rockin' the sweatbands

the day after my internship ended i headed south for the cape cod ragnar.  a ragnar race is a 192 mile relay with 12 teammates each running 3 legs of the race, starting friday and ending saturday.  the race started in hull and ended in provincetown. our team was called rockin' the sweatbands and was made up of the coolest ladies around.  here we are, well van 1 at least, at the starting line. 

 decorating the van

 

 can you find me at the starting line?

   i am on the far left.

i was the first runner for the team and got to start us off 10:00 am friday morning with a hilly 8 miler.  whew!  my hip flexor was suffering, but i made it through.  i saw the prettiest scenery and wanted to stop so many times to take it all in.  i loved it!  after my run, i cheered on our other runners; we all had pretty long first legs of the race.  when we finished up, we met van 2 at exchange 6 and scored free pb&j's.

 we sent them off when our last runner came in and went to exchange 12, where i would start again, to try to get some rest.  that didn't really work out though, too much excitement and nerves i suppose.  van 2 came around at 9:30ish and then it was my turn to run again.  this time it was a 5 miler along the cape cod canal, under the stars even.  it was beautiful and so peaceful. solitude is totally underrated.  that was probably my favorite run of the race.  i discovered that i love running in the dark.  after my race i dutifully cheered on my compadres.  we were finally done around 2:30 am when we passed the baton (80's slap bracelet actually) to van 2.  and that's when we got to crash on the gym floor of a high school for a couple hours of sleep and a couple of hours was all we got.  we had to get up a little after 4 to get to the next exchange to meet van 2 for our last legs of the race.  we didn't want to leave them hanging.  we got to the exchange and tried to catch more Z's in the van, but i was a nervous mess.  my body was sore beyond belief and i still had to run 5 more miles.  i was terrified.  here i am right before my 6:30 morning run.

it was actually another gorgeous run on paved trails through the woods while the sun was coming up.  i couldn't believe i lucked out with amazing scenery on all three of my legs of the race.  turns out my body just went on running.  i was afraid that it would refuse to move when it was my turn, but alas it cooperated quite nicely to my surprise.  it wasn't as bad as i thought it was going to be.  here i am crossing off my last box.

 i was so happy to be done!  it was early in the morning and i could just chill the rest of the day.  being runner 1 is the best!  i loved getting it over with and dedicating my energy to pumping up my teammates instead of worrying about my runs to come.  it was great.  we met up with van 2 again at exchange 30, where jeremy was volunteering for the race. he is such a cute boy.  i was so excited to see him, like having out of control laughing attacks i was so excited.  i guess that's what running 18 miles with less than 2 hours of sleep does to you. 

 van 1 rockstars!

so happy we are DONE!

 

 we rested on the beach for a while and then headed to the finish line to meet van 2 and get the free goods.  they rolled in a little after 5 and we all ran across the finish line together.  what a triumphant moment!?  i almost wanted to cry. 

what a party we had!  these girls are totally AWESOME!

  it was some of the most beautiful sights i have ever seen.  i loved every minute of the gorgeous views; i didn't love every minute of the sleep deprivation, porta-potties, and achey, achey muscles, but i would do it again in a heartbeat.