Ragnar Relay del Sol - RunOther

My run leg #1 - 13.5mi (2:45pm): 1:52:57
This was the BIG leg of the race - the well-spoken about 13.5 mile leg. The terrain was rather boring, a long-uphill stretch on the far west side of Phoenix leading into Surprise. Weather was comfortable and sunny, but we encountered a headwind for a good portion of the run, making the uphill and headwind formidable challenges. When I started out, it was mo goal to not be passed by anyone, if at all possible. Not only did I not get passed, but I was able to earn 28 "kills" of my own (28 other runners I passed). I felt a little sluggish during the run - it was not anything overly concerning, I suppose I just did not feel as "fresh" as I would have liked. My HR was elevated throughout, but I attribute this to working harder on an uphill grade, then later in the run speeding up when I could to pass other runners. Here are my mile per mile averages (time and HR):
Mile 1 - 7:49 162BPM, Mile 2 - 8:06 163BPM, Mile 3 - 8:07 165BPM, Mile 4 - 8:08 164BPM, Mile 5 - 8:18 163BPM, Mile 6 - 8:29 163BPM, Mile 7 - 8:22 162BPM, Mile 8 - 8:18 162BPM, Mile 9 - 8:02 167BPM, Mile 10 - 8:23 165BPM, Mile 11 - 8:25 166BPM, Mile 12 - 8:23 170BPM, Mile 13 - 8:38 171BPM, Mile 13.5 - 5:22 172BPM

Along the way my team stopped a few times along the side of the road and cheered me on, and it was interesting to see all of the team vans stopping everywhere to do the same with their runners. Running into the small community and park where the leg finish was located was the conclusion of a hard effort and fun experience. The additional "bling" Ragnar provided the Leg #9 runners was appreciated and a good keepsake for the wall.

My run leg #2 - 4.75mi (1:00am): 35:30

Now this leg was fun, even though the cool air temperatures made for a cold wait before I started running. Our transition was in a church in Anthem, and my leg was to run towards Phoenix, most of the leg on 7th Ave. The early portion of the leg was on a street with very little light, so you could easily see runners ahead of you with the blinking and bouncing red tail lights. It was on this leg that I was passed for the one and only time during my 3 legs. It just so happened I was passed by BT Carlos (The BigB on BT), a fellow member of ONE Multisport. He was flying and although I tried to keep pace, it was not happening. My abs were starting to ache a bit, but I still managed to run a very fast leg (faster than I expected). Once I ran into transition, apparently as I slapped the bracelet onto our next runner it did not stick and fell off (which would cause delays at hand off spots later - sorry team!). Overall I felt very fast on this run leg, and I was surprised at how quickly the time went by and I was done with it. Here are my per mile averages (time and HR):
Mile 1 - 7:39 157BPM, Mile 2 - 7:37 161BPM, Mile 3 - 7:29 160BPM, Mile 4 - 7:13 162BPM, Mile 4.75 - 5:30 166BPM

My run leg #3 - 3.2mi (9:30am): 22:10

After our van took the opportunity to stop at DC Ranch for showers, jacuzzi and sleep, we were back on the road and picked up our last action in Fountain Hills, running back to Tempe and the finish. This was going to be my easiest leg, even though I had already run twice. Basically a 5K going downhill the entire way, I was primed for a very, very fast run. I took the virtual bracelet at the High School hand-off and started high-tailing it down Via Linda, headed west. I saw some people a few minutes ahead of me and started to target them for passing, but was hindered by two (2) stoplights that changed just as I approached, and they took 1.5 minutes each to switch back over to green (ARGH!). However, even with these delays, I managed to catch one (1) person, and ran a very fast 5K time (considering I stopped for at least 2 minutes along the way at stoplights - clock rolling). My abs were not happy with me, but it was not overly painful so it obviously did not affect my run. Here are my per mile averages (time and HR):
Mile 1 - 7:08 166BPM, Mile 2 - 7:42 155BPM, Mile 3 - 8:21 156BPM, Mile 3.2 - 1:16 156BPM

When we made it to the finish line we wandered out to where we could see our final runner (Andrea Turley) coming from a distance. Once she made it over the footbridge at Tempe Town Lake, we all joined her for the final couple hundred yards across the finish line. Pizza, pictures and high fives with the entire SuperONE team were in order, then it was time to head home.

We found out later that our team placed 2nd in our division, and that we would have placed first had we not been delayed at 2 transition areas due to our lost wristband/bracelet.


Ragnar is a fun experience, and I will definitely look to repeat in 2014.