Ragnar Relay DC - Last Legs and the Finish

A shower, nap, and a change of clothes worked wonders.  I woke up on Saturday morning excited and ready to run.  Unfortunately, my left IT band didn't feel the same way.

Everyone seemed in better spirits than the night before as we headed to Chevy Chase to meet van 1.  We snapped a quick van photo before Amy took off to run her final leg.

Photo courtesy of EmGusk

Almost everyone's last legs were relatively short, so we didn't have much time between transitions.  We did manage to get some quality stretching in as we waited for our runners.  Below is a new IT band stretch Bill showed me.

Photo c/o EmGusk

Sally's last leg was by far the longest and involved a massive hill, so we found a good spot to pull over and cheer her on at the top of the hill.  We were all exhausted and a little loopy, so it's entirely possible some strange things happened with the safety flags...

Another quality photo courtesy of Miss EmGusk

After a short wait we saw Sally cresting the hill looking like a CHAMP with her fiancé at her side.  Guys, this is what love and support looks like.

Yep, this photo is EmGusk's as well

After a few more runners it was time for my last leg.  I thought it would be a fast, flat almost 4 miles, but was surprised to see rolling hills.  At least I had some nice views of the Potomac.  What you can't see is the intense heat and humidity - it was an abnormally warm day for late fall!

After I transitioned to Bill we headed to National Harbor to finish the race.  The parking situation was such a mess that he ended up beating us there!  Luckily, they had a staging area for us to meet up at so we could cross the finish line as a team.  We all made sure to wear our team shirts.

Finishing as a team, courtesy of EmGusk

Once we finished, it was time for some team photos and much-deserved pizza and beer.

With our medals! Photo courtesy of EmGusk

After we finished eating and drinking we went our separate ways - it looked like a storm was rolling in and we were all ready to go home, shower, and sleep.

I had a great time running Ragnar Relay DC with team Your Pace or Mine? and would definitely do it again!

Scavenger Hunting

This morning I participated in a scavenger hunt organized by the lululemon Bethesda run club.  We had an hour to go around Bethesda taking photos doing activities at various landmarks.  Our team covered about 4 miles and, while we didn't win, we took a lot of fun photos and had a great time.  Below are some of the best ones.

5 points for a photo of the team jumping for joy in front of this posh Bethesda gym which offers classes such as "Treadmill Race Training."

5 points for a photo of your team running up an escalator

5 points for your team in front of and imitating this large, yellow sculpture which is 18 feet high, 12 feet wide

5 points.  Snap a "photo finish" of your team on a local high school track.

15 points.  It's almost Halloween!  Snap a photo of a member of your team running in a Halloween costume.

15 points for a photo of the team doing jumping jacks in from of the "Welcome to Bethesda" sign.

15 points for a photo of the group doing handstands in front of NIH.

5 points for a photo of a group doing burpees outside of a Crossfit gym.

2 points for each photo of your team doing downward facing dog with an actual dog.

5 points for spelling the word "LOVE" with your bodies on Bethesda Lane.

Thank you Emily, Amanda, and Matt for being amazing teammates!!

Ragnar Relay DC - Nighttime Legs

Miss the first legs?  Click here.

After some "real" food, a shower, and a quick nap everyone felt much better and ready to take on their night legs.  It was an incredibly dark night, which made taking photos pretty much impossible.

The nighttime transitions were a lot of fun - the volunteers got really in to things blasting upbeat music and having plenty of fun glow accessories around.  It was a real treat to see my friend Mike working at one of the nighttime transitions.  We got to catch up while my team waited for our runner to come in.

Soon enough it was time for my night leg.  It started out on a quiet country road, which I really enjoyed because I could look up and see the stars.  I thought I would be in for a nice run until about a mile in when I turned on to a road that quickly headed in to thick woods, turned in to dirt, and headed up a mountain.

The next 7 or so miles were pretty terrifying.  There were multi-mile stretches where I did not see another runner or van and ran in pitch black silence (the trees blocked the moon and stars from view).  Then, suddenly, clusters of vans would drive up, kicking up dirt and forcing me off the narrow road in to a ditch.  It was creepy at best and incredibly unsafe at worst.

Luckily, the last mile of my leg was on another country road.  I was happy to see the stars again and to have a shoulder, and sometimes a sidewalk, to run on.  I finished up far faster than I said I would (I ran a few 8:17 miles!) and got to the transition before our next runner was ready.  That gave me an opportunity to cool down before jumping in the van.

After our van finished our night legs we had another opportunity to head back to the hotel, shower, and sleep for a few hours before starting our third legs.  At this point I'd covered almost 19 miles and my left IT band was really bothering me.  I was ready for a nice, hot shower and a soft, fluffy bed.

Ragnar Relay DC - First Legs

Last weekend I ran Ragnar Relay DC.  It was exhausting, a little scary at times, and a lot of fun.

For those of you unfamiliar with Ragnar Relay, it's about a 200 mile relay race from Cumberland, MD to DC which is run by teams of 12 individuals split in to two vans.  While one van's runners run their legs, the other van is "off" and free to sightsee, eat, or (more likely) sleep.  The team runs from Friday morning to Saturday afternoon, with runners completing legs during Friday night and early morning Saturday.

When I signed up for Ragnar I only knew four people on my team.  We had a few happy hours to allow everyone to get to know each other, most of which I couldn't make.  When we drove up to Cumberland on Thursday night I knew two people in my van and had met another girl once.  I was extremely lucky - everyone in my van was drama-free and super-awesome.  I couldn't have asked for a better group of people to run through the night and hang out in a smelly van with.

Van 2 after finishing our first set of legs

As we were Van 2, we got to sleep in on Friday morning while Van 1 started the race.  They were troopers as our first runner took off at 5:30AM!  We had a chance to check out Cumberland and go shopping at Roses.  The best way I can explain that store is that it was a predecessor to KMart and WalMart.  We walked out of there with some pretty awesome gear - neon knit hats and headbands with fascinators for all of the girls.

After our shopping trip we headed to transition 6 to go through a safety gear check and safety lecture and wait for van 1's last runner, Brian, to arrive.  Soon enough we saw Brian and it was time for our first runner, Amy, to take off!

Photo courtesy of the ever-fabulous EmGusk

It was a beautiful, sunny day and we were excited to cheer our, and other teams', runners on.  As our runners wound their way through the course we were able to pull over at random spots and cheer them on.  A few more of our runners took their turns, then it was my turn to start my first leg.  8 of the 9.5 miles of my leg were on trails, which were beautiful but quiet.

The last half mile of my leg went by Fort Frederick.

After I finished, we had one more runner go before handing things off to Van 1!

Bill transitioning to Van 1 - courtesy of EmGusk

Shortly after Bill finished, we saw something truly inspiring - a veteran who had lost his leg finishing up his first leg of the race, which was well over 7 miles.  Everyone at the transition cheered him in to finish.  It was a truly touching moment and, unsurprisingly, all the girls on our tear were moved to tears.

After taking a few minutes to socialize with our teammates in Van 1, we headed to the hotel to shower, nap, and get something to eat before our night legs started.

Back to Bikram

A few months ago I noticed my old Bikram studio was offering a Groupon - $100 for 3 months of unlimited yoga.  It was too good to pass up.

Today I went to my first class in almost two years.  I was a little worried about adjusting to the heat and being able to get in to the poses.  My balance is definitely nowhere near where it used to be, but I know it'll get better over time.  There are only a few poses I had issues with, and I think I'll be able to do them after a few more classes. What remains to be seen is how sore I'll be tomorrow.

For those of you considering a Bikram class, I'd highly recommend it.  I've tried a lot of different forms of yoga and Bikram is the only class where I've felt like I've had a good workout - the heat allows you to get deeper in to poses and lets your muscles work harder.  I weight train fairly regularly without soreness, but am always sore after my first few Bikram classes.

This and That

Yesterday I took time off to celebrate with family and kick off the new year with a 10 mile run.  A storm was rolling in and I timed things just right to enjoy the clouds and breeze, finishing just before the downpour started.

I took a route similar to this one and was pleased to see the reflecting pool filled once again.

I am definitely feeling the uphill portions of my run today.  Rob took no mercy on me during today's workout, which means tomorrow is sure to be a tough day.

I was hoping to do a packing post for Ragnar Relay this week, but it'll be a miracle if I manage to pack more than an hour before I leave.  It'll also be a miracle if my body holds up through al of my assigned legs.  I'm slated to run a total of 22.2 miles, 83% of which are described as "hard" or "very hard."  I've been feeling under the weather (again) lately, so hopefully my legs are ready and can carry the rest of me!

Today's Dilemma

This morning I received a text asking if I'd like to run the New York City Marathon.

Would I?  Absolutely.

Will I?  The jury's still out.

For many people (myself included), the NYC Marathon is a "bucket list" race.  It's well-organized with a great course and amazing spectator support.  I've submitted my name to the lottery multiple years and gotten rejected each time.  I've wanted to run this race for quite some time, but wasn't sure I'd ever be able to gain entry.

So why wouldn't I take advantage of this opportunity?

There are a few reasons.

1. Marine Corps Marathon is the weekend before.  Normal people do not run marathons on back-to-back weekends; however, I think I've established that I'm not normal.  Running both marathons would qualify me to be a Marathon Maniac, which has been a goal of mine for a while now, but would probably trash my legs in the process.
2. Training has not gone as well as planned this summer/fall.  Between the time I took to recover after 20in24, being sick, and various injuries I've sustained, I'm not as far along in my training as I would like.  It's one thing to underperform in one marathon - it's another to underperform in two in a row.
3. I'd need to raise $500 for charity.  While $500 isn't a lot of money, it's too much for me to pay myself and I'm not sure I'm comfortable asking my friends for the funds.
4. I'm supposed to work that weekend.  This is the most important factor - it'll be interesting to see if they'll let me out of the office for the race.

I'm giving myself until Tuesday morning to sort out items 1-3.  If I decide to go forward with running the race, I'll sort out item 4 with my office that afternoon.  I'll post my decision by Wednesday.

Happy Friday!

I love the crisp morning air that gives way to a beautiful, sunny afternoon.  There's something about fall...

I love heading out while it's still dark out and watching the sun rise as I run.  There's something about getting home when the city starts to wake...

I love the people I've met and the experiences I've had through my involvement with the La Casa team. There's something about Back on My Feet...

...and all of these somethings add up to something wonderful.  I couldn't wipe the smile off of my face this morning.  Hopefully it sticks around all weekend.

Tips for First-Time Mudders

I did a few things right and a few things very wrong when I ran Tough Mudder.  Hopefully someone can learn from my experience.

Gear:

• Wear gloves.  While gloves would not have fully prevented the injury on my left hand, they would have kept my right hand from getting so scratched up.
• Wear pants.  My knees are scratched and bruised, but would have been twenty times worse if I had worn shorts.
• Wear clothing that will dry quickly.  You're sweating and constantly hopping in and out of water and mud pits - a cotton t-shirt isn't going to cut it.
• Wear shoes and clothing you won't be sad about ruining.  My shirt, shoes, and socks went straight in to a trash can.
• Duct tape your shoes.  A loop or two around your foot will ensure that your shoes stay on even in the thickest, gloppiest mud.
• Duct tape your shirt where you pin your bib on.  I ended up with sizable (tack-head to dime sized) holes in my shirt where my bib was safety pinned.  Had I put duct tape on my shirt, it would have prevented the safety pins from pulling as my bib got weighed down with mud.

Before, During, and After:

• Get there early.  Get there early.  Get there early.  Traffic was horrible and it took multiple hours to park.  We planned on getting to the course three hours early, so we were able to start on time despite the delays.
• Run with a team.  You can't tackle all of the obstacles alone.
• Don't count on being able to shower there.  The showers weren't working after we finished, so we were glad we had plenty of shower wipes, clean (and dry) clothes, beach towels to sit on, and garbage bags for our dirty clothes.

Most Importantly:

• Have fun!  It won't be easy, but it'll be a good time.

Mid-Atlantic Tough Mudder - Recap

Note: I'll post a list of suggestions for people competing in future Tough Mudders separately.  All of the photos in this post, except for the "after" photos, were taken before the storm - I did not take any photos while completing Tough Mudder.

As I said before, Tough Mudder was amazing.

Saturday morning was beautiful - sunny, in the 80s, with low humidity.  It stayed this way though our drive (all three hours of it!), our walk to the course, and hanging around the start/finish lines waiting for our teammates.  As our teammates arrived (two hours later), the temperature suddenly dropped 10 degrees.  I looked up to see a black cloud heading our way, FAST.  That was when the wind started.

(Marked up with my number and ready to go)

Luckily, the gusts of wind died down after about 10 minutes and we were able to check our gear and get over to the start line.  We started some group warm-ups and were about 5 minutes from starting the race when the driving rain started.  We were in for quite the storm.

I comment on the weather not to complain, but to give a background as to why my race experience was a little different from what I expected.

The course map published online is below - a larger version can be found here:

We took off and, after climbing over a quick set of walls, were stopped and told to take a squat while one of the course officials talked us through safety procedures (i.e. how to signal for a medic) and get us pumped up for the race.  He then told us that, because of the storm, our first obstacle, the Arctic Enema, was closed.  I completely understand how you wouldn't want to have people swimming through a large body of water while there's a threat of lightning and respect their decision, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed.  Instead, we raced through the Braveheart Charge and went onward to the second obstacle, the Dirty Ballerina.

Before I get started describing the different obstacles, I need to explain that the "easy" part of the race, the run between obstacles, was on what was supposed to be dirt paths.  The heavy rain as we started and throughout the race turned these dirt paths in to mud pits.  It was thick, slippery, and people were sliding around, falling, and losing shoes all over the place.  The mud added an extra degree of difficulty to the race that, while fun, was far different from what I expected.  I didn't expect an 11-mile mud pit.

The Dirty Ballerina was an obstacle I was looking forward to - I have pretty long legs and am good at jumping across large puddles, etc, so I figured jumping across a 4-foot ditch would be no problem.  And it wasn't... at first.  The last ditch was noticeably wider than the rest - I knew I couldn't leap across it and I didn't think I was strong enough to jump in to the ditch and try to pull myself out, so I decided to throw myself at the ground on the opposite side of the ditch and hopefully land with at least my elbows on there so I could use my shoulder and back strength to pull myself up.  This was a horrible idea.  I ended up landing my left palm on a rather sharp rock, resulting in a deep gash and my subsequent mummy hand.  The course medics told me that any bandages they put on my hand would come right off, so I decided to keep on going and deal with the injury after the race.  All potential medical issues aside, this meant that I couldn't use my left hand for things without searing pain.

The next obstacle was the Kiss of Mud, which was relatively easy for me.  I crawled right on under that barbed wire quickly enough to beat some of my (male) teammates.  The guys were impressed and I started feeling good about my ability to tackle the obstacles despite my injury.

It's a good thing I did well on Kiss of Mud because the Berlin Walls were not my finest moment.  While some of the guys on my team were able to run, jump, and pull themselves up the wood walls without assistance, I needed a boost.  Luckily, so did a lot of other people.

The next obstacle, Bale Bonds, was a lot easier for me.  I scaled the mini-mountain of hay quickly, slid down the opposite end, and didn't look back.  I never thought I would have a preference between wooden walls and mountains of hay, but I strongly prefer the hay.

After Bale Bonds came Hold Your Wood, which was relatively easy as I chose a "girl sized" piece of wood.  Everyone on our team got through there quickly and continued the run to another Kiss of Mud.

I was feeling pretty great about my abilities to crawl on my elbows under obstacles, which was great because Trench Warfare was next.  I'm not particularly claustrophobic or scared of the dark, but it was pitch black and eerily quiet in those tunnels.  I was more than happy to get out of there.

The next obstacle was hands-down my favorite.  Walk the Plank involves climbing up a wood wall (this one had a couple of hand/foot holds) to a platform about 20 feet above the water.  As I looked over the edge, my stomach did a couple of flip-flops.  I knew I needed to jump soon or I'd start getting too nervous to go.  As I had that realization, a guy standing next to me mentioned he was scared of heights.  I grabbed his hand and told him we'd jump together - and we did.

The TM website doesn't have a description of our next obstacle, Log Jammin'; it consisted of getting over logs that were 7-10 feet off the ground.  I needed a boost on all of them, but the guys on our team were able to get over the first few on their own.  Good thing they're tall.

After Log Jammin' came King of the Mountain, which was basically Bale Bonds on steroids.  I had a lot of fun with it and stopped for a minute at the top to enjoy the view.

It's a good thing I was enjoying myself because the next obstacle, Electic Eel, wasn't super.  Crawling through water under live wires isn't really my cup of tea.  I got through there as quickly as possible and tried to forget about it.  I knew I would be facing live wires later in the course and didn't want to psych myself out.

After a particularly muddy stretch, we came to Underwater Tunnels.  Slogging through the pond and popping under barrels was a nice break from running through the mud, which was starting to get exhausting.  This was also around the time the pain in my left hand started to border on unbearable.  I was beginning to think my decision to bypass medical attention and continue on with the race was a poor one, and was ready to finish.  The steep uphill climb through the mud before the next set of Berlin Walls didn't help my exhaustion and, coupled with everything going on with my hand, caused me to skip this obstacle.  While I'm not proud of this decision, I know it was the right one - at this point it was clear that something was wrong with my hand and, every time I used it to pull myself up on something, I felt muscular pain as well as a sharp pain from my cut.

The next obstacle, the Mud Mile, was hilarious to my teammates at first - after all, hadn't we just run 8.5 of those?  We quickly discovered it wasn't a joke - we had to climb over large mounds of mud, slide in to the trenches between, and repeat the process.  I lost count at around the 7th hill.  As there were no places to get a good hand or foot hold, teamwork was necessary.  I'm really thankful to everyone that helped me through this obstacle as people were pulling strangers up left and right.

After the Mud Mile we were all coated in mud and I hoped for another water-related obstacle so we could wash off.  I sort of got my wish with the Boa Constrictor.  We were lucky - the first pipe was on a downhill slope so we could slide through it.  The second one was a little more difficult as we had to climb uphill through a slick pipe.  This was the only obstacle where taller people were at a disadvantage.  I was able to use my knees to get up the pipe while the rest of my teammates (all members of the 6' and up club) were forced to use only their arms and elbows.

There was a fair distance between the Boa Constrictor and the next obstacle, but once we hit it I knew we were in the home stretch.  I'd seen the Funky Monkey as we walked to the start line.

As I mentioned above, my upper body strength isn't the best.  I was coated in mud and tired, so I ended up dropping down in to the pool of water after about 3 monkey bars.  Oh well.

I was looking forward to Twinkle Toes because I knew I would be good at it.  I attribute my ability to focus and balance on a beam to years of yoga and gymnastics.  Unlike the obstacle before, I managed to stay out of the pool of water.

I saw Everest on my walk to the start line and had been looking forward to completing that obstacle; however, I'd seen that almost everyone needed to jump and be caught with both hands in order to make it to the top of the quarter-pipe.  That clearly wasn't going to happen with my injured left hand.  The huge crowd waiting to complete this obstacle sealed the deal.  I will definitely be coming back for Everest in the future.

As we passed Everest I realized that only a quarter mile and one more obstacle were standing between us and the finish line.  Unfortunately, that obstacle was Electroshock Therapy.

For those of you who think it couldn't possibly be that bad, take a closer look at the photo above.  Those are live wires dangling over a pit of muddy water.  IT HURT.  We managed to slog through there and cross the finish line about 3 hours after we started.  I don't think I've ever been prouder to complete a race.  I now understand what the "big deal" about earning an orange sweatband is and can't wait to earn another one.

(After, with my new favorite sweatband)

But maybe I'll wait until my hand heals.

Oh, Mudder

Tough Mudder was AMAZING.

I will do a full recap soon, but in the meantime, here's a link to the course map if you are interested in seeing what I did.

Meanwhile, I will be dealing with this:

I call it my "mummy hand."  Be thankful you can't see what's under the bandage - the course medic who wrapped me up ordered me to see a physician or visit an emergency room ASAP.

Easing In

I'm still getting over my summer "cold," so I've been taking it relatively easy lately and trying to get as much sleep as possible.  Yesterday I decided enough was enough and headed out on a morning six-miler with one of my faster friends.

We did an out-and-back on route 1, using the first three miles of this run.  It was overcast and relatively cool (low 80s) when we set out, but as the run progressed the humidity started to climb and the sun started to come out.  The more uncomfortable we got, the faster we ran, resulting in a negative split.

It was a pancake-flat, easy run which felt great and put my mind at ease.  Tough Mudder is next Saturday and I'm starting to get nervous - it seems as though I am always recovering from illness or injury before a big race.  Hopefully I can get things in check and get back to training properly for Marine Corps Marathon.