Rag what?

Ready, Set, GOOOOOO RAGNAR!

I quote from the Ragnar website.......

"PICTURE THIS: You and 11 pals running relay style through 200 miles of stunning scenery in Potomac River Valley. Starting near the town of Cumberland, Maryland, your team will head east through the thick forests of the Appalachian Mountains. Around nightfall you'll run through the quiet streets of many charming historic Civil War-Era towns, ultimately passing within the shadows of the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial. The race (and your stamina) will wrap up on the shores of the Potomac River and ends at National Harbor in Washington DC. This is a running event you don’t want to miss. Mark your calendars and get ready to have some fun.
This isn’t your average 10K or half marathon, this is Ragnar! To learn more about running overnight relays read the What is Ragnar? page."

Rag what? Washington D.C. Ragnar Relay 2011 Starting line....Cumberland, MD

TEAM AXELGARD.....'We're Running D.C, because no one else is' (a cute bipartisan phrase we came up with. come on! it's funny!) Our team consisted of people ALLLL ages ranging from 25 to 60. We came from sea to shining sea...that's California to Virginia and everything in between. Our common ground....running is something we like to do and Ragnar was a challenge we were up to.Our team of 12, relay RUNS (yes RUNS) from Cumberland, Md, to National Harbor just at the border of MD, DC & VA. How long is that, you ask? 198+ miles! Crazy, you ask? Yes indeed! Worth it, you ask? Yes indeedy!

I can't be bothered with the crucial details that are involved with this Ragnar joint because honestly I didn't even know them myself until Friday, start day. (this is probably a good thing or else I may not have done it) I will break it down

two vans

12 people

6 people per van

running THROUGH the night.

Each member has 3 legs of different distances through different terrains, and at different times. The sun may be shining, the moon may be out, it could be raining, it could be hot and it could be cold! These things...you can't predict, but alas you still RUN!

Running may be an individual/competitive sport against yourself, but there is NOTHING better knowing you have a team cheering for you, rooting for you at the finish line or even on the side of the road!

Me, I was the 7th runner on our team. I started mid Friday afternoon for my first leg.....

7.9 miles rated VERY HARD

(it rained the whole time, and it was glorious)

I had never felt a runners high as this (after my iPOD had broken, due to complete saturation)! I ran through the hilly hills of western Maryland on dirt roads in almost complete solitude. At times I felt like I couldn't take one more stride to get up the hill, but this thing called 'mind over matter' took me to a place I won't forget! The slap bracelet on my right hand was used to pass onto my fellow teammate, runner 8, at our trade off.

Leg 2...began just around midnight

5 miles rated MODERATE

This run I was complete with my head lamp, back blinking lamp and reflective vests. One would think that I would be easy as pie to see along the deserted farm roads of Maryland, but not so much! It was foggy, it was dark, and you are ALONE! A bit scary this feeling, but I was ever so lucky to be accompanied by my best friend Anne. Together we tackled this leg, me on foot, her on bike. She sang me songs of our lost childhood, and reminded me how lucky I am to have her by my side.

side note....turns out we weren't suppose to have a biker accompany us and we actually risked being disqualified, but it also turns out we didn't care :) From the lyrics of one of the very songs Anne sang to me while running "thats what friends are for!"Leg 3...it's Saturday morning

2.2 miles rated EASY

One would think, 2.2 miles, easy peasy breezy fo scheezy! NOT!

I am going on 1.5 hours of sleep. The depth of how my body had felt at this point is not even worth getting into. I was dehydrated, tired, delirious, excited, sad, proud, I actually didn't know what I was feeling, but I knew I could finish it! And once again, while running, something takes over, and it doesn't even feel like yourself. Here I am, literally SECONDS before my final pass off to Sam.

Ragnar pushed me to my limits! Not much can be said about the whole thing except that it was an experience of a lifetime!