Seahawks 12k Race Report... Finally!

1)  ECHO - You won my Hippie Chick Half Marathon giveaway!  I still haven't heard from you!  If I don't hear from you by Wednesday I'll pick a new winner.  Email me at ricoleruns@gmail.com.

2)  I finally got to try Nuun's new Energy product! #getelectrolit  It's awesome.  It's the same old Nuun you know and love all hopped up on caffeine and b vitamins.  What's not to like?  Go buy your own here.

3)  Last weekend Baby J "ran" (er, rode?) his very first race! 

It was the Seahawks 12k - my 3rd year of doing the race and JMan and Baby J's first.  Unfortunately, I remembered how NOT busy it was the past two years, not incorporating the "we just won the Super Bowl phenomenon", and I would not have recommended that this be our first race as a family with the stroller had I known how congested it was. 

JMan was a trooper and pushed the stroller the entire way, but it was a bit disappointing to be forced to a near walk at times because of the congestion.  It was kind of like an interval workout - we would go as fast as we could if we could, and then pretty much have to walk once we ran into another wall of people.

 See?  Wall of people.

Baby J LOVES to ride in the stroller - he has never one time minded and he has pretty much never one time not taken a nap (when it was nap time), and he has definitely ridden in the stroller for this length of time before.

See?  He loves it!

Until today.  Apparently all the millions of people and all the excitement got him all revved up and too excited to nap.  But not napping does not make for a happy baby.  So he was NOT pleased after a while.  It was kind of embarrassing, like we were these awful parents forcing our baby to join us on this race.  I SWEAR HE LOVES THIS PEOPLE!  At one point, we even stopped and walked and I carried him.  SERIOUSLY.  Talk about putting a dent in our momentum!

The race is cool in that you get to run around the Seahawks' training facility and some Seahawks (likely 3rd stringers since no one recognized them) gave us water! 

Finally we gave up on making Baby J happy and decided to just try to run as fast as we possibly could to the finish so he could get out and be happy.  Get this... Baby J fell asleep literally the SECOND we crossed the finish line.  I AM NOT JOKING PEOPLE!  Seriously.  RIDICULOUS CRAZY BABY!  :-) 

Anyway, so Baby J's first race wasn't such a success.  It was great to be out there as a family and a seriously wonderful day (see that blue sky?!) and fun to be out there with friends though. 

Total Distance: 7.71 miles      Total Time: 1:17:55        Average Pace: 10:06
Splits: 9:55, 9:27, 10:27, 10:00, 10:32, 9:49, 12:15, 7:43

Can you see where we walked carrying Baby and where we sprinted back?! 

Ragnar Vegas with Team Nuun Pro Compression #sohydratedsotight

Well, per usual, I'm the very last person to post my recap!  Stupid overachievers on my team...!  :-)  And also per usual, it's impossible to recap such an amazing event.  It's an "experience", and words can't really capture what it was like.  So I'm going to leave you with some random bullet points of what it was like instead.  Hold on to your hats folks, it's a long one. 

What it was like to leave Baby J

It was hard. Shocking, right?  As I mentioned, you plan these things so far in advance that you imagine by the time the race actually arrives you'll be perfectly sane and able to deal with the situation.  But then it arrives and you're still not.  And you find yourself at the airport crying because another little boy has the same toy.  But once I got there it was great as I knew it would be, and it was nice to be able to say "I'm going to see him tomorrow" from pretty much the moment I got there.  Needless to say, I'm not planning another overnight trip away from him for a long long time.  He (and my husband!) did survive though!

What it was like to do a relay while breastfeeding

Hmmm.  Let's just say that I probably won't do another relay until I'm all done breastfeeding.  Though I could probably be convinced.  :-)  I'm SO glad I did it, but pumping every 3-4 hours wasn't exactly the most fun thing ever.  My vanmates were such good sports about the whole thing (sweet Sandy was even constantly offering me water and snacks while I was tied to the pump!), even when it was 4am and we were trying to sleep and the pump starts going again.  They graciously said the white noise helped them get to sleep.  I certainly am glad there weren't any males in my van though. 

Anyway, it was a huge hassle to say the least.  But if you're in the same boat, here's what I did: I dumped for the first 12 hours I was away, and I kept all the milk from the last 40-ish hours.  What I had read said in a cooler with ice milk can stay good for up to 24 hours (which is why I dumped for the first part), but I deliberately attempted to do better than average so I could keep it for a bit longer.  I loaded up ziploc bags with ice at the hotel before we left and stuffed my soft sided cooler to the brink (full coolers stay colder), leaving space in the center for the milk (so there would be ice on every side of it).  Immediately after pumping I put the milk in the cooler, and I got new ice 24 hours later, which lasted until I got home.  I checked the cooler (bye bye $20) on the way home and didn't even try carrying it on, even though the TSA rules say you might be able to.  The milk seemed very cold and I smelled a few of the older bags just to make sure and they all seemed fine so I immediately froze them after I got home.  

I brought home about 45 ounces and Baby J drank about 80, so I'm definitely still in the negative, but it was nice to not feel like all that hassle was completely wasted.  We'll also see if it had any impact on my supply, as there were definitely a few times when I went longer than normal without pumping (like Thursday night when I enjoyed some uninterrupted sleep!).  

What it was like to hang out with my vanmates

My vanmates were AWESOME.  My whole team was awesome, but sadly I didn't get to know Van 2 very well.  This is one of my big regrets from the trip.  It was made worse because, as Runner 1 I was usually running when the teams hung out at the major exchanges.  Hopefully someday we'll meet again, because they all seemed awesome from what little I learned.  But my vanmates are all amazing - I could not have asked for a better group of ladies to hang out with.  From sweet Kelsey, the adorable baby who hasn't even seen Dirty Dancing, to Caroline, who powers through every run despite intense stomach distress, to Sandy who is so modest and kind, to Vanessa, who is so caring and hard core, and finally Zoe, who was constantly tending to our needs and dominating her runs.  I'm truly blessed to have such wonderful vanmates.

What it was like to be Runner 1

Being Runner 1 was awesome!  It was fun to start the relay off and it was definitely awesome to be the first one always done and not be waiting around.  On the other hand, it's not that great to be the one who has to be super stressed about waking up on time to meet the other van after the sleeping exchange.  I barely got any sleep because I was so worried about being up, dressed, pumped, etc. in time.  If you do a relay while breastfeeding I actually recommend not being Runner 1 so you can pump when the runner before you goes.  

It was great to lead us off and get to toe the start line though!

That is, until I looked around and I saw that of the 15 or so starting, there was only one other female, and many of the guys were sporting six-packs, short shorts, or other tell-tale signs that they were FAST.  Umm.... why were WE starting so late with them?

Annnndddd, just like I was afraid of, I'm immediately in last place. See you later guys!

Leg 1:

Leg 1 was GORGEOUS.  Wow, I loved it.  I love downhill running so I was kind of excited for the challenge of running down Mt. Charleston.  Buuutttt who knew that running at 8,500 feet of elevation is actually really really really REALLY hard?  I seriously could barely catch my breath the first 4 miles, it was like there wasn't enough oxygen in the air to breathe.  Which, there probably wasn't.  I didn't think there'd be any problem because I've run Leg 2 of Hood to Coast before, which is down Mt. Hood, but I just looked it up and the start of HTC is only 6,000 feet, so my start was probably 4,000 feet.  There's probably a pretttyyyy big difference between 4,000 feet and 8,500 feet.  It's so crazy because Mt. Charleston sure doesn't look like much of a mountain compared to Mt. Hood!

As I mentioned, it was funny when we lined up at the start because there were about 20 of us, 18 guys looking like Ryan Hall in their no-shirt six-packs and short short running shorts, one other girl, and little old-me wearing a sparkle skirt.  Yep, I was in DEAD LAST PLACE from the moment they yelled "GO".  And it stayed that way until the very last half mile when I finally passed the other girl.  Why they started our nearly all-female non-elite team at the same time as all-male, practically elite teams I have no idea. It certainly left us feeling less than stellar with nearly 0 total roadkills (I had 1 on every leg for a total of 3).  

Yep.  Last place and all alone.

Seriously, these were for REAL my views while I was running.  At one point I shouted at my teammates - "Can you believe this???"  It was gorgeous.

Annnnd this is what a straight downhill elevation map looks like:

Friday, 12:30pm
Total time: 54:28      Total distance: 6.93 miles        Average Pace: 7:52 (WOOT! Yeah yeah yeah I had help.)

Splits: 7:50, 8:09, 8:06, 8:20, 8:00, 7:24, 7:09
Elevation loss: 2,011 feet

After a Chili's dinner and some hanging around shenanigans it was Leg 2 time!

Leg 2:

Leg 2 happened at about 9pm and it was COLD by this time.  Like seriously high desert COLD, and I was glad I had my huge parka even though my neighbor on the flight made fun of me (highs were in the 70's).  Leg 2 was in a residential neighborhood with the first mile flattish and then the rest all straight uphill.  Ugh.  Where I'm from we run up AND down hills - you know - like rollers?  Apparently in Vegas you just CLIMB CLIMB CLIMB unrelenting hills that never end and never give you a break.  It's ridiculous.  There's not much else to say about this leg.  Thank goodness it was only 4 miles.  I was still feeling prideful at this point and refused to let myself walk at all even though I wanted to SO bad.  1 more roadkill.

Seriously.  Lovely.

Friday, 9:09pm
Total time: 37:47       Total distance: 3.87 miles        Average Pace: 9:45 (hmm, 2 full minutes per mile slower...)
Splits: 8:59, 9:49, 10:02, 10:16

Total elevation gain: 354 feet

We tried to get some rest at the next exchange but I'm guessing I slept for about 30 minutes.  If that.  I suck at sleeping in weird places.  Then it was time to go again!

I also obviously didn't change my clothes after my 2nd leg, even though I had those lovely ziploc bags with different outfits ready.  Too lazy and too cold.  Don't judge.

Leg 3:

By leg 3, I was TIRED.  I was dreading going back out there.  Oh man, especially because my last leg featured another never ending hill as well.  This leg was made worse by not knowing exactly how far it would be - the book said 4.8 miles while online said 5.4, man I was hoping for 4.8, and it ended up being 5.5.  OF ALL UPHILL.  Ugghhhh.  At least it wasn't dark AND wasn't hot yet.  The sun was rising while I was running and it was again pure loveliness, except for the part where I climbed a mountain in another residential area.  This leg was actually really close to where I used to live which was some great nostalgia seeing all those familiar street names.  

And there you go Kelsey - I'M DONE!

Okay fine, this stupid elevation map says only the last 2.5 miles were uphill.  I say it was the whole time.  And fine, Garmin says I did get some breaks, but I sure didn't notice them!  LIAR GARMIN LIAR.  Oh yeah, I also walked during the hill.  A LOT.  My pride was gone and my quads were HURTING from all that downhill earlier. 

Saturday, 6:07am
Total time: 55:17      Total distance: 5.48 miles        Average Pace: 10:05 (I just keep getting slower!)
Splits: 9:21, 9:16, 9:49, 10:48, 11:07, 10:17         Total elevation gain: 289 feet 

The Finish!
Then we were DONE!  Okay okay, IIIIII was done.  I made sure everyone knew it too.  I'm so mean.  But soon the rest of my van was done too!  Good thing, because it was getting HOT.  I don't envy Van 2 (except for their view of Lake Mead) - they are all rock stars for toughing out super long legs in the direct sun on the 3rd leg. 

Love these ladies!

So we headed to the finish where we enjoyed our complimentary beers and pizza, but we were already sweltering since there was no shade anywhere.  Ragnar - you need some umbrellas.

But we cooled off with some Nuun with Megan at the Nuun tent and said hi to our Pro Compression friends next door! 

And then Brennan was bringing it in for the W!  Well, a W to us! 

My awesome amazing teammates:

 Sandy, Hyla, Zoe, Vanessa, Caroline, Kelsey, Jenny, Sara, Matt, Brie, and Brennan.  

Go read their stories!

And before you knew it I was back at the airport heading home and my whirlwind of a 48 hours was over.  And I seriously could not walk.  That first leg KILLED ME. 

What it's like to run a Ragnar

This was my 2nd Ragnar (Northwest Passage was my other) and 5th relay to date (all the others were Hood to Coasts), and my previous opinion on Ragnar stands.  Ragnar ROCKS when it comes to directions and signage.  It is so so so nice and comforting to have all of those signs out there directing you, even complete with flashing LED's during the night legs.  BUT, I still find it extremely EXTREMELY annoying how they "make up" mileage with silly loops around the block and out-and-backs.  That's just plain ridiculous.  If you're going to run 200 miles FROM somewhere TO somewhere, you should actually do that, instead of doing multiple loops around the block to make the numbers add up.  It was awfully ridiculous to find out the next exchange was ACROSS THE STREET!  Seriously.  

 Ragnar does bling right though.

Also, if you're going to do a Vegas relay, I feel like you should at some point kind of run at least NEAR the strip.  i realize it's not that safe and it's super trafficky and maybe it's just not feasible, but it seems kind of necessary?  It was also too bad that one of the most gorgeous parts of the route - Red Rock Canyon - is done in complete pitch dark blackness.  Go read Vanessa's race report about running that (she is such a trooper)!

Finally, similarly to Hood to Coast, we started nearly last even though we were an all female definitely not-elite team.  Why that happened I have no idea, but it left us in near last place for almost the whole race, and pulling into exchanges that were ghost towns.  Because of this I think we missed more of the crazy costumes / decorations relays are famous for.  

What it was like to run with Nuun and Pro Compression

Um, did you SEE our awesome Nuun Pro Compression socks?  We were seriously the envy of the entire relay.  I LOVE them and totally felt like they helped #keepittight.  I totally felt like they helped save my calves... now if only they made full-length tights because man my quads were hurting from that downhill leg.  Nuun and Pro Compression are AWESOME and I'm so thankful they gave me this opportunity.  THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU TIMES INFINITY!

Final Thoughts

Doing a relay always leaves you begging for more.  You can bet you could find us at the finish line talking to the Ragnar Trail people about upcoming races.  I am dying to do Ragnar Trail Zion in April - anyone interested?  Maybe pumping would be easier if I was stationed in a tent instead of a van...?? :-)  And I definitely want a reunion with these awesome peeps sometime SOON.

Thanks for Reading!

If you made it this far - CONGRATS!  You're amazing and must be really bored today.  As a reward - you've earned yourself a 20% off code on Nuun (using "ragnarvegas") and a 40% off code (plus free shipping!) on Pro Compression socks (use "nuunpc")! 

I Can't Wait to Sleep

Ragnar is here ALREADY????  Crap crap crap.  CRAP.  When I signed up for this and booked my flight it was SO far away.  It was kind of like it was never actually going to be here.  

On the one hand, I'm ridiculously excited about spending the weekend running down a mountain, hanging out with some fun Nuunies, and in general relaying it up.  It was SO HARD missing first Ragnar, then Spokane to Sandpoint, and THEN still Hood to Coast this summer.  Relays are like my most favorite thing EVER, so while I missed deli meat and caffeine and alcohol (and let's face it - even now I only get caffeine and alcohol in restrictive moderation), I missed the relays WAYYYY MORE.  So I'm WAY excited to be able to still do one in 2013 and am really appreciative to Nuun for the opportunity.  I'm also beyond excited to sleep a full uninterrupted night's sleep tomorrow night.   

 But I'm going to miss this face SO much!

On the other hand, I'm ridiculously nervous about leaving Baby J for the first time.  While I'm away from him for about 8.5 hours every single work day, that's the longest I've ever been away from him.  And sometimes I cry about it during those 8.5 hours.  Yes, that happened.  This weekend will be about 54 hours away.  EEK.  That just gave me anxiety to add that up.  I'm also worried about my husband, who will be on baby duty alone for about 24 hours straight, plus an additional night alone.  I've done it and I know that taking care of Baby J alone without back-up is exhausting, especially on days when he decides not to nap.  

So there are so many worries running through my head:

• Will I spend the whole weekend crying from being away from Baby J?
• Will Baby J be okay without me?
• Will JMan wake-up in the night to feed Baby J (JMan is a very deep sleeper) or will we be accidentally be making Baby J CIO (cry-it-out)??  Sad face.
• Will I annoy all my vanmates with my incessant pumping?  I'll have to do it every 3-4 hours the whole time - is that going to be the most obnoxious thing ever??  I already predict yes.
• Will I be able to keep the pumped milk cold enough to at least not have to throw all of it out?  That stuff is liquid gold and the thought of throwing it away makes me want to throw up.  
• Will my lack of training come back to haunt me as I run 15 miles including 7 straight down a mountain and 4 straight up a hill?  How will my quads feel?  
• Is it going to be SO COLD?  Current forecasts are for highs of 70 in actual Vegas but only highs of 50 on Mt. Charleston (where my first leg is) and lows of 40's at night (when my 2nd and 3rd legs will be).
• Will Baby J forget about me while I'm gone????????????  Don't answer that if it's yes.

See you on the other side folks.  And just because you made it this far through all all my fears, you've earned yourself a 20% off code from Nuun (code "ragnarvegas", expires 12/31/13) and a 40% off + free shipping code from Pro Compression (code: "nuunpc", also expires 12/31/13). 

Did You Win?

So I know I'm the queen of not rewarding people who win my contests.  At least that's true in terms of Runcember, in which I never ever acknowledged how awesome everyone did and who won.

Runcember Winner: Well, Robyn won by a LANDSLIDE, with a whopping 202.35 miles walk/run in December.  She is AMAZING and my hero.  She nearly doubled my 111.30 folks.  But Jayloh and Icyr also deserve a huge SHOUT OUT as being the only other two to run or walk at least a mile every day in December.  Yes, I realize December was 7 months ago.  I'm a little late okay?  LAY OFF ME!  :-) 

And now on to my second contest you thought I forgot about.  Very [VERY!] shortly before I actually went into labor, I asked you all to guess my due date!  This turned out to be VERY difficult, given the very unexpected fact that I went into labor nearly 3 weeks early.  Thank goodness I did!  Can you imagine how big Baby J would have been if he stayed in there another 3-5 weeks? 

Turns out you had exactly 2 days to guess.  

Due Date Winner: Tasha, sweet as she is, guessed the date I wanted Baby J to be born on: July 4.  Rachael, trickster that she is, went and guessed after she heard I was in labor at the hospital!  She still guessed the 30th though, who knew my labor would be so quick?  Rachael's tricky guess was 20 minutes off, but Tasha takes home the prize.  Good thing Jen, who guessed freaking July 30, was wrong!

Weight Winner: Some of you were super evil and guessing ginormous babies!  Shame on you!  :-)  Lindsay had the smallest, and therefore correctest answer with 7 lbs 2 ozs (he actually weighed 6 lbs 13 ozs, which dropped down to 6 lbs 3.5 ozs a few days later). 

Height Winner: Rachael did legitimately guess the height exactly correct at 20.5 inches (though we dropped down to 19.5 inches a week later with the cone-head loss!).  Congrats Rachaem!

All of you winners - email me (ricoleruns@gmail.com) your mailing address! You've each won a tube of Nuun, which has been a LIFESAVER for me while breastfeeding.  I mentioned before how I'd never known hunger like breastfeeding-hunger, well I've also definitely never known thirst like the breastfeeding thirst.  I am thirsty ALL-THE-TIME.  Plus I know it's super important to drink enough fluids to maintain your milk supply.  So I've been drinking Nuun like it's going out of style, not only to make sure I stay hydrated but also to stop being so freaking bored of drinking water.  Lemonade is hands-down my favorite choice, though it's not entirely a fair contest since I've been avoiding Kona Cola and Cherry Limeaid because of the caffeine. Thanks for playing everyone!

Run with Nuun!

Nuun finally released their highly coveted Hood to Coast team applications today.  YOU better enter!  All you have to be is be female, a blogger, FUN, and not have run it with them before.

Hood to Coast is seriously one of the best races in the WORLD, and running it with Nuun is one of the best times in the WORLD.  I wholeheartedly 110% recommend applying.  

 Seriously - look how much fun this is.  And how beautiful the scenery is.

Obviously I already knew that Rudiger would probably hinder my chances of applying to this but even with this aside I fully support Nuun's decision to have an all new team of ladies this year.  Too bad though, because I seriously had a good idea for an application in the works!  If it wasn't so much dang work I would totally make the video just for fun!

Making the video last year was a blast (although JMan did a lot of the heavy lifting in terms of editing), so let's take a little walk down memory lane, shall we??!!  You can also check out my application here.

The good news is that I AM going to run a relay with Nuun this year!  If you haven't heard, Nuun is now the official hydration sponsor for RAGNAR, and I will be running Ragnar Las Vegas with Nuun in November!  I'm seriously pumped and a ton of other awesome blogging ladies will also be there.  Some people may be taking bets as to whether I'll actually do the race or not given Rudiger's arrival in July, but I plan on being there, with bells on!

Are you going to enter?  Please say YES!  It's the best time EVER.  Seriously.  
Care to wager a bet about my participation in Ragnar Las Vegas?!

My Go-To Mantra & an Endorphin Warrior GIVEAWAY!

It's no surprise that I adore Endorphin Warrior training bracelets.  In fact, I first fell in love with them after I saw the 2011 Nuun Hood to Coast team girls sporting them around their blogs.  I "dropped hints" (aka begged) around my husband and a "Persevere" bracelet magically appeared under the Christmas tree last year.

My arm looks hairy.

So when I heard Endorphin Warrior was offering to send all of the 2012 Nuun Hood to Coast gals a bracelet (that means ME!) I was ECSTATIC to say the least.  This time around I chose "Relentless".  My go-to mantra while running is:

Never Give Up.  

Never Surrender.  

And this seems to seamlessly interact with RELENTLESS.  And PERSEVERE too, for that matter.  Although I think I personally like the "PERSEVERE" statement better, the RELENTLESS bracelet just happens to fit a bit better (I'm not sure if they're the same size or not, but one is tighter which I prefer) so I pretty much never take it off.  I know you're not supposed to shower and swim with it to prolong it's life, but so far I seriously wasn't lying - I NEVER take it off (not for swimming or showering!) and it's still in awesome shape.  

This picture might be a little unrelated - but it deserves some more action.

So I was even MORE ecstatic (is that even possible?!) when Endorphin Warrior graciously offered to do a giveaway of a Warrior Training Bracelet for a reader.  I knew that you guys would love a bracelet just as much as I did, so I leaped at the chance to offer one to you. 

So I bet you're dying to know - How do I win?!  Here's all you have to do:  

• Go to Endorphin Warrior's website and check out the different warrior bracelets they have.  Leave a comment below saying which keyword or phrase would you pick if you won.  That's it!

Bonus entries:  1 bonus entry for each thing, just leave a comment below.

1. Like Endorphin Warrior on Facebook
2. Like Ricole Runs on Facebook
3. Follow Endorphin Warrior on Twitter and tweet about the giveaway, something like: I want to win an @EndorphnWarrior bracelet from @ricoleruns and you should too! http://www.ricoleruns.com/2012/09/my-go-to-mantra-endorphin-warrior.html

 Fine Print Shenanigans:  This giveaway will run through Thursday, October 4 at 8:00pm PST.  One winner will be chosen using Random.org random number generator.  Although Endorphin Warrior provided me with a bracelet all opinions are my own. 

Post Hood to Coast Festivities

It's hard to believe that in just under 29 hours we made it from here:

To here:

We made it!  It took 28 hours, 46 minutes, and 30 seconds - good enough for 6th place in the Corporate Women Division (for some reason the other 2 teams were in Women's Open and we were in Corporate Women).  Don't ask how many teams were in our division though... (only 9!).  WE STILL ROCKED!

Being in Van 1 is DEFINITELY the way to go, for a million different reasons.  You get to see the gorgeous mountain.  You usually have better running times / sleeping times though because of our late start I'm not sure that was the case this time.  You miss out on most of the traffic.  AND MOST IMPORTANTLY - you get to the beach party FIRST with time to shower and relax before you meet your team at the finish.

Since we were nearly the last team to finish, the beach party was already in full effect by the time we got there and was very busy. 

We had to stop by and say hi to the Nuunies!

We had a lovely gorgeous sunset going on

And then FINALLY our team was there!  Running on the sand when your quads are already starting to feel sore is not easy.  The run to the finish with our runner was more like a sad little shuffle of soreness. 

Then we were off to the Nike VIP tent (woot!) for some beers and BBQ and talk.  I didn't last long though - it was pretty chilly out and I was starting to get reeeaaaallllyyyyy tired.  Some of the young-ens headed out to the bar after - I headed to my warm cozy bed. 

And just like the end, the weekend I'd been looking forward to for MONTHS was over.  I feel a bit depressed.  I don't want the relay madness to end! 

The End.