Ragnar 2013

Running Ragnar Wasatch Back last year bit me like a little run-loving bug. So last week I piled into a suburban to happily run my little heart out again. Which is as much of a surprise to me as it is to you. Did you know it is possible to enjoy running 12-21 miles in a 24 hour period while also sleeping in a van and eating solely PB&J sandwiches? I know. Me neither. But totally is. As evidenced by my smiling face in the photos above.

Not that I'm saying that the actual running parts were enjoyable (you should see my face in the pictures Greg snapped of me as I was finishing my runs). I'm not sure anyone enjoys the in-the-moment act of running. But the experience as a whole really shaped up to be a rip roaring good time, especially this year. Brandon told jokes the whole time. I ran into my BFF Lance. I got to sit in the middle seat in the suburban. Ty made sure I wore my running sunglasses so I didn't have to squint. All of my legs were on pavement. Win. Win. Win. Win. Win.

I ran with fellow workmates, and our car had this really great sense of camaraderie; you know, the kind of camaraderie that leads people to jump out of the car while their runner passes, and run along side them while they drink the water bottle they just handed them. And the kind where everyone is waiting for you at the end of each leg to congratulate you and hand you a snack. The boosting peaked when, during my last leg (6.1 miles downhill), Isaac leaned out the window as I passed the support car and told me I was doing an amazing job. I'm not sure my 10-minute-mile pace would really qualify as amazing, but it made that arduous last 2.5 miles much happier. "I am doing pretty good," I thought. "Even if I did just get passed by 2 people." NBD. All in all, as runner 4 I ran 14.6 miles. And the weird thing was that my favorite run by far was the hardest and longest one. Weird. I don't quite know how that works. But I do know that next year I want to be runner 6 -- 17.2 miles. I better start training now.