Another Wednesday is upon us and so is another Wednesday Word from Debbie. This week’s word prompt is fearless. I’m not sure, but she may have had this past weekend’s Ragnar Relay on her mind when she came up with this one. Be sure to click on the button below to see who else is joining in on the Wednesday Word linkup and to link up yourself.

Fearless

without fear; bold or brave; intrepid

As I mentioned, this past weekend I ran the Ragnar Relay Trail Richmond race on an ultra team. I ended up not running in the dark as much as I was expecting to. But I still had two loops totaling about 10-11 miles that were in the dark.

I am really not a fan of the dark – I keep flashlights strategically stashed throughout our house in case the power goes out. I can’t see as well when it gets dark and I don’t like not knowing what’s around me. I also feel like 90% of the bad things that happen in life always happen at night. But signing up for a Ragnar event is a chance to face your fears and step out of your comfort zone, and that’s exactly what I did this weekend.

Lucky for me, our group had two ultra teams so that we could pair up and have a buddy to run with (Debbie was my buddy). Thank goodness we did, because I really don’t think I could run trails by myself at night. I am a little bit braver when I have someone with me, but I’m still not a huge fan of being out in the dark – especially in the woods. This weekend, as Debbie and I ran together, I was the one leading. Although I didn’t say anything to Debbie about it, this actually made it scarier for me during our night legs. It would have been much easier for me to just mindlessly follow her and ignore the darkness around us. But it made more sense, pace-wise, for me to be the one in the lead and it was good for me. We made it through and although my fear of the dark is nowhere near gone, I definitely know better how to manage it.

I don’t think there’s any such thing as being fearless. Everyone has something that frightens them. But I think we can all embody fearlessness by managing our fears and being brave in the face of them.

Are you fearless? How do you deal with your fears?

I’m linking up this morning with Holly and Tricia for their Weekly Wrap link up. This past weekend was one wild and crazy ride, and I’m still trying to wrap my head out of it. Right now it is a blur of dirt trails and trees, sleep deprivation, newfound friends, fear of not being able to do it, and then crossing the finish line and proving to myself that I could.

I probably won’t have a recap up until at least next week. It takes awhile to decompress from these Ragnar events. Here are a few details….

Our team began running on Friday at 2 PM and finished sometime around 5:00 PM Saturday (I think… it was sometime Saturday afternoon anyway). The total advertised distance was 125.6 miles, which we split between four people as an ultra team. However, it seemed that the loops were actually a bit longer, and we all agreed each of us ran between 33 and 34 miles for a total of 132-136 miles. I ran with Debbie’s Moms Run This Town group and since we fielded two ultra teams we were able to pair up, so everyone had a buddy to run with in the woods. Deb and I ran together and had a blast keeping each other company and swapping stories.

This was my third Ragnar and I thought I might break my streak of not sleeping during Ragnar Relay events, but alas it happened again. I tried my hardest to get some sleep from 11 PM to 2 AM or so, but it just didn’t happen. Instead I set a new record for staying awake: 40 hours.

I survived running two of our six loops in the woods in the dark. I would not have survived if it weren’t for Debbie. She also would not have survived if it weren’t for my navigational skills 😉 (honestly, she would have been just fine, but in our sleep deprived state we had a joke going about her ending up in the Atlantic)

Deb and I also got to meet Karen during the event!! She came over to the state park on Friday afternoon and she was just as nice and friendly as she seems on her blog. 🙂 She even brought us presents, which was super sweet! I’m so glad we got to meet, and I wish we could have hung out longer (or even gone on a run together!).

There were times during the event when I worried I had bitten off more than I could chew, despite having run my 50K a few weekends ago. We finished our first leg of the relay, which ended up being a little over 12 miles, and the distance we had left to run started to feel very daunting. Luckily Barry happened to be there in that moment and it was just the two of us. He was able to talk me down before I went into full on freak out mode.

Things got super confusing towards the end, and we took matters into our own hands since the Ragnar officials were not on the same page as us (more on this later…).

In the end, we pulled it off. The trails at Pocahontas State Park were awesome. I was surprised at how large the park was and I’d definitely love to go back sometime to explore some more.

I’ve now run a road Ragnar from Maryland to DC, a trail Ragnar in WV on a non-ultra team (8 people), and now Ragnar in Richmond on an ultra team. These events are so challenging in a unique way because you take the miles you are running and spread them out over roughly a 24 hour period and you are often running on little to no sleep. But the camaraderie with your team makes it really special. Ragnar is a bonding experience for sure, and you’ll definitely form new friendships along thew way. In total, our Moms Run This Town group had 24 runners (2 ultra teams, 2 non-ultra teams). We camped all together and hung out between our runs. I had so much fun with them and met so many awesome new people. I went into this event knowing it would be my last Ragnar Relay. But it wouldn’t be too difficult to convince me to do another one (not on an ultra team, though!).

Have you ever run trails in the dark?
What’s the longest you have ever stayed up at one time?

Last night Barry and I traveled to Pocahontas State Park in Richmond, where we will be camping for the weekend. My dad and his girlfriend are here, too, and we are all making a weekend out of it. The main point of the trip is because I’m running a Ragnar Trail relay here. Barry, Dad, and R will be hanging out for the weekend while I run through the night on the trails in the park.

My past Ragnar experiences have included an extreme lack of sleep, pouring rain, a flooded tent, and copious amounts of mud that ruined some of my running socks. So why on earth would I do another one? Because they’re fun, duh!

Ragnar DC and Ragnar Trails Appalachians were both a blast. I came away from each of those weekends exhausted, elated, and with unforgettable memories and experiences. Running an overnight relay with friends is totally different from any other running event I’ve done. It’s challenging and I’m always up for a challenge.

So this weekend, I’m back for more. This time it’s the Ragnar Trails Relay in Richmond. It’s the first year for this location and I hope all goes smoothly! I’m running on an ultra team (team of 4 instead of the traditional 8). There are two ultra teams with my group so that we can buddy up. Debbie is on the other team and we will be running buddies for the weekend! I’m excited we get to run together all weekend. I wouldn’t have done my past two Ragnar relays if it weren’t for Debbie inviting me along. 🙂 My most recent one – Ragnar Trail Appalachians – was with her Moms Run This Town chapter. I’ll be joining them again and we will have a total of four teams here (two ultra, two regular).

It was a wild, wet, and muddy ride last time. I was so exhausted at the end but I also had a really great time. I’m looking forward to a weekend on the trails! I’m also crossing my fingers and toes we have a dry and mostly mud-free weekend! A little sleep wouldn’t be too bad, either. Maybe the third time is the charm.

Our team starts running today at 2:00 PM and we will hopefully be done around dinnertime tomorrow.

As an ultra team we will be running double loops each time we run, so Deb and I will run:

• 11.9 miles on leg 1 (roughly 6:30 PM tonight)
• 10.8 miles on leg 2 (roughly 4 AM tomorrow morning)
• 10.3 miles on leg 3 (roughly 1:30 PM tomorrow afternoon)

Off to the trails!

Have you ever done a running relay?
How do you deal with bad weather when camping?

I’m linking up today Debbie for her Wednesday Word link up. Be sure to click on the button below to join in and see who else is linking up!

Today’s word is dreamer. I think a lot of people may write about their hopes and dreams, and maybe their big goals. I thought about that, but instead I’m choosing to take this in a different direction and write about dreams themselves.

I seldom remember my dreams. The only ones I seem to remember are those weird ones I have after falling back asleep when I first hit the snooze. Leading up to the Anthem Star 10K I had the strangest dream. But first I should give you some background.

Have you heard of the Barkley Marathons? It’s probably the toughest ultra race in existence, consisting of a 100+ mile run and a 60 mile “fun run.” The course changes yearly, but it’s roughly five 20 mile loops through Frozen Head State Park in Tennessee, although many say each loop is closer to 26 miles for a total of 130 miles. The total elevation gain in the race is equivalent to climbing Mt. Everest from sea level – twice. Since the race began in 1986, only 14 runners have finished the race a total of 17 times (some have finished it two or three times). The course itself is unmarked and does not follow actual trails, for the most part. It is up to participants to mark their own map by one master map shared among runners before race day, and then navigate their own way in the woods. Runners prove they have completed the actual loop by retrieving pages out of nine books hidden throughout the course. Their bib number determines what page number they pull, and runners get a new bib for each loop. (That’s the most important fact for the purpose of this post)

So back to this dream. I dreamt that during the Blue Ridge race we had to find these various small foam pieces that when put all together formed a telephone. Weird, right?

When we got to the top of Mill Mountain if we hadn’t found them all we had to turn around and go back to find the pieces we had missed. Once we presented a full, foam telephone we were allowed to continue on down the other side of the mountain.

Who wants to psychoanalyze that one??

Do you remember your dreams? If so, what weird dreams have you had?

On April 16, I participated in my fifth Blue Ridge Marathon event in Roanoke. For the past four years, I have run the half marathon distance at this race. It’s a doozy of a road race, packing nearly 3,800 feet in total elevation change in just 13 miles. This year, having just run my first ultra, I opted for the 10K option which ‘only’ has 2,000 feet in elevation change.

I went into the race with one main goal: have fun! And have fun I certainly did. It was a blast, and honestly I had more fun running the 10K than I have running the half in the past. Sure, you get some major bragging rights and you feel very accomplished at the finish line after running America’s Toughest Road Half Marathon. But for me it just isn’t as fun as the 10K was. Race day was simple: run up the mountain, say hello to the Roanoke star, run back down the mountain, and then head to the finish.

Race morning started early, since the race began at 7:35 AM and it’s about an hour drive to Roanoke. It was a smooth trip until Barry and I got to downtown Roanoke. We sat in some of the worst traffic I’ve ever been in for Blue Ridge waiting to get off of the interstate and into a parking garage near the start/finish. This usually goes smoothly, but the race has continued to grow and we did get there a bit later than we have in years past. By 7:15 we were parked on our our way to the start area. We hit the porta johns and then lined up with less than 10 minutes until go time.

As luck would have it, I ran into my Sole Sisters running group buddies. I’m not officially part of their group, but I am friends with all of them and we see each other at nearly every local race. I often end up running with them, too, which is always fun! They had the singing of the national anthem, and just after 7:35 we were on our way.

The race starts off running through downtown as you make your way towards the base of Mill Mountain. We ran over a bridge where we got a nice view of the star and where we were headed. It was a gorgeous day for a race – sunny and in the upper 40’s (it would later warm up to the 70’s by the afternoon). I was in capris, a long sleeve, and gloves, and honestly I was already feeling a bit warm during mile 1.

Barry took off right away, chasing a course PR for the half, and I stuck with my Sole Sister group (they were all also running the half). We were running easy and happily chatting away. Just before mile 1 we started a climb up a steep hill. You hit this hill before you actually start climbing up Mill Mountain. I could definitely feel it in my legs, but I still felt good. Our group split up a bit, and I continued on with Anita and Kim as we began the ascent up Mill Mountain.

Mile 1 – 11:11
Mile 2 – 12:02

After we passed mile 2, the climbing got steeper. I said goodbye to Anita and Kim as I decided to start mixing in some short walk breaks. I kept each walk break less than a tenth of a mile in length and focused on working on my power hiking. I was happy to find I was passing others who were walking – I guess I’m getting better at hiking quickly on inclines!

Just before mile 3, we reached the split where the full marathoners continue on to climb Roanoke Mountain and the half and 10K turn right to finish climbing Mill Mountain.

Mile 3 – 14:56

My legs were burning now and my walk breaks were becoming more frequent. I knew we were close and just before we hit mile 3.5 I got my first peek of the back of the Roanoke Star – a sure sign our climb was nearly complete!

We caught a little trail action before we found ourselves in front of the towering 90-foot-tall Roanoke Star at the top of Mill Mountain. It’s fun to look out at the overlook and see the valley floor, where we started just over 3 miles ago.

Then it was time to begin the screaming descent back to the valley floor! You would think the climbs in this race are what beat you up, but it’s actually the descents. When running the half in the past I have both trashed my legs and become physically ill during the run down Mill Mountain. After four previous Blue Ridge races, I have learned not to drink or eat anything until I’m off of Mill Mountain (my stomach gets upset from the sloshing) and I have learned how to run down a steep descent. The trick for me is to stay upright over my feet with my hips forward and allow gravity to push me. I don’t try to hold back a lot and I don’t try to push that hard.

Mile 4 – 11:33

On our way down the mountain we passed one of my favorite parts of the course: the folks who stand outside of their house to hand out “moo-mosas.” They have a cow statue at the front of their driveway, hence the cow theme.

 

From there we continued down the winding ‘old road’ on Mill Mountain, running through an old toll booth as we careened back to the valley floor.

Before I knew it we had made it back to the valley and we were on our way back towards the finish. My legs were ready to be done! We had to climb back over the bridge on Jefferson (I swear that thing is steeper on the backside!) and then up another hill. From there it was a smooth downhill to the finish.

Mile 5 – 8:33
Mile 6 – 9:13
Last 0.2 – 1:41

I cruised through the finish line in 1:09:08, meeting my unofficial time goal of sub-1:10. I had thrown that number out to Barry the night before, and I was happy to meet it. My other secret goal was to finish before the first half marathoner came through. I accomplished that as well, as the winner came in at 1:21:57 (which is insane on this course!).

After finishing I collected my medal and a bottle of water and walked back up towards the final stretch before the finish line to wait for Barry. Blue Ridge had a great app this year for tacking athletes, so I was able to keep tabs on him. Finally, I saw him coming down the road and cheered my head off for him! He ended up having a lot of cramping after the second mountain (Peakwood, mile 7-10). But he still finished in 1:55:56 – no course PR but still an excellent time on such a tough course. Not to mention he didn’t train for the race 🙂

Once Barry was done we got some post-race food, hung out in the shade for a bit, and then made our way over to the amphitheater area for some post-race refreshments. I had a smooth Belgian white – my favorite!

All in all, a great day and another Blue Ridge in the books.

This race report is part of the Weekly Wrap link up, hosted by the awesome MissSippiPiddlin’ and HoHo Runs. Be sure to click on over to their blogs and check out who else is joining in today!

Who else has raced recently?
Do you run the same races over and over again?