Tucson Marathon Race Report- Qualifying for Boston

Well, it's been nearly a month since Tucson, and I guess I had better get to blogging about it. I know the memories will fade more and more as time goes on... (which, by the way, is the factor which makes it possible to RUN another marathon, HAVE another baby...etc...etc...)

In case you missed a few of my earlier posts about this race, I picked this race in order to train for speed and try and qualify for the Boston Marathon. My qualifying time is 3:40:00. Here is the post about what happened right after I decided to give it a shot: Five Minutes

Wade and I drove out on Friday afternoon. We stayed with my friends Chris and Karen, with Chris' parents. Chris is an amazing runner. He is the one who talked my into trying to qualify for Boston, and was a fantastic resource/coach during training. He also ran the entire Tucson Marathon with me, as my pacer. It was such a huge encouragement to stay on pace, and to stick to my race plan with him at my side.

Friday night we basically got there and hit the sack. The next morning we headed out to the expo to pick up our packets and bibs. Several other friends were there also, doing the race, and it was fun to see everyone and have lunch together. Then we headed back to the house and had dinner with Chris' folks (who are AWESOME cooks). They made pasta and shrimp. Chris and I spent a bit of time discussing pace, race day plan, etc, then got our stuff ready and headed to bed.

Race day wake up came early, since Tucson is a point-to-point race, you drive to a lot which is close to the finish and then get bussed to the start. Since we had to leave the house at 4:15, we had to get up at 3:45 or so. Karen, Chris, and I headed out, Wade was going to come out with his bike later and meet me along the course.

When we got to the start, we stayed in the bus for a while. It was chilly, and we still had a good hour until the race started. After a bit, Karen and I decided to go and use the port-o-potties before the start. It's always comical waiting in line at those things before the race. You have some hyper people, some grumpy people, some people doing the "potty dance". It's always entertaining. From where we were standing, we could see the start line, and also the INCREDIBLE sunrise. It was so beautiful. We also saw our friends Ron and Janet, and high fived and shared the excitement of race morning with them.

Once great thing about a smaller marathon (this one had about 1,000 marathoners, which is quite small, Nike had over 25,000 I believe) is that the start line is very mellow. We all kind of stood around and waited, and when they blew the bullhorn it was very low key and not crowded.

Miles 0-5ish
So at the beginning, I knew my goal was to keep my pace right around 8:00/mile. I was surprised at the amount of hills during the first few miles of the race. I was also surprised about how I felt in the altitude- we started at about 4500 feet and I definitely felt it. It was good to get going and put some miles behind us. The mile markers were off by almost a quarter mile in the beginning, which was bad, but then they got back on track. Chris was manually lapping his Garmin when we hit a mile marker, and mine was on auto-lap every time the gps registered a mile. So I knew I would have both to check my average pace and make sure I stayed on track.

Miles 6-10ish
These miles were great. We met up with a girl who decided she'd like to run with us and the three of us started chatting up a storm. She had run several marathons in different states, and wanted to run one in each of the 50 states. We kept our pace right at an 8:00/mile average. I knew we were coming to an out-and-back section of the course that went into the Biosphere, this part of the course is very hilly and can be windy. I was dreading this part and was anxious to get it over with and see how it affected my average pace.

Miles 10-13 The Biosphere
As I approached the Biosphere Rd. turn, I saw Wade there on his bike!! I was SO excited to see him!! I waved to him and threw him my arm warmers (by this time I was plenty warm without them) and headed into the Biosphere.

Cheesy grin as we head into the Biosphere. Notice how cool and professional Chris looks. That girl I mentioned is in the middle- she fell behind us in the Biosphere part and I didn't see her after.

The Biosphere was not nearly as bad as I had anticipated, which was a HUGE relief. We hit the half marathon point right before exiting, and I was right on pace with an 8:00/mile average. 

Chris and I, exiting the Biosphere section

Miles 13-18ish

After exiting and heading back to the main part of the course, we settled in to a nice pace. Chris was very encouraging and pleased with how well I was doing and how "on pace" my miles were. 

Happy to see Wade at mile 14 or so...

Around mile 15-17 during a long run or marathon, I usually get a second wind, or feel pretty fresh. This happens around 70% of the time, I would say.

...unfortunately, this did NOT happen during the Tucson Marathon. When we started the race, I told Chris I had three goals. I categorize my race goals in order of priority, so I don't lose focus of my main goal. My "A" goal was to qualify for Boston, and do 3:40. By "B" goal was to do a sub-3:35, so that I could sign up for Boston a week earlier than if I hit just my qualifying time, since they have a tiered registration based on pace. My "C" goal was to beat my old PR(that stands for Personal Record) marathon time of 4:28 by one hour. 

When we were about halfway, Chris told me, "Shari, if you get your second wind, you will probably get all three of your goals today!" When he asked me at mile 15, 17, and 18 if I was feeling that second wind, I told him I wasn't. And by the time I got to mile 17-18, my legs were feeling pretty darn trashed, I was already VERY tired, and I knew that the last part of this race was going to hurt.

As you look back after a "bad" run (those who run distance will know what this is- you just never feel "on" for some reason, you struggle, it feels hard) you try and put your finger on any factors that were/are within your control to see if you can figure out what caused this. I can say honestly, it "just happened" that way. I did all the things I was supposed to do, I had my nutrition and hydration dialed in, I kept my pace under control, I trained on TONS of downhill.....

I am telling about this as part of this race report because I was anyone who has a "bad" training run, or a "bad" race to be encouraged! I had several training runs where I felt AWFUL, and I learned to push through. (Read Why the Worst Training Run is the Most Valuable for more on this concept). This was truly SO important during Tucson. Having the mental stamina to run through periods of feeling awful is something I definitely learned during training. It helped. So, so much.

Miles 18-23

I mostly just remember these miles feeling hard. I was tired. It seemed like I never really got any sustained downhill, and I had to always keep pushing. I kept up my hydration and nutrition though, and didn't miss any of my scheduled water or Gu. Chris said all the right things. Every time we would hit a mile he would say, "8:05.... you can run that all day long and qualify!" Everything he said made me feel VERY encouraged and helped me so much. At mile 20 or so, my friend Robin joined us.

Robin, Chris, and I around mile 20

I felt pretty horrid from mile 20 on. My breathing was fairly rapid and my legs felt awful. I am not a complainer when I am hurting during a workout- I usually just become VERY quiet and try and knuckle through it. I did complain about my legs several times, then I would immediately apologize to Chris and Robin for complaining. In hindsight, it is pretty hilarious. I knew we had some uphills coming at mile 23, and I was a bit worried about that. I told Chris, "don't let me walk on those hills." He wasn't worried.

Miles 23-finish

Yeah. The hills were terrible. That's all I have to say about that.

I groaned and panted and grimaced.

As you can see, it wasn't one of my best beauty moments.....

It hurt. A lot.

The only thing I remember liking about this period in the race was Chris' and Robin's encouragement. Robin kept telling me I was doing great. Chris was VERY thrilled that I was going to qualify, and kept excitedly expressing that. Chris has a way of encouraging me to run faster by running slightly ahead of me and looking back at me. It is perfect. This kept me on pace to hit my "A" and "B" goals. I knew my "B" goal would be close, but I pushed as hard as I could.

Around mile 25, we saw some poor guy completely shut down. First he started staggering, then he completely seized up and almost fell and was assisted by a Police Officer who was helping out. It was a bummer, he was less than a mile from the finish line.

Last big hill... groan...

During the last mile, I was SO tired, and there were a few uphills. As we got closer to the finish, all I could think about was getting in under 3:35, and being able to STOP RUNNING.

There was a short uphill before you turn into the finish area, and in my mind I decided that I was going to ask the people at the finish if Chis could put my medal on me when we finished. We turned up into the finish chute and saw the finish line, and I was still focused on getting across that thing!!

Steps from the finish!

As we crossed the finish line, I looked down and my Garmin said 3:34!! I knew I had made my top two goals!! I asked if Chris could put my medal on, and he did. It was such a cool moment, he had told me I could do this if I worked hard- I really didn't believe it but thought I would try. And here it was, happening!! 

Immediately after that, I was SO happy to see Wade. He was really proud of me and told me so, and that felt really special. It was so nice having him there. He helped me get around the gate, helped me open my water, helped me sit down and get more comfortable. 

Sitting down right after the finish, exhausted, relieved, and HAPPY!!

My friends Allie, Tony, Celeste, and Cristina did the half marathon, and were at the finish too!! It was SO fun to see them and be excited with friends!! Dale, Robert, and Robin were there too! It was nice to see everyone.

Talking to the friends- on cloud 9!

 I asked Wade to get me a Coke (my usual favorite post-race drink if I've pushed it) to settle my stomach. He immediately found one and then helped me change and get more comfortable. You know your husband loves you when he'll hold your sweaty running clothes and wait in the doorway of a port-o-potty to help you. That is romantic, I'm telling you!!

The medal!

It was really exciting to be at the finish line and cheer all the friends on as they came in! Nearly everyone had a PR that day, and it was fun to see everyone so pleased!!

....reflecting on this race, and on the training, it really hits me. This was a big deal for me. When I decided to try and qualify for Boston, I knew I would have to work really hard. I also knew that there was a chance I could have a bad race and not qualify.

 After the race, I really allowed myself to enjoy the fact that I had worked hard and made my goals. To be totally honest, it is the first time I have ever felt like I truly celebrated my accomplishment without feeling stupid, vain, or prideful. It is difficult, for whatever reason, for me to see the good parts of myself. But Tucson was a rare moment that occurred when I could really feel the joy and satisfaction of achievement. That was really good, and special. It was especially satisfying because I DID have a sort of bad race and still made two of my goals! 

I would love to say that I am going to continue to get faster and shoot for a better time. But, for now, I'm going to do more running for the joy of it- take pictures, share special chats with friends, encourage others, see the beauty around me..... I missed that during the training when I had to focus so much on my pace. 

In closing, I would encourage you that goals matter. Writing them down, making a plan, working hard- those things are GOOD and feel satisfying. 

Set a goal. Seek to push yourself out of your comfort zone. Feel the joy of being totally spent while working hard to achieve. It feels good. 

Then, sit back and eat Red Vines. Yes. And count your toenails. There may not be as many of them left as you would think.

Long Beach Half Marathon Race Report

This last Sunday, I ran the Long Beach Half Marathon!  It was my first time doing this race, and it was on my schedule as part of my training for Tucson.

My friend Chris and I went down to the expo on Friday to pick up our race packets. So we got our bibs, timing chips, and race tee shirts. The shirts are a nice, short-sleeved tech shirt. Pretty cool.

We (Myself, Chris, and Karen- who is Chris' wife and my good friend) drove down Saturday night and stayed at a hotel near the start. I have heard from a bunch of people that this race is notorious for being a zoo, traffic-wise, race morning. We had dinner and hit the sack.

Sunday morning came, and it was beautiful. The start line was fairly well-organized, there were pacers denoting which runners should be at that point in the pack. This is a huge race, there were thousands of people. (A quick side note- if you are doing this race and tend to need the port-o-potty beforehand, get there early. The lines were atrocious.) The sky was gorgeous! It is a really pretty area, right by the Aquarium of the Pacific, tons of palm trees and a view of the bay.

Chris and I jogged to the start from the hotel, then stretched out. This was my first time to warm up for a race. Since I was running this race for time,(I generally tend to run more for the experience, take photos along the way etc. Training to try and qualify for Boston has been very different!) I followed all of Chris' advice. He is an excellent, experienced runner. So when he said to warm up, I did it!

Start lines in general tend to annoy me - the blaring announcer, the loud music......this was pretty much par for the course. As a very happy surprise, I found some friends at the start line! Isabel, Flint, and Eric, who are folks that I have run with many times. It was nice to be able to chit chat while waiting for the start.

Miles 1-4 sort of flew by, taking in all the people, getting warm, finding a rhythm. I tried to stay with a pacer, but he kept speeding up and slowing down too much for my taste. This race is quite crowded, and you have to weave through quite a few people at the beginning.

Around mile 5 you run on the boardwalk. There is a beautiful view or the Queen Mary with some water fountains shooting up around her. I do have to admit, I really regret not taking a picture of that. It was gorgeous. But I tried to remind myself that taking photos was not my goal for the day.

As the next few miles progress, you run on the beach on a sidewalk/bike trail that is very narrow. This was a bit tough, because you again had to pick your way through the crowd. One REALLY great part on this trail, however, was seeing Karen at mile 7!! I saw her from quite a way off and it was so motivating to have her there cheering!

You get off the bike trail around mile 9. At this point, I was getting tired. I know Long Beach is touted as a flat course but I felt like there were still small rolling hills, and uphills at the end. When I hit mile 10, it is a substantial uphill. I really had to push to maintain my pace. It seemed like the course remained mostly uphill until around mile 12.5 or so. There was a guy at mile 12 with a sign that said, "it is all downhill from here!" I was thinking, "yeah buddy, I've heard THAT one before......"

Miles 10-13 were very much a mental challenge for me. I know 3 miles seems like a short distance, but I had to constantly talk myself out of letting my pace dip down. Right before mile 13, the course veers to the left and you finish on a nice, solid downhill. I could see Karen at the side of the course right before the finish, and it was a great feeling knowing I could stop running soon!

The finish area was typical......they herd you through the finish line, give you your medal, offer a finish photo with the race backdrop......etc. They had some NASTY coconut water at the finish....ugh!! I was thrilled that Karen had a Coke waiting for me, I had gotten nauseated the last mile and it settled my stomach.

Overall I think this is a good race, the aid stations seemed well-stocked, the shirts and medals were nice, the start and finish seemed organized. I didn't feel like it was a super easy course, but that could be because I tend to prefer a hilly course to a flat one. I think the weather was nice, maybe a bit warm at the end but pretty.

Next up on the race calendar..... Nike Women's Marathon!

Iced Tea Obsession, Tucson Training, and Goals....

I know I've talked a bunch about training for Tucson. That's because it is REALLY important to me, and because I am working so hard at it! Sometimes I get this glimpse of myself, a housewife in my 30's, out on the track doing speed training, and think, "Shari, what are you doing?!"

But you know what?? I LOVE having goals. And, to be brutally honest, I LOVE having goals that are about me. I thoroughly enjoy serving my family. I am totally blessed to home-school my boys. I am happy to take care of Wade and support his career. All of those things are my life. Every day. So is training, racing, setting goals, and working hard to achieve them. That's part of my life too. A good part. I used to be somewhat timid and embarrassed about that. I guess, if I'm honest, I still am- sometimes. I don't want people to think I'm not a good wife, or a good mom, because I have something for myself. To tell the truth, I think having that little piece of my day set aside for running...... it helps me to be a good wife and a good mom.

Enough on that. Sheesh, I can go on, can't I?!

One thing I've done, in conjunction with my training, is to really clean up my diet.

I love candy. I love Coke. I do. I like McDonald's. I like cheesecake and creme brulee. Ok, ok, you get the idea.......... That is never going to change. I am still having those things, just not very often. I still have baked goods, but generally I limit the amount and save it for a treat. (IN GENERAL. I still have my days.)

In the effort to make my drink life more interesting (so I have a drink life, do I??!), I started experimenting with iced tea. Herbal tea mostly, but also some other, decaf tea. I currently have two favorites!

I make my iced tea by putting a gallon of cold water and 8 tea bags into a pot. Bring the water to almost boiling, then shut the heat off and let it steep for 10 or 15 minutes. Take the tea bags out and pour the tea into a pitcher.

How cute is my cup?? I love that thing! I use a few Splenda packets in my tea. (Please do not bother to email me about the evils of Splenda. I will be ok, I promise.) ;)

One of my favorites is this Good Earth Green Tea (The decaf Lemongrass flavor). I use 8 bags for a gallon of water.

My other favorite is a combo of two kinds of tea. I use 4 bags of the Tazo Passion tea, and 4 bags of the Celestial Seasonings Country Peach Passion tea. Oh, this one is gooooooood. Again, for a gallon of water.

Drink tea. Find your passion. Do all the things you are supposed to do, then make time for something you want to do. It's fun. It's good for you. Really.

Why The Worst Training Run is the Most Valuable

We all have them.

Those training runs that are just terrible. You know, when you can tell within the first few steps that you don't "have it" that day. (Now, I am NOT talking about injury here. Just the days when your "get up and go" isn't present, or for that matter, anywhere nearby...).

Sometimes I'll go through spells where nearly every long run is that way. Usually it will last for a month or two.

The first time that happened, I freaked out! I was thinking, "Maybe I am just not meant to be a runner. Maybe I have had all the good miles I'm going to have....".

But it passes. And while you're waiting for that to happen, let me share something with you. Those bad, horrible, no-good runs...... they're valuable. You learn so much about yourself. You have to dig deep. You have to push through. You have to leap the mental hurdle of "I can't DO this." I think of this as mental training. You are developing mental toughness.

That's a good lesson to learn. Especially if you're going to do endurance races. Because there's times in those races where you have bad spells. Times when you have to talk yourself through a rough patch. Work on your mental fortitude. Having difficult training sessions is the perfect opportunity to practice that! You can figure out what works for you- what things to think about, what helps you in the arena of food or hydration, what things make it worse..... all of those things are great to know!

Another benefit to a bad run is the ability to overcome the urge to quit. Because let's be honest, there are times when you're running by yourself, and you know that YOU are the only one who will really know the difference...... that's when you find the little stubborn, hard-core, strong piece of grit and determination that says, keep going. You learn how to use positive self talk to get yourself through. Sometimes that means just finishing the run. Sometimes that means keeping a certain pace. Whatever it means, every time you overcome the urge to quit, you gain something. You test a part of yourself that you learn, over time, to trust. I know, for me, that "don't quit" part that exists inside of me has gotten stronger, and has helped me overcome challenges in many races.

...and guess what else? You use that same skill in life! Seriously. The same skills I have learned when I am pushing through a tough training run or a rough spot in a race have helped me many times when I'm up against a wall in real life. You learn to keep putting one foot in front of the other, not dwell on the bad, and keep pressing on!

...I promise you, any athlete who has done a number of races will tell you this- mental toughness counts. It gets you through. So it is a great thing to have the opportunity to practice this.


So the next time you have a bad training run, remember, you're still training. It's just that you're doing mental training. And remember how valuable that is, and be thankful for the chance to "flex" your mental muscles.

....and reward yourself with a nice bowl of ice cream afterward. That helps too.

Don't Leave Home Without......

So, I am in training for the Tucson Marathon! The race is in December, and I am hoping to qualify for the Boston Marathon at this race. Here is my previous blog post about this race.

This is a new kind of training for me, I am training for speed- which doesn't come easily or naturally for me. My first marathon was a 5:01, my PR is a 4:28, and I have to run a 3:40 or faster. Needless to say, I have quite a gap to bridge. I am confident though, that with dedication and discipline (and a GOOD RACE DAY) I have a shot at it!!

Here are some of the things that have become "essentials" in my training. It is rare for me to do a workout without using most, if not all of these items!



Pure Protein brand protein powder. I love this stuff. I use it to make this smoothie, and this one. It's low in sugar, doesn't taste nasty (some of the powders are seriously SICK) and blends well.




The Blender Bottle. I have been using this to mix the protein powder (I use the chocolate flavor for the "just water" mixing) with ice water for a quick way to refuel after workouts. The little wire ball thingy makes sure all the powder blends up smoothly, with no lumps, and if you add ice water it gets nice and thick. I, of course, bought the hot pink bottle. I heart pink.


The Stick. I have already mentioned this sucker in a previous blog post, but it is worth a second plug. This. Thing. ROCKS.




Okole Stuff. For those who have run long distances, this is Body Glide's smarter, prettier sister. It goes on easily, doesn't rub off when it gets wet, and WORKS!! With all the speed training I've been doing, if I use this stuff, I do not chafe. I (foolishly) used Body Glide instead on Sunday's run and chafed the crud out of my arm and right below my sport bra. Lesson learned. Use the good stuff.


My Garmin Forerunner 310xt. My friends pitched in and bought me this two years ago for my birthday and I LOVE IT!! It is easy to program speed workouts into the Garmin and it tells you when to start and stop! I love the workout log it creates- you can download your workouts wirelessly to your computer. The feedback I get from looking at my past workouts is very helpful. LOVE this!!


Hydration, for me, makes or breaks a run. If I get behind with my hydration, I can't catch up. So for short runs (Usually those less than 10 miles) I will take this bottle- the Ultimate Direction Fastdraw. It has a great zipper pouch where I keep chapstick, gu and my keys.


For longer runs, I LOVE my Nathan HPL 020. It has a 2 liter capacity bladder, and plenty of easy-to-access pockets to stash gu, snacks, and a camera or cell phone, and of course, chapstick. I hate chapped lips when I'm running.


There you have it! My current can't-live-without-it list. (If I could add a wish or two to the list, I would add "no injuries" and "stiff tailwind".)

Happy running!

My New Favorite Running Aid....

Ok, every once in a while I find something that is SO great I have to tell everyone about it!

It's called "The Stick"



Awesome. Amazing.

I have struggled with IT band issues for several years (here is more about IT band issues), especially when I run hills. I have usually used a foam roller to help alleviate some of the pain, but The Stick is SO MUCH BETTER because you don't have to hold yourself up and try and balance like you do when using a foam roller. If I leave The Stick out where I can see it, I will remember to work on whatever is tight- my IT band, hamstring, calf, quad.... you name it!

I have noticed a huge improvement!! If you struggle with issues due to tight/strained muscles after runs or rides, I would totally suggest trying The Stick!! I got mine at my local running shop, they are also sold on Amazon.

Happy running!

Ragnar Relay Race Report!!!

Fun, fun FUN!!!! That's what I think about Ragnar Relay! I would do it again in a heartbeat!!

To give a little background, it's a relay race that starts in Huntington Beach and ends in Coronado Island. A tad over 200 miles, and you run the race either in teams of 6 (an ultra team) or teams of 12 (what we did).

So our start time was 8:00am in Huntington Beach. It was a BEAUTIFUL morning!!!!

Here's our team! (Aren't we a good looking bunch?!)

So, off we went! There were two vans, van #1 started the race, and van #2 (that's the van I was in) went to the first van-to-van exchange, which was in Corona. The van-to-van exchanges were called "major exchanges" and had areas to eat, sleep, and go to the restroom.

When we got to the first major exchange, we checked in and walked around a bit. I was the first runner for our van, so I was anxious to be in the right place to be ready for the last runner from van #1. (That was my friend, Becca. She was always my person to look for! She did great!!!!)

This is Eric, an amazingly fast runner and the co-captain of our team, and his dad- his dad volunteered for 12 HOURS during the race!!! Awesome!!
So my first leg was on the SART (a bike trail) through Corona. This leg was 7.3 miles. It was HOT! It was so great to see my teammates cheering me in at the end of the leg!!

After a few more hand offs, we ended up in this pretty park in Corona:

I took a few shots of our van- it looked really cute!! Kristin and Allie took care of the decorations!!

As I was taking a photo of this van- which apparently contained "the most interesting team in the world" one of the team members came up! So I took a random photo with her!

So after our next major exchange, we ate some dinner at Rubios, then headed to Fallbrook- the site of our next start. We were thinking our next legs would start sometime around midnight! We took our sleeping bags into the designated "sleep area" and tried to catch a few zz's. Yeah, sounds easy, but it ISN'T!! I was all keyed up and didn't want to oversleep, plus you can hear other runners pulling in etc. Karen, LeAnna, Eric and I had a BLAST though- we laughed it up and had a great time NOT sleeping!!

So, I started my second leg from this exchange, around 12:45 am. It was a hilly leg, 8.2 miles (even though it was actually 8.7..... MEAN) but it was nice and cool, and I had a TON of fun running it!! Of course I had to fall down once. It's some type of rule I think. Until I fall down, it's not an official race. It was just a few scrapes, thankfully, so no harm done!! Bruises and scabs are attractive, right??

After our night legs, we grabbed some breakfast and coffee at Starbucks, and headed to La Jolla, the site of our third and last major exchange!!

It was gorgeous!!

So after this last rest/recharge area, I headed out for my third and final leg! It was hot, 9.7 miles, and after an initial downhill, slightly uphill most of the way. It was TOUGH!!! I was SO SO glad to see my friends at the end!

We headed out to keep ahead of Ron, who was running after me. He was speedy!!

We got to wait for Karen in Mission Bay, right by the water, it was a beautiful, calm, relaxing place to wait for her to come in from her run!

LeAnna in front of the bay!

There was Karen coming in from her run! Several of the runners coming in from her leg had gotten lost, but she stayed on the right course! Way to go!

So off we headed, to more exchanges.....

That's Janet waiting to take the hand off from LeAnna!
Then, finally, it was time for Eric to run us in to the finish!! He was amazing, SO fast, on his last leg! We were all waiting for him a hundred yards or so from the actual finish, so the team got to run in together! It was sweet!!!

Here's Karen with the medal- the medals were AWESOME! Really big and shiny with a bottle opener cut out!

Allie and I at the finish

The finish line festivities! There was delicious food, a pasta bowl with fresh veggies, and each person got a beer too at the finish! There was a massage tent and a shop to buy race items.

After the race, we all convened at El Torito to "spend" some of those calories we burned over the last few days!! It was fun to tell the jokes and memories we each had from the race!

This may well have been one of my favorite races ever. There's a couple of reasons for that. First, it had two things I love- the team aspect, where you're encouraging and cheering for your friends and they're doing the same for you, plus the individual aspect- where you can push yourself as much as you want. Also, it was just FUN; navigating (even when the stinking directions told us to go to the wrong place and it got tense for a minute....) trying to get out of the parking lot gridlock (Ron had to go and direct traffic for a bit), trying to sleep despite the nearly constant sound of the port-a-potty doors being slammed, picking burrs out of our hair after NOT sleeping in the field, watching Peggy navigate through some pretty amazing U-Turns, eating more tortilla chips than any human should be allowed, trying to dry our sweaty, stinky shirts out between runs, shivering during the night while watching for our friends to come in.... seeing Eric, pedal to the metal, charging into the finish area.... it was a great experience. One I've smiled about over and over. We had a great team, amazing drivers, awesome volunteers........

....it was a good weekend. A great race.

To find more information on any of the 15 Ragnar Relay events, held around the country, visit The Ragnar Website

DINNER TONIGHT:
Skillet Gnocchi with Spinach and White Beans
Green Salad
Watermelon