Cloudsplitter Training Update & Ragnar Trail WV

In what surely must be a sign of the end of times, I find myself with nothing to do on this Sunday evening but to recover from Ragnar Trail West Virginia, so I thought I would pour myself a glass of wine and catch-up on the blog.

Cloudsplitter training is going well. I’ve had a few training adventures since my last update, including running Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park with Megan in Front Royal.

If you’re at all familiar with this part of Skyline, you know that the first 4.5 miles from the park entrance to Dickey Ridge are almost exclusively uphill. It isn’t a steep incline, by any means, but it’s long and steady. We started by running downhill from Dickey Ridge (video here), which felt great until we stopped at the bottom to take a photo and then started running again. The quads definitely felt that descent.

We headed back uphill at a much slower pace, but with the humidity, I was soaking wet by the time we got back to the car. For running just 9 miles, I was more sore than I would have liked, which means we need to tackle this one again in the coming weeks.

Last weekend, I did a long trail run on a trail that I haven’t run since last December, when I was training for the PHUNT 50k. I thought that surely the run would feel easier with all of the trail-specific training I have been doing, but, alas, trails are humbling. I always start with so much excitement that I wear myself out, and it’s a good reminder to me that I need to start Cloudsplitter with a very slow and measured pace.

I stopped around half way to send this photo to Megan, with the message “I’m dying!” or something along those lines.

Why do trail miles always feel twice as hard as road miles?

The following day, I did one of my least favorite Team HPB workouts on the treadmill, thinking that running a hard workout on tired legs would be good Cloudsplitter training. Unfortunately, about an hour post-gradient set and near death, I arrived to coach our youth athletes and instead of riding around in circles at 15 mph, I ended up riding 20 miles with our junior team, which is a very different kind of workout! Did I say trails were humbling? Nothing humbles like trying to exercise with people who can’t even drink yet.

After a few easy swim and jog-only days, it was off to West Virginia for Ragnar Trail. I did a road Ragnar back in 2013, and while I didn’t love that experience, I knew this would be great training for Cloudsplitter.

The trail version of Ragnar is very different from the road version. You have a team of 8 runners, instead of 12. You camp out (something I haven’t done since high school) instead of moving from place-to-place in vans. There are three designated trail routes – one “red,” one “yellow,” and one “green” trail. From a central starting point, each of your team’s runners take turns running each loop one time. The first runner runs the green trail and when she returns, the second runner leaves for the yellow trail. When she returns, the third runner runs the red trail. When she returns, the cycle starts again with the fourth runner running the green trail. So on and so forth, until your eighth runner finishes her third run.

Seven of our eight runners are members of Moms Run This Town (MRTT), and Megan joined in on the fun to train for Cloudsplitter.

You’re always rolling the dice when you do these kind of things, but I have to say our team was awesome! Absolutely no issues or drama whatsoever and we didn’t have “that person” (unless “that person” was me!) who inevitably always pisses everyone else off.

Our theme was rainbows, which meant rainbow everything all weekend long – nails, wrist bands, tattoos, outfits, glowing hair thingies, etc. ((Photo credits go to my teammates, as almost all of the photos I’m posting were taken by someone else and at this point I can’t remember who I stole which pic from!))

My favorite of the three trails was the yellow trail, which included running through a breathtaking pine forest. It was truly stunning. Yes, this was the least technical of all of the trails and probably did the least to help me for Cloudsplitter, but goodness, it was fun!

It took our team a total of 29-ish hours to complete all of our runs, so we were running through the night. Megan and I doubled-up on two of our runs, so our night run was about 2:40 long (consisting of a red route and a green route) that started around 12:30 a.m. Running trails in the dark is MUCH harder than I anticipated, and I thought it would be hard. The fear of tripping and breaking a limb is real, and was especially so on the red trail, which was BY FAR the most technical of the three (the colors seem to have corresponded with the length of the route, as opposed to the technical difficulty of the route). We kept saying that if we got injured there would be no Cloudsplitter, so there was more power walking than running through much of the night. Thank God I’m from New York and power walking is in my blood!

This is Megan and I right before leaving camp for our nighttime runs. Sparkly hair thingies courtesy of our teammate Ashley.

I ended up with about 22 miles total and my last of my three runs was the strongest. YAY for nailing my nutrition over the course of the first day! #thanksalyssa Whenever I wasn’t running I was thinking about what to eat and making smart choices. As soon as I finished my runs, I was getting in calories whether I wanted to or not. I think this is what made the difference between my first Ragnar experience and this one. I also felt absolutely no pace pressure from my team, which made the whole event so much more fun for me.

I loved getting to run with Megan (pictured in the GoPro shot below) and I think we are both feeling more positive about Cloudsplitter after this experience.

I could honestly write a zillion more things about my time in West Virginia, but I will spare you all of those details. Suffice it to say, it was a great trip and I’m already looking forward to next year!

My only other update since my last post is that I registered for the 2018 iteration of Ironman Canada. I really missed doing Ironman this year, and although I have absolutely no clue how I am going to manage my day job, coaching, and Ironman training, I’m sure I’ll figure it out!

Two months to go! #cloudsplitter50k

 

 

 

Ragnar Relay – Part III: The Culture

In the last (I promise!) of my three Ragnar posts, I thought I would talk about the weirdness that is the Ragnar Relay.

This post is coming from a relay virgin’s perspective. I’ve run multiple distance races since I started running in 2009 – three marathons, a bunch of half marathons, lots and lots of shorter races, but never a relay. What I realized this weekend is that one of the most fun and interesting aspects of relay racing is that it has its own unique little culture.

It’s weird even by distance running standards, which is saying something.

The Vans

As I explained in Part I, all of the teams are divided into two vans of six people each. Many teams rent vans, but we were lucky enough to have two team members who generously offered to use their own personal vehicles for the weekend.

You basically live in your van with five other people (in my case, all women) and all of their crap for two days. And, you’re all smelly because you’ve all been running and not showering. But, it’s surprisingly fun.

Moms Ragnar This Town, Van 2 (below).

The vans are everywhere. You see them all weekend long. You always know you are in the right place when you see a parking lot full of vans.

And, teams decorate their vans in all sorts of crazy ways. Some are quite funny. Some are too inappropriate to reference here. We had a lot of fun decorating our vans for the race.

The Costumes

Some of the teams wear costumes. Some just coordinate colors (as we did) or wear matching tee shirts or tutus. We saw one gentleman running in a speedo. You never know what you are going to see out there!

It was 90 degrees both days of the race and we saw a bunch of people in cold weather costumes. For example, this group was dressed as Despicable Me minions (the moms all recognized this – I was clueless) in long sleeves and hats! I really hope they changed before they started running!

The “Sleeping” Arrangements

There isn’t much to say about this except that you sleep anywhere. On the floor of a local high school. On the ground outside in the dark. In your van. Anywhere you can.

This is a photo (below) of Moms Ragnar This Town, Van 2 getting ready for about 2 hours of “sleep” in a local high school. Of course, we didn’t really sleep because it was extremely uncomfortable and noisy, as people were coming in and out of the school the entire time for food and showers. I think we took this shot at about 9 p.m. on Friday night, after we finished our first legs of the race, and we had to get up again at 11 p.m. for our second legs (in the dark). We do look cute though in our compression socks!

As a fundraiser, the school was selling spaghetti dinner (above). We were starving, so this was amazing (even though I recognize now it wasn’t exactly a trip to Ruth’s Chris). We got this whole tray of food for 6 bucks and showers for a dollar. I forgot to pack a towel and had to use paper towels to dry off, but it was still better than nothing.

The school cafeteria was right by where we attempted to sleep (below).

The Exchanges

As I mentioned, each runner takes turns running throughout the race. When you finish your leg you come into an “exchange” where you pass a slap bracelet (a very sweaty, gross, slap bracelet) to the next runner. The exchanges are crazy. Everyone is cheering and race officials are yelling out team numbers so you know when you need to get in the chute because your runner is approaching the exchange.

We had to double-up for our final legs. Here are Sarah and I getting the bracelet from Alison (below). You can see the crowd of people, the chaos, and the man wearing the speedo in the background.

Running in the Middle of the Night

It doesn’t matter that it’s 1:00 a.m. If it’s your turn, you run. In the dark. In the middle of nowhere. In most cases, with no one else around. And no street lights. Just you and the road kill. I run a lot in the dark because I have to run early before work. But, it’s very different running in the dark in a race and in a totally strange place, especially when you aren’t exactly sure where you are going and are looking for signs!

Everyone walks around in reflective gear, wearing headlamps. And that seems normal at the time because everyone is doing it. But, it’s actually weird. And now people keep making Tron references, looking at the photos.

Relay racing is certainly a unique experience. It’s one I’m glad I had, but I can’t say it’s something I plan to do again in the near future. It’s a huge commitment and I think if I ever did it again, I would do more specific training for the course. And, next time, I wouldn’t do it a month before a marathon! Never say never, but probably never. That being said, once the pain wears away, I think I’m likely to recommend that every runner try a relay, if for no other reason that it’s an insane experience. But, one thing is for sure, this is a race experience I will never, ever forget.

Ragnar Relay – Part II: The Hard Work

Earlier today, I posted about my awesome Ragnar Relay team, Moms Ragnar This Town, and meeting some fabulous Oiselle Team ladies during the race this weekend. That was the fun part of Ragnar.

This afternoon, I’m going to post a bit about my runs, which were the not-so-fun part of Ragnar. In short, the running was extremely challenging for me. In fact, in terms of difficulty, this was the toughest course I have ever raced. Hands down. Not only was the terrain unrelenting, but it was also unseasonably hot – with temperatures just below 90 during the day and in the 60s through the night.

As I mentioned in Ragnar Relay – Part I, each runner on my 12-person team ran three legs of what was supposed to be a 199 mile course. I was runner number 8 on Moms Ragnar This Town, which meant that I should have run just over 20 miles over the course of Friday and Saturday. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately for me), due to the government shutdown, parts of the course had to be altered (national parks are closed during the shutdown and parts of the planned course ran through national parks), so I ended up running about 16 miles, instead of 20, and the total course was about 20 miles shorter than planned. So, I ended up running legs 8, 20, and 31 (instead of 32).

Leg 8 – 6.8 miles – departing Little Orleans, MD – Friday 10/4 at 2:30 p.m.

Sarah came into exchange 7 at around 2:30 on Friday after a very difficult leg 7. She is amazing and totally rocked leg 7! She gave me our team bracelet, and off I went on leg 8 wearing my Oiselle Team singlet (for the first time ever!) and Long Roga Shorts.

The elevation profile for leg 8 tells you everything you need to know about this run. Total elevation gain: 1066 feet.

Oh, the elevation profile and the fact that it was brutally hot (high 80s) and sunny, with little shade. Even Ragnar refers to leg 8 as the second most difficult leg on the entire course. In short, I struggled.

I ran the first 2 miles, but then decided I was probably going just as fast walking because the hill was so steep. So, I started to run-walk from telephone pole to telephone pole with a runner from another team. She was very friendly and I certainly appreciated the company. This leg of the race was not van supported, but her team didn’t follow those rules. I normally hate rule breakers, but in this case I was actually sort of glad they weren’t following instructions because that meant they cheered for both of us to get up that hill. They even asked if I wanted water at one point, which was great. I love them, whoever they are!

Once I hit the peak of what must be known as Maryland’s Everest, I drank some water and then poured some on my head in an effort to cool down (there was an unmanned water station at the top of the hill – one of the few on the entire 199 mile course). I looked at my Garmin and saw that I was at about a 14 minute per mile pace at that point, so I knew I was going to have to pick it up on the downhill despite the fact that prolonged downhill running hurts like hell, frankly.

By the end of my leg, my legs were shot. I was SO hot and my legs were SO sore. I was just glad to be done. My team was so supportive and proud of me at the finish. It was awesome. I love them!

Leg Stats: 01:17:08/6.81 miles/average pace 11:19.

Leg 20 – 6.9 miles – departing Middletown, MD – Saturday, 10/5 at 1:07 a.m.

After a quick meal, shower, and maybe 30 minutes of sleep on the floor of a local high school, we had to get going for our second legs. These were at night and it was still warm but certainly cooler than it had been during the day. So, I decided to wear my Oiselle Arm Warmers along with my Stellar Stripe Tank and Lesley Knickers. I also wore the reflective vest and headlamp mandated by Ragnar for safety reasons, since you are running on roads that are open to traffic through the night.

This leg was not nearly as steep as leg 8, but still very challenging (classified as “hard” by Ragnar). Despite the lack of the sleep and the hills, I was actually moving along at a great pace for me with several miles at below 10 minute mile pace – 9:39, 9:42, 9:50.

Then, at what should have been the easiest part of the run – the descent – totally out of nowhere, I got an awful side cramp. I never get side stitches running and this was a side stitch on steroids. It hurt so bad I could not even run. I can’t even describe it. I felt like I couldn’t even breath. I tried to stretch it out. I tried to massage it. I tried stretching my arm over my head. Nothing worked. As soon as I would start running again, it would just hurt like hell. I was in pain, but even more so disappointed because I knew this was just going to destroy my time. And it did. After I crossed the finish I couldn’t even talk to my team. And, if you know me, you know that I can always talk. I had to fight back tears. It was not good. But, my team was there for me again and I was so very thankful for their support. I laid out a yoga mat in the parking lot and spent several minutes just stretching. Ultimately, the pain subsided, although my side is still sore today. Looking back on it, I think my very large, rushed dinner, just a few hours earlier hadn’t digested – maybe because of dehydration. In any case, leg number 2 = done!

Leg Stats: 01:15:27/6.96 miles/average pace 10:50.

Leg 31/32 – departing Chevy Chase, MD – Saturday 10/5 at 11:00 a.m.

As I mentioned, because of the shutdown, leg 32 was canceled, so Ragnar let us run with leg 31 instead. It was hot, but only two miles. And frankly, by now, we all just wanted to be done. I was stoked to run with Sarah! And, probably equally stoked that we had to stop at a bunch of crosswalks and long lights during this run because she is super speedy!!

My stomach still was not right, and towards the very end of this leg, I thought I may throw-up. I told Sarah to run ahead, but she very awesomely (yes, I just made up a word) held back so we could finish our race together. As we approached the exchange, I could hear the girls cheering. It was awesome! And, I was done!

Run Stats: 21:33/2.01 miles/average pace 10:41 (didn’t stop my Garmin for any of the crosswalks or long lights).

So, all-in-all not my best running experience, but an experience to be sure.

On the bright side, this should give me confidence going forward that I can conquer any hill I face. I just may conquer it slowly.

Ragnar Relay – Part I: The Friendships

I have so much to say about participating in the Ragnar Relay this weekend that I think it’s going to take me more than one blog post. So, I will start with the best part – the friendships.

This was such a great experience for me on a personal level. I loved spending time with friends, getting to know some of the Moms Run This Town ladies better, and meeting many amazing new people.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with Ragnar, it’s a 199 mile relay race from Cumberland, MD, to National Harbor in Washington, D.C. (National Harbor is actually in Prince George’s County, MD, not in D.C., but I’ll let that one slide). Each team has 12 runners and you take turns running portions of the 199 mile course through the night, starting on Friday morning and ending on Saturday afternoon. Each 12-person team is split into two 6-person vans. So, even though you are on a team of 12, you really spend the bulk of your time with the five girls in your van. Each runner runs 3 legs of the course. The legs were as short as 2 miles and as long as almost 10 miles. Depending on the combination of legs you run, you can run anywhere from 13 miles to over 20 miles during the course of the race.

My team, Moms Ragnar This Town, was made up of members of my Moms Run This Town chapter, the running group I’ve previously raved about on this blog. I joined the group back in January and I have really enjoyed having a running support system in my neighborhood.

Our team had a GREAT time together over the weekend – lots of cheering, even more laughs, and many hours in the van getting to know one another better. Here is a photo of our exhausted, yet ecstatic, team at the finish line yesterday:

Our team colors were purple and orange (“poppy” for us Oiselle girls) and we all wore orange flowers in our hair. The flowers were a gift from our team captain, Kelli, who I did the Reston Century with last month. We didn’t plan it this way, but the orange flowers really helped us find one another in large crowds throughout the course of the weekend!

Oiselle Lux Layer, Arm Warmers, and Stellar Stripe Tank in poppy; Oiselle Team singlet; and Moms Ragnar This Town orange flower (below).

Our team on day one, minus one (Sarah was running her first leg when we took the photo) (below).  

This photo includes another one of the Moms Run This Town ladies, Gretchen, who ran with another Ragnar team (above).

I ran my last leg with Sarah, who first told me about Moms Runs This Town and invited me to join the group (below).

Sarah and I on the run (above).

As an added bonus, during the race, I had the opportunity to meet several ladies from the Oiselle Team!

Oiselle Team pics.

Oiselle Team member, Stephanie, and me on Friday (below). We met through Twitter and she stepped in as a last minute replacement for an injured runner on our Ragnar team. I’ve really enjoyed getting to know her over the last couple of weeks!

For me, these personal interactions were the highlight of what was otherwise a very challenging weekend.

I am so lucky to have spent time with these ladies and I look forward to many more running adventures with them in the future!