Friday, November 14, 2008
Ragnar Relay - The first 5
Jen – On your mark…get set…GO! I took off, so much excitement brewing inside, definitely had to slow down and watch my pace. Headed out of the park and on to the causeway, beautiful view and met a buddy.
We said hi and ended up running together for a while. I loved the camaraderie. All the support teams were great along the way, cheering not only their runners, but others too. I headed straight up the Pinellas trail, familiar view so far, but I seemed to breeze through until around mile 7, then started feeling the mileage, but all in all a great run…Finished right on time.
Audrey – Runner 2, Legs 3 & 4, 6.7 miles. According to the race bible, both legs were supposed to be easy. I figured it would be a nice warm-up for my opening leg. BUT that didn’t happen. A signage issue caused an off-course jaunt of 3 miles, which meant my total mileage ended up being 9.6 miles. Fortunately, I wasn’t the only one who ended up lost and unable to tell from the map exactly which direction we were supposed to go. Thankfully, Poncho was there on his bike to do a little riding ahead and phone calling to help us find out way. Of course, once back on track, the overcast sky turned sunny and HOT fast! Thanks to the crew of the S.S. Insanity for provided support and fuel along the route. My first leg of the race is done and I can’t wait for my next portion of the race at night.
Dave – I was thinking, “Can’t we SWIM across Florida?” as Audrey passes me the wrist slapper “baton” straight out of the 80’s. The team screams, “Go Ginger go!” and we’re off! Ten more miles to go… I spent most of the fifth leg trying to catch some people and it was going pretty well, but I noticed I was getting a little tired already. Not good. A very nice team offered me some water right before leg 6 started and I gladly accepted. My second leg was only 3.6 miles and I remember running along a river, some hills, and even some sand along the side of the road, but to be honest, it was mostly a blur. I perked right up when the sixth exchange was in sight. I was all smiles and celebration when I finished and handed Chris the wrist slapper. I think we got some good video of me acting like a fool, which should be entertaining when we watch it later. The best part so far was using my engineering skills to get the “showers” working, which were just tents with a garden hose sticking through the top, but felt more like an oasis in the middle of the Sahara. I need to be a lot smarter from here on out. Start slow, stay hydrated, and keep good food in my system. I’ll let you know how it works out.
Chris - So here comes Dave, why did he have so run so fast as it is really Hot out here!!!! Maybe that’s because it is 1 PM and very humid. So I started and the pace was a tad fast but it felt OK. Made it through the first check point at 6.3 miles and I knew 7.4 was going to be tough and it was. As I approach the finish I see Ali waiting for me, all smiles and I was sure happy to see her as it meant I was done for the first leg. Time to relax and get fueled up for the next leg. What a great team to be a member of, having fun, running and many laughs and all the support one could ask for. Time to rest, see you on leg 2!
Ali – I don’t know if this Ultra thing is good for people that are competitive. As Chris came in and slapped the bracelet on me, I was off and running for 12.7 miles. As always, I took off a little faster than I had really wanted to, what can I say, I get a bit excited at the start. J My first run was straight on SR-52…non-stop, no turns, just go. I had a guy pass me within the first mile and even though the killer instinct in me wanted to kick it in, I actually was able to keep myself in check…and pass him another mile up the road. After that it was smooth sailing with an occasional wind blast from big trucks going up. I lost my visor twice before deciding it was a smart idea to turn it around. I also had one good blast that lifted my feet off the ground! Yes, seriously, off the ground! But I felt great and loved all the honks and thumbs ups along the way! Plus, my team rocks…or sails for that matter. They were everywhere along the course, which was a good mental boost as I got close to the end. Coming into the exchange, Anne-Marie was ready and waiting with her “How Can I Help You” reflective vest on and headlamp clipped to her visor. I passed off the slap bracelet very willingly and off she went. Give me some water, trail mix and a PBJ and I’m ready for Round 2!
We said hi and ended up running together for a while. I loved the camaraderie. All the support teams were great along the way, cheering not only their runners, but others too. I headed straight up the Pinellas trail, familiar view so far, but I seemed to breeze through until around mile 7, then started feeling the mileage, but all in all a great run…Finished right on time.
Audrey – Runner 2, Legs 3 & 4, 6.7 miles. According to the race bible, both legs were supposed to be easy. I figured it would be a nice warm-up for my opening leg. BUT that didn’t happen. A signage issue caused an off-course jaunt of 3 miles, which meant my total mileage ended up being 9.6 miles. Fortunately, I wasn’t the only one who ended up lost and unable to tell from the map exactly which direction we were supposed to go. Thankfully, Poncho was there on his bike to do a little riding ahead and phone calling to help us find out way. Of course, once back on track, the overcast sky turned sunny and HOT fast! Thanks to the crew of the S.S. Insanity for provided support and fuel along the route. My first leg of the race is done and I can’t wait for my next portion of the race at night.
Dave – I was thinking, “Can’t we SWIM across Florida?” as Audrey passes me the wrist slapper “baton” straight out of the 80’s. The team screams, “Go Ginger go!” and we’re off! Ten more miles to go… I spent most of the fifth leg trying to catch some people and it was going pretty well, but I noticed I was getting a little tired already. Not good. A very nice team offered me some water right before leg 6 started and I gladly accepted. My second leg was only 3.6 miles and I remember running along a river, some hills, and even some sand along the side of the road, but to be honest, it was mostly a blur. I perked right up when the sixth exchange was in sight. I was all smiles and celebration when I finished and handed Chris the wrist slapper. I think we got some good video of me acting like a fool, which should be entertaining when we watch it later. The best part so far was using my engineering skills to get the “showers” working, which were just tents with a garden hose sticking through the top, but felt more like an oasis in the middle of the Sahara. I need to be a lot smarter from here on out. Start slow, stay hydrated, and keep good food in my system. I’ll let you know how it works out.
Chris - So here comes Dave, why did he have so run so fast as it is really Hot out here!!!! Maybe that’s because it is 1 PM and very humid. So I started and the pace was a tad fast but it felt OK. Made it through the first check point at 6.3 miles and I knew 7.4 was going to be tough and it was. As I approach the finish I see Ali waiting for me, all smiles and I was sure happy to see her as it meant I was done for the first leg. Time to relax and get fueled up for the next leg. What a great team to be a member of, having fun, running and many laughs and all the support one could ask for. Time to rest, see you on leg 2!
Ali – I don’t know if this Ultra thing is good for people that are competitive. As Chris came in and slapped the bracelet on me, I was off and running for 12.7 miles. As always, I took off a little faster than I had really wanted to, what can I say, I get a bit excited at the start. J My first run was straight on SR-52…non-stop, no turns, just go. I had a guy pass me within the first mile and even though the killer instinct in me wanted to kick it in, I actually was able to keep myself in check…and pass him another mile up the road. After that it was smooth sailing with an occasional wind blast from big trucks going up. I lost my visor twice before deciding it was a smart idea to turn it around. I also had one good blast that lifted my feet off the ground! Yes, seriously, off the ground! But I felt great and loved all the honks and thumbs ups along the way! Plus, my team rocks…or sails for that matter. They were everywhere along the course, which was a good mental boost as I got close to the end. Coming into the exchange, Anne-Marie was ready and waiting with her “How Can I Help You” reflective vest on and headlamp clipped to her visor. I passed off the slap bracelet very willingly and off she went. Give me some water, trail mix and a PBJ and I’m ready for Round 2!
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