Ragnar Relay Napa Valley - RunOther

The time/distance is just what I run.

Run #1: 3.1 miles - 33:49

I used mapmyrun.com to preview this before the race and knew from that, and the profile from Ragnar, that the race was up hill, across a trail, and then back down. That's "technically" right, but I WAY misjudged it.

It started on a steep incline (cat 5, 7.7% for 1/2 mile) and went up and up through a hillside neighborhood. There were one or two short places where I could trot, but mostly I walked. I probably pushed it too hard here, but I was really worried about the time! Then I reached a set of stairs and the "trail." I would describe this as a rough singletrack, kind of like a dry creek bed. Extremely uneven with loose rocks, etc. I had the wrong shoes! I am tentative on a route like this, because I am easily tripped or will twist an ankle. The view was incredible and I regret not having a camera. The top of the ridge still had some climbing, but seemed simple compared to getting there. When I got to the trail exit and I ran back down through a neighborhood. I was really pounding and worried about tripping and trashing my quads. I tried to stay light and gentle and if I had practice with this sort of thing could have gained more time, but I made up a HUGE amount of time here. I was at a 13 min/mile pace at 1.5 miles and my mile 2 split was near 10, so.... The last bit was flat so tried to maximize my speed, there were a few stoplights but I managed to get through most. The run had a total ascent of 291 feet over just more than 3 miles! Wow, tough.

Run 2: 9.2 miles: 1:32:20

My night run, the one I was waiting for. This was much easier profile and in the dark I find everything less intimidating. From my blog: Night run, amazing as usual. A few slower miles where I had a stop light, a few small inclines, and one short walk break for a gel. Otherwise, a really solid run and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The road was pretty busy, a four-lane highway, and the drop offs were steep. Like fall 80 feet to your death, not to mention the very short guardrail on a bridge (or maybe just a really steep part?). Anyway, some of that I was glad I couldn't see. I had a running partner for a short time, one of the few other runners without earbuds jammed in. I felt very strong once my quads warmed up from the earlier run. I pushed myself even though I kept thinking "this is not about speed as much as endurance...". But I felt I needed to do my team right. I wore LED dreadlocks on a headband which was a HUGE hit. My teammate from the Florida Ragnar (in Jan) brought them and I had had to bring some for this race. Not only runners but vans & cars would drive by and say "I love your hair!". It's a huge boost. If you are reading this because you're considering Ragnar, check this out: http://www.flashingpanda.com/Item.asp?id=499 At the end, I passed the slap-bracelet and said "thank god that's over!".

Run 3: 4.9 miles: 52:27

Again, from my blog: This was doomed from the start, I am actually surprised by this pace. My quads were so painful and legs tight in general. The first few miles was through a beautiful park I would enjoy any day, but it was a pointless route. This could have been a 2 mile run and we would have achieved the same goal. About 1-2 mins was spent at a light, but I admit that was my fault for not sprinting to cross at the last second. Stopping felt nice. I was super tired and this was typical for a #3 Ragnar run. I was never more glad to be DONE!!!

I have always learned a lot from Ragnar. A lot about myself, my friends, what to pack, how to prep, etc. It's a LOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG race and a lot happens. In this case, I should have:
1. Trained for that hill specifically. That killed my quads and affected the rest of my race.
2. Brought a warmer jacket to wear at night for when I wasn't running. Also pants.

That's really it. The rest of what I would change were some logistical things, but since I don't necessarily plan to do Napa again it's not really worth remembering. Overall it was a huge success and well worth the effort.

This was slightly less controlled than other Ragnars. Not as many volunteers, more random running on different sides of roads without help crossing, narrow shoulders, etc. It's surely the nature of the course and maybe the CA attitude. Nothing major. Ragnar doesn't really offer support along the way, like water stops, other than the major exchanges. But managing yourself and the logistics is part of the fun.