Ragnar Relay Napa Valley 2013: Too Much Rain & (Not Enough) Wine

Ever since a friend of a friend ran the Ragnar Relay in Las Vegas a few years ago, I have been intrigued and interested in doing one myself.  When my friend, Sheena, said she was officially putting together a team for the Napa Valley Ragnar this fall, I knew I had to do it! As the team formed, I realized that the only person I would know on this team was Sheena. I was excited and a little nervous to meet 10 new people as a part of this experience.  Especially since I was one of the slowest runners on our team.  I hoped they didn't feel like I was holding them back! Now that Ragnar Napa Valley is done and over with, I can successfully say it was one of the best things I have ever done and I can't wait to get back out there to do another.

Preparing for Ragnar
I had read blogs for weeks (months, in fact) regarding what to pack and how much to bring (or not bring).  I was nervous I wouldn't have enough or that I would bring too much.  I couldn't wait to get out those ziploc bags and put together my outfits for each of my 3 legs.  I'm such a girl.  I spent the rest of the weekend in hoodies and yoga pants. Thankfully, I threw in my sheepskin boots last minute. Having been in 90 degree San Diego weather for 3 months, I was afraid I would freeze to death the minute the temperature dropped below 55. When did I turn into such a baby? 

Ziploc bag addict.  Felt just like summer camp.

In the weeks leading up to Ragnar, Sheena and I were planning our snacks and hydration (like any good runner would do). Obviously Nuun was high on our priority list.  Along with fruit snacks and peanut butter pretzels. The meal of champion runners everwhere.

Getting There
Since I had just flown up to Northern California the weekend before for a wedding, I wasn't about to buy a second plane ticket for this weekend.  Instead, I decided to use Zimride and drive 2 unknown people to the Bay area in exchange for gas money. If you haven't used this service yet, you should look into it. I've met some of the coolest (and strangest) people. And I only paid $10 to get myself to Oakland. Good deal.  The only downside to driving: I arrived in Oakland at 2:30am on Friday morning. This left 2 hours to get some sleep before our 5am wake up call. Awesome.

The Race
Sheena and I woke up (from our short nap) at 5am. Loaded our van, picked up a team mate from the local BART station and made our way across the new Bay Bridge to Golden Gate Park to meet up with the rest of our team. 

New Bay Bridge before dawn. So pretty.

Once we all congregated at the start line in the park, things became real.  Markers to draw on the van appeared, bags of bananas and peanut butter and tubes of Nuun filled the back of the van.  I couldn't wait to get started!

I was runner 6 in Van 1. Even now that the race is over, I'm still not sure how I feel about being runner 6. Pro: You're in van 1 so you get to start off the race and you finish first. Con: You're the last one in your van to run, so you spend the whole time runners 1 through 5 are running their legs getting nervous for your leg. Pro: You finish your leg at a major exchange so both vans are there to welcome you in and celebrate your leg being over.

Our first runner took off from Golden Gate park on his first leg.  From there we followed each of our runners across the Golden Gate bridge, through Sausalito and into Mill Valley. I took off on my first leg just outside of Corte Madera.  My first leg was riddled with stop lights for the first mile.  And of course, due to Ragnar rules, all runners must stop and wait for every stop light. After I put those behind me, I finished my 4.3 mile leg on a bicycle trail ending at the College of Marin. I was welcomed by silly string from both vans. Thanks, guys! First leg was a success. I had said my average pace should be about 10:30/mile.  I was kind of nervous about this, considering my average pace has hovered right around 10:45 lately.  Adrenaline helped me out though, and I stayed right on target.

Really Nervous: Screenshot of my leg so I don't get lost.

Once I was done, we had a break for about 5 hours while Van 2 took over.  We made our way to the next major exchange in Petaluma and found a Whole Foods for "dinner". Perfect solution for 6 hungry runners. After making use of their facilities to change (thank you baby wipes), we headed over the exchange.  The next 2 hours were filled with attempted naps, stretching on the grass and tagging unsuspecting vans with our official hashtag (#bunsofsteelnv). Sorry, we're not sorry.  Official nighttime hours began, and everyone brought out their best reflective gear.  So stylish.

Sporting the new compression sleeves too.

So attractive.

Runner 12 came into the exchange right on time, and we were off again.  In addition to our official reflective gear, we also brought out some pretty awesome glow bracelets and necklaces. Have to keep things interesting! Halfway through Runner 4's leg, it began to rain.  And I'm not talking a light sprinkle.  Our 5th runner took off in the midst of an ultimate downpour.  Of course his leg was the longest leg of the night, 9.2 miles.  We checked on his 3 times throughout the leg to make sure he had what he needed.  The whole time I kept hoping the rain would let up by the time I started.  No such luck.  I started my 5.8 mile leg in the parking lot of a Vons in Santa Rosa.  I was thankful my leg was not in the middle of nowhere, seeing as it was now after midnight.  When that trusty slap bracelet made contact with my wrist, the adrenaline returned and the nerves dissipated. Somewhere around mile 1, I twisted my ankle but quickly recovered.  Hopefully, anyway.  Truthfully, I really enjoyed my night run.  It was peaceful and calm. I only encountered 2 other runners the entire leg.  As I neared the next exchange it began to pour. I passed on the bracelet to runner 7 with a cheerful "have fun!" and made my way to our van to dry off.  Even with the rain and my ankle, I held a pace of 10:40. I was doing awesome!

Soaking wet but smiling nonetheless.

While Van 2 was out on their second legs, we had 5 hours to catch some sleep. Sounded like plenty of time! Well, subtract the hour and a half we spent at Denny's eating "breakfast" or "dinner" or whatever that meal was, and the 30 minutes it took us to drive to the next major exchange in Sonoma, and the 20+ minutes it took us to find a port-a-potty once we arrived, and we were left with an hour and forty minutes to sleep.  Awesome.  At this point, my ankle was swelling and I was limping.  Amazing.  I elevated it on the dash of the van and attempted to get some sleep, dreading my last leg in the morning.  We already had one runner down in our van due to an Achilles issue and I really wanted to finish all my miles!

We woke up "in the morning" and hustled to get ourselves ready to get back on the road.  As dawn approached, runner 12 came into the exchange and runner 1 was off.  We were back on! Runner 2 had, hands down, one of the prettiest legs of the entire race. The sun was rising over the wineries as we made our way along side him on his 8.1 mile leg to Napa.

Sunrise over Napa.

Sheena rocked a double leg, filling in for our injured runner and by the time she was done the skies had opened up again.  Pouring down rain for our 5th runner.  By this point we had nicknamed him the "weatherman" since he had brought the rain twice now.  He finished up his leg and I started out for my final leg to finish Van 1.  By this point I had wrapped my ankle and threw on a compression sock (thank you, ProCompression), determined to make it through.  My final leg was 3.9 miles so I knew I could power through.  This leg was beautiful.  The rain made it even more awesome. Peaceful, quiet country roads through the wineries. Rolling hills made it even more fun, as I've come to realize that I love rolling hills.  Powering up the inclines and coasting down the descents.  My ankle was tight, but I was running on adrenaline and it felt great.  I had told my team that I would probably be holding right around 11:15 minute miles with my ankle, so they shouldn't expect anything amazing.  I ignored that, though, and finished with a 10:40 average.  Knowing I was so close to being done, I was able to kick it up.

Van 1 was done!! Once they had collected me, we decided to book it towards the finish.  We stopped for lunch at Gott's Roadside in St. Helena. This place was just what we needed.  Burgers, beer and onion rings.

Recovery.

Nothing fancy, which was perfect for us considering we looked like drowned rats.  After finishing we decided to drive into the finish line along the last few legs of the race.  Armed with our cowbell we cheered on every runner we past.  Such a great way to end.

Beautiful scenery to end the race.

Once we reached the finish area, we cleaned out the van a bit and got ready to welcome in our 12th runner.  Van 2 ripped through their last legs, well ahead of schedule.  In fact we finished almost 40 minutes ahead of schedule.  As Runner 12 approached the finish the rest of us got ready to welcome her through the finishing shoot.  And just like that, it was all over.  We got our medals, took a team photo and collected our two free pizzas from Dominos.  After realizing that all of the drinks at the finish line weren't free (come on, Ragnar, not even a free beer for all our hard word), we headed over to a local restaurant for a glass of wine to debrief.

I made it!

Van 1 Survived!

Overall, Ragnar was an awesome experience.  They know what they are doing.  The volunteers were amazing and the course support from other teams was encouraging, not to mention, the support from local police and Ragnar staff. I can't wait to do another one! Hopefully Northwest Passage will be on the agenda for next summer. Runners wanted.