Ragnar Relay Recap - Leg 2

(If you haven't caught Leg 1 go HERE first.)

With Leg 1 now officially run and handed off to Van 1, it was back to that whole waiting game again for Van 2?! After a bit of goofing around with the off runners of Van 1 we packed up our van and proceeded towards the next major exchange point and the customary stop at McDonald's to refuel the Captain and allow us girls a chance to freshen up. A quick baby wipe rub down, a clean change of clothes and we headed over to pitch a tent (that's what she said) and settle in for a little nappy-poo... sorta. You saw that coming right? You should know my nervous bladder wasn't about to let me get any meaningful sleep! I did however lay quietly in the van with P-Funk in between porta-potty trips. All to soon I got the text that said Spike had started his leg and I had to gear up...

LEG 2 RECAP

It was about 12:15 a.m. and a glorious 50* when I saw the unmistakable stride of Spike in his god awful gold sleepy shorts (Leg 2 was our PJ leg) and reflector vest as he sprinted his way towards me and inevitably past the guy in front of him. (My boyfriend is notorious for passing people moments before the Finish) I called it before anyone realized it and laughed as I looked at the runner that guy would pass off too; I was going to be passed almost immediately. *Sigh* Spike got to me with the slap bracelet and I was off... and about 5 seconds later the guy behind me passed. A few minutes went by and I heard the sound of approaching footsteps and cursed my luck for getting passed again but when I saw the guy and started chatting him up as he stuck with me for a few strides I could just tell he went out too fast. I can't explain it but I just knew I'd pass him again. I kept him in sight as I stuck to my pace and continued on my way towards Clermont.

About a mile or so into the leg some guys were walking across the road from a convenience store and they switched up their direction to head towards me and right then another Van came up and started shadowing me for about a half mile. This is illegal but I was so thankful for them, they had seen the guys switch up their path and wanted to make sure I was safe. After I put a good distance between me and the Creepy McCreeperson gang I sent that van on their way and continued on, passing a chick in the process. My van met up with me about a mile later as I was gaining on the second guy who had passed me and after they gave me water I totally chicked him! w00t!

It was about then that the sidewalk disappeared and I had to run along a narrow shoulder of a 4 lane highway and tackle a monster hill! It was so dark but thankfully there wasn't a lot of traffic so I just kept on trucking along trying my best to catch up to the blinking lights far ahead of me. I never did catch them but soon enough I was making the turn that led me into the end of my leg... and then I almost got hit by a Van. Seriously. Thank god for B.o.B being right there yelling and flagging at them to stop!!! After that little adrenaline boost I sped into the exchange chute and handed off to C.Steve who wasn't even ready for me yet! LOL! All in all Leg 2 was my best leg of the race and I felt on top of the world when I saw I had brought it in just under expected pace again and had gone further. Leg 2... check! (You can view this leg course and elevation by clicking HERE)

My awesome Target special leopard print nighty set for the PJ leg. LOL!

LEG 2, VAN 2 RECAP

(Runner / Miles Ran / Pace / Notes from Run)

Red - 7.8± M / 8:23 P - Passed by 1 / Chicked 2; Played Frogger again and almost got hit by Van coming into exchange.

Caribbean Steve - 6.3± M / 8:41 P - 3 Road Kills: Duded 3 chicks

P-Funk - 4.2± M / 8:31 P - 4 Road Kills: Chicked 2 Dudes & 2 Chicks

B.o.B - 3.7± M / 7:31 P - Passed by 1 / Chicked 1; Look who's all Speedy McSpeederson again...

Little J - 9.1± M / 7:42 P - Passed by 1 / Chicked 6

Captain - 3.6± M / 7:48 P - 4 Road Kills but got passed by the guy holding the Scepter! LOL!

Little J's ready for her PJ leg

B.o.B & The Captain whore it up with thigh highs for their PJ leg

Notable Moments from the Van Log

"Captain is like the Grinch, his heart grew 3 sizes..."

P-Funk is officially renamed Captain Obvious for obvious reasons

B.o.B hates that effing Peter Brady!!!

C.Steve: "I already said that."
P-Funk: "Yeah but I said it in English."

"That's why we keep coming back every year, we like our pleasure mixed with pain!"

"That's how I make myself faster, by leading with my vagina" - B.o.B on her form.

P-Funk: "I just had a great experience with a Q-tip"

"I like alley's." - Little J


Next up Leg 3 and the Finish!!!

November Recap/Stats

November Recap/Stats

Miles Planned/Ran: N/A / 115± M

Rest Days Planned/Taken: 14 / 15

Highest Mileage Week: 36.7± M

Long Runs Planned/Ran: 3 / 2

Hill Workouts Planned/Ran: 0 / 6

Pace Workouts Planned/Ran: 0 / 8

Xtraining Workouts Planned/Ran: 0 / 1 - Snowboarding in CO counts right?!?!

Current Book: - (Reading) The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry; At first I had a hard time keeping track of everything that is going on in this book but once I got into it I could not put it down. I started it at the beginning of my trip and am just about done. (Finished/Listened to) Helen of Troy by Margaret George; This was a huge novel to take on but SO worth it!!!

Current Shame-Inducing Guilty Pleasure: I've been far to busy to be doing much of this.

Current Colors: Still loving the Fall palette.

Current Obsessions: Wearing my comfy, cozy new Ragnar Relay Sweatshirt! Seriously I want to wear it 24/7.

Current Drink: Besides the usual H2O, I indulged on a few Izze's on vaca... mmm!!!

Current Song: "Just the way you are" by Bruno Mars *le sigh*

Current Wish-List: Since the winter clearly isn't skipping us this year, new furniture! :)

Current Need: If we're talking ideas for Christmas I'd say gift certificates to IKEA so I can get some pretty new things for the new apartment and/or more fuzzy PJ bottoms to keep me warm!

Current Triumph: Team Half Nuts coming in Second at Ragnar! Leg 1 Recap HERE (Leg 2 to post later today) and holding my own at the Turkey Day 5k despite being at altitude. (Race Recap to come)

Current Bane of my Existence: Winter, being cold and darkness taking over all but 9 hours of the day.

Current Goal: To enjoy some non-training running and keep a solid base.

Current Indulgence: Cookies and pretty much all Christmas inspired baked goods.

Current Blessings: As always my family, friends and Spike.

Current Excitement: Dressing up like an elf with Jen for the Jingle Belle 5k the weekend after next, Christmas and Spike's sisters wedding on NYE!!!

How'd your November shape up?!?! Better yet, what did I miss while I was on vaca?! There's no way I'm getting through 600+ posts on my reader!

Running is what you make of it; Make it an Adventure!™

Ragnar Relay Recap - Leg 1

2010 RAGNAR RELAY - CENTRAL FLORIDA

12 Half Nuts

+

2 Vans

+

202 Miles

(Clearwater, FL to Daytona Beach, FL)

=

One Helluva Running Adventure

Team Half Nuts

This year's Ragnar adventure starts out with Spike and I getting in late Thursday night to Orlando, after dealing with the car rental place and Spike realizing the race was the following morning and NOT Saturday, we were finally on our way to B.o.B's. We arrived about 1:30 a.m. after a lengthy discussion about the likelihood of a Zombie invasion and other such nonsense. (Can you tell we were tired?!) Upon arrival we went straight to bed because our 6 a.m. wake-up call was not going to be pretty! The Half Nuts all met up at Shorty-Shorts house to separate accordingly (this year we traded Shorty-Shorts for Little J and stuck him in with all the Ragnar virgins, Spike included) and headed to the Start... Sorta. Van 2 had to head back to the Captain's headquarters to pick up some important forgotten items, meanwhile Van 1 ran into some battery problems. By the time we got everyone to the Start we were too late for the 11:00 a.m. start time so we opted for 11:30 a.m. and Shorty-Shorts got his very own private Start.

Lonely, he's so lonely...

With Van 1 off and running it was time to decorate the Van, catch up with fellow B.R.A. teams and for me to step in fire ants because that is what I do. FAIL.

Don't you just love the Nut for the front?!?!

The entire course was reworked this year and our runner's in Van 1 were pretty speedy so as a result we didn't have nearly as much time to goof off as last year before we started our first leg. After we decorated the van we grabbed lunch and then headed straight to the first major exchange to await our turn. Once there I geared up, put on my game face and peed 5,000 times waiting for Spike to hand off to me.

Standard.

LEG 1 RECAP

About 2:50 p.m. Friday afternoon I took my place in the exchange chute and waited anxiously as Spike raced towards me drenched in sweat and wobbling a bit from the heat, or maybe that was just the trick of the heat waves playing off the concrete?!!, either way, I knew I was in for a reality check with the 80+ degree afternoon and the sun out in full force. After he slapped the slap bracelet onto my wrist I shot off and began my 7.6 M first leg (that at the time I thought was only 7.1 M) on the Suncoast Trail that runs alongside the Suncoast Parkway Tollway in Spring Hill, FL.

The trail itself was quite nice and peaceful but between the rolling hills and the angry Hades sun I was getting my butt kicked. Reprieves came sporadically when the trees would overhang the trail and at one point I had to cross a road and I don't know if it was the heat or what but I swore the cars coming head on where getting on to an on-ramp and only realized they weren't just in time to speed across without getting hit! I was getting majorly overheated and was thankful when the Van showed up with some water and direction as I almost blew past a turn in my stupor. I was now on a dirt road and starting to feel nauseous... As I made my way thru a sketchy stretch of road I had to stop momentarily because I started dry heaving. I quickly regained my composure and did my best to bring it in to the exchange strong and hand off to Caribbean Steve. (You can view this leg course and elevation by clicking HERE)

I had predicted my pace for each leg at about an 8:30 P and I was happy to see I brought it in just under. The heat really kicked my butt this leg as I haven't seen a warm day since early September. It really made me nervous for how the rest of the race would go...

Action shot!

LEG 1 - VAN 2 RECAP

(Runner / Miles Ran / Pace / Notes from Run)

Runner # 7: Red - 7.6± M @ 8:27 P

Runner #8: Caribbean Steve - 4.3± M @ 8:05 P

Runner #9: P-Funk - 6.9± M @ 8:45 P - LJ high-fived a pimp in a purple suit while giving P water during her leg in Brooksville.

Runner #10: B.o.B - 3.5± M @ 7:42 P - Exchange 9 had unexpected entertainment between Team 11 & the volunteers before B.o.B started her first of many speedy runs.

Runner #11: Little J (LJ) - 3.8± M @ 7:16 P - Mid-run a pick-up truck stopped and asked her if the race was going on.... Ya think?

Runner #12: Captain - 8.58 M (as opposed to) 6.2± M @ 7:48 P - Because of a missed sign, Capt' ended up going 2.5 M further than he was supposed to. :(

C.Steve hands off to P-Funk

P-Funk to B.o.B

Captain otherwise known as the Green Lantern ends Leg 1 with the hand off to Shorty-Shorts...

Notable Moments from the Van Log

Steve feels like a thorn between two roses.

P-Funk doesn't know how to put on a seat belt and Red scolds her.

P-Funk: "Is this pit stop a surprise?!?!"

LJ: "No, Captain forgot the chargers."

Caribbean Steve: "I look good naked!"

P-Funk conducts a saliva workshop.

Red thinks it's "Blow Horn" not "Bull Horn"

Far too much convo on blind men.

Caribbean Steve: "On the islands we don't have modern medicine."

Red: "Mother Medicine?"

Captain: "Watermelon?"

(C.Steve is hard to understand)

LJ honks the horn with her boobs.

Don't miss Leg 2 & Leg 3!!!

3 Things Thursday

1. Ragnar was friggin' awesome! The results are in and Team Half Nuts finished in 27:48:58, good for SECOND place in the mixed division!!! w00t!!! Race recap to come!
   



These people are a bunch of Nuts!



2. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter was frigging awesome! Even if you're not a huge fan or have read all the books or seen all the movies you will still be floored by the attention to detail. Once you enter it's like you're transformed into the movie set... just be prepared for some monster lines...
   
   
   
   

   Hogswarth Castle - Begin Nerdgasm
   

3. I hope y'all are having a wonderful Turkey Day weekend spent with your family and friends. I am extremly Thankful for kick@ss Friends (who run a mean relay), for spending time with wonderful Family (that I love and miss so much) and for the most amazing boyfriend ever (who always puts a smile on my face and in my heart). HAPPY THANKSGIVING ONE AND ALL!!! (Well except you Canuck's who already celebrated yours... for you I say, Happy Thursday!)
   
   

3 Things Thursday

1. Ragnar, Ragnar, RAGNAR: If you have the unfortunate luck of working with me on a daily basis, this has been your life all week long:
   
   
   
   
   
   Who am I kidding... if you've been unfortunate enough to have any form of contact with me period, this has been all you've heard of all week! I promise to stop talking about it... right after I do my recaps! SO EXCITED!!! I'm going to jump on B.o.B tonight and attach myself to her hip for the remainder of the weekend!!!! (Don't worry, I'll un-attach her during our respective legs, when I use the bathroom, snuggle with Spike and what not. Wouldn't want things to get weird...) I can't wait to meet up with everyone else in the a.m. either! Who wants to take bets on whether I'll get any sleep tonight? Lord knows I won't sleep a wink during all the Ragnar madness!
   
   
2. Friends: I am stoked to learn that Team Hotlegs has employed Tall Guy Surfing as their driver so I will get to see him and Jenny out on the course and my beloved Florida Frenemy Harold (who's less than two weeks out from his first Marathon!!!) is going to make the drive over from NSB to cheer us in to the Finish! SO EXCITED!
   
   
3. Fa-tha: The best part of this trip, aside from all the Florida fun of course, is that I get to see my Fa-tha and the rest of the fam in Colorado. I haven't seen any of them since last Thanksgiving and I usually only get a long weekend with them but this year I get 2 whole extra days! I've mentioned before that I have a rather unconventional relationship with my Dad, which is why getting to spend extra quality time with him means so much to me. I also can't wait to introduce Spike, he already met my Dad at Chicago Marathon last year, but has yet to meet my sisters, Step-Mom and all the rest of the Mile High Fam. I've already been informed that my sisters have been assembling their a-games to convince him to move us there and that my Aunts & Uncles are warming up their harassing skillz... should be an interesting weekend!
   
   SO EXCITED!!! T-Minus 5 hours til take-off!!!
   
   I'm not sure when my next post will be so y'all take care of yourselves out there! Rock those Turkey Trots!!! Eat lots of glorious food and enjoy the time you spend with your families over the holidays!!!

Wordless Wednesday

Monday Mash

• Saturday Morning I cranked out my last long run of 10 miles in the old neighborhood and had such a fantastic run! I can honestly say I'm going to miss the streets of Okemos and my beloved running routes around town.

• The minute I got back from said run it was Move Time. It took us 8 hours and 2 trips but we have officially relocated to our new digs! This morning it only took me 38 minutes to get to work!!! Hallelujah!!!
  
  
• Saturday night I attended a "Women's Party", where my friend invited all the women in her life over for appetizers and drinks to meet and connect. It was such a fantastic idea and I got to network with some wonderful women who grace my friends life and hopefully now mine. With so few girlfriends in my life here in Michigan the night was so appreciated and I felt honored to be invited, thanks so much Jen!!!
  
  
• The next two weeks are going to be nuts and I want to apologize ahead of time for being MIA, for starters we don't have Internet at the new place and won't have it until after we get back from our trip, then there's work, there's a lot going on and just not enough time in the day. I will make my rounds when I can, please don't think I've abandoned you!!!
  
  
• Speaking of our trip, let me break it down for y'all: We leave Thursday for Florida, arriving in Orlando around 10pm, get our rental car and drive across the state to B.o.B's (just like old times!). Friday - Saturday is Ragnar (we're staying over in Daytona that night). Sunday we drive back across the state from Daytona to Tampa, then we're just going to veg out at B.o.B's. Monday a.m. we're heading back to Orlando to hit up the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal then having dinner at my friends house that night. Tuesday a.m. we hop on a plane for Denver and spend the rest of the week with my Fa-tha and fam for the Thanksgiving holiday. Amidst that we will run the Highlands Ranch Turkey Day 5k w/ Heather and possibly Harmony?!?! (Anyone else running it in the Denver area?) So yeah, it's going to be such a crazy busy 10 days!!!
  
  
• With Ragnar a few days out and Cleveland Marathon training not starting til January I am officially on break from any real training! I've already committed myself to lunch runs with Sun Runner and my running coworker but otherwise I'm just going to run for fun. No real plan other than to get a few miles in each week and keep a decent base. I'm actually getting kinda excited to see what winter running will be like and I know it's sure to be in full swing by the time I return from my trip!
  
  

3 Things Thursday

1. Zumba: Over the weekend a friend of mine talked me into joining her for a Zumba class Monday night. I'm pretty open to trying new things so I said sure even though I had heard mixed reviews and already had a lunch time 5 M planned for the day... 55 minutes of gyrating like a possessed monkey later, I've decided that Zumba isn't really my cup of tea. Awkward white girl moves aside, this runner body really only knows one motion: Forward.
   
   Have you ever tried Zumba? What did you think?!?!? Is it just me or are the instructor's on crack?!? LOL!
   
   
2. The Triple Threat: In preparation for Ragnar I ran a double last week and another run the following evening. This week I lined up a triple in simulation of the race: 3 runs, less than 24 hours apart, at similar mileage to my race legs. 2 pace workouts and the last where I just tried my best to survive. Here's how it went down:
   Run #1 - 7.15 M @ 8:16 P (Wednesday a.m.)
   Run #2 - 7.15 M @ 8:09 P (Wednesday p.m.)
   Run #3 - 7 M @ 8:42 P (Thursday a.m.)
   
   
3. Countdown: T-Minus 2 days until we move! No more 120 mile daily round trips to work! Yay!!! T-Minus 6 days until we head down to Florida for Ragnar!!! So excited to see B.o.B, the B.R.A. and the rest of my Florida peeps!!! T-Minus 11 days til I get to see my FA-THA and the rest of the fam for the Thanksgiving holiday!!! T-Minus 13 days til I get to meet Heather at the Highlands Ranch Turkey Day 5k!!! (Anybody else in the Denver area wanna join us?!?!)
   
   What are you counting down to?!?!?
   
   

Foto Friday

For your entertainment I give you Foto Friday complete with:

- My "Run thru Hell on Halloween" Finish Line pic.
Someone needs to relax her arms!

- Firewood Deer
It's a lawn decoration AND back-up fireplace fuel!

- The "Girls Gone Wild" tour bus
Cuz everyone knows the girls get crazy here in MI...in November!?!?

And finally I give you a few ads I've seen around lately.
Let's go with the more controversial one first eh?

The Hotlegs Runner (and she is uber hot) posted this the other day and it def sparked a huge discussion in the Redhead/Spike household. One the one hand it's an empowering statement but on the other it kinda disses "joggers" or your average joe-schmoe runner. I was reminded of this ad when I ran across this article yesterday entitled "Are New York Marathoner's Athlete's?" What do you guys think? I'm thinking this might need to become a future post and mass discussion...

Moving on, how about these ads?
They totally get me pumped up and excited to be a runner!!!

Happy Friday!!! I hope y'all have a fantabulous weekend!
Good luck to all my NYCM'ers out there!!!!