Ragnar Relay 2014

After I finished last year's Ragnar, I thought NEVER AGAIN. To quote somebody, "Ragnar is really fun, except for the running." It's true. It's a crazy time and totally unforgettable and unlike anything I do in my normal everyday life....but I felt like I needed a couple years at least to recuperate. I just didn't think I had another Ragnar in me for awhile. 

Skip ahead a few months, Adam and I moved into a house that we bought in Seattle. A few doors down is an old friend from our previous ward, Julie, who is a very active lady. And she happened to be looking for fellow Ragnarians to run her race come July. I hemmed and hawed and shrugged it off. I just wasn't interested in being awake for 36 hours, and running at odd times during the day and night, and sweating, and stinking, and sleeping on hard floors in high school gyms, and driving and navigating through various terrain, and LIVING IN A VAN around other sweaty, sleep-deprived individuals. WELL. You can see how that turned out.

I ended up saying YES, and the rest is history. I am hooked on Ragnar. That doesn't mean I'll sign up for another one today, but I know for sure another one or two or ten are in my future. They are so fun and I'm here to tell you I'm a converted Ragnar evangelist. 

Our team name this year was The Runbelievables. Here I am before the start! Ready to go with my "rock on" hands in position.

 

 Here's our dear Layla, icing her swollen ankle. She and Krystal had foot/ankle problems they ran with and they were total troopers.

 I didn't take nearly enough photos, but here are a few scenery shots. The whole 196 route from Blaine, WA to Langley, WA was incredible. Gorgeous views all around.

 Laura, Emily, Layla at one of our cheer stops. I cannot believe I didn't get a photo of our cow bell and mega phone. They. Were. So. Funny. I don't want to brag, but we were really good at cheering runners on.

 Aaaaand suddenly, I'm done. What you didn't see was me running 19.6 miles plus a couple more when I got lost on a golf course. Oops. My favorite leg of the run was in the middle of the night at 2 am when I ran on a board walk over Fidalgo Bay. The first half of the run was near casinos and refineries, which was stinky, and the last half of the run was over the bay, which smelled glorious. That misty salt water spookiness I will never forget. It was so beautiful and serene. I was having a major moment with just me, my boardwalk, my sports beans, and my This American Life podcast. Try running 8 miles at 2 am sometime. It's transcendent.

 Here's our lovely Van #2 at the finish: me, Krystal, Julie, Emily, Layla, and Laura. We crossed paths with Van #1 a few times but they had to get home before we could all cross the finish line together.

We are awesome.

 Last but not least, Emily shared these pouches of almond butter. I DIE.

Good work, Team Runbelievables. I had a runbelievable time.