Ragnar del Sol The Conclusion

We woke up from about 2 hours of sleep (for those of us lucky enough to sleep) and groggily climbed out of the van.  We had about 45 minutes to get ourselves ready for our last leg.  We stretched and dressed, pottied and nibbled on some food.  Our bodies were protesting being awakened, but we were also feeling excited to continue this adventure.  Runner 1 took off for her last and shortest leg and we rushed to the next exchange.  After I got us lost, my teammates fortunately figured out my mistake in short order and got us to the exchange with about 10 minutes to spare. Just enough time to potty once more and be ready for the hand off.  It took the first couple of miles to shake off the vestiges of sleep, but as with the other two runs, my pace soon picked up and I started feeling fabulous.  

During my 6 miles, I got to see a beautiful AZ sunrise.  I have always loved early morning runs once I am awake, but struggled in the past to get up early.  Since moving to Phoenix, it has become a necessity, because of the weather and the demands of my job and motherhood, both of which make afternoon runs difficult.  You can read my tricks to rising early here.  One of the advantages of being an early morning runner in Arizona is experiencing the sunrises that grace our beautiful landscape on a daily basis.  I have seen beautiful sunrises in many of the places I have lived, but none as strikingly beautiful.   I have grown to treasure these sunrises as a sign of my strength and courage to get up each morning and challenge myself.  This morning was no exception.  

Similar to the day before, we finished up before the heat of the day descended on us.  We would have about 6 hours until Van 2 wrapped up our race for us so we decided to celebrate our victory and try to get a few last minutes of shut eye.  Hungry and tired runners eating lunch a restaurant with poor service is not a good combo.  I almost felt bad for our waitress as she dealt with our grumpy attitudes but the fact that we had to go find her a couple of times left me feeling less sorry.  We tried to nap at a park with little success so decided to proceed to the finish line where we enjoyed some cold local brew while we waited for the rest of our team to finish.  Sitting by the lake in Fountain Hills almost erased the memory of the fatigue and hard work of the last 30+ hours.  Fortunately though, our bodies remembered because an experience like this is not one that I want to soon forget.  Our last runner crossed the finish line tired, hot, and happy.  I felt honored to be part of such a beautiful and strong team of runners.

Growing up I was always drawn to the sports that were individual.  Horseback riding was my thing.  Just me and my horse.  We were a team and I didn’t have to deal with other people. I judge myself harshly against other people’s accomplishments.  I get jealous and end up sullen when I don’t think I am enough.  I fear letting those around me down and those fears becomes a self-fulling prophecy as I perform less than my best.  My poor reactions have caused me to avoid team sports or group activities frequently in my life.  Running has given me a space to push outside my comfort zone with events like Ragnar.  Maybe I am just growing up and wising up, or maybe it is because runners have an amazing capacity to be supportive and competitive simultaneously.  Either way, I felt like a part of something amazing as we completed this event.  I was as proud of my teammates and their success as I was of my own success.  

Thank you Team Jalapenos Make Us Run for the adventure, camaraderie, passion, joy, fatigue, laughter and friendship.

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