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Ragnar Relay Great River - RunOther


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Winona to Minneapolis, Minnesota
United States
Ragnar Relay Series
80F / 27C
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 58m 2s
Overall Rank = /
Age Group =
Age Group Rank = 0/
Pre-race routine:

Van 1 was expected in Winona by 7:30, so we needed to leave Minneapolis around 5. That meant getting up at 3:30 or so, so the start of a VERY long day. I arrived at my friends house and met the 2 teammates I didn't know and they were very nice. We headed off to Winona and really everything was a breeze.
Run
  • 1h 58m 2s
  • 11.82 miles
  • 09m 59s  min/mile
Comments:

We got through our safety briefing, etc, with plenty of time and saw off our runner #1, Chris. He turned out to be a sandbagger and cut about 7 minutes off the expected time. Our runner #2 also did great, I think he also picked up a few minutes. I was runner #3 and my run was going to start around 10:30 am. It was starting to get warm and there were very few clouds. Uh-oh...

Run 1 - 5.38 miles - 56:34

I started out way too fast. It was too early to sprint and I should know better! Around mile 1.5ish I was starting to wonder when my van was going to pass by me, because I was already starting to feel like I wanted to walk! The stopped around mile 2.5 and gave me a drink, which was SORELY needed. I would never carry water for a 5 mile training run, and certainly not a race, so lesson learned. After that the clouds helped a little, but I was already toast. The last half I varied between 10:30 and 12:00 min/miles on average. I was walking every 2 minutes or so, even though I tried to keep the walking to when my watch beeped after .5 miles. I barely made it into the park alive, it was a tough one. After I passed off to runner #4 I found a very nice park bathroom with a sink to douse my head and that REALLY helped. I chugged my drink and recovered enough to get going back to the van so we could support Carrie, who was running. At the next stop I made a bottle of Recoverite that I am really glad I brought.

Run 2 - 3.34 - 30.34

My night run - my favorite, around 10:30. Not only was the distance short, but I knew from the elevation profile I was in for a long downhill. I made the most of that sucker, including several sub-9 half mile splits. I tried to balance running fast with not tripping myself. It was basically flat after mile 2.5, which felt really strange in comparison. I was still happy to be done. Something was funny about the pace calculator in that it was expecting me to finish in 29 minutes. While that would have been lovely, even with the downhill I think that was a lot to ask. So, even though I had a fast run I felt bad for losing about 1.5 minutes for the team.

Run 3 - 3.1 - 31:44

Before this last set of runs, we went to the house of my teammate's boyfriend in Stillwater for a nap and shower. MAN did that feel great! I have never gotten such good sleep at a Ragnar. It's hard when you start the day so early, and I was not able to keep my eyes open on the drive. Anyway, we got going and learned that Van 2 had lost some more time and we were 1 hour back from our pace calculator. With the extra time we didn't rush and also stopped for gas station breakfast. We saw our Runner #1 off and, again, he made up around 7 minutes!

My mom and nieces came to my last starting point, which was so nice. I had to call them to say we were running late, so they got up extra early for no reason. Sorry! It was nice to chat and then after I started the stopped to cheer two other times plus yelling out the window as they drove by. I had a good leg for spectating!

This run was pretty easy - quite flat and on a shaded path by the highway. It was like the land of the living dead and I passed several people already walking in the first mile. I may not be fast, but I guess I am in better condition? Who knows. I was invigorated by the nap, shower, cheering section, and the knowledge I was almost done. Somehow it escaped me that my run ended up a hill. It felt really steep, I wonder how I would view it with fresh legs. I crawled to the chute (figurately) and passed off the bracelet one last time. Phew!

Due to the complexities of the pace calculator spreadsheet, I was expected to finish this in 35 minutes. CRAZY! So, I made up time. Woot!

We finished up very well, making up more time. We left van 2 with only a 30 minute deficit again and they finished up very well, only 30 minutes off our original estimates. That's pretty good for Ragnar, based on my experiences so far. I am pretty tired of doing this Ragnar, so I said I wouldn't race again next year. The only thing that would change my mind is if I magically transformed into a better runner and could handle a different assignment. Otherwise, I think I'll volunteer and save myself for new Ragnars in different places. I am energized to work on my training for Ragnar Las Vegas!


Post race



Last updated: 2013-12-05 12:00 AM
Running
01:58:02 | 11.82 miles | 09m 59s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/
Performance: Good
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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2014-08-17 4:17 PM

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