Another Ragnar Down

Well, last weekend I put another Ragnar in the books. This was my 4th ( 3rd year in a row for Del Sol). This time I was in Van 1 and the legs were a little longer than what I've done in the past.

Overall, the runs went well. I was tired and sore by the end. My hip is still a bit sore--which is a little concerning since I've got the Phoenix 1/2 marathon in the morning.

Each Ragnar is fun, but exhausting and after it's all said and done, I think--why do I do this!! :)

Ragnar

Kim with Ragnar teammates Mary Jane and Brynne

Kate's right--February has flown by. It's hard to believe that Ironman is only 8 months away!
I ran Ragnar this past weekend. For those of you who are not familiar with Ragnar, it's a 12 person relay race where each runner runs 3 legs of the race over the 24-30 hour period. The Del Sol race runs from Wickenburg to Tempe.

This is the 2nd year I've run Del Sol (I ran Great River MN/WI a couple years ago). My first leg was about 5 miles and was during the hottest part of the day on Friday. It did not go well. I overheated and was sick. I did recover and my 3.3 mile night run about 12 hours later went great! My final run on Saturday afternoon was also about 3.3 miles and went well despite the heat.

As is the Ragnar norm, all of this was done on about an hour's sleep!! This year I decided not to follow Ragnar with a tri on Sunday morning. :) So I was able to recover and rest. I actually felt pretty good the next day. As one of my teammates said--my leg must've been too easy for me.

And, our other Ironmom, Kristin, ran on an ultra team (only 6 runners instead of 12!). She's amazing.
I am looking forward to the Phoenix 1/2 marathon on Saturday!!

P.F. Chang's Rock 'n' Roll Full Marathon

Adam and I at race start

So, Kate updated you all on the 1/2, and I thought I would post an update of the full marathon.  This was my second full marathon and I have to say that it went much better than my first!  My husband, Adam, agreed to run it with me.  Adam is not a runner.  He's a soccer player and he started a new job last year so training didn't really happen.  As a result, we decided to do a 5-2 minute run/walk pattern. 

The race started about a half hour late (apparently the changes to the course and reliance on the light rail made it hard for everyone to get to the start line).  Adam and I got off to a good start.  I made sure that we strictly follow our run/walk pattern.  I was feeling great.  Around mile 11, Adam started flagging.  Our run pace was starting to slow and our walk section took a little longer to end.  I ended up getting a few minutes ahead of Adam by the 13.1 mile mark.  So, when he caught up to me at that point--he told me to go ahead and so I did (I felt a bit like a bad wife at that point).

The second half of the race continued to go well for me.  I felt really good until about mile 22.  I ran in some new compression socks and they really seemed to help keep my legs fresh and free from cramping (I usually cramp up around mile 10 in a half marathon).  At that point, my feet were really tired and I started slowing down.  I kept up with the 5-2 pattern and I finished strong.  After I collected my stuff, I went back up the course to find Adam.  Once I found him, I helped him run/walk him in the last mile to the finish--that's right I ran/walked an extra two miles (I felt like a much better wife at that point)!


I finished in 5:17 and I really think I could improve on that time (though my time on Sunday was nearly a full 30 minutes faster than my first marathon). More importantly, I wasn't freaking out about the race.  I was calm and I had no doubt that I would finish. 

I haven't really been training for the full marathon distance.  I ran a half in December and a 10k on January 1, but nothing longer.  I really don't think that running the distance is as important as doing consistent cardio and strength training. 

I also think that I will be able to finish the marathon at the end of the Ironman with at least a little bit of running.  Now, I just need to get a century ride in so that I can really get a feel for being on the bike that long. 


Next up--Ragnar in February and the Phoenix 1/2 marathon in March!