The Ragnar

Behold. The coolest race to grace Amy-kind's life thus far. The Ragnar. Just imagine those sentences said by the same guy who does the voice over for those end of the world movies.

27 hours, 9 runners (usually there are 12 on a team, but we were short 3) and 198 miles.

The awesomeness was epic. I had the opportunity to be in the company of some really great people and some REALLY good runners. I only dream of being that fast and that strong someday. The race was exciting for many reasons, one being that I realized I could push myself farther than I had previously thought. For my first leg 6.3 miles:

Projected pace per mile: 9:30

Actual pace (average): 8:06!

Yeah, baby! Who knew?

Here we are after the first leg of the race:

Like any adventure that spans over 24 hours and little sleep, there were some ups and downs but the ups definitely outnumbered the downs. Here are my favorite things that I took away from the Ragnar:

1. Spending over 24 hours with other runners, just focused on running, and having fun in the process.

2. Running at night. I ran through sunset and then in the pitch black for a mile or two and it was AMAZING. Being a girl, running at night can often be scary, but not with a support van full of running buddies to support you as well as great volunteers and towns people that stepped out of their houses to cheer us on. It was awesome. I also passed 5 people, which is a first. The sunset was all misty and the farms and fields I passed were especially magical. I thought I was going to die I was so happy.

3. Having a chance to be silly with other like minded folks. After being all hopped up on running, little sleep and caffiene Shot Bloks, things got very goofy. I felt like I was back on a road trip with my field hockey team, it was so fun. I graced my teammates with renditions of kids songs by Rick Charette - a Maine celebrity in the children's music world. Here's a sampling of the greatness that is Rick Charette. In my 10 year old mind, he was a demigod.

Seriously catchy, huh? I could be singing it for DAYS (as hubs quietly sobs in the corner).

4. Our cool team name and t-shirts. Our team name was The Holy Hand grenades (reference Monty Python and the quest for the Holy Grail). We had awesome t-shirts, and funny, yet totally bad-A team name (in my opinion).

5. Conquering my third run. This run was SO HARD. I was going on no sleep, and little food (when I don't sleep, sometimes nothing seems appetizing). I felt totally out of gas. This guy passed me on the uphill, I promptly passed him again and but yelled encouraging things to help him up the hill. It was a nasty hill. By the time I got to the top, I was really out of gas. I wanted to walk so bad.

Out of no-where this same guy comes up and we run the rest of the race together, I don't have any energy to say anything, but he was yelling encouragement/motivation the whole time. I have no idea what my splits are for that last mile but we COOKED. Thanks, random running buddy, that was one of the hardest runs ever and I felt really good about the way I finished.

6. The medal. I know it may seem a little silly, since everyone gets one for finishing. But I am proud of that thing, proud of my team, and proud of how hard they all worked.

7. My sweet fake tat. I don't think I'd really get a real one, but sporting this baby on my calf for a few days makes me feel extra cool and draws attention to the nice calf muscle I'm currently working on.

8. Being in the midst of greatness. Seriously, if you had seen how some of my teammates hauled it (and picked up extra runs - some of them ran over 28 miles when it was done!) you'd feel the same.

9. Sleeping after the race. Sleep has never been so sweet. I swear I could taste it. It was delicious.