Girls on the Run DC announced on the Facebook event page
that they would have a team and to join you had to sign up to be a Girls on the
Run Sole Mate and Raise $300 dollars. I’ve always wanted to run for charity but
was afraid because of some of the very large requirements some have but $300
seemed doable so I was in. Once I raised $300 girls on the run paid for my
entry, the van rental, and gas and even provided volunteers which each team is
required to provide three of if they want to participate. Girls on the Run also
provided us with a goody bag full of awesome things!
I was in Van 2 and volunteered to be team captain and take
on the runner 12 spot which had the most mileage at 28.9 miles total…the last
run was 11.9 miles. When I first volunteered for this spot the runs were much
shorter with a total of about 24 miles and not until later did I realize they upped
the mileage.
 |
| Getting ready for my first leg |
Each team is assigned a start time based on pace/start time
requests. Our team had a 7:15AM start time so our Van 1 members opted to spend
Thursday night at a hotel near the start. For Van 2 I picked up my teammates at
9AM Friday morning and we made our way to our starting line 2 hours away.
The weather that weekend was brutal! It rained all Friday and
Saturday with strong winds. Van 2 started off running at almost 1PM. I started
leg 12 was 7.4 miles with a huge hill around mile 3 that ran up to a little
past mile 5 and then had rolling hills until the end. I started at 6:30PM I was
done it was about 7:30PM which means I got to run most of it in the dark….you
are required to wear a headlamp, LED tail light, and reflective vest if you are
running during the night time hours and if you aren’t running you have to wear
the vest only. After my first leg which I ran through rain and huge wind gusts
I was shivering like crazy so I took a shower at the major exchange #12 which
was a high school. Our team stopped at Uno for a late dinner after which we
drove to the next major exchange to try and nap while we waited for Van 1 to
pass us the baton…or slap bracelet in this case. When I did Ragnar 2 years ago
the weather was hot and dry so we could sleep on a grassy field in sleeping
bags…this year not possible…being the driver I had to try and sleep in the
driver’s seat which was very uncomfortable and being a light sleeper I got no
sleep at all. When Runner 6 came along around 1AM Van 2 was once again on the
road. For leg 24 I started around 5AM to run 9.7 miles…seemed like the hardest
miles I’ve ever ran…I was cold it was cold outside and raining and windy. The
course was deemed “Very Hard” by Ragnar and it was! A lot of rolling hills with
mostly uphills it seemed like. I saw on team actually exchange runners half way
through…this isn’t technically legal but I don’t blame them. Once I got to the finish I was very relieved
and immediately changed into dry clothes. At this point Van 1 would take over
again but they had several injuries and were down to three runners so since
runner 11 had their second leg cancelled due to poor road conditions on the
course she took on the third legs for runners 1 and 2 a total of 7 miles as her
cancelled leg had been 9.2. Once runner 11 was done we headed to the next major
exchange to try and take a nap and wait for it to be our turn to start our
final legs. At this point I was had about an hour of sleep and was dehydrated
so I felt exhausted! I wasn’t sure I could run 12 miles…so we decided to split
up leg 12 into two 6 mile segments which I shared with Runner 11 since runner
10 who had a total of only about 10 miles wanted a few more miles and took on
her 1.8 mile final leg along with the 6.1 mile leg for runner 11. I ate a pro
bar a few hours before I was supposed to start running but it did not seem to
settle well as I immediately got a side stich that would not go away. Once I
started my final 6 miles my side stich was extremely painful and I had to stop
and walk or slow down my pace several times. Luckily the weather was not as
cold or rainy as before but it was starting to take a turn for worse with winds
picking up and drizzle starting to fall. About halfway through I ran into a
group of runners also making their way to the finish. They were running at a
slower pace than me…probably because they had done the whole 12….but since I
was still in pain I decided to run with them and as we chatted our way to the
end the company really helped to keep my mind off my side stich. I finally made
my way across the finish a little before 5PM to where my team awaited me. It
was such a relief to finally be done! I was exhausted and freezing and quite
sore. My boyfriend came to pick me up and drove a few of my teammates home
along the way. We did not stay for the finish line festival since it was very
cold out and we were all tired and I was cold and wet. Van 1 was not at the finish since they were done about 4 hours before we were and just wanted to go home.
 |
| Making my way to the finish line |
Overall I had a great time and would definitely do it again
and hopefully the weather won’t be so bad next time which I am sure will make
the experience much more enjoyable. If you’ve never done a Ragnar I suggest you
check it out and also check out their trail series where you camp instead of
drive and run 3 trail loops around the campsite….I’m planning to do their
Richmond one this coming April.
 |
| Van 2 at the Finish and the MEDAL! |
