RUN #1 59m 18s 5.35 miles

About 10 minutes before I was to start the sun came out. Crap! I've done this leg two other times and I knew it would be rough. NO shade for the first 4 miles. The first mile was okay since it's a bit downhill and the wind on the highway was strong. Then I turned off into the countryside and it was just plain hot. I ran until I started to hear voices and then walked. The running intervals became shorter and shorter. I did the best I could with what I wore, I carried water, and tried to stay easy. I put half my bottle of water in my mouth, the other half on my head and shirt. That was a good idea. As usual, when I reached the little town I was totally spent. Every time I do this run it's worse and worse. I am sure this would be a nice run on a pleasant weather day! The upside is that the little park at the exchange has a bathroom and the sink water is AMAZINGly cold. I rinsed my head/neck/face and then wet my t-shirt before putting it back on. The best I could do.

Rest break 1: We stopped at The Pickle Factory in Pepin, which is the custom. Good food and service and nice cool a/c and bathrooms. I tried to get some sleep at the park in Stockholm, but it wasn't happening. WAY TOO HOT to even relax, even in the shade. Too much talking from people is distracting to me. I need to bring earplugs.

RUN #2 30m 49s 3.31 miles 09m 18s /Mi
This is the BEST run at Ragnar Great River, I think. Overall entirely downhill, but the middle segment of downhill is super smooth and just steep enough you feel like you're flying. The temps were a lot better by then, even though still very humid. I tried to make the best time I could, when I could, and worked it hard every minute. It was oh so tempting to walk in the last mile or so, but I wanted to match the time estimates as close as possible. I ended up going 49 seconds over and was totally soaked with sweat. The tiny town where the exchange was is overrun with mayflies so we quickly got in the van and left so we could catch our next runner. I started in the fading light, so it was totally dark when I finished. Love the night run!

Rest break 2: We drove from our last run directly to Stillwater Junior High for a break. We all had our sleep stuff organized before we arrived and I practically ran in to get my shower and rest. We were one of the first vans here (awesome side affect of starting early and sticking to pace) and so I grabbed a mat and quiet area in the gym. I left my pillow, etc, there and then took a shower. I forgot shampoo or soap, so borrowed from my teammate. She forgot a towel, it was kind of comical. We offered her our clean/dry washcloths, which I have used for a towel more times than I'd like to admit at the gym. The shower was amazing and I went immediately to my little bed. I struggled with sleep due to the noise in the room plus my worry about missing something. The school is huge and I didn't know where everyone was. I am going to bring earbuds next time and use a sleep/white noise app with an alarm. When I got up I went back to the locker room to rinse my hair (short hair + going to bed wet= crazy town) and brush teeth, etc. I felt like a new woman!

RUN #3 32m 12s 3.09 miles
Overall this went really well. It was about 7 am when I started, so the heat was still at bay. I ran a lot with a few tiny incline exceptions, until the very end with a really steep punishing hill. I only had to run a small portion of this, but I simply couldn't muster the energy to run. Most of this is very flat if not a slight downhill, so I really can't complain. And, as always, so glad to be done!

Once everyone was done we headed back to the starting house and dispersed our stuff in the van. I drove home, via Wendy's for lunch, and took a shower and nap!

Overall this was really fun. The vibe in our van was perfect. It got a little touchy when we got tired, but I have seen much much worse. The worst part was waiting in the sun for runners, the heat was just the worst. Since I had another race the next day, I ultimately decided to skip the finish line. I knew the heat would be grueling and I had to start working on recovery. I was sad to miss the party, but I think I made the right choice. I would run with this group again, any time!

Ragnar #9 is in the books!