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Ragnar Relay So Cal - RunOther


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Huntington Beach to San Diego, California
United States
Ragnar Relay Series
Total Time = 2h 38m 5s
Overall Rank = /
Age Group =
Age Group Rank = 0/
Pre-race routine:

I traveled to California with my regular Ragnar buddy, Carrie. This was going to be our 6th Ragnar together and we hooked up with a local team from a boot camp gym. The group seemed to be really nice and well organized, so we were optimistic about a good race.

The only part we didn't love was that the team leaders insisted Van 2 (which we were in) was the start line for a group picture. Our team was slated for a 5:15 start, but our van wouldn't actually run until nearly noon. So, we lost a lot of sleep for that one... The really annoying part was that we were up and ready and then the van was late. Van 1 was also late, so we got going late. We finally started at 6:00.

After that we organized our stuff in the van and drove towards our first exchange. We had breakfast and got to know each other. We started tagging other vans with "Ice Ice Baby" (our name was Hot Ice), which was fun. We arrived with plenty of time to check in at Exchange 6. This was much more manageable compared to the start line.
Run
  • 2h 38m 5s
  • 14.63 miles
  • 10m 49s  min/mile
Comments:

Run 1: 4:04 miles in 40:36

I was runner #8 and started sometime after noon. My leg started on a nice long down hill but then 1-2.5 were pretty much straight up. Lots of walking... I tried really hard to stay within myself so I had something left for the rest of the event. After the downhill started on the road (awesome) we turned onto a MUP which was also a slight downhill. That last section felt so nice - if only all runs were downhill! We exited the path on a dirt path that was not exactly an "official" trail, to get back onto the sidewalk and to the exchange. I was happy with this since my estimate was for 42 minutes. It was a little bit short - yay!

After our van finished our first set of runs, we decided to have dinner at Macaroni Grill. We were surprised to get a table for 7 quickly right at dinner time on a Friday night. I'm glad we ventured a bit away from the race route. Dinner was great, although I ate too much. We then drove to our next exchange to wait to start again. We were at the Junior Seau Pier and Amphitheater in Oceanside, CA. We parked right by the beach and the sound of the water was great. After I covered my eyes and put in earplugs I managed to get a little bit of sleep. I woke up worried because we were expecting to start again at 11:30 and it was 11:30 and Carrie (runner 7) was still sleeping. Turns out she had gotten an update text that they were behind. That woke everyone up, though. I am sure the beach/area was pretty but it was pitch black dark. We put on our night gear and got pumped up to go again.

Run 2: 3.46 miles in 38:01

Started out staying on pace pretty well. Up a hill (again) and then started a nice fast decline. Unfortunately this was on some wonky sidewalks and I totally bit it. I was pretty lucky to get the grassy boulevard with my shoulder, but knocked my left knee hard. After I was done running I found a dime-sized sore - grrrr. Fortunately my pants weren't ripped. After I fell I had a minute or two of feeling really sorry for myself and worrying about whether I could finish. I decided to try jogging again and managed to get my pace back to a reasonable number for the last mile. I lost 3 miles between stopping and walking after the fall. I was really worried I would get stiff/more sore due to the fall. I asked some runners who passed to tell my team that I would be late, so I started to worry that they'd be worried! It was a bummer in general because I look forward to the night run so much. Otherwise it would have been great - not too scary, nice and cool.

On our next break we headed immediately to the exchange in Torrey Pines. The parking lot was dirt and we had to park far from the potties, etc. Our van mates had slept quite a bit while we were running, so they woke up and started talking. Carrie and I had been driving and navigating, so she had to ask them to stop. Pretty quickly it was quiet and I got a lot of sleep. We had a pretty long wait. Fortunately when we woke up there was a beautiful view of the ocean and we really enjoyed the spot. Van 1 made up some time, so when we got the timing update I got ready pretty fast. Carrie and I switched legs at the last minute after the course changes added another 2 miles to her already difficult assignment. I hate to not follow the rules, but that was pretty hard to take. This also made my race experience more challenging, which I wanted. My assignment was only 10.something miles after the changes, so I was happy to get over 14 from the switch.

Run 3: 7.13 in 1:19:28

Remember how I said I was happy to run more? Well, this was SO HARD! Yuck. It started with a nice long down hill, which I was too scared to really run. Then after some short steep hills we ended up running along a long sidewalk with a lot of tourists, so it was dodge/weave time. I jumped up and down a lot of curbs, I can't believe I didn't fall again. On a short dirt/rock portion I did trip but caught myself. That gave me a jolt! After turning away from the ocean path it was pretty hot and I was really toast. When I passed mile 6, and didn't see the "1 mile to go" sign for a long while, I knew I was in for a long run. Fortunately it was only .13 long. Finally, I could see the chute and it was on the other side for a light. I debated waiting, but sprinted across at the last second and did the hand off. I had nothing left. There's almost nothing better than finishing one's last run at Ragnar. I have run more total miles in the past, and felt better, so I know I was not ready for this course.

We dropped off our last runner and immediately headed for the convention center in San Diego. Even though she had almost an hour to run the leg, we didn't get parked in time. It was a mess. Three of us jumped out so we could find Van 1 and run in together. They came later and we took a lot of great pictures.

I had a super team and would love to race with them again. I don't need to return to So Cal, although it's not bad. The organization was rough and I think there were too many teams. Everyone was interested in doing Las Vegas, so it sounds like this will be a 3-Ragnar year for me.
Post race



Last updated: 2014-02-02 12:00 AM
Running
02:38:05 | 14.63 miles | 10m 49s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/
Performance:
Course:
Keeping cool Drinking
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall:
Mental exertion [1-5]
Physical exertion [1-5]
Good race?
Evaluation
Course challenge
Organized?
Events on-time?
Lots of volunteers?
Plenty of drinks?
Post race activities:
Race evaluation [1-5]

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2014-04-08 3:54 PM

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Subject: Ragnar Relay So Cal


2014-04-08 4:34 PM
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Subject: RE: Ragnar Relay So Cal
2014-04-08 4:35 PM
in reply to: BikerGrrrl

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Subject: RE: Ragnar Relay So Cal
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