Ragnar Relay Florida Keys - Race Recap
January 6-7, 2012
What is Ragnar Relay?
We've done a relay like this before in New York in 2011. It is basically a 200(ish) mile race in which 12 people each run 3 legs of varying distances. It typically takes about 30 hours give or take, and while the one runner is on the road, the rest of the team is supporting in a van that leap-frogs him/her. Basically a bad ass relay!
Leg#1 - 5.2 miles
I must admit I was in a bit of a shock coming from sub 20 degree weather in Philadelphia to 80+ in Miami. I took this run easy at first but got a bit too competitive when a dude comes up next to me and doesn't even look at me when i try and strike up conversation with him (ass). We kept close for a few miles but when he ran through some red lights i figured my life was worth more than that! I ended up running 3 miles in 20 minutes which is about a 6:30 pace. Overall i finished these 5.2 in 7:15ish pace so I think it went well in spite of the heat.
Leg #2 - 11.8 miles
Ok, i'll be honest. I was terrified to run this leg. I have had ankle pain that started in December and an IT issue that had halted me completely back in August that just came back. I was really worried that after 5 miles i'd be dead. After Ryan had just run 8+ miles through the swamp, he handed off to me and I got the luxury of running on pavement right along route 1! Sorry buddy. I started at a nice steady 9 min pace and decided to take it in four chunks of 3 miles. After the first 3 i felt good. The darkness was a little intimidating and I was virtually alone the entire time. I stopped for some water and thanked the helpers. My flashlight keep bouncing off of the marshes and i was convinced i'd see a giant croc waiting to eat me. After mile 6 i realize my leg was doing well. Ankle pain was about a 2 (scale of 1-10) and knee pain was a 3. I picked up my pace a bit and was determined to get at least 5 kills. At mile 9 i had 10 kills! I decided to open it up a bit and the last three miles just hauled ass. I finished with an average pace of 8:30ish and no injuries. And i nabbed 14 kills! I've never been so happy to see that van though! This was an unsupported leg so I did not see any of my teammates the entire time. This also was the longest leg of any Ragnar Relay, so it was kind of a personal accomplishment that i finished it with no problems!
Leg #3 - 9.3 miles
Well after finally getting some rest i woke up expecting my legs to feel like they did during the last Ragnar in New York...like hell. But they felt great. I talked to Ryan in the morning and he was hurting from an Achilles issue and we decided that he should probably not run his last 9.3 miles. I offered to switch with him because my legs felt in such great shape. I would rue that decision shortly! The 9.3 miles covered a few bridges in the Keys and would have been a great view if i paid attention to it. I was too busy focusing on not dying from the heat. My god it was hot and i just dumped water all over me to cool down. I stopped at a water station and literally took three cups and dumped them on my head. I had decided to start at a 10 min pace and knock of 15 sec every mile. Worked out well untill i was in the 8's and the heat got the better of me...but i kept at it and ended up with about an 8:45 pace overall. Again most of this was unsupported so i didn't see my van untill mile 7, and at that point we were almost done. I probably looked like a sweaty mess crossing the finish, but i didnt care...i was friggin done! 26.3 miles overall...33 kills...no injuries. What a great race!!
Other fun stuff:
The only issue i had was not having a driver. Ryan, Pete and I did most of the driving which was fine, but boy i almost fell asleep at the wheel at night. I had just run that 11.8 leg and we still had to go another 50+ miles before we could sleep. We made it though. Kristen and Cat kept it realy delivering no end to the poop jokes:) We may have to change the name of our team next time "Don't Pants Your Poop". Let's be real...runners have GI issues with all that sloshing around...stuff 6 of us in a van and you'll get shit talk. Kudos to Peter who did a great job of keeping us all in good spirits and still managed to dominate his runs! His hawaiian shirts were a nice touch too. Poor Mike had a nasty spill in his leg 2 but still managed to smoke us all! Ryan delivered the best story of the trip right at the end which i will copy from Kristen's blog entry:
"Towards the end of the trip Ryan told us that during one of his porta potty trips he forgot to lock the door and a woman walked in on him. He had his back to her so she didn't see anything, but even still she
was PISSED and scolded him for forgetting to lock the door. In retrospect, he said he should of just hung out there and let that happen again, but that this time he would be facing the door, adorning
a smoker's jacket and when the person opened the door and saw him he would say, "hello there, you're right on time." Holy crap dudes, just thinking about this made me laugh so hard I nearly broke one of my
lungs." ( http://www.dailymile.com/people/kristenrf/entries/12024070)
We had a post race dinner at Benihanna and we told the waitress to embarrass Jenny and Kurt because they had just gotten engaged...they pretty much forgot and then came out and sang a song about an anniversary...haha oh well free ice cream! We then went out to Sloppy Joes and had a blast. It only takes a few drinks to cash you in after a sleep deprived running journey! Good times!
January 6-7, 2012
What is Ragnar Relay?
We've done a relay like this before in New York in 2011. It is basically a 200(ish) mile race in which 12 people each run 3 legs of varying distances. It typically takes about 30 hours give or take, and while the one runner is on the road, the rest of the team is supporting in a van that leap-frogs him/her. Basically a bad ass relay!
 |
| It starts! |
Leg#1 - 5.2 miles
I must admit I was in a bit of a shock coming from sub 20 degree weather in Philadelphia to 80+ in Miami. I took this run easy at first but got a bit too competitive when a dude comes up next to me and doesn't even look at me when i try and strike up conversation with him (ass). We kept close for a few miles but when he ran through some red lights i figured my life was worth more than that! I ended up running 3 miles in 20 minutes which is about a 6:30 pace. Overall i finished these 5.2 in 7:15ish pace so I think it went well in spite of the heat.
 |
| Butt first through the power tunnerl! |
Ok, i'll be honest. I was terrified to run this leg. I have had ankle pain that started in December and an IT issue that had halted me completely back in August that just came back. I was really worried that after 5 miles i'd be dead. After Ryan had just run 8+ miles through the swamp, he handed off to me and I got the luxury of running on pavement right along route 1! Sorry buddy. I started at a nice steady 9 min pace and decided to take it in four chunks of 3 miles. After the first 3 i felt good. The darkness was a little intimidating and I was virtually alone the entire time. I stopped for some water and thanked the helpers. My flashlight keep bouncing off of the marshes and i was convinced i'd see a giant croc waiting to eat me. After mile 6 i realize my leg was doing well. Ankle pain was about a 2 (scale of 1-10) and knee pain was a 3. I picked up my pace a bit and was determined to get at least 5 kills. At mile 9 i had 10 kills! I decided to open it up a bit and the last three miles just hauled ass. I finished with an average pace of 8:30ish and no injuries. And i nabbed 14 kills! I've never been so happy to see that van though! This was an unsupported leg so I did not see any of my teammates the entire time. This also was the longest leg of any Ragnar Relay, so it was kind of a personal accomplishment that i finished it with no problems!
 |
| Sunrise over the Florida Keys! |
Well after finally getting some rest i woke up expecting my legs to feel like they did during the last Ragnar in New York...like hell. But they felt great. I talked to Ryan in the morning and he was hurting from an Achilles issue and we decided that he should probably not run his last 9.3 miles. I offered to switch with him because my legs felt in such great shape. I would rue that decision shortly! The 9.3 miles covered a few bridges in the Keys and would have been a great view if i paid attention to it. I was too busy focusing on not dying from the heat. My god it was hot and i just dumped water all over me to cool down. I stopped at a water station and literally took three cups and dumped them on my head. I had decided to start at a 10 min pace and knock of 15 sec every mile. Worked out well untill i was in the 8's and the heat got the better of me...but i kept at it and ended up with about an 8:45 pace overall. Again most of this was unsupported so i didn't see my van untill mile 7, and at that point we were almost done. I probably looked like a sweaty mess crossing the finish, but i didnt care...i was friggin done! 26.3 miles overall...33 kills...no injuries. What a great race!!
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| Post race bling! |
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| Coolest group of runners ever! (minus Cat!) |
The only issue i had was not having a driver. Ryan, Pete and I did most of the driving which was fine, but boy i almost fell asleep at the wheel at night. I had just run that 11.8 leg and we still had to go another 50+ miles before we could sleep. We made it though. Kristen and Cat kept it realy delivering no end to the poop jokes:) We may have to change the name of our team next time "Don't Pants Your Poop". Let's be real...runners have GI issues with all that sloshing around...stuff 6 of us in a van and you'll get shit talk. Kudos to Peter who did a great job of keeping us all in good spirits and still managed to dominate his runs! His hawaiian shirts were a nice touch too. Poor Mike had a nasty spill in his leg 2 but still managed to smoke us all! Ryan delivered the best story of the trip right at the end which i will copy from Kristen's blog entry:
"Towards the end of the trip Ryan told us that during one of his porta potty trips he forgot to lock the door and a woman walked in on him. He had his back to her so she didn't see anything, but even still she
was PISSED and scolded him for forgetting to lock the door. In retrospect, he said he should of just hung out there and let that happen again, but that this time he would be facing the door, adorning
a smoker's jacket and when the person opened the door and saw him he would say, "hello there, you're right on time." Holy crap dudes, just thinking about this made me laugh so hard I nearly broke one of my
lungs." ( http://www.dailymile.com/people/kristenrf/entries/12024070)
I stayed in Key West an extra day, and explored the city on my own. I went down to Blue Heaven and got myself a slice of the most amazing Key Lime Pie in the world!!
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| Eat your heart out! |
Overall, the Ragnar high is still very much there and we are already starting our planning for Ragnar Napa Valley!
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