5Ks are runnings gateway drug

The Saturday before my half marathon I had the opportunity to spectate the 5K event and cheer on my sister as she completed her first 5K!! 

I came straight from work (a coworker even came in early so I could make it!) so I borrowed the sign my niece and nephew made for my sister for a picture. She has been training very hard for her first 5K and used the Couch To 5K programs like I did only in an area with more hills! 

It was so neat watching her complete the course. It was a two lap course which as a spectator was cool because we got to see her twice. She looked great on loop one and the winner did not lap her before she set out on lap two (the winner, Pepe Gonzales, by the way is a local super fasty who has actually run the LA Marathon in the elite wave a few years back!?!?!).

She finished the course smiling right in the time frame she thought she would come in during and she finished 3 and a half minutes faster then I finished my first 5K!!! 

I have decided watching someone finish their first 5K is an amazing thing to witness. 5Ks are the gateway drug of running! I'm definitely looking forward to many more finish lines with my sister! 

Congrats on 5K #1 being in the books Jessica! I am so proud of you!

SLO Half Marathon Recap

The quick and easy version... I meet my <2:20 goal for the SLO Half Marathon! It was a good day for me and I came out on top.

So now for the long versions. I had a crazy week leading up to the race with little sleep and too much going on. Well Saturday night that was actually a blessing because 8pm rolled around and I was sleeping. Yep on race night I managed to fall asleep easily and get some quality sleep, until 12:45am. Someone was ringing our doorbell non stop for a good 15 seconds. Charlie put on her best guard bark and Chad checked around the house. No one there. Probably idiot kids.

From then on out I didn't sleep well. I got back to sleep eventually but 4:30am came around too soon. I got up and ate my pre-race toaster waffles, this time with homemade strawberry jam on top, and had a cup of coffee and 2 large glasses of water. Probably a little heavy on the fluids since I had been hydrating like a pro for the two days leading up to the race. 

I got dressed and left the house at 5:30am. The half marathon started at 6:30 and I had a 20 minute drive to my super awesome parking local. The race is a point to point and starts at the High School. The entire area around it is shut down very early, however I learned last year that you can sneak into a friend of mines neighborhood, cut through the hospitals parking lot and get to the High School with an approx half mile walk! 

I got to the start line just after the marathoners took off at 6am and hit the porta potty line ASAP. There were plenty of porta potties and I waited for maybe 10 minutes. Then it was some easy stretching and more fiddling with my socks and shoelaces then I want to admit. 

Just then I realized I had my sunglasses on top of my visor and my glasses were still on my face! I had meant to leave my glasses in the car and my dumb ass wore them to the start line. I was wearing my FlipBelt and knew I could shove them into that but my mom was supposed to be out on the course just before the first mile marker so I was hoping to just hand them to her (she was right where she said she would be and the hand off went perfectly!). 

Before I knew it we were self seeding ourselves in the corrals. I lined up in front of the 2:30 pacer but I could still see the 2:15 pacer. I was next to a group of women with matching tanks that read "On a scale from 1 to 10, I'm a 13.1!". Of course I loved the idea! 

We were off! It didn't take me very long to pass the start line and the timing mats and head out for half marathon #3! 

My goal pace was 10:35/mile for a 2:20 finish (I planned in running 13.2 miles and did) but I knew pacing would be interesting in this race. It's really hard not to start this course quickly because it starts downhill! The first mile was downhill and a 10:01 pace. Not too quick but I felt like I was breathing easy and using gravity. A lot of people were passing me this first mile and i had to keep myself in check so i didn't chase off after them. Around mile 2 I realized I had to pee. I have never stopped to use the bathroom in a race and I was thinking I would stop around the 4 mile mark if I had to.

Then you head uphill and then uphill some more. I learned that the course has named the hill I was worried about on Johnson "Cardiac Hill". Sounds scary but when you take into account that you run past the cardiac specialty hospital (and first aid provider for the finish line) its less scary ;)

I was keeping track of how much time I had "banked" during my first few miles and figured I would loss some of it on the hill. Well I didn't! I kept under my 10:35 goal and I was passing people on the uphill. then I flew down the next downhill section, yeah 9:37 on mile 5 was probably too fast but I felt good. 

I was on target and other then still needing to pee nothing speaks bugging me. No tightness, no soreness, just feeling good. Mile 7 I feel like everyone started slowing a bit, the big hill was done but now it was just rolling up and down. I was running next to a women named Julie for a mile or so around this time. We started chatting when she started walking up a hill and I told her that she could run to the top and not to stop now. She made it to the top running and there was no way I was going to start walking once I told someone else they could finish the hill running! It was nice to chat with someone for a bit but I lost her on the next hill.

I hit the turn around and when I started back I started to feel the wind. It wasn't super strong but it was a headwind and I hate running in the wind. I know it's more of a mental thing for me then physical. I just find wind demoralizing and it honestly makes me sad. I walked through the next aid station and filled up my hand held with water. I carried my own water and fueled every 2 miles with 2-3 Swedish Fish candies. 

Heading back into town I was getting tired. I walked up the bridge that crosses over the railroad tracks as well. At the next aid station I ran up and asked "water?" of the volunteer holding out a cup because they had both water and Fluid at the aid stations. My stomach can get iffy when I run so I wanted to make sure and keep with the known and only drink water. He replied "water" and I got a huge mouthful of Fluid. I immediately spit it out. I'm not sure what would have happened had I dank it but I was still on course for my <2:20 finish and with under 2 miles to go I wasn't going to risk anything. 

My pace slowed the last few miles and around mile 11 I told track of how much time I had made and lost with my pace varying but I was still on track. The last half mile is tricky, there is an uphill part that doesn't look like much on the elevation map but when you hit it man does it suck! Then it's downhill to the finish along a beautiful bike path with spectators cheering you on. 

My niece caught these pictures of me running downhill towards the finish. Apparently because I came in with a faster time then I had told them to anticipate I snuck up on her and she just got these pictures. I like them but I also look like I'm really working for it! 

I crossed the line smiling and got my medal and some recovery goodies. I meet up with Chad, my sister, my niece and my mom who gave me back my glasses. Like an idiot I didn't take any finish line photos, oops! However I finally went pee! Yep I held it from mile 2 till the finish. Truth be told I forgot I had to pee around mile 6 and only started thinking about it again around mile 11. 

When I say it was a hilly course I'm not exaggerating. Nothing super huge but it felt like it was always up and down. 

My Garmin told me I had meet my goal and when I checked official results I found out my chip time was 2:18:10 which is a 12 minute PR and under my goal! It was also 1:14 faster then i completed the same course last year! Stats wise I was 1,114 out of 2,237 overall, 598 out of 1,481 women, and 75 out of 194 for F30-34. If I did the math correctly that means I finished in the top 40% of my age group! I have never even finished in the top half before so that feels pretty good. 

Hopefully the professional pictures turn out well and I will post them here when they are available. 

I don't think I could have asked for much more! I felt good even at the finish but don't think I could have run another half mile if you had paid me! I still need to refine my fueling and considering my stomach rebelled that night despite my best attempts at "safe fuel" I may be back to experimentation. I also planning on a "post race" post but if you have read all this I am impressed (thanks!). 

Taper tantrums

Ugh! I am in the thick of the taper for the SLO Half which is in 4 days! Because it wasn't long ago the I was lost on most if not all running lingo I will explain the taper and why it sucks. 

After months of building a solid running base and another series of months specifically training for an event (in my case a half marathon) in the weeks prior to the race you slowly taper off the amount and intensity of your runs to make sure your body is recovered fully and fresh come race day. 

The theory is sounds but what it leave me with is a bunch of doubt, full of jitters and cranky. 

I keep thinking about my last long run in training and how it was hard but not all out hard to hit a 10:31/mile pace. I keep thinking ain't how that is actually faster then my goal A race pace but doubts are creeping in. I keep looking at the elevation profile for the race and even though I know the hills they have me a little worried (I didn't manage to get in that training run on the hill I wanted to). I just keep thinking!

Monday I did my yoga class and they did a 4 mile "race pace" run which I actually completed at a 10:27/mile pace. I didn't feel like death at the end so I guess it's a win! The plan from here on out is a Centergy class on Wednesday night and some very easy miles. I may take Charlie running with me to make sure they are kept easy and short. She tends to just stop where she is if she feels like she has gone too far or too fast. 

On a happier note my sister threw an awesome Easter get together on Sunday. All 5 kids and our plus ones were there as well as the nieces, nephews, my dad and other family members. It was nice just chatting with everyone. My oldest sister made awesome little quiches which were baked in cupcake papers and the next oldest sister made a couscous salad with feta and grapefruit, yum! 

Additionally there were two Easter egg hunts. One for the kiddos which was fun to watch and one for the grown ups. Our eggs had numbers inside and at the end we added them up and in order from highest to lowest picked either a sealed envelope or an African Violet. I picked an envelope and lucked out with an iTunes gift card. I put it to good use expanding my running play light just in time for the half. 

I kept threatening Chad with making him take Easter picture while he was holding one of my sister chickens (yes she has chickens and yes I am very jealous!) but he lucked out because I forgot to make good on the treat ;) 

I did manage to hit one of my yoga goals this past weekend!

Yup full on Bakasana! I can now hold it intermittently for a few seconds. What fails my is my wrists, particularly the right one which I had surgery on 3 years ago to repair damaged cartilage and ligaments. The wrist doesn't feel unstable it just winds up hurting after a while of putting all that pressure on it. I'm still working on holding it more smoothly and for longer but I was stoked to get this far!

SLO Half Marathon

So in 8 days I am running my third half marathon, The San Luis Obispo Half Marathon or SLO Half. I have an interesting relationship with this particular race.

The race celebrated it's inaugural year in 2012 and I worked on the ambulance at the finish line. It was the first time I had ever really been around a running event and did a lot to change the way I thought of runners. I was guilty of stereotyping runners prior to that day. I figured everyone who ran was thin, graceful and fast. 

Working at the finish line I saw who runners really were, real people. They came in all sizes, all ages, different speeds and while some where graceful, others definitely weren't. The final person to finish was a full marathoner, a woman in her 70s who had completed numerous marathons prior to that day. There were so many inspirational people I meet that day. 

In 2013 I registered for the SLO Half with a friend. Honestly I was under trained and running in shoes I had bought off the shelf at the Nike Outlet. It was actually going ok until about mile 8. We had run and walked over half the distance together and then I stepped down on my left foot and got a sharp, shooting pain to the outside of my foot and ankle. 

Being stubborn (and stupid) I refused to stop the race. I told my friend to go ahead and I would see her at the finish. I limped the remaining 5+ miles, including limping right past my own front door! I finished the half in 3:34:xx and the following day wound up in a walking boot type cast and out of work for 8 weeks due to Peroneal Tendonitis. 

I take horrible pictures while running!

Crossing the finish line was a huge moment for me and I learned a lot from my injury. I spent month in PT learning how to strengthen and condition my legs. My physical therapist as awesome. He knew I wanted to run again so he got me back to the point where I could and drilled form, strength, training appropriately and stretching into me. I also learned that shoes matter!!! 

So here we are just days away from my return to the SLO Half. All of my training since December has been Ragnar focused but since I used a half marathon training program for Ragnar it set me up for this half as well. Although my speed work has been seriously lacking my overall pace has improved.  

My current half PR is from City To Sea (Oct 2013) and is 2:30:37 which is a 11:29/mile pace. My goal for that race was to finish under 2:30 and I just missed it (although I did beat the 2:30 pacer which is annoying). 

Last Wednesday I snuck in a final long run before the half. It was a little close to the big day but due to a fall which turned my knee all kinds of pretty shades of blue I pushed it back a couple of days to make sure my knee was holding up ok. 

Boy howdy did the knee hold up! My initial goal for the upcoming half was to run it under 2:25 which would be a 11:00/minute pace for a 13.2 mile course. I suck at running tangents so I wind up always running long races. It's a good thing I know that now though because I take it into account for planning! 

Well I completed my 10 miler at a 10:31/mile pace! That's faster then my current 10k pace! The first 6 miles I had my Garmin, named Kermit because he's, set to show me just the mileage and total time elapsed. Usually I follow the mileage and current mile pace but I didn't want to obsess over my pace. Honestly I wasn't running at an easy long run effort but I was keeping it comfortably hard for those 6 miles. Kermit would beep on the mile and I was consistently running the miles <11:00. The final 4 I switched to look at my mile pace and those miles were all <10:30, although ran at a harder effort. I did stop twice to fill up my water bottle and I did stop my Garmin at the few stoplights I encountered but I really was not expecting to be able to hold that pace for that long!

Now I'm throwing around numbers for the SLO Half trying to figure out if I should change my goals. To go <2:20 I would have to run a 10:36/mile pace on a 13.2 mile course. With my last training run going so well I sould be confident I can pull that off. However the half course is harder then the training run I did. There are a few hills including a climb up Johnson Ave of about 200ft. I know I should be able to handle that, especially since its around mile 3 but of course my nerves are kicking in. 

So here my goals for The SLO Half Marathon 2014:

A. <2:20

B. Average pace <11:00/mile

C. PR

D. Finish with a smile

I have never out my goals out there so publicly before! I am excited and nervous to see what happens out there this year. I'm hoping that I will be able to run in SLO on my way home from work Sunday morning and tackle the Johnson Ave hill just to build some confidence. 

Additionally I got to go to yoga on Monday and Tuesday and my sister Jessica came to both of them with me! I'm still loving yoga and it still continues to be one of the harder things I have done. I do feel like I am at least getting down the basic poses! 

Ragnar SoCal Part 3

So we left off with us in van 1 being done with our runs! We went out and pulled some awesome team support for Dean during his hilly run. Dean is amazing to watch running. I have never seen anyone run with such joy as this guy! Where as I always look like I'm in pain while running he smiles! He has definitely reminded me to smile more while running.

Next up was food! We hadn't dated a real meal since the previous afternoon and stopped and In and Out for some burgers. Hell we all just busted our ass running a collective ~100 miles or so (although Thomas was responsible for over a quarter of those!). I learned something new about In and Out and my life will never be the same! You can get sliced hot peppers on your burger! Why did I not knows this!?! Grilled onions and hot pepper for the win!

I tried to catch a quick nap during our downtime but that didn't work and soon we were heading to the finish line to meet up as a group and wait for Colleen to bring it home. Ragnar finishes are different then most races because once runner 12 comes into the finish area the rest of the group meet up with them and runs past the finish line as group. 

Chad meet up with the group at the finish line, it was really nice to see him after being literally on the run for 36 hours! He had been super supportive during the entire planning, training and vacation. We all headed to the beer garden and had a few of us had a post run beer. I know lots of finish lines have beer but I have never had a beer after finishing a race. It was hot out and the beer was a good choice. 

Soon van 2 reached the finish line and next thing we knew Colleen was texting and letting us know she was a mile out! I'm a total sap and cry at commercials so it was a good thing I was wearing sunglasses. I was a little teary eyed but thank god I didn't star the full on crying!

We ran across as a group, all wearing the Ragnar shirts we had earned and our Party City headbands and hats. Everyone put a medal around someone elses neck and Katie and John as our captians got to do the honors of giving eachother their medals  The professional picture caught us all (I will add it once I get it) but then Colleen went to get water and didn't realize we were taking more pictures! I guess wrangling 12 runners would be akin to wrangling a bunch of cats! 

Finish lines are way better with friends!

We hung around the finish line for a bit but then had to get a move on because John and his husband Ric were hosting an after party for us. Chad and I ran to our very cute boutique hotel  The Lafayette which John had recommended and a few team members were staying at. A quick shower and I was ready to celebrate!

Ric is an amazing host! Their yard was an absolute oasis in the city! Floating lanterns and market umbrellas hung above our heads and cream and red satin adorned the tables. Ric is also a man who knows his way around the kitchen, and I love kitchens! He made an amazing dinner of pasta with two sauces, salad, and yummy garlic bread. Thank you Ric for sharing your husband with us and for setting up the most amazing party!

We spend the evening chatting, eating and relaxing. Chad was getting to know the teammate better and he agreed that they are all an amazing group! Unfortunately I was fading fast. Around 9:30pm we headed back to the hotel only to find out our room was directly above a wedding reception, ugh. Luckily the reception was done at 10:00pm and I was out!

The next morning we all meet up for a wonderful Sunday Brunch at Baja Betty's. Delicious Mexican brunch food and waffles. 

Soon people had to start going separate ways. Tay was heading back to Northern California. I'm lucky that she lives within driving distance from me and I will be seeing her soon hopefully! Paige also had to leave to meet up with her family who drove all the way from Idaho to cheer her on at the finish line and then have some family fun. Her kids were so nice and polite, although knowing her mother I would not xpect anything else! Martha had to go meet up with family as well but I get to see her in November! The goodbyes were hard. It was so sad to admit that our Ragnar as coming to an end. After months of anticipation, anxiet and planning we had conquered Ragnar! 

The rest if the crew (plus Chad) except John headed to the San Deigo Zoo. I was surprised at first how good my legs felt but then we started moving up and down the hills. The down was the had part! A few hours of walking and taking a double decker bus tour around the zoo and we were all ready to call it. 

We went out for a final dinner together which of course ended too soon. Chad and I said goodnight to the group. Caitlin unfortunately had to fly out that night and Chad and I volunteered to take her to the airport which was only a couple of miles from the restaurant we had dinner at. We left with the intention of getting her there with about 2 hours till take off. We drove a short ways and got 

Ragnar SoCal Part 2

So I left off with van 1 taking off for the second legs of the relay.

"Night hours" for this Ragnar were 6:30pm till 6:30am meaning anytime anyone was out of the van on the course during those hours we were required to wear a safety vest. The runner on the course also had to wear a headlamp and light on their back.

Thomas, Katie in a double leg (she and John had a leg swap), and Caitlin all did great. The course had been changed at the last minute so we would not be running through Camp Pendleton. It made for some interesting and congested exchange points. We also had to pick Katie up midway and drive to the next exchange which took us nearly hour to drive due to traffic. 

I was excited to take off on leg 17! I had 6.3 miles with a nice big hill towards the end. I had all the required gear and added glow stick necklaces and bracelets up my arms! That combined with my neon tutu and I was definitely going to be seen. 

I started out and it was going well. I was getting passed by some speedy runners on this leg including a guy running in nothing but a pink speedo! Turns out he was part of the winning team Pants Optional. I would have frozen my butt off in a speedo so I guess it as good for him he was running so fast and would finish way ahead of me.

The entire run the runner were really spaced out. A small cluster of people, usually about 3 would cluster up at the stop lights and then I would be left in the dust by the faster runners. About mile 3 my run started going downhill. We were getting into a much shadier area then I had expected. I had to pass under the overpasses for a major freeway alone and in the dark, I had people cat calling and yelling at me from vehicles as they passed (not the Ragnar people who were always encouraging as they passed you), and I had to run past some bars and drunks.

I wasn't comfortable during the end of the run. When I got to the hill I was having problems catching my breath and had to walk part of it when I knew I should have been ok running up it. I hit the "One Mile To Go" sign and was running again. I came into the exchange and handed off to Paige and she went off into the night. 

My teammates were congratulating me and all I wanted to do was get out of there. I don't scare easily and at that point I knew I was on the verge of tears. Everyone on the team was nothing but supportive, even when my initial reaction was to snap and withdraw. 

It's hard for me to write this. I don't think of myself as being someone who gets scared or unsure of them self. I was reassured that this is definitely not the norm for the night legs on Ragnar! Unfortunately the race as rerouted at the last minute and I do not think the race or race director realized where we were running could be problematic. I have faith that this shady area was the exception to the rule. 

I did learn a lot from this experience which I will take with me into my next Ragnar though!

We hit the next major exchange and Paige handed off to Dean as van 2 ran off into the night. 

Captain Awesome (aka John) being the Ragnar veteran that he is got us a hotel room near the midpoint of the run. Van 2 had checked in earlier and would be back following their second legs but while they were out running we had the luxury of showering (oh my god did that feel good!!) and catching a couple of hours of sleep. That shower and a couple of hours of sleep really helped me mentally and physically.

We were up and out of bed before the sun again to take on leg 3 of the race. I have to say the worst thing about the Ragnar setup is not being with all your teammates throughout the run! Van 2 was made up of Dean, Tay, Martha, Bonnie, Cat and Colleen. I just wish I would have been able to spend more time with them during the run as well!

At this point I was running on 2-3 hours of sleep and 12.7 miles in the last 24 hours. We were all running tired. 

Thomas (who ran 25.9 miles total!!) took off into the small hours of the morning to hand off to John who then had to start running his double leg up multiple flights of stairs! Dude killed it by the way! The rest of us had an awesome time being the worlds most supporting Ragnar van! We would leap frog John honking as we passed and stop about a quarter mile up the road, give high fives, make power tunnels and then hop back into the van to do it all again another 4 or 5 times. This was fueled by candy and lack of sleep and was an amazing time!

Finally we had to get to the next exchange and get Caitlin ready for the hand off. The sun was up but it was a chilly and wet morning. While waiting for John we had someone take what I think is one of the best pictures of the entire weekend. 

We were all huddled up trying to keep Caitlin (and ourselves) warm. Remember people, we had all finally meet in person less then 48 hours before! Something about Ragnar will bond you for life though. 

John cam in smiling from his coastal run and handed off to Caitlin who had the worlds most crazy hill on her leg!!! Seriously this was a hill that did not stop! She came running into the exchange smiling though and she handed off to me and I was on my way! 

My last leg was so good! It was primarily downhill and I love downhill running! I have found either you love to bomb the downhills or you don't. I love every quad crushing step of running downhill. I actually managed to get my fastest mile to date during leg 3 of a Ragnar! My new mile PR is 9:08! Keep in mind that my previous mile PR was 9:48. 

John is king of the running selfie and told us to make sure and take at least one selfie with a "One Mile To Go" sign during the race so I stopped by for photo op!

It's actually way harder to get a shot with the sign then I would have thought! Also, finally during leg 3 I found another runner my pace to run and chat with. She was running as part of an Ultra team of 6 runners and was really nice! 

When you are running into an exchange they get your teams bib number to announce at the exchange so your teammate can be ready to go. As I ran to the volunteers I yelled out our team number 145 and told them "Paige, our next runner is Paige!". They radioed in the number and name and then... I got stuck at a stop light! The exchange was so close and I was stuck at another stupid stop light!

Finally I got to hand off to Paige, they didn't call her name out after all but it would have been cool if they had. 

Ragnar will also make a hugger out of you!

Paige took off along the coast and began another crazy hill. We passed he on her way up and she was killing it and running strong! She is one bad mother runner! We got into the final major exchange and had a short time to hang out with van 2 before Paige ran up to hand off the Dean for the last time.

We were done running in van 1!

*********Leg 17 note*********

I have to re-emphasize that on leg 17 although I had a bad experience I do not think it was ever the intention of Ragnar to put us in positions that were less then desirable. I was not the only one to have a bad time through the Oceanside legs but I am sure that they will take this into consideration when planning for next year. I am also already planning to run another Ragnar and expecting a kick ass night leg 

Ragnar SoCal Part 1

What an experience!!!

Ragnar SoCal is in the books and I am sad to be home already. Chad and I hit the road on Thursday to drive down to Huntington Beach and meet the team at the start line hotel. I actually slept pretty well the night before we headed to SoCal which was great. 

All morning I was stressing out over timing for our drive down. Chad likes to pack for things last minute and I am one who plans and packs in advance. It has been known to drive me a little crazy but in Chad's defense he hasn't forgotten anything yet! 

We left the house on time and despite my anxiety got to the hotel with time to spare. Additionally Thomas's plane had been delayed so we got to the hotel early enough for a quick nap while waiting for the team (I like my sleep!). 

I meet everyone out in the parking lot and the initial awkwardness quickly faded. Every single one of my teammates is awesome! They are some of the funniest, kindest and most encouraging people I have ever meet!

We all headed out for an early dinner and then onto Party City for decorations for the van. We wound up finding not just van decorations but people decorations as well!

There had been some discussion of wearing tutus but prior to that night I was not planning on wearing on myself. Even after my last minute tutu purchase I wasn't sure how many legs I would wear it during or if I would just wear it for the finish line (spoiler alert- I wore it for all 3 legs and the finish line!). 

Our team decided to do a team sweatshirt instead of shirts (thank you Martha for that idea!) and one of the teammates gifted them to all of us! Next as a quick stop at the grocery store for water and van food. Chad said it was hilarious at watching all the red sweatshirts running around the store.

We went back to the hotel and I was in bed by 9:30 following a quick shower and bath to help me relax. I fell asleep quickly but at 10:15 I was woken up by loud people yelling to each other in the hallway. Our hotel had many teams staying in it but we had a 5:00am start time where as many other teams started later. I was annoyed but finally fell back asleep by 11:30. 

Van 1 (Thomas, Katie, John, Caitlin, myself and Paige) hit the start line at 4:00 am for check in and safety briefing. It was chilly waiting for the start time to roll around but soon van 2 showed up to help see Thomas off! 

Thomas started us off with a bang! He is super speedy! Katie, John and Caitlin did great on their legs as well. As a team we made it a goal of supporting our teams and other teams on the course. Thomas's leg was out of sight and down on a running path near the beach so unfortunately we couldn't get to him but we stopped to cheer on the rest of our team.

Waiting for my leg I was nervous. I had knots in my stomach and a lump in my throat I couldn't swallow! I have gotten nervous before my runs before, particularly long runs and certain races but I had never had an entire team waiting to see how I did! John and Katie as our captains had made sure we all knew that the main goal was to have fun though so I kept thinking about that. 

Caitlin handed off to me in the Angels Stadium parking lot and I was off on Leg 5 of Ragnar SoCal! I started off way too fast and when I looked down at my Garmin I saw a sub 9. Opps too fast! Luckily I was able to slow it down to a sustainable pace. 

The team stopped to cheer me on along the course and took my abortive running picture to date!

The neighborhood we ran through was The City of Orange. Super cute area with Craftsman style homes. They were all really fun to look at as I ran by and helped the 6.44 mils go by quickly. It was a pretty day and I was feeling great!

The only annoying part of the run was all the stoplights! Normally I have my Garmin set up to auto-pause at stops but considering this was a race and our overall time was counted I turned off that feature and watched my pace get slower and slower as I waited at the lights. I was amazed to watch people actually running red lights across busy intersections!?! Absolutely blow away! Little groups of us would pile up at stop lights and then spread out once the light turned green. At one stoplight a guy even took a group selfie, I wish I had thought to have him send it to me! 

I got into the exchange and handed off the slap brackets to Paige who was runner 6. Ragnar uses a slap bracelet as its baton. I was a little worried it would bug me but I really didn't notice it. Our team also wore a blue mustache slap bracelet to honor Mark, he got a hell of a run in this weekend! 

My mile splits were:

10:58

10:59

10:30

10:32

11:03

12:44 (stoplight-paloza!!!)

And 4:23 for the .44 mile 

I was floating on cloud nine after that run! I had run my nerves out and was feeling great. We headed out on the road to stop and support Paige (who stopped and helped a hurt runner herself) and then onto the first major exchange where we would hang off the bracelets to van 2 and get to take a break for a while.

The major exchange was huge! It was great to see van 2 and watch Paige hand off to Dean. More and more teams were on the road by this time but we were lucky to get in and out of the exchange when we did because there was lots of construction around the exchange and traffic was just getting worse.

Next up was a break for us while van 2 ran. We had an awesome lunch at a place recommended by one of Katie's readers, thank you Michelle!, and sat for a while at the restaurant and talked. The more everyone talked the more I liked them and this theme continued all weekend!

Next we headed to the beach! The next major exchange where we would hit the road again was right on the beach in Dana Point, beautiful!

I was able to get about an hour of sleep while a group of us napped in the van. Paige brought a hammock (I will get one for next Ragnar) and napped in that while Katie explored and climbed stairs (crazy girl ;). 

I had a cup of coffee at the exchange after we got up and started looking for Colleen to come in. Amazingly enought if was my first coffee of the day and already late afternoon! 

Colleen came FLYING into the exchange with the biggest grin and pumping her fists in the air. She had flown through her miles and handed off to Thomas and off we were on our second legs!

 

Ragnar packing and Crock Pot Pollo Verde Enchiladas

Eeeeekkkkk! In less then 36 hours my Ragnar team Strangers To Sole Mates will be taking off to run from Hunnington Beach, CA to San Diego, CA! I am so excited right now but also have the butterflies I always get before a race and sometimes before my long runs too!

Today was spent doing some super secret squirrel stuff in the kitchen (recipe and post coming later) and getting ready to leave for Southern California tomorrow. Luckily I live about 4 hours north of the start so Chad and I are driving instead of flying. 

I packed my running bag which will go with me in the van. 

Katie recommended putting together our clothing for each leg in a gallon zip lock bag. It also serves as a stink container for used running clothes later! 

I have three bags with three outfits for three legs! I also have a misc bag which contains everything from my hand held water bottle (Nathan Quick Shot), by FlipBelt, my earphone, hair ties, candy for fuel, my required safety gear and everything else I may need while running. And a little bag for my Garmin and chargers. Being a little OCD I also marked what was inside each bag on the outside in Sharpie so I could hopefully prevent unpacking and re packing the bags. 

I also am bringing shower stuff, toothbrush and toothpaste, my small foam roller, The Stick and a lacrosse ball. 

The second bag will be left with Chad and I will see it post race. It has all my clothes for the rest of the time we are there. 

Bag three is full of super secret squirrel stuff 😉 

Since we will be eating out for the next 5 days Chad and I both really wanted to eat at home tonight so I made Crock Pot Pollo Verde Enchiladas! 

I love my crock pot. The first one I owed was a gift from my oldest sister (about 6 years ago?) and unfortunately over the course of a few moves I lost the insert. The new one has all kinds of timing features through so I hesitantly traded sentiment for usefulness. 

Making crock pit chicken could not be easier! I add frozen chicken breasts to the bottom of the crock pot and pour whatever sauce I'm going to use on top. Cool for 4 hours on high, shred the chicken with forks and cool for another couple of hours on low to bring it all together. You can also cook it for 8 hours on low before shredding if you are at work or away. If by chance your mix winds up being to soupy for your liking, take the lid off following shredding the chicken and stir every now and then. The excess liquid will evaporate. You can do chicken breast with BBQ sauce for amazing pulled chicken sandwiches or even put the chicken on a salad once cooled. 

Crock Pot Pollo Verde Enchiladas 

Makes 6 good sized enchiladas and 2 quart sized bags of chicken to use later 

5 frozen chicken breasts 

1 jar Trader Joe's (or similar) salsa verde

1/4c water which I used to swish around any left over sauce before pouring over the chicken

Hot Sauce if you like it spicy (we do in this house!)

1/2 large can of enchilada sauce (I froze the other half to use later) 

6 corn tortillas

Cheese (whatever you prefer or have on hand. I used cheddar which I wouldn't normally use in Mexican cooking but that's what was in the fridge!)

Place the frozen chicken on the bottom of your crock pot and cover with salsa verde, hot sauce and water. 

The hot sauce I used we brought back from Roatan, Honduras in January. The chef, Selace, at the resort we stayed at makes his own hot sauce and it is amazing! Super spicy but with a little bit of sweet. Almost tastes like Habanero Peppers but he uses Carribean Mutton Peppers he grows himself. We are down to one bottle now so it's a good thing Chad is going back soon! 

Let the crock pot do it's thing while you do yours! 

Once the chicken is cooked (4 hours high or 8 hours low) shred it with your forks. 

Keep on cooking for a while to let the chicken soak up the juices. 

Once your ready to eat preheat your oven to 350 degrees. While the oven preheats heat the enchilada sauce in a pan on the stovetop until it's hot. 

Once the sauce is hot, heat each tortilla individually to make it more pliable. I do it over a gas burner but you could do it in the microwave. Trust me though, the burner gives it little toasted bits which are delish!

Dip the tortillas into the enchilada sauce. I used my hands but WARNING everything will be hot! Feel free to use tongs. 

Fill the tortillas with chicken, roll them up and place them seam side down in a 9x9 pan which has a thin layer of the sauce on the bottom of it. Repeat the heat, dip, stuff, roll process for all the enchiladas. Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the enchilada, top with cheese and put them into the oven until the cheese is melted and slightly bubbly, about 10-15 minutes. 

I went a little cheese happy on this batch! 

Serve and enjoy!

This summer I am planning on making and canning my own salsa verde. The canned enchilada sauce is not ideal but when your busy and have it handy it will work. If anyone has a good enchilada sauce recipe please share!

Last night I managed to do Baby Bakasana (crow pose) which is also know as a Forearm Bakasana! Same placement of knees on arms with feet off the ground but it's forearms on the ground instead of hands. So freaking awesome!! Next up if full on Bakasana!

I don't know when or if I will blog when down in Souther California but I will have plenty of pictures and stories to share when I get a chance!