Monday, October 12, 2009

Quotables from Ragnar LV

These are how I remember them--maybe not 100% accurate, but darn close.



"WTH?" Jim. In context with the mileage difference between Van 1 and Van Also.



"I want to kill myself." Eric. This was a text he sent his wife at 5:30 Saturday AM.


"Instead of counting 'roadkills', lets keep track of how many times I go to the bathroom." Catherine. We all needed to pee.


"I have popsicles!" Ryan. He left us for a short few minutes and returned with this treasure. It was heaven--never have I loved popsicles more, or Ryan for that matter.


"(slurred) I just love all you guys so much!" Jim. After he conquered his first leg--it was a killer--he was a little off to say the least. Slurred word vomit mostly. He just kept talking and talking and talking.


"Maybe you should stop talking now." Eric. Directed to Jim--see above.


"It goes so much faster when you are not the one running!" Catherine. We all thought it though.

"It is harder to watch the carnage then to be the one running." Leslie. She was lying. Although it was hard to watch Jim and Marie do their incredible legs she never would have never taken their place.


"Now that Jim is out of the car we can listen to GOOD music." Marie. Seriously--nothing more needs to be said.


"I grew CANKLES!!" Jim. In response to wondering where all his blood went after his first leg.


"We need to start thinking about......" Marie. Marie started any touchy subject like this. She knows how to communicate!


"I didn't know I was lost." Catherine. After she got lost doing a trail run in the middle of the night.


"Lets egg Van 1." Catherine. She voiced again what we were all feeling towards van
1's shorter mileage.

"(whining) Am I going to have to wear that reflective vest and butt light belt?" Leslie. She kept it in place for 2 miles then had a "clausterphobic panic" and stripped it all off--all while trying to make forward motion.

"I am He-Man and can feel NO pain!" Jim. While running.


"I am bald." Runner running by.

"And beautiful". Catherine. In response to the above runner.

"You are almost there! It is all down hill from here." Marie. She was cheering on a runner from another team--the problem was she lied. She felt so bad that she caught up with the runner and gave her some water.

"I just wanna be ok, be ok, be ok. I just wanna be ok!" Listened to and sung by Van Also. Our theme song.

Many, many more. But the best one:

"Runner 107. 107." Ragnar volunteer. As runner 12(me) came into the finish line. I was never so relieved to have finished something.

Ragnarly in LV! Hmm....Why Is It FUN?

"WHAT is FUN about this?"

I train for the Ragnar Relay experience because I know that the more prepared my body is for the abuse the less miserable it will be.

That is my motivation--to make it "less miserable".

I ask: "WHAT is FUN about that?"

As a consequence of the passing days the miles pounded accumulate and the time of the carnage is palpable. At this time I get nervous. Sick to my stomach nervous. Can't eat, sleep, or be productive nervous. If I am not running the only thought going through my head is: "I should be running, #*@*" (yes, that last part is an expletive). And to top it off my body is constantly sore. Either a muscle, a knee, a blister, the list goes on and on.


Once again, "WHAT is FUN about that?"

During the Race I push past any limits my body has already set. I run and it is not that exhilarating, renewing type of run that I love. Somehow it is different. More of a panic--a panic "can I finish this" run. I ride in a car for a crazy amount of time. I ride in a car with 5 other runners whose bodies are like mine: sore, exhausted, stinky and sick. I drink an unusually high volume of fluid--some of which I have to choke down because of taste and texture. As a result of the previous statement I am continually looking for a bathroom so I can pee clear. I force feed myself--knowing that I need the calories for my upcoming run, but also feeling a complete tightness in my stomach that begs to be left alone. I close my eyes (this does not count for sleep) for 1-2 hours at a time as I am laying in a parking lot or on a field of a elementary school.

I Run. Drive. Sleep? REPEAT X3.

All of this last for about 30 hours. 30 straight hours. No breaks.

"What is FUN about that?"


After the race I can walk--barely. It is more of a hobble. Sitting down to eliminate all the fluid I drank is almost untolerable. All of my leg muscles are screaming and unforgiving for my past behavior. I am unable to stomach food. I am exhausted. My head is literally too heavy. I am so sleepy that it is hard to go to sleep. Once I fall asleep--I pass out. There is no reviving me--unless of course I have to pee again. Which is a huge pain! I won't even comment on how emotionally tired I am and the consequence of that. Okay--one word: Unstable!

I beg: "What is FUN about that?"

Maybe the answer is that it is NOT FUN. It is different than FUN.

It is sweet. I am unable to describe the high I get from accomplishing this goal. And to be able to do it with the 5 other members of your van makes it even more wonderful. It multiplies the experience.

I am proud of my showing at this Ragnar Relay. I ran harded and faster than I ever have. I am even more proud of my van-mates showing. They did the impossible in my eyes and they did it with great courage.

What an experience! It may not have been fun, but it was so worth it!