A few weeks ago, I was having lunch with one of my colleagues who has worked hard to lose a large amount of weight.  She was sharing her frustration with the fact that despite the fact that she had been exercising regularly, she was unable to take off the last 20 or so pounds that she needed to reach a healthy goal weight.  I shared that the closest I had been to my goal was when I was at the end of my Ironman training, and that since Ironman I had actually moved in the opposite direction for a while.  My friend commented that if it took Ironman level workouts to achieve her goal, then she might have a really hard time getting those last pounds off.
           I thought about that for the next few days after our conversation.  Would I really need to go back to the excessive amounts of running, biking, and swimming to be where I wanted to be weight and fitness-wise?  What had been the key to me being able to get down to the mid-150s, and how could I replicate that and not kill myself in the process? The more I thought about it, the more I realized that it wasn't about the extreme measures, it was more about the balance.  Anytime I have had a balance between healthy eating and exercise, I am better able to control how I feel and how my clothes fit.  Balance was the key.
           Along with that balance I know that I need to have a certain amount of control.  As my family and I were enjoying our spa time one night, I looked over and realized that my Border Collie was a perfect analogy for the sometimes obsessive need I have for food.  Aiden is honestly one of the smartest dogs we have ever owned.  Now despite his intelligence, he loves balls with an almost manic obsession and seems to lose all control when a ball is near.  If any of our poor neighbor's kids happens to hit a ball over the fence, they know not to even come looking. In no time at all, Aiden will have that reduced to tiny pieces of plastic, fabric, and string.  Eventually, my husband found a glow-in-the-dark ball that even Aiden can't destroy.  Every night as we enjoy our family time in the jacuzzi, Aiden eventually comes to rest right at the pool's edge where he can peacefully chew on his ball.  And every night within about five minutes of resting on the edge, that ball rolls out of his mouth and plops into the pool.  It is at that point that he looks bewildered at his precious ball as it bobs up and down in the pool out of his reach.  After all these years of the same thing happening, you would think that he would learn that sitting near the pool with his ball is not a good idea, yet every night that ball rests in the pool while Aiden stands over it forlornly.
           I feel much the same as Aiden does about his beloved balls.  There are times that if there is any junky food within reach, or God forbid it ends up in my house, I must devour that food like Aiden devours balls. And after I have eaten more food than seems humanly possible, I will often wonder what happened as if I didn't know that the outcome would be me feeling like crap.

        Well, it happened--I fell off the edge of the blog last week and never even had an opportunity to explain where I was or that I wouldn't be checking in.  I can blame it on lots of things, but honestly I was just exhausted.  I feel better now and ready to get back to it.  Thanks for checking back in despite my lack of blog last week!
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          As I sit here and reflect on the whirlwind that was Ragnar, it occurs to me that after you read this blog you may still not understand why we all found this experience so rewarding and, dare I say, fun. However, I am hoping that you will be inspired to do something a little crazy in the name of fitness, and in that process you can see how much enjoyment you can get out of exercising.  So the story begins...           
           Let me begin by explaining what a Ragnar race is.  According to the website, "You and 11 of your craziest friends pile into two vans and tag team run 200(ish) miles, day and night, relay-style. Only one runner hits the road at a time. Each participant runs three times, with each leg ranging between 3-11+ miles varying in difficulty. So, from the elite runner down to the novice jogger, it's the perfect race for anyone." 
           The journey began in the early morning hours of the last Friday of our spring break.  We all gathered together in a parking lot adjacent to the Huntington Beach pier to pack our bags of clothing and food into the Suburban that would be our traveling hotel room for the following 36 hours.  We were Van #1 and we would begin the almost 200 mile run from Huntington Beach to Downtown San Diego.  At 7:15 AM Pat, our first runner took off and it was our job to drive to the next exchange where we would pick up Pat and drop off the next runner who happened to be his wife Darcy.  Because of some last minute packing, preparation, and a little traffic, we basically had to push Darcy out of the SUV as she ran to meet Pat at the exchange.  She barely made it to her start as Pat ran in and handed off the orange snap bracelet that would signify the current runner.
           Our next task was to retrieve Pat from this first stop and then drive to the next exchange for Darcy.  We were able to drive Darcy's leg to cheer her on and even take a few pictures of her along the way.  As we raced to drop off to meet Darcy, we happened to notice a runner that had collapsed on the course and was surrounded by fellow runners.  We stopped to help, but I was struck by the caring and generosity of the actual racers who had paused their run to take care of a complete stranger.  Runners are amazing that way, and none of them would go back to their run until they were sure professional help was on the way.  The runner did survive, but it reminded me of the importance of hydrating and fueling before running, but most importantly, of carrying a phone and/or some sort of ID--he could remember his name, but could not recall a phone number for us to contact one of his loved ones.  I carry my phone, but if you don't, please think about carrying some sort of emergency info on you when you run or bike on the road.
           After waiting for the emergency service to arrive to take care of the runner, we finally rushed off to meet Darcy and drop off Kay for her run.  We cheered Darcy in, sent Kay off, and then it was time for me to get prepared for my leg.  I tightened my new running shoes, put on my Suck it up Buttercup team shirt, and I waited for Kay to run in, she handed off the team bracelet, and then I was off for Leg 4--my run around Disneyland to the Angel's Stadium parking lot.  My run was a little frustrating because just when I would get going, I would hit a long light at an intersection.  One of the things that is paramount in Ragnar is safety.  We have to follow all rules of the road when in the van, and we had to obey all pedestrian rules as well.  So at every signal we had to wait for our turn to safely cross--and I waited to safely cross about ten times before it was my turn to pass the bracelet off to Mark.  It took me almost 30 minutes to run 2.6 miles, not my best time, but I vowed to push it even harder on my next leg to keep with our estimated finish time.  
           Mark and Gabby ran their legs at around noon, and then it was time for us to rest and let Van #2 take over.  That is the way Ragnar works.  The first group of six runs while the second van waits, and then the first van gets to eat and relax until it is their time to run.  Another important part of Ragnar is having a good navigator.  Ragnar takes running skill, but if you cannot get to the next stop in a timely manner, your team can lose precious time while the runner waits for the next racer to take over.  With our Van #2, they accidentally went to the wrong exchange, and our second runner had to wait about 30 minutes for the next runner to arrive to take over.  Easy mistake, but with the number of racers going in and out of the exchanges, the traffic was packed and could be very difficult to maneuver.  

At about 10 PM, after we were finally fueled up and took short naps at the beach, Van #2 completed their running legs and it was time for Pat to take on the longest leg of the entire Ragnar race--almost 12 miles.  His run ended just south of San Onofre, and that was one of the most difficult exchanges to maneuver.  There was only one way in and one way out of the exchange, and with the runners coming in on the left and the next racers on the right, they had to cross the road which stopped traffic dead still.  We were so afraid that we would miss the exchange again with Pat that poor Darcy had to get out of the van and sprint to meet her husband once again.  Once Pat and Darcy switched places, we had to rush to the next exchange because Darcy was only running a 3 mile leg.  The problem was, we misunderstood that we were to basically supposed to follow Darcy to the end of her run, and instead we left the lot, got on the freeway, and did not realize our mistake until we saw her from the freeway and no way to get her.  Mark had to backtrack and we also lost about 30 minutes.  We did get Darcy eventually, and then we continued on to the next drop off.
           Kay began her nighttime leg at around midnight running along the bike path that parallels the 76 freeway in Oceanside.  We had these amazing LED vests that our team captain Emily ordered for us, and while we looked a bit like space aliens, we were well lit and difficult to miss out there on the course.  It was easy to spot Kay running into the exchange with her vest, and then I took off for my 4 mile, past my bedtime leg.  I am a little afraid of the dark, and after watching the man collapse earlier in the day, it occurred to me that if I fell off the edge of the path, they might not actually find me--thank God for the vest! I pushed myself so hard so that I could be back in the nice, warm van, that I ran a 9:07 pace, which is pretty fast for me.  Mark took off and rocked his leg of the run despite a ridiculous hill at the end of his 7 miles, and then Gabby had a quick down hill run before it was once again time for us to rest and let Van #2 take over.
           

Another key to an amazing Ragnar experience is surrounding yourself with teammates that are kind, considerate, and willing to have some fun.  I was the only one in Van #1 that knew everyone, but it was amazing how many connections we all had.  While Mark did not know Darcy and Pat at all, they ended up discovering that all three of them had grown up in the same area of Orange County. Gabby did not know Pat, but they were able to talk about a common place in Mexico where Pat's mother had grown up.  We were all friends, and in the end we ended up having the most amazing experience that I am not sure I will be able to replicate, even if I do this race again. 
           We were so tired after our night racing, that all any of us could think of was sleep.  Food was not even an option at this point! So we drove directly to the area where we would once again take over, and we did the best we could to sleep with six adults in a Suburban.  Luckily, no one snored and we all managed to get about 2-3 hours of sleep.  When I awoke in the morning, Mark and I went out to greet the incoming runners and we actually found some fresh coffee for our effort.  I took this as a sign that we were in for a good day.
           Before long it was once again time for Van #1 to take over--Pat took over from Emily and was off on another long run (by the end of Ragnar he had run over 23 miles total). Next Darcy and Kay ran their legs along the coast and I took over near Del Mar.  This was my longest leg at over 6 miles, and I was running on nervous energy and coffee after having only 3 hours sleep in the last day and a half.  The first part of my run was a little hilly, but when I turned my first corner I hit one of the longest, steepest hills I had ever tackled in a race.  It was so steep that I could hardly breathe at one point--we are talking San Francisco-like steep hill.  I actually started to walk at one point, but a fan along the road told me to push through it, and that was enough to push me forward to finally complete my Ragnar running experience and hand the orange band off for a final time to Mark.  
           After Mark and Gabby ran through La Jolla, we were finally able to let Van #2 take over, get a bite to eat, and get a little rest at the finish line while we waited for our final runners.  We were so exhausted that we collapsed right on the grass adjacent to the bay for another couple hours of shut eye.  When Emily finally ran in, Van #1 and #2 joined together at last to run Emily across the finish line.  We were all stinky, tired, but so very excited to have worked together to complete the Ragnar race from Huntington Beach to the San Diego Convention Center.  It was an amazing experience, and while I know I have probably not been able to completely convey how much fun this really was, I hope that it might still encourage you to take that next step in your fitness journey.  I guarantee that it will be worth the effort!

           So after almost 35 hours of running, sleeping, eating, and driving with six people in a Suburban, I hope you will understand that I am a little tired and unable to complete a full blog this week. I hope the photo to the left will illustrate how truly exhausted we all were at the end--I can never nap, let alone sleep on the hard grass surrounded by hundreds of noisy people.  I hope you will check in next weekend when I share how all this could possibly be considered fun...and it really was a complete BLAST!  Excuse me now while I go collapse on the couch and watch a movie with my family and recover from all the Ragnar shenanigans.