Everything is Better Brown: RAGNAR Northwest Passage!

SO. MUCH. FUN!

Within weeks of moving to Maple Valley, I joined a Ragnar team with some new friends from church. As soon as they asked, I knew I wanted to do it! I could not pass a golden opportunity like this up! It was a perfect way to get to know fellow runners in the ward. We did a few night training runs together on the trail leading up to the race, and then of course there is all the "bonding" that comes with spending a hot, sweaty, laughter-filled sleepless weekend together!

Our team name was Lost in Pace. I was in Van 1, the girl van, the awesome van, the best fed van, whatever you want to call it. Van 2 was the guys- full of fast fearless ringers. Together, we made a great team and finished around 130/515 teams overall.

The race went from Blaine, WA, just south of the Canadian border, along the Puget Sound down to Langley, WA, on the southern tip of Whidbey Island. We spent Thursday night with family in Blaine. It was so nice to get a good night sleep going into something like this! We started at 8am Friday, so it would have been an early drive otherwise!

I was runner 5 in Van 1. My legs were 4.7, 8.2, and 8 miles long, for a total of just under 21 miles. My first leg was at about 11am. My main goal was not to go out too hard because I knew I would need a lot left in the tank to bust out two eight milers later. I felt great and got to run straight towards Mt. Baker. It was so beautiful. And a bald eagle flew RIGHT over my head. They dont call it Ragnar Northwest Passage for nothing! I saw 4 bald eagles throughout the weekend. I ran about a 7:53 pace and was happy with that. It was quik but I didn't feel like I over did it. I got to run my second leg on country roads as the sun set. Again, it was beautiful! Most of the run was slightly dark but I could still see. It was only the last couple miles that were pitch dark. Although I dont love night runs, there is something cool about running through the darkness with the only things you can see made visible by your head lamp. I did pass a couple smelly dairy farms, but I didn't mind it. I just thought about my Grandpa Hal and his many years of hard labor working, burning the midnight oil on his dairy farm in Idaho. My body was feeling it after my second leg. I was able to maintain a 8:04 pace for the 8.2 miles, which I was happy with. It was a nice flat course. With the soreness setting in and with literally no sleep under my belt, I wasn't sure how my 3rd leg would pan out. But I saw another bald eagle just before I started and that gave me just the boost I needed to finish strong. I ran along the coast line and for much of the run, I could see the ocean. Did I mention this course is beautiful?? The main catch on this leg were the two huge hills!! I didn't really train much on hills leading up to the race, so I figured I would just try to bust it out as best as I could. And plus, I usually run pushing a double stroller so I really had no idea how to accurately predict my paces anyway. I just figured I would run as fast as I could for as long as I could without dropping dead somewhere in the middle. My plan worked. The two hills on tired legs definitely slowed me down, but I tried to make up for it by cruising the downhills as fast as I could. I was able to muster out an 8:12 pace, which I was really happy about, all things considered! And I was proud that my fastest mile of the whole race was under 7 minutes! It sure helped to know that the end was near and that I didn't have to save any strength for more runs.

That was the running. Obviously there is much more to Ragnar than just running. While the other van ran, we would go to the next major exchange and try to rest as much as possible. The first time, we were at a high school and I found a nice shady spot to set up my hammock and relax and FaceTime Michael and the girls. Our second big break was in the middle of the night. We went straight to the high school and tried to sleep. Haha. A few of us went inside to the dark gym, and a few of us stayed in our 12 passenger van. I stayed in the van. It was comfortable enough to stretch out on one of the seats, but for some reason I just couldn't relax enough to actually fall asleep. It was all kind of a haze. But it didn't really matter because after a few hours, we were up and ready to hit the road again. With enough adrenaline, endorphins, excitement and Adams Peanut Butter, I can power through just about anything. After our van was all done running, we had a few hours before van 2 would get to the finish line, so we headed to Langley and walked around the local mainstreet and found a cute little cafe to eat. It was by far their busiest day of the year.

Van 2 ran to the finish and the whole team joined together for the last little run through the finish line. We got our medals, took pictures, ate some pizza and then headed to the Ferry to cross the water back to Maple Valley. It was such a fun weekend!!