We're Back Ya'll!
Word to your Motha! We all survived the Wasatch Back Ragnar...mostly intact.
I've been trying to come up with some clever way to discuss our experience but not much is coming so here comes the play-by-play...
Word to your Motha! We all survived the Wasatch Back Ragnar...mostly intact.
I've been trying to come up with some clever way to discuss our experience but not much is coming so here comes the play-by-play...
Thursday, June 16th
3:30 pm- Dropped off our children at the home of 'The World's Best Babysitter'.
Felt very nervous...Would #4 decide to make lunch out of any number of toxic substances found in the average American home? (Silent pleading that one child in particular doesn't request to munch on anyone's toe nail clippings).
4:00 pm-Game face on! Greetings to fellow runners which includes 1 high school friend, a beloved pal from Oregon and a recently returned LDS missionary from our ward in Jax.
6:00 pm-GREAT grub @ the Vanderbeeks...carbo loading-even for the gluten intolerant.
10:30 pm-Must get some sleep before 4:15 Ragnar check-in...Doh! I forgot pajamas.
Moral dilemma: Sleep in underwear or jeans?
(In case of a necessary home evacuation, underwear may be a little awkward.)
Friday, June 17th
3:45 am: Rise and Shine, Suckers! (Phew! No house fire!)
4:15 am: I'm regretting my decision to pack my running skirt for the race. My cute little Florida legs turn into Utah Popsicles in the <40 degree weather. That high mountain breeze/windchill is no longer refreshing.
5:15 am: Our first runner, ProZack is off and literally running.
(This is Reg and me during Van #1's first leg...Isn't she beautiful?!)
8:45 am: I find myself in the runner's queue. Here comes He-Man's kid sister aka 'Bulldozer'. Watching her running up, I see an incredibly strong and beautiful woman in the little girl I befriended as a teenager. Good grief, we're old!
8:46 am: I'm off! I start my 5.1 mile leg strong and feeling great!
9:16ish am: Still feeling awesome. The elevation isn't much of a problem and I'm totally digging the cheers and encouragement from other team vehicles.
9:20 am: I get hit on by a really nice (unmarried) guy in a black suburban. These WB Ragnar people really know how to pump people up!
9:30 am: Nearing the end of my run...starting to feel the fatigue. Behind me, I hear an unmistakable 'Mooooooo!'
How rude!
That poor runner whose nasty teammates think that sort of thing is funny!
Again, with the 'Mooooo!' This one is followed by others joining the fun, sounding like a stupid chorus of idiots.
Too focused to look back, I start to believe that maybe their mooing at me! DISGUSTING! What did I ever do to them?!
I plod on, determined to ignore them...noticing the sound of them coming closer and closer.
I wrack my brain to come up with some kind of hand gesture, not too vulgar, to express my distaste for their rudeness.
Finally, they are upon me. It's time to turn and look the hecklers in the eye.
It is here, that I'm running on the dirt road right next to a cattle cart filled with cows. Mouths gaping, their snouts smooshed and sticking out of the cart's grate holes for fresh air.
As a parting gift, they leave a cloud of poopy stink for us runners, breathing through our mouths no less, with something to remember them by.
9:35ish am: 1 down! 2 to go! Where's the nearest Porta-Potty?!
10:30 am: Jolene, aka 'The Pheonix" seriously rips up the race with a sub 9 minute mile average on her 7 mile leg!
11:40 am: He-Man starts his first 8 mile leg. Here's where we get to see if his late night bowls of ice cream and 2-3 mile training runs are going to give him the edge.
12:50 pm: Van 1 is done with its first legs!
1:30 pm: Arrive at a ski-resort. Take off my shoes and put on my flip-flops. Breathe in the crisp mountain air and begin to defrost.
Spend the next 4 hours trying to look busy...
took a 15 minute nap
ate a cold microwave dinner
slept for 10 minutes to fight the boredom
signed up for a free 10 minute massage
put on my makeup
wandered aimlessly
slept for a couple of minutes
tried to shield the eyes of our recently returned missionary from nasty double entendres
7:30 pm: Ready to start my run...but unable to find my phone/Ipod...forgot I stuffed it in my shirt; obviously losing some coherency.
8:10 pm: finishing my race...feeling a bit of fatigue.
9:00ish pm: He-Man begins his 2nd leg. It's brutal! And keeps going and going and going, up and down as it quickly ascends a mountain. By mile 4 I'm ready to cry. Obviously, so is he. For moral support, we crank up 'Defying Gravity' and I hang out of the sunroof for encouragement.
10:15ish pm: He-Man hobbles off the finish line, bloody from chafing.
11:30 pm: We pull into some high school moonlighting as sleeping quarters.
Must sleep...
(Again moral dilemma: jeans or underwear)
11:45 pm: still awake. Everyone around me drifting off to sleep
Saturday, June 18th
12:00 am: WIDE awake next to 5 people I know well and about 200 other people I don't know from Adam...yet, I know them intimately enough to know that some of them snore.
12:15 am: I GIVE UP! I stand in line to brush the fur off my teeth and wash my face. $3 to take a shower?! I wonder if it's appropriate to give myself a spit-bath in the public bathroom.
12:30 am: Back in the gymnasium, surrounded by dozens of angelically sleeping runners...plus a guy I'm pretty sure is buck naked and sitting-up 2 feet away from a sleeping He-Man.
1:00 am: GRRRR! Sleeping is so dumb! The smell of sizzling $5 bacon, eggs and pancakes in the school cafeteria is even dumber! I HATE PILLOWS! and beds and fluffy sleeping bags...anything that teases me with a false sense of comfort and sleepiness.
1:30 am: Laying back down on a hard floor with a rolled up pair of jeans beneath my head, ready to punch...
2:30 am: What?! Where am I?! Hey! Where did Naked Guy go? Is it time to run already?
4:00: Runner #1 is off again! I don't remember much...just how uncomfortable my jeans are.
5:00: See ya soon, Runner #2!
6:15 Runner #3 is off and running her hardest leg. Whoa! That car just rear-ended the one in front of it!
8:00 am: Somewhere, right outside of Heber, I'm revving up to run down a mountain.
8:10 am: Ready to FLY!
Down, down, down I go!
Almost done!
Down some more!
Hitting the hillside with a whimper but pulling through...Almost there...
He-Man's at the end...
Almost there...
and
I did it!!
(This is me trying to look 'fierce' during my start-up...obviously NOT pulling it off. This is, in fact, more proof that I'm really not that photogenic.)
Here you go, Runner #5!
10:15 am: He-Man's done too!
We've officially rocked the Wasatch Back Ragnar!
Now where's the food?!
11:00 am: Party at Park City High School...Yeah Baby!
But...I just wanna go home. I'm too tired to eat.
2:00 pm: Home Again, Home Again Jiggity-Jig
3:00 pm: Zombiefied but too tired to sleep...Must find some new pajamas
4:00 pm: Yikes! A Van #2 runner collapses! I am now babysitting some of the kids until the last group comes in....
6:00 pm: Van #2 arrives.
6:15 pm: Must. Find. Pajamas...
7:00 pm: Victoria's Secret...I wonder how comfy lingerie is to sleep in...Behold! Clouds part and I see them! Comfy 2 piece cotton jammies: size M...50% off...great! I'll take 'em. May I please put them on in the store?
Apparently that's against store policy.
8:00 pm: Slowly make my way out of the Mall...so tired...must sleep...
8:15 pm: Awwww! Clean cotton jammies feel so good! Reclining position on a soft bed and pillows...even better!
8:16 pm. ZZZZzzzz and gentle snoring.
3:30 pm- Dropped off our children at the home of 'The World's Best Babysitter'.
Felt very nervous...Would #4 decide to make lunch out of any number of toxic substances found in the average American home? (Silent pleading that one child in particular doesn't request to munch on anyone's toe nail clippings).
4:00 pm-Game face on! Greetings to fellow runners which includes 1 high school friend, a beloved pal from Oregon and a recently returned LDS missionary from our ward in Jax.
6:00 pm-GREAT grub @ the Vanderbeeks...carbo loading-even for the gluten intolerant.
10:30 pm-Must get some sleep before 4:15 Ragnar check-in...Doh! I forgot pajamas.
Moral dilemma: Sleep in underwear or jeans?
(In case of a necessary home evacuation, underwear may be a little awkward.)
Friday, June 17th
3:45 am: Rise and Shine, Suckers! (Phew! No house fire!)
4:15 am: I'm regretting my decision to pack my running skirt for the race. My cute little Florida legs turn into Utah Popsicles in the <40 degree weather. That high mountain breeze/windchill is no longer refreshing.
5:15 am: Our first runner, ProZack is off and literally running.
6:30ish am: Off goes Reg, aka 'The Flame'!
(This is Reg and me during Van #1's first leg...Isn't she beautiful?!)8:45 am: I find myself in the runner's queue. Here comes He-Man's kid sister aka 'Bulldozer'. Watching her running up, I see an incredibly strong and beautiful woman in the little girl I befriended as a teenager. Good grief, we're old!
8:46 am: I'm off! I start my 5.1 mile leg strong and feeling great!
9:16ish am: Still feeling awesome. The elevation isn't much of a problem and I'm totally digging the cheers and encouragement from other team vehicles.
9:20 am: I get hit on by a really nice (unmarried) guy in a black suburban. These WB Ragnar people really know how to pump people up!
9:30 am: Nearing the end of my run...starting to feel the fatigue. Behind me, I hear an unmistakable 'Mooooooo!'
How rude!
That poor runner whose nasty teammates think that sort of thing is funny!
Too focused to look back, I start to believe that maybe their mooing at me! DISGUSTING! What did I ever do to them?!
I plod on, determined to ignore them...noticing the sound of them coming closer and closer.
I wrack my brain to come up with some kind of hand gesture, not too vulgar, to express my distaste for their rudeness.
Finally, they are upon me. It's time to turn and look the hecklers in the eye.
It is here, that I'm running on the dirt road right next to a cattle cart filled with cows. Mouths gaping, their snouts smooshed and sticking out of the cart's grate holes for fresh air.
As a parting gift, they leave a cloud of poopy stink for us runners, breathing through our mouths no less, with something to remember them by.
9:35ish am: 1 down! 2 to go! Where's the nearest Porta-Potty?!
10:30 am: Jolene, aka 'The Pheonix" seriously rips up the race with a sub 9 minute mile average on her 7 mile leg!
11:40 am: He-Man starts his first 8 mile leg. Here's where we get to see if his late night bowls of ice cream and 2-3 mile training runs are going to give him the edge.
12:50 pm: Van 1 is done with its first legs!
1:30 pm: Arrive at a ski-resort. Take off my shoes and put on my flip-flops. Breathe in the crisp mountain air and begin to defrost.
Spend the next 4 hours trying to look busy...
took a 15 minute nap
ate a cold microwave dinner
slept for 10 minutes to fight the boredom
signed up for a free 10 minute massage
put on my makeup
wandered aimlessly
slept for a couple of minutes
tried to shield the eyes of our recently returned missionary from nasty double entendres
5:30 pm: Van 1 starts again.
7:30 pm: Ready to start my run...but unable to find my phone/Ipod...forgot I stuffed it in my shirt; obviously losing some coherency.
8:10 pm: finishing my race...feeling a bit of fatigue.
9:00ish pm: He-Man begins his 2nd leg. It's brutal! And keeps going and going and going, up and down as it quickly ascends a mountain. By mile 4 I'm ready to cry. Obviously, so is he. For moral support, we crank up 'Defying Gravity' and I hang out of the sunroof for encouragement.
10:15ish pm: He-Man hobbles off the finish line, bloody from chafing.
11:30 pm: We pull into some high school moonlighting as sleeping quarters.
Must sleep...
(Again moral dilemma: jeans or underwear)
11:45 pm: still awake. Everyone around me drifting off to sleep
Saturday, June 18th
12:00 am: WIDE awake next to 5 people I know well and about 200 other people I don't know from Adam...yet, I know them intimately enough to know that some of them snore.
12:15 am: I GIVE UP! I stand in line to brush the fur off my teeth and wash my face. $3 to take a shower?! I wonder if it's appropriate to give myself a spit-bath in the public bathroom.
12:30 am: Back in the gymnasium, surrounded by dozens of angelically sleeping runners...plus a guy I'm pretty sure is buck naked and sitting-up 2 feet away from a sleeping He-Man.
1:00 am: GRRRR! Sleeping is so dumb! The smell of sizzling $5 bacon, eggs and pancakes in the school cafeteria is even dumber! I HATE PILLOWS! and beds and fluffy sleeping bags...anything that teases me with a false sense of comfort and sleepiness.
1:30 am: Laying back down on a hard floor with a rolled up pair of jeans beneath my head, ready to punch...
2:30 am: What?! Where am I?! Hey! Where did Naked Guy go? Is it time to run already?
4:00: Runner #1 is off again! I don't remember much...just how uncomfortable my jeans are.
5:00: See ya soon, Runner #2!
6:15 Runner #3 is off and running her hardest leg. Whoa! That car just rear-ended the one in front of it!
8:00 am: Somewhere, right outside of Heber, I'm revving up to run down a mountain.
8:10 am: Ready to FLY!
Down, down, down I go!
Almost done!
Down some more!
Hitting the hillside with a whimper but pulling through...Almost there...
He-Man's at the end...
Almost there...
and
I did it!!
(This is me trying to look 'fierce' during my start-up...obviously NOT pulling it off. This is, in fact, more proof that I'm really not that photogenic.)
Here you go, Runner #5!
10:15 am: He-Man's done too!
We've officially rocked the Wasatch Back Ragnar!
Now where's the food?!
11:00 am: Party at Park City High School...Yeah Baby!
But...I just wanna go home. I'm too tired to eat.
2:00 pm: Home Again, Home Again Jiggity-Jig
3:00 pm: Zombiefied but too tired to sleep...Must find some new pajamas
4:00 pm: Yikes! A Van #2 runner collapses! I am now babysitting some of the kids until the last group comes in....
6:00 pm: Van #2 arrives.
6:15 pm: Must. Find. Pajamas...
7:00 pm: Victoria's Secret...I wonder how comfy lingerie is to sleep in...Behold! Clouds part and I see them! Comfy 2 piece cotton jammies: size M...50% off...great! I'll take 'em. May I please put them on in the store?
Apparently that's against store policy.
8:00 pm: Slowly make my way out of the Mall...so tired...must sleep...
8:15 pm: Awwww! Clean cotton jammies feel so good! Reclining position on a soft bed and pillows...even better!
8:16 pm. ZZZZzzzz and gentle snoring.
9 comments:
You ROCK Sister! I notice you are smiling in any picture that was taken of you, but then again, you are always smiling. :) I bet it was awesome to be breathing fresh, mountain air again. Was this the first time you have done this race? What a great thing you can share with your husband!
Sounds like a great race! Love the commentary.
I totally feel your pain about being non-photogenic. I swear, I get up, do my hair and makeup and know that I look nice in the mirror. Put a camera in my face and some sick morphing takes place. SO ANNOYING, isn't it??
Andy and I volunteered at exchange 18 for his family. I want to do it SO BAD next year!! Way to go!! I'm WAY proud of both of you!! I also want to do the Florida Keys and Southern Cal. Ragnars.....
You're too funny. I love to hear that other people must sleep in their underwear at home too because I always forget to pack pajamas on trips for that very reason. That is awesome that you guys completed such a grueling race. Way to go!
Way to go! This sounds a lot like the Hood to Coast race in Oregon. I did that sophomore year of college and I remember it like it was yesterday (because it was so traumatic!). Good for you though! It's a great accomplishment!
That was a real fun read ! I laughed and chuckled throughout and envied your beautiful mountain vacation...you so girl !!!
BTW, when I think of the word Ragnar, it reminds me of the movie "The Vikings" starring Kirk Douglas and Ernest Borgnine as "Ragnar"
Loved this! You're so much fun. And sigh... Wish I'd been there.
How awesome!!!! Way to go!!!
You know you're a runner when you read that and think, "Wow! That sounds so fun!" I laughed when you invited me to join your team at the Richins Roost last summer. Then I started running. Next time, I'm in.
-Emily
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