We Are Ragnarians!!! {Ragnar Niagara Race Recap: Part 3}

[This is the third and final installment of the race recap so if you haven't already, you should read Part One and Part Two]

On our way to the finish line we stopped at our hotel and checked in, off loaded our bags (filled with two days and three runs worth of dirty running clothes and gear), and made our way to the finish line parking area. We had some time to kill so we decided to check out the finish line festivities, which included massages...

(which were pretty good)

And a nice view of the rapids...

Music and other entertainment...

And food...

At previous Ragnars teams got a coupon for food after the finish. Unfortunately... that was not the case at Ragnar Niagara. So that was a little disappointing.

Generic White Van... with magnets {Ragnar Niagara Race Recap: Part 2}

<<If you haven't read part 1 of the Ragnar Niagara race recap you should check it out before you read part 2 😉>>

We made a quick stop at Walmart to get markers to decorate the van after we had lunch (before we got to Exchange 12). We didn't really have a theme for the van decorations so we stuck with an authentic representation of our home on wheels for the remainder of the race...

And then we did the traditional team roster van display...

When we got to Exchange 12 Van 2 was already there waiting for Ray (runner 12) to finish his first leg. Exchange 12 is another major exchange since that's where Van 2 turns the slap bracelet over to Van 1 for the start of our second legs. But again, just like Exchange 6, Exchange 12 was kind of small...

While we were waiting for Ray to finish running, the ladies of Van 1 took some selfies...

Eventually we heard the volunteer call our team number and it was time for Leg 2 to start...

Once Ray handed off to me I started on my 5 mile run for Leg 2. The course had changed a little from the original route because of some flooding in the area, and I didn't really pay much attention to the elevation before the change, but the revised second leg was very very hilly...

The First Leg {Ragnar Niagara Race Recap: Part 1}...

I was a lot more involved in the planning and logistics for Ragnar Niagara Falls (compared to previous Ragnars) because our team captain wasn't going to be able to run in the event. Plus we had runners that canceled along the way. So a lot of my time leading up to Ragnar was spent trying to find replacement runners and helping to coordinate other Van 1 and general team logistics, including designing the team logo and magnets...

In the grand scheme of things, I really didn't mind participating in the planning because I'm team captain for a Ragnar event later this year so getting involved in the behind-the-scenes stuff from now will be beneficial later. Well, in theory it will 😉.

In any event, the weeks leading up to Ragnar Niagara were busy, so when it was finally time to go I was more than excited to get the whole process started. I happened to be traveling up to Canada on the same flight as my friend Dafney (who I had convinced to join the team from last year) and her husband (who was also running with us but will be m.i.a from all pictures)...

The flight to Toronto was mostly uneventful. Once we landed we headed to the van rental place, got the van, went back to the airport to pick up one of our van mates, EmJai, then went to pick up Julie (who was staying nearby), and then we headed to check in for the event and pick up our race bibs and other Ragnar Niagara race related delights. All that stuff took a while because Toronto traffic is (shockingly) just as bad as Miami traffic... the drivers are much nicer though 😊. 

By the time we made it to the Running Room we only had a few minutes to check in before packet pickup was closed...

While I've Been Gone...

It's been a few weeks since I written a blog post cause life has been pretty busy. It's been non-stop travel and activities since I ran Wings for Life and completed Swim Miami (I know, I know... I still have to post that recap). And I just came back from my last (planned) racecation until Berlin in September. This past weekend I did the Ragnar Niagara Falls relay (that recap will be forthcoming as well) and had yet another amazing Ragnar experience...

I'll have more details in the official race recap when I post it but **spoiler alert** I finished it with an incredible team and felt great about my runs. I was even able to enjoy the Falls for a bit after we were done...

Running With The World For The 4th Time...{Wings for Life 2017 race recap}

This was the first year that I didn't have a set distance goal for Wings for Life. Normally I'm focused on getting as far as possible. But this year the goal was to finish without feeling exhausted (since I had to head to Swim Miami for my 1 mile open water swim immediately after). I knew that I had to run at least a mile (for my daily run), and figured that I wouldn't get much benefit from running farther than a 5K, so my plan was to run at least a mile and then just "see how I felt" after.

As usual I got to the race venue early...

Once I got my packet I went back to my car to get more rest until the less insane runners started to arrive...

Why Breaking2 Broke My Heart (& other weekend updates)...

If you're even remotely familiar with anything distance running you probably already know that Nike was working tirelessly with 3 elite distance runners in an attempt to run a sub-2 hour marathon. I'm not going to go into all the details of that journey because if you do a web search you'll be inundated with a ton of info on it. The attempt was run on Saturday May 6th in Monza, Italy (on the Formula One track). It started around 11:30pm EST and 2 hours and 25 seconds later it was over...

Just 26 seconds short of their goal! 

I was a little heart broken about it because I was really hoping they would all make it. But even though they didn't "break 2" it was an incredibly amazing accomplishment. It's the closest anyone has come to a sub-2 hour marathon. And while it doesn't qualify for a world record (because of the Pacers and other fancy stuff they had) it will go down in the history books of distance running. Congrats to the Nike team, to the athletes (especially Eliud Kipchoge, who crossed the finish first) and everyone who was a part of this endeavor. It was a truly incredible effort.

My truly incredible effort for this weekend will take the form of running in the Wings for Life World Run and swimming in the Swim Miami 1 mile open water swimming event tomorrow. It will be a back-to-back event day, and I will be exhausted after, so today I tried to take it easy with a 1 mile run...

Ragnar Runners Needed!

When I ran my first Ragnar I joined a team of strangers (who are now some of my closest running friends) on Facebook and made my way to Madison, WI to run 200(-ish) miles to Chicago. It was a crazy decision but one of the best running decisions I've ever made. And it's not just me right? I'm not the only person who has made crazy decisions for the sake of running or races. So chances are someone reading this post is either as crazy as I am or has run a Ragnar before and is crazy enough to run one again 😉.

If you're that runner then my team needs you for the Ragnar Niagara Falls event from May 19th - 20th! We are down two runners 😞 and while we can run with just 5 runners per van, it's not the best or brightest idea. We have a mixed, noncompetitive, incredibly fun team of both Ragnar veterans and Ragnar newbies. We have runners of all paces and experience levels. We have non-stop runners and interval runners. Essentially we are a diverse group and it's likely that you would be a great fit!

So if you're dying to run a Ragnar Relay (or run another Ragnar Relay) please let me know! My team would love to have you (and I know a few other teams looking for runners as well).

It's A Double Race Week!!!!

It's finally here! My double race weekend is this weekend...

And no... I'm still not 100% ready. BUT I did manage to get some training completed this morning. First I did a 1 mile swim...

And then I did my daily run...

Tomorrow and Wednesday are scheduled to be running days, and for Thursday (and maybe Friday) I plan to swim again and do quick one mile runs.

In addition to this week being busy with training and my back-to-back events on Sunday, it will also be a busy work week. I'll be spending more time out of the office (in class or teaching a course) than I will at the office catching up on work. So eating properly, resting and hydrating will be challenging but essential this week. 

It's probably a good thing the weekend wasn't too hectic. I only did 1 mile runs (on both Saturday and Sunday). I spent most of Saturday at a CPR course and then watching movies and TV shows on Hulu. And Sunday was spent hanging out with Dafney and Kai trying to "escape the room"...

And indulging in dairy-free butter pecan ice-cream...

Happy Monday & Happy 1st of May!!!

How was your weekend?

How was your training to start off the week/month?