Finish Strong

This is my van (2), right before heading out on our last 6 legs. Our
motto for this set of legs, "Finish Strong , Have Fun". I currently
sitting on the side of the Beeline Highway waiting for Ben, who is in
the midst of an 8 mile run towards Mesa in a VERY hot sun today!

3.5 more legs to go!

30 legs plus little sleep equals...

Warm grass and a place for hundreds to rest their head at exchange 30
in Fountain Hills. Were 2 hours away from my van finishing the last 6
legs of the 09 Ragnar relay. We and many others are looking for one
last chance at rest!

So close yet so far away

Were sittin at exchange 23 right outside of Carefree. Were about to
make our way around Fountain Hills. We've completed about 120 miles
of our 202 mile journey. It feels great to be back in the valley and
normal elevation, yet we still have so far to go.

Each leg has brought some new challenge for the runners and has been
unique. I heard one runner say at the last leg, "God doesn't like me
today!" So true, I think each of the runners has felt that way at one
point or another, but our team is strong! They've muscled through
everything thrown at them and has done it with a smile!

On we go.....

Sent from my iPhone

Sunrise!

Here comes the sun. Leg 22...6:30 am and there is a killer crosswind
making this leg challenging and chilly! 2 more legs to go and we get
another break and a chance to finish the last 6 legs and take it home!.

What's that smell?

As we sit here 3:15 am on the side of the carefree highway, our van is
looking well....very lived in. Food, body glide, clothing, pillows
and running shoes everywhere leading us to ask..."hey what's that
smell?"

Running under the stars

This is one of the last pics I had before things went completely black
last night. Legs 9-12 were on a desolate dirt road un the middle of
no where. It was amazing. There is something freaky and beautiful
when you look out and see nothing but a stream of headlamps from
runners in the distance lined up like airplanes coming in for a landing!

I have never seen darkness like this before. Stars...look above and
all you could see were thousands of stars on a crisp cold night. I
know for some of you following this trail of blogs this whole ordeal
seems painfull. However, it has been great! More to come....

Sleep???

This is a pic of what 220 runners look like trying to catch any sleep
before their next leg.

It's 1:30 am and I just woke up from an hour of sleep on a concrete
floor of a elementary school right outside Wickenburg. We pulled in
around 12:30 am. Van 1should be pulling into this stop (exchange 18)
around 2:15 ish. Then it's off to the races for my van again.

Middle of nowhere

This is what a 7 mile dirt road in the middle of no where looks like.
This is leg 10...seven miles of this. Sun is falling and the temps
are dropping but everyone is having a great time! Time to strap on
the reflective gear!

Mer rocks stage 7

We reached the main exchange point and van 1 gets to rest, eat and
move on to 18. I get no rest and am now the driver of van 2 legs
7-12. Mer started with a strong run and followed tradition with a
post leg beer! This is awesome!

Pour one out for the homies!

In memory of those runners who didn't make it. Skull Valley Cemetary,
a scenic stop on leg 5!

Scenes from the top!

This is a pic of Nic climbing one of the toughest legs. Leg 3 is a
879 ft climb with this elevation....WOW! There was snow on the side
of the road. We stopped at the peak to keep him going!

This is how we do it!

Most people refuel with water...not us. 3.5 mile run + high elevation
+ beer = refreshing! Way to go!

Van 1 ready to go!

Here we are van 1 at the start line ready to go!

Thompson, Erin, Trudy Reed, Penny, Jeremiah, Nic, Trudy Walter, and me!

We Got The Runs

Yep that's our name. Here is one of our vans. It's around 9:15 am on
Friday. The temp in Prescott is 47 degrees perfect running weather.
We arrived last night around 11 pm and did the smart running
thing...visited Whiskey Row. A couple hours of sleep later, here we are.

We just checked in and our group starts at 11. Trudy's driving van 1,
first 6 legs then I take over van 2 at leg 7.

Stay tuned for more. This is gonna be fun!

Running, Biking, Swimming....oh, my!

I remember about 3 years ago, when I decided, "hey, I think I'm gonna try this running thing, maybe a half marathon." I remember my first trip to PV High School track. I remember the burning in my lungs, I remember the burning in my legs, I remember the burning in my heart. Most importantly, I remember thinking, "can I do this?"

Fast forward to Thursday........deja vu! Only this time PV High School track became the ASU aquatic center and a lap pool. I felt the burning in my lungs, I felt the burning in my shoulders, I felt the burning in my heart.......and again I asked, "can I do this?"

I officially became a triathlete in training this week. Per the advice of many on a social network that I'm a part of "iamtri", I decided to pursue formal coaching through a swimming "masters" program at the ASU aquatic center in Tempe. Like many other roads I've travelled, my friend Trudy decided to join me in this journey. I'm thankful for friends like her, who are not afraid to go outside of their comfort zone and who are willing to challenge themselves!

Traveling down there, we both talked about how nervous we were. Sure, we both know how to swim, but that's like saying, "you know how to walk, why are you afraid of running." Upon arriving and changing, it was time to hit the deck! Well "hit the deck is what we did." Wow...we stepped outside to find 15-20 swimmers in swim lanes swimming lap after lap after lap after lap. Holy S*@T, what did we get ourselves into. Intimidating to say the least.

Finally it was time. We found our coach and the one other person in the class. She was a triathlete looking to improve her swimming. We were all on the same wavelength...that felt comfortable. After telling our coach our goals she responded with, "we got a lot of work to do!" Uh, Thanks?????

First step was to get a quick assesment of our current abilities. Swim a lap using our best freestyle stroke. Surprisingly enough, she said we were not bad. Over the course of the next hour, we did drill after drill.....working on kick and learning tempo and how to breath. We used a kick board to reinforce our posture and form.

Honestly it was the most tiring hour. Our coach said that we had a fantastic session and we all improved greatly! I don't know about greatly but I honestly felt like I began to learn the true art of swimming!

Afterwards my shoulders and lower back were on fire! I have an HUGE hill to climb with this sport, but I reflect back to that day at the track and I look at how far I've come. It takes dedication, it takes hard work, it takes commitment! A new journey started this week, no more talk...it's time to act. "Can I do this.....YES I CAN!" Running, biking, swimming....man, I'm tired!