Run. Drive. Sleep? Repeat.

This is the team I was on for the Wasatch Back. I stole this picture from my sister-in-law's blog, and honestly I wouldn't know like half of their names if she hadn't posted them on her blog. So the back row is Rob, Christie, me, Joan, Bruce, Justin, Shauna, Kelly, and Chad. The front row is Tammy, Cat, and Cherilee. The people in my van were Rob, Christie, Justin, Shauna, and Cherilee.

Background information: After the Top of Utah last year, I decided that my next goal was to run the Wasatch Back this year. Well I talked to some people about being on a team, and got a couple people that said they were interested, but it eventually all fell apart, and I was pretty bummed. Then a couple weeks ago, my sister-in-law, Cherilee called and said that the team that she was filling in a spot on, needed another person to fill in another spot. I was pretty worried about running again so soon after the Utah Valley Marathon, but I just couldn't help myself, since really this might be a once in a lifetime opportunity. So, luckily, I recovered quickly from the marathon, and the Ragnar Relay started Friday morning. Our team was named 24 Sore Soles, and we finished as a team in 30 hours and 12 minutes.

This is going to be really long-I'm sorry, I just don't write in my journal much anymore so this is going to take the place.

For those of you who don't know... The Wasatch Back is one race in the Ragnar Relay series. You get a team of 6 or 12 people to run a relay starting in Logan and finishing in Park City. They encourage you to come up with a team name, decorate your vans, and even wear costumes if you would like, so it's a pretty fun atmosphere, and really unlike any other race. You split into two vans of 6 people, and take turns in your van running a leg of the race-anywhere from 3 to 9 miles at a time. After your van of 6 people have finished, the next van of 6 people in your team take turns running their legs, and the first van meets them and picks up where they left off. Each person on the team runs three legs, and the total process takes anywhere from 18-35 hours. The total distance I ran was a little over 18 miles. I figured that if I could run 26 miles straight, I could run 18 miles over two days. However, just so you know, running the Wasatch Back is a very different kind of running than running a marathon. In a marathon, you know that you just have to push yourself for about 4 hours, then you can stretch and cramp up and sleep and ice the rest of the day. (Actually, I haven't been able to do that after any of my races, but hypothetically I guess that would be nice.) Also, in marathons, for the most part, they try to make every circumstance perfect for you; start early in the morning, have a good portion of the race going downhill, honey buckets every couple miles or so, food and aid stations along the way, etc. etc. The Ragnar is the opposite. If you were to take everything crappy about running and combine it altogether, you would have the Wasatch Back. For example, my first leg was at about 10:30 in the morning on Friday and it was 5.6 miles. I didn't think that sounded too bad. As Josh likes to put it, after all the training I've done, I could run 6 miles in my sleep. (That's what Josh says, I don't exactly agree.) It was so hot!!!!! I don't know if it's because it's been raining so much lately, so I'm not used to the heat, or if it was because I was on a straight road in between Hyrum and Paradise, and there was nothing to look at, or if I am really just a fair weather runner. But it was so hot, and with more than a mile left, I was done. My team was worried about me because they said that my face was very red (they don't know me that well, and don't know that my face always goes red.) Cherilee ended up getting out and running the last bit with me, and I know my team was just so excited to have some one fill in who couldn't even finish their first leg without help! But whatever. I got in the car and did not feel good-I think it might have been a lesser version of heat exhaustion. Then the rest of our team ran their legs, and we met up with the other half of our team, I don't even know where, but eventually made our way to Snowbasin. We got some food, used a real bathroom, and I slept on the lawn just in time to start on our next set of runs. My next run was at about 7:30 at night, in Morgan, and it was 4.9 miles, and I really couldn't complain about anything. The run was short, in comparison to some, I started right when it started to get cooler, and I ran mostly in the shade, and I was at least able to run the whole time without feeling sick-which I was starting to wonder if it would ever happen again. But after I was done, my knee really started to bother me. I hurt it in the marathon and was just hoping to be able to get through the relay basically. I tried to stretch it out and ice it, but when you're in a van most of the time, there's not a whole lot you can do. At about 12:00 am we got to a high school in Coalville, which had community showers and a gym floor that we could sleep on until 3:45 am, when we had to start again. At that point my stomach was not liking me. When you run, then eat, then sit in a van for hours, then do it all over again, your stomach starts to fight back. With all that being said, can I just say, that I have never been so comfortable as I was in my sleeping bag on the gym floor. I didn't think I would ever be able to fall asleep with everything that was going on, but sure enough, my teammates woke me up and I felt pretty refreshed and ready to start again. My last run started on Saturday at 6:30 in the morning, and I ran around Jordanelle Reservoir in Heber. I was really nervous about this run because, whereas most of the people in my van got their hardest run over with on Friday, this was my hardest. It was 7.9 miles, and had some pretty significant hills-and you're talking about a girl that just doesn't run hills-ever! So I started on a downhill and within half a mile, I asked my van to pull over because I needed Ibuprofen and a band for my knee. Then I started going again, and about 100 feet later, I asked them to pull over again because I needed a band for my other knee, and they put some numbing cream on them both. Then I started going again. My knees were bothering me, but usually I can just run through it, and I stop noticing the pain so much. I went for almost 4 miles, and I knew that if I stopped, my knees would just hurt more. But at about 4 miles, I started on an up hill, so I stopped to get a drink and walk a little, and felt like I did pretty good on the first hill, but then there was another one, and a downhill, and another up hill. My team knew that I was in pain and was worried about me. One of my teammates asked me if I wanted her to run with me, or if I needed her to run for me. I was determined to finish, so I told her I would keep going, but after just a few hundred feet, I knew that I couldn't run anymore. So I decided I would let her finish the last about mile and a half for me. I told her that and started crying, because I really don't like quitting-especially when it comes to running, but I knew I was going slow and I didn't want to bring my whole team down. She said that she would just walk a little bit with me, and then we would try running again. Luckily, I made it over the last uphill, and somehow, because I was talking and didn't think about the pain, or I got adrenaline or something, I was able to finish. So then I cried again because I was so happy that I was able to finish and didn't have to quit. Our whole team finished at about 2:30 pm in Park City. We were really lucky in our van because the second van had to run in the heat of the day on Friday, through the middle of the night, and in the pouring rain on Saturday. If you thought I had it rough in my part, I really had one of the easier portions. I ran a longer distance than most, but my legs weren't as difficult as far as elevation climbs and falls. I know I made this all sound like a pretty bad experience, but what I didn't mention was that it was a lot of fun, and you learn a lot about teamwork and endurance. I have a love-hate relationship with running. It's not like I enjoy every minute, but it's definitely worth it in the end. So at least I can say that I've run the Wasatch Back, and when people ask me if I would ever do it again, I tell them ABSOLUTELY- (I would just train specifically for the Wasatch Back, because apparently it's not for light hearted runners like me)