Finally the race started and I was off. Once I got running I felt better about life and worked on getting in the groove of running. I couldn’t feel my feet for the first 3 miles. They were so frozen … Continue reading
I had such a great weekend in Sunriver, Oregon. As many of you remember the half marathon I had planned for Memorial Day weekend was canceled. As one of my goals for the year is to finish 4 half marathons, … Continue reading
A Couple weekends ago, I went to meet my parents on the Sonoma Coast. They came up to do the Monte Rio Olympic distance triathlon. I drove out Saturday night after my shift. The drive was dark but was beautiful … Continue reading
This will be my third Ragnar So Cal! I’m so excited this year I am on the Ragnaliens team! My dad has been on it every year while my mom and I have been part of team tough chik. This year we are all on the same team.
This week has been all about packing and getting my stuff ready for the race. So here I am about a week early with everything I need. I added some fun stuff too! As we are the Ragnaliens I had to find some glowing, alienish stuff to bring and wear, plus all the normal Ragnar essentials!
Here is my packing list:
Clothes for each leg in a separate bag:
Shirt, shorts, socks, sports bra, skirt, and calf sleeves
Plus shoes
Clothes for between legs:
Strapless dress for changing
Leggings
Sweatpants
Sandals
Comfy sports bra
Night gear:
Vest
Headlight
Taillight
Extra fun lights
Wonder woman onesie
Sleeping gear:
Hammock
Blanket
Socks
Pillow
Electronics:
Garmin
Chargers: phone, garmins, car charger
Phone
Ipad
Random:
Water bottle
Nuun
Fruit snacks
Food
Fun alien stuff
Momentum bracelets
Road Id
Chicks that bracelet
I think that is it, but if you want more tips and tricks from my previous Ragnar experiences you can check out my other posts. Ragnar Napa Valley Ragnar Relay SoCal
*This picture was from our first surf city half marathon! Many of you know that around 5 years ago I ran a half marathon. Before that I never thought of myself as a runner. I barely trained for that race … Continue reading
Our next runs were going to be night legs. Night legs are always really fun. The first leg for our van, Lauren’s leg, was so cool. The start was decorated with this long path full of lights. It really got all of us pumped for our runs! After Lauren took off I started getting all of my stuff ready. Night runs are crazy because it is so dark. Ragnar is awesome because they require everyone to wear a forward light, a reflective vest, and a rear blinking light on all night runs.
My run started at a park in Santa Rosa. I was ready to get my run started so I could conquer the hill and know I only had one leg left to run! As Lauren ran in and slapped to me I started running up the hill. This hill was killer. I ran a lot of it but did walk a lot of it as well. After the fist hundred feet or so, it was really dark. There were no street lights and all I had was my headlight. The fog was also really thick and my light just reflected off the fog. I couldn’t see more than 3 feet in front of me. There were also a lot of tree roots coming through the sidewalk. This was by far the most dangerous run I have ever done. As I came into the next exchange I was so proud of myself. I killed the hill and I finished super strong.
I was so excited I jumped up to slap the bracelet on Valerie. As I came down from my jump there were a lot of wet leaves on the ground and I slipped and fell straight on my butt. It was so embarrassing as there were about 50 people standing around and saw the whole thing. Thankfully I didn’t hurt myself but it was really funny.
After all of legs were finished we planned to go get food. On the way we ran into a lot of traffic. We found out that the other van, between a couple of runners decided to take a detour and go get ice. They were so far away from their exchange with their runner coming in soon. We decided to go to the exchange to pick up their runner and Lauren (our runner) would run their next leg so they could get to the next exchange without worry. Lesson learned don’t stop anywhere between your runners. Just go straight to the next exchange. When we arrived at the exchange they still weren’t there and I started to prepare in case I needed to run their next leg too. Thankfully they showed up just before Lauren came in and they were able to finish the rest of their legs.
After the craziness we went to find food and chill before our next set of legs. As soon as we sat down to eat, we got word that the other van was almost finished with their legs and we were going to have to run again soon. We packed up our sandwiches and headed for the next meeting place. Since Lauren had taken one runners leg, one of their runners took Lauren’s run. (I was so jealous because Lauren was finished with her runs and the weather started getting hotter and hotter.) Finally I was ready for my final leg. I waited and waited. It got Hotter and Hotter. I was started to get worried that the heat was going to be a major problem on my run.
Leg 3 Map
Finally I was able to start my last 2ish miles! With water in my hand I started running. It was so HOT! I was running by all these vineyards and grape vines and just praying for some shade. It was so hot that when there was a little piece of shade I would just walk through it so I could actually stay a little cooler. Finally I could see the finish line and I picked up my pace. The finish was beautiful with all these grape vines. I was so excited to be done! I had finished my second Ragnar!!
When our last runner was finally off we headed for the finish line. We were all so excited to be Ragnarians and get to the finish line to meet the rest of our team and get our beers. We all crossed the finish line together and took a million pictures! Those of us who did both SoCal and Napa got our massive Gold Rush medals and took pictures as a team. Sadly Ragnar had not gotten our Napa Valley medals in time and we weren’t able to get our finishers medals. After all the pictures we headed to the party area and got our beers and hung out before our drive back.
Our Fearless Drivers!
Every Ragnar is so AWESOME! We had such a great time. My runs sucked but I still enjoyed it so much! During every Ragnar I think “why the heck do I do this?” The day after through all my exhaustion I always start dreaming of my next Ragnar. I think the next one will be SoCal again in April! I can’t wait.
Those of us that finished both SoCal and Napa got an extra medal that was huge!
I know this blog is a little late but I have very little internet at my new home.
I was so excited to be a part of my good friend Martha’s wedding in North Carolina. While I was in New Zealand she sent me a letter asking me to be a bridesmaid and I excitedly accepted! Martha and I went to High School together in Southern California. We have been able to stay in touch with the wonders of technology. She started dating Ryan around 5 years ago and I have been praying for their relationship ever since. I never met him but they way that he affected her made me so happy.
Dresses
As I was getting ready for their wedding I was so excited to finally get to visit her in North Carolina and to meet Ryan in person. She had asked us to pick out our own dresses and sent us a fabric swatch with the color she wanted. I was so excited to be able to pick a dress that I wanted and would wear again. As I searched for dresses I decided I would just make one. I looked at a lot of different patterns and finally decided on an infinity dress. I found a few patterns on Pinterest and merged them to make the dress I wanted. It was perfect. After making my dress I sent a picture to Martha who got excited and decided that we should all have that dress. I told her I would make them for the other girls and got searching for fabric. Sadly I was unable to find the same color fabric as the day approached but I found a great solution in another color and dyed one darker. It was perfect.
My New Suitcase (will do a review on it later)
As I packed and got ready to go I continued to get excited. I also made plans to visit a fellow Tough Chik while I was there and was eager to meet Rebecca face to face. It’s amazing how the Tough Chik family is connected everywhere we go. Monday morning I left early to catch my plane to Raleigh with a layover in San Francisco. The first flight was good and soon I was in the terminal in San Francisco. We quickly found out that our flight was going to be delayed about an hour. I was sad to have to sit in the airport for longer but I went and walked around and got something to eat. While I was waiting I constantly checked the screens for an updated time for our flight. It changed a few more times as we were delayed even longer. Finally I went and sat where I could see the screens and started to watch a movie on Netflix.
Oh the things you see in Airports
Finally it was our flight time after 3 hours of delays. As I walked to the gate I noticed everyone was just standing around. We ended up waiting another hour and a half for the crew to get there. After what seemed like an eternity we were finally able to board the plane and take off. On the flight I sat across the aisle from this guy who immediately noticed my Ragnar jacket and started a conversation. The flight went quickly to him and his friend about Ragnar, running, and other races. I found out he was going to be running Boston the next week.
Finally I was on the ground and I got to see Martha waiting for me. We headed straight to her house and to bed. The plan for the next day was to sleep in and then hangout and run some errands. It was a beautiful day and she gave us a little driving tour of Raleigh. There really is not much in Raleigh.
We stopped to pick up some cupcakes to try 🙂
The next day was Wednesday. I woke up early and went for a 3.5 mile run from her house. It was so beautiful and it felt so good to get out in the open air. When I returned Ryan was there picking up the rest of the stuff for the wedding. After a quick shower, all the bridesmaids headed to the mall to get our nails done. It was so fun being girls together and just hanging out.
On my run
After our nails Martha and her mom headed to the airport to pick up her dad while Ashley, Carmen, and I headed to Ryan’s parents house (the wedding site) so I could rehearse the song I was singing for the wedding.
Ready for rehearsal
After a few run throughs of the song, we walked around and saw all the things ready for the wedding. Once Martha and her parents arrived we were ready for the rehearsal. The rehearsal was beautiful and it excited us even more for the wedding the next day. The rehearsal dinner was at this amazing restaurant where they cook it right in front of you. That night Martha and all us bridesmaids stayed in a nice hotel near her house. We were all so tired we basically just went to sleep.
Flower Girls
At Dinner flaming onions
The next morning we ate breakfast in the hotel and then headed to the wedding site to get ready. Getting ready was crazy as we did our makeup and got our hair done. It was full of laughs and tears and joy. When the flowers arrived we realized that the bouquets were nothing close to what Martha wanted so we took them all apart and redid them. I was so thankful that I had worked in a flower shop and actually knew something about arranging flowers. They turned out beautiful and we were so excited that it could be fixed.
Makeup
Hair
Bridesmaids checking on everything
Fixing Bouquets
Ready to put on our dresses
Martha with a flower girl
Martha was a beautiful bride
Finally the time came for the wedding. Martha look beautiful in her dress and we were so excited to share this day with her. We walked down the aisle, listened to the vows and watched the first kiss. The song for Communion went great and all was great, Aside from the flower girls being a little crazy. It’s amazing how as soon as the wedding starts all the details are forgotten and the bride and groom are really all that matter. Once the wedding was over we started on the pictures. After a million different pictures we finally headed to the reception.
When I get more pictures I will do a post with some official pictures! 🙂
As I said the wedding was held at Ryan’s parent’s house. The ceremony was next to their house in front of this massive rock. The Reception was held in the backyard in a huge tent they rented for the day. The ten was amazing and had heaters in side to keep it from being too cold. They even rented a Portable Toilet. This was not a portapottie it was like a trailer that had the bathroom inside. It even had music playing and full flush toilets. It was amazing.
The reception was fun. We danced, and took pictures, and waited for the bouquet to be tossed. The food was amazing and we were so excited to wave them off with sparklers as they left for their honeymoon. It was an exhausting night coordinating and making sure everything was perfect for Martha and Ryan but it was so worth it to see her so happy.
Carmen and I at the Reception
Sparklers
Martha surprised with an awesome car to leave in
The next day my fellow Tough Chik and friend Rebecca came to hangout. We drove around Raleigh and walked around the mall. It was so great to meet her in person and to hangout. It’s amazing how quickly we clicked and it felt like we had known each other forever! I seriously love my Tough Chik sisters.
Friday night we went to a Good Friday Service at a friend’s church. It was a great time of seeking the Lord and remembering what Jesus did on that cross for us. I knew I was going to spend my Easter on a plan so it was great to enjoy Good Friday.
Saturday I took Martha’s family to the airport and went to explore Raleigh for myself. I went to a cemetery, ate a cupcake, and just enjoyed time on my own. I knew that I was moving in a few days and I wanted to enjoy some time just sitting and taking everything in. It was a beautiful day.
I love cemeteries!
Sunday I got up early and Ryan’s parents took me to the airport for my 6:30am flight. It was beautiful watching the sunrise from the airport window and I looked forward to all that was awaiting me on my return to California.
In San Fran again
I am so happy for Martha and Ryan and can’t wait to see all that the Lord has in store for them. It’s always excited to see friends get married. In high school Martha always swore that she would be the last of us to get married but I guess I have her beat!
When we arrived at the Glider port at the top of Torrey Pines we were met with once again a crazy amount of vans. It was chaos driving in. Finally we found a place to park and settled in for a little while. I knew I needed to sleep a little so I stretched out in the front seat and closed my eyes. I was finally able to sleep about an hour off and on. After I got up I realized that I might be sick because of dehydration and started drinking a lot of water and Nuun. After a few bottles I was starting to feel a little better. We walked around the glider port and waited for our other van. Finally they said they were on our way. We were so excited for our final legs. We were also pretty jealous of all the people walking around already finished with their final legs. Being van 2 is hard because van 1 is finished and so excited and we were just starting on a few more hours of running.
Holding up our third leg
After a lot of pictures and silliness, Helen was finally running in. There we so many people there and we all cheered her in and cheered Amy off on her final leg. Once Amy was running we got in our van and headed for the next exchange. We stopped to get gas along the way. While we were at the gas station, my mom and I ran across the street to a liquor store to pick up some beer for Amy as she finished her leg. She loves beer and kept talking about running for beer so we knew we had to get her some. We stopped at one point in her run to check and see if she needed anything as well. The place we stopped was a blind turn and we directed a lot of people to turn there as the sign was hard to see. We were worried that someone was going to miss the turn. As she finished her leg and handed the bracelet to my mom, she was so excited to be finished with her final leg. We surprised her with her beer and headed to the next exchange.
Helen handing off to Amy
At the next exchange my mom handed off to Kathy and I started to get nervous for my last run. My last run was 7.5 miles. Thankfully I was starting to feel better and was looking forward to getting my run over with. I also knew that my run was supposed to beautiful around Mission Bay. Finally we reached my exchanged at Mission Bay and I prepared to take the slap bracelet from Kathy. When she finally came in I took the bracelet and ran off. I only ran a few feet before I got stopped at a stop light still in the exchange. Finally I was able to run and hit the Mission Bay board walk. It was a beautiful area, even though it was very crowded. I enjoyed watching the people and making myself keep running. Thankfully I wore my garmin this time so I knew my distances.
Kathy Ready to go
Mom passing to Kathy
Kathy coming in
Kathy passing to me
Me waiting at the light
At mile 2 my van met me with water and pictures. It was nice to finally be cheered on during a run. At mile 3 I turned a corner and was met with 31 stairs up. I thought I was going to die as I ran those stairs. I kept running and running and running. At one point there was a group of people standing on the side of the road cheering for all of the runner and holding beer yelling “this is what you’re running for.” It was a fun run but I was getting really hot and tired. My legs were starting to feel terrible. I knew if I stopped to walk for a little I wouldn’t be able to start running again. Finally after what seemed forever, I saw the one mile to go sign. After that I was hit with a lot of wind and smoke from camp fires. It made for a really long last mile. Finally I saw the exchange and all I could think of was jumping in the water. As I handed off the bracelet I took my shoes off and put my feet in the water. Such a good choice!
Ready to finish
waiting for me
So excited to see this sign!
Finishing!
My moment of joy after finishing!!
We had planned to meet Casey at about 3 miles and Tina would take over for her there. Casey’s feet were really blistered and she was hurting. After that 3 mile mark there were some big hills on her leg. As we waited for Casey I changed, foam rolled, and stretched. I was feeling really stiff and sore but was so happy to finally be done with my legs.
As Tina took over we cheered for her and went to the hills to cheer for her there. She gave us the Finger as we drove by. These hills really were killer. Next we met Tina at the exchange to see how she was doing. Tina is so funny. She came into the exchange yelling, “what do I do, where do I go.” We just looked at her and laughed. She decided she was feeling good and kept running. We then started heading to the finish line. After getting a little bit turned around in downtown San Diego we finally made it to the convention center and the finish line. We were so excited to realize we were finally finished with our legs! We waited and waited and waited for Tina to come. It seemed like her leg was taking forever and we were worried that maybe she got lost.
running up what is now called whore hill
Tina running into the exchange through our toilet paper finish line
Finally we saw her as my mom and Kathy ran in with her. Once she was in the last hundred feet or so the rest of us met up with them and ran over the finish line together! We were all so excited to be finished and receive our medals. We took pictures and signed the Ragnar wall.
Our team at the finish!
Van 1 had bought us all cupcakes so we celebrated together by eating cupcakes. After our cupcakes we headed back to the van and to find some food. We originally had planned to go to this Pizza place but it was too crowded (it was a Saturday night). Instead we decided to keep driving. I was driving and everyone else was sleeping in the back. I decided we should just stop at Chipotle closer to Shannon’s house.
We ate our Chipotle and headed to Shannon’s house to unload and drive home. Finally by time I was home all I wanted was a nice warm shower and to go to bed!
I loved the entire Ragnar experience! I was really proud of myself for running all of my legs without stopping and felt like I really accomplished something great! I am definitely look for my next Ragnar and may just be training for a half marathon in the near future.
Part 2 of my blog is coming soon but here is a little highlight video for you while you wait!
Well there is so much to say about our Ragnar Relay experience. I can’t believe Ragnar is over. I am definitely going through withdrawals! It was one of the best experiences of my life and I am so happy I got to do it with my family!
I am going to break up Ragnar into a few posts otherwise you would probably get bored before finishing the first scroll
As you know we have been training for months for Ragnar Relay. My mom and I were on Team Tough Chik. We couldn’t decide whether we were more excited to run Ragnar or meet the other chiks? Either way as the day approached we got more and more excited! We had created a face book group that was essential to our team. With people living all over the place and most of us never meeting before, Facebook was our main communication. Through facebook we were able to plan costumes, make sure only one person per van was bringing big items, and discuss logistics.
I felt like my running training was going well. I would have liked to get a few more back to back long runs in but, I was feeling good on the running side of things. Our Mojave trip was great training for long hours in a car, getting dirty, and going to the bathroom where ever you can. We felt pretty well prepared. Well as prepared as you can be for first timer.
A few weeks before the race mom and I went to Target and stocked up on essentials for both vans: baby wipes, tissues, hand sanitizer, hair ties, dryer sheets, trash bags, fabreeze, paper towels, sunscreen, tampons and whatever else we could find. We ordered cowbells and party supplies online, gathered reflective gear, and found anything else that could possibly help us through the race.
Part of our Target Shopping trip
A few weeks before the race Shannon and I went to the team captains meeting in San Diego. This meeting was great to familiarize us with rules and course changes.
The week of I made some stencils so we could draw our “chik” logo on the vans, and made binders for the vans. In the binders would go our “race bible” (all the rules and information about Ragnar), our cell phone list, and emergency contact information, legs maps, and our end of race shower information (more about that later). I made a few other decorations that would be able to go on the vans as well.
A few days before, I started packing my bag. I learned from a lot of different blogs how to pack for a Ragnar event. Most people said to pack each outfit in a separate Ziplock and make sure all your night gear is together. That is exactly what I did. I had a bag for leg 1, 2, and 3. I had a bag for my night gear (headlight, taillight, vest), a bag for my after clothes, and I made a bag for just in case. My “just in case” bag had an extra pair of pants, extra socks, my number belt, and a pair of gloves. My number belt was in this bag because my mom and I were using magnets to hold our number on.
I also packed a second pair of shoes. I wasn’t sure I should bring them but was really glad I was able to change them out when my toe started to get a blister. The hardest part of packing was deciding what bag to bring. I didn’t want something too big and take up room in the van or too small that I couldn’t fit everything. The other essentials that I packed were things to sleep with. I packed my hammock (sadly didn’t get to use), a sleeping bag, small blanket, and my travel pillow.
Thursday night before the race our team all met up at Shannon’s house to decorate the vans and eat dinner. It was so much fun decorating and meeting everyone. We had a great group of girls and were excited for the following days.
Our team All ready for tomorrow!!
Julie, my mom, and I drove one van home as we were planning to meet everyone at the start line the next morning. There was no reason for us to drive from Huntington Beach to Lake Forest and back to Huntington Beach for the start. On the way home we lost almost all of our fringe, and the magnets. We learned very quickly which decorations would not work on the freeway.
A Couple of Tips for packing:
-include a dryer sheet in each bag (cuts down on dampness and stink)
-night gear: spend money on a running vest
I bought a light that attached to the end of my visor it was so much better than a band around my head
-test out your clothes and night gear before the day of
Thing I should have packed:
-a warm comfy sweatshirt (my running jacket wasn’t enough)
-my sweats (my running pants just weren’t warm enough for sleeping on the beach
we were so cold we wrapped our blankets around us. We did get a few great complements on our fashionable outfits! 🙂
Leg 1 Flat Jessy
Leg 2 Flat Jessy
Leg 3 Flat Jessy
My Packing List:
Running Gear
3 sports bras
3 bottoms
3 running tops
3 running socks
Visor
Headband
Sunglasses
Jacket for night
Neon vest
Head lamp and blinking tail light
Sweats/ sweatshirt (should have brought)
First aid kit
Pillow
Headphones
Purple Nail Polish
Random:
Ziplocs
Trash bag
Sharpie
Towel
Blanket
Hammock
Paper towels
Cell phone charger
Toiletries:
Toothbrush
Toothpaste
Painkillers
Sunscreen
Baby wipes
Hand sanitizer
Hair ties
Shampoo/conditioner
Deodorant
Facewash wipes
Chapstick
Dry Shampoo
Van time:
Rainbows
Regular comfy clothes(after)
Video camera
Phone
Window paint
Compression socks
White board
Dryer sheets
Eye mask and ear plugs
Foam roller
Van Decorations
Barefeet, Boots, and Running Shoes 