Ragnar SoCal Report - Runner 4

My Ragnar weekend started with a drive to Huntington beach with my sister in law, Denise, where we were going to stay in her aunts beach house. We got to the house and had to go through the back gate and then look for a lock box with the key to the house. I held the flashlight while Denise opened the gate and an 8 foot metal pole came right down into the middle of my forehead. It hurt but we laughed. Denise and I went down the side of the house to find the lock box, still laughing and I said "Wouldn't it be funny if this was someone else's house?" Just then she turns around and whispers "It is!" So we take off running, and laughing. We found the right house and got in safely.

I was runner 4 of SoCal this year. I wanted to choose a runner that was a little easier/shorter runs than I usually pick but leave it to Ragnar to make changes, even just days before the race, that made it not quite as easy as I was hoping. I went into this Ragnar with not much training under my belt because I was trying to heal up some injuries after running a half in January. So, I wasn't sure how I was going to handle my legs of the relay. This is how it all went down...

Leg 4 - Anaheim/Santa Ana Trail 4.3 miles - Moderate - 9:26 pace

Jon, our runner three, got to the exchange about 5 minutes before us due to construction and traffic that we got tied up in. However, I was just chilling in the back of the truck trying to rest before my run so I didn't realize until we pulled into the parking lot of Angel's Stadium that I was going to have to jump out, run to the exchange and take off. I wasn't able to get my ipod or Nike plus set up so i had to do that the first part of my run. I got settled in and got my pace and breathing good. I had run on this very same part of the Santa Ana trail during the Disneyland half marathon and knew exactly where I was. This part of the trail was dirt before so I was happy to see that it had been recently paved. Most of the run was on the trail which I liked. I was feeling good and happy to be starting off my Ragnar SoCal 2011 experience. It was already getting a bit warm so I was happy that we had an early start time so my leg was earlier in the morning. We turned off the trail and onto the streets with about a mile left. I saw the gates at a railroad crossing start blinking and come down and saw several runners duck under them. As soon as I got up to the gates I saw how close the train was and thought those runners were really brave to go across. The train passed quickly and a finished up my run at a park where I passed off to Nick. It was a good run.


Leg 16 - Old Town Temecula - Just what I needed! 5.6 miles - Hard - 9:19 pace

It had been really hot during the day so I was extremely happy when the sun went down and it cooled off quite a bit right before my run. I started out in an industrial/rural area and it was just getting dark. I was feeling good in my legs and breathing but my feet were hurting a little. There were so many bugs around but luckily I didn't get any in my mouth or eyes. I ran part of my leg on a trail about 20 feet away from the road and there was a lot of marshy grass areas. Reminded my of playing in the ditch by my house as a kid. I hadn't seen any other runners since I had started and there were very few cars around. I turned the volume all the way down on my ipod and could hear frogs and crickets as I ran, very soothing. However, it got old and I was starting to feel beat. Saw my team up ahead with water and was grateful for the distraction. Then about another half mile I crossed a street and ran right into downtown Old Temecula. Yep, just what I needed! This cute little town with wood slat sidewalks lined with restaurants and boutiques. It gave me so much to look at and people who were eating outside actually cheered as I ran by. I was feeling good and my pace picked up a lot on this part. I came into the exchange to hand off to Nick who was no where to be found. Morgan came up a minute later to let me know he was taking care of some business and would be there shortly.

Leg 28 - Del Mar/San Diego - Hard, oh so hard, 6.1 miles - 10:22 pace

I was a bit nervous for this leg because I knew I had a big climb and Ragnar had so ragnarlly added a half mile to the run. Started out on city streets just before sunrise. I was really tired as all Ragnar runners are for their last leg, but I was doing ok. The team stopped to give me water but I told them just to stop right before mile 4 when my big climb started. Saw my sister in Law Denise again at mile 2ish and I thought oh yeah, this leg is non support! She told me drink up and take the water with me because they wouldn't see me until the exchange. So, off I went into the wild yellow yonder - Yellow flowers everywhere! I got out onto some more under developed streets and was right on the shoulder with a mountain two feet to my left and cars two feet to my right. Kind of scary on a hilly curvy road. About a mile later I turned onto a street which was blocked for a special event that was happening later and a policeman told me i could run anywhere on the road until I got to the cones about a half mile up and then to stay to the left. I passed a field where the event was going to take place and there was a fog about 2 feet high covering the field. Weirdest thing. After I passed the field the sun was just showing over the mountain and there were hills covered in yellow flowers. It was so pretty. It was cool outside. It was very quiet. It was the beginning of my mile and a half, 400 foot climb. I was doing good for about 3/4 of a mile. Then I picked a spot about 25 feet ahead that I was going to let myself walk for a bit. I did this for the next 3/4 of a mile. I would run about 100 feet then walk about 25. My quads were burning and I was breathing hard. Got to the top and turned right and saw the road decline so I took off and finished strong. I was happy that my runs were over. Seemed strange though being done when it was still so early in the morning.