Del Sol '09! - Liesel

Just thought I'd post and share my experience running my first Ragnar! It was an awesome and exhausting experience!! Here's how my legs went:

Leg 1 - 7.2 miles, Very Hard

I felt like I had waited all day to run my first leg. I started my first leg at around 4:00 p.m. I had no idea my first leg was going to be on a dirt road. The volunteer at the exchange before mine pointed out that we would turn off of the road we were on and head left for 20 miles on a dirt road. That was the first time that I knew any of Del Sol was on unpaved roads. So, needless to say, my first leg was DUSTY and DIRTY. The dirt on the road was soft - not packed, and hard to run on. When you added all the van traffic, it was a dusty mess... I felt good the whole run, excited to finally be running. I kept a decent pace for my first leg finishing with an average pace of 7:56/mi. When I finished this leg the sun was just starting to set and the temp. was starting to fall. It was a beautiful run minus the dirt and dust!!

Leg 2 - 6.2 miles, Hard

I have to admit I was a little nervous anticipating this leg. I had no idea how my body would respond to running in the middle of the night. I also knew I would not be getting much sleep and wasn't sure about running alone in the dark. Then JB got chased by those dang dogs during his leg and that made me even more nervous. Anyways, I started my leg at 3:45 a.m. The sky was clear, the stars were incredible and the temp. was nice and cool. Warren shared a few of his energy chews with me and somehow I got a second wind and was ready to run. I enjoyed this leg a lot more than I thought I would. I felt good, not too tired. Legs felt good. I knew I was running a slight incline this leg, but didn't feel it (maybe because I couldn't see it - one of the benefits of running in the dark!). My average pace slowed a little probably due to the slight incline, the wind during this leg, and the fact that it was almost 4:00 a.m.. I ran an average of 8:15/mi.

Leg 3 - 3.2 miles, Easy

I was excited about this leg. I knew it was going to be short and I could finally see a light at the end of the tunnel. The whole race would be over after just two more legs... I was anxious to see the finish line. I hadn't gotten the sleep that I thought I would after my second leg. I probably slept 1 hour or so - so exhaustion was starting to set in. BUT I knew I could run 3.2 miles. It all sounded so easy!! I watched as Sandy and Lexi ran. Then Morgan got out to run and we all knew he had an 8 mile leg. It was getting hotter by the minute and the sun was blazing!! We watched as Morgan pushed through that 8 blistering miles. He did amazing! Then it was my turn. The volunteer at the exchange mentioned that she had heard that due to the road construction during my leg, the leg had been shortened to 2.7 miles. That was music to my ears. It was soooo HOT and not having to a run a 1/2 mile was sounding pretty good. So off I went. I made it about 2/3 mile before I realized this short little run was going to be the longest of my life. My feet were on fire and I felt like I was going to melt! I carried water with me and was constantly pouring it over my head. I had to stop at a stop light for a few minutes which was nice, but it was all I could do to start running again when the light turned green. I didn't look at my garmin the whole run - I just wanted to get to the end which seemed FOREVER away. I finally got to the one-mile-to-go sign and it was a straight shot to the exchange. That was one long mile...I could see the exchange but I swear it kept getting further and further away. I slowed waaaay down. But I finally made it and handed the baton off to Warren. Glad that was over!! When I finally looked at my garmin I wasn't surprised to see that the leg had been the actual 3.2 miles it was suppose to be - darn Volunteer! My avg. pace was 8:19/mi.

That was how my Ragnar went down. As sore as I was, and as tired as I was, I wouldn't have traded the experience for anything. I had a blast. I loved hangin' with Team Chasqui. It was AWESOME. Thanks to all of you for keeping me going, for making me laugh and for all the good times! Can't wait to do it again...

Liesel