:52 avg pace, I don’t know. I knew the faster I finished the faster I could get to the bathroom.

Mile 1: 6:55 Mile 2: 6:49 Mile 3: 6:47 Mile 4: 6:52 Mile 5: 4:49 and the last .91 miles 6:24

Stay tuned for the last 3 legs, which includes one of the darkest runs of my LIFE!!