The Ultimate Mother Runner Showdown: Ragnar DC

Where to begin this post? I had the most amazing experience last weekend, and it is difficult to summarize my experience with words. I was selected to be part of this relay team back in June. 22 mother runners (+2 alternates) were selected to join Sarah Bowen-Shea and Dimity McDowell in Cumberland, MD to run 199 miles all the way to Washington, D.C. I was selected to be a member of Team Sarah (later named Badass Mother Runners), and I became runner #5.
  During the last 4 months, these Mother Runners have been getting to know each other on our own BAMR Facebook page, discussing training, logistics, costumes and packing lists.
  I decided not to do a full recap of the relay, but at the bottom of my blog, I will share some of the recaps of some of my team-mates. There are some fun tales in there. I instead decided to share on here my poem that I wrote for the  Another Mother Runner  website. We were asked to write a short recap for the website, and keep it under 200 words. Since I had applied for the relay with a poem, I felt this was appropriate. Here is my poem, based on Elizabeth Barrett Browning's "How Do I Love Thee?"

How Do I Love Thee  Mother Runners? Let me count the ways…

How do I love thee Mother Runners? Let me count the ways.

I love thee with all my heart, you my sisters in sport

As far as my legs can run on dusty roads while white vans rumble by

For the laughter, support and passion that comes with running

In the dark of night with red blinking lights and Christmas lights on tutus.

I love thee as much as Cherry Limeade Nuun and tabouli salad made with c are.

Most quiet need, by sun and headlamps.

I love thee freely, as tightly as my compression socks squeeze my calves.

I love thee purely, as much as that communal shower cleansed me.

I love thee as I pass that sweaty slap bracelet

And as my quads ache from tearing down those hills.

I love thee with a love and an appreciation for the generosity of spirit

That is shared among us as we ventured together,

Smiles, dance parties at the finish---and if our paths should cross again,

I shall but love thee better as an Ultra Team in Ragnars to come!





Here's a few photos from my epic weekend. As they say, pictures are worth a thousand words. Enjoy!



 

Hot Mamas in Tough Girl Tutus Team Sarah

 

This about sums it up for me. Pure joy!! Special thanks to Sarah and Dimity for selecting me to be part of such a great event that I will never forget. Thanks to all the mother runners that I now have the pleasure of calling my friends. Thanks especially to my van mates, the ultimate Bad Ass Mother Runners: Bethany, Schuy, Terri, Jill and Sarah. You have all RETURNED WITH HONOR!

For more recaps from some of my team-mates, please check out these links:



http://seejainrun.wordpress.com/

http://www.runwifeyrun.com/ragnar-dc-recap-5-things-you-need-to-know-to-run-the-race/

http://michiganrunnergirl.com/my-michigan-running-story-jill-plamondon-tackles-ultras-an-epic-ragnar-relay-this-weekends-lighthouse-half-marathon-in-traverse-city/

http://anothermotherrunner.com/2013/10/09/ragnar-d-c-running-relay-races-recap-team-sarah/

http://anothermotherrunner.com/2013/10/07/ragnar-relay-d-c-race-report/

J'aime beaucoup: Oiselle HQ

 While I was in Seattle post-Ragnar NWP, I had the privilege and honor to visit Oiselle headquarters.  Some of the Oiselle ladies in the area were meeting at Green Lake across the street to enjoy some post-Ragnar Jasyoga with Erin, yogi extraordinaire.  As it was a bit misty and chilly outdoors, we decided to move indoors.  Which led us to the headquarters of Oiselle. So exciting for me, since I have been a fan of this company for more than a year, and was selected to be part of their ambassador program (now called Oiselle Volée ) last October.  Before I headed to the West Coast, I had received an email from Kristin, the team manager, to let me know that I once again had been selected to continue on for another year. Yay me! And Yay Oiselle!
  It almost seemed surreal to me to enter the place that I had seen online so often since stalking following this company. Meeting some of the ladies was also a bit unreal to me.  You follow people through twitter and read their blogs, and start to feel like you know them is some strange, (maybe creepy?) way.  Meeting them in real life seems easier and seamless.  Sharing the bond of the Oiselle team definitely connects us. 
 As does doing yoga with a bunch of (virtual, now real) friends.  We chatted for a few minutes, then got set up for a great yoga session with Erin.  We worked on stretching glutes, hamstrings, hips and calves.  All the tight areas from sitting in a van for 30 plus hours and running many miles in between.  We ended the session with one of my personal favorites, legs up the wall.  The time just flew by, and by the end I was feeling very relaxed and felt like I had really worked out the kinks.  Just what I needed!
 But one of the greatest surprises to me was the appearance of Mama Bird herself, Sally Bergesen .  She is the Founder and CEO of Oiselle.  I was not expecting to see her appear on a Sunday morning, but there she was.  I was honored to meet her in person, and she agreed to take a photo with me.

What a nice way to cap off my visit to the PNW! Thanks Sally!
  And Sally also took this great picture of all the ladies at Yoga:

 

back row, left to right: Me, Morena, Sarah, Julie, Nolana

front row: Robyn, Erin and Jackie

 

And, to add to all the excitement, I also won the drawing for a free t-shirt from Jasyoga! How cool is that? 





So, now that I had a great yoga class, met a group of fantastic woman, and won a free t-shirt, what was next?  Sarah was nice enough to offer to drive me back downtown to where I was staying, and we decided to stop off for a coffee first.  We had a great conversation, getting to know each other better.  She then suggested we take a walk around Green Lake, since the weather had improved considerably. It was now warmer, and sunnier. So nice! (Sarah, and the weather)

 We took a nice stroll around Green Lake, talking about Oiselle, marathon training, our families, etc. She also gave me some great suggestions on how to spend my last afternoon in Seattle. After taking a couple of photos, she drove me back to my hotel. 

 How cute is Sarah? Such a sweet spirit, inside and out! So glad I got to meet her.
  Once arriving back at my hotel, and after arranging for my shuttle to the train which would take me to the airport later in the day, I headed to the waterfront and the market area of Seattle. It was a gorgeous, sunny day. I loved walking around, taking photos, riding the Ferris Wheel and eating lunch at Beecher's  and buying souvenirs to take home for my family.  I also stumbled upon Post Alley by accident and saw the The Gum Wall. Yeah, could have done without that, being the germaphobe that I am! Yuck!
  After a fun filled afternoon, it was time to head back to the hotel, and then to the airport. 
 This trip was better than even my best expectations.  I enjoyed the Ragnar Relay, meeting all the great Nuun people, other bloggers, the Oiselle team members, Erin from Jasyoga, and of course, Sally. Special thanks to Nuun Hydration and Oiselle for making my trip to the PNW so wonderful!

 

Ragnar Relay Northwest Passage July 19-20, 2013

Well, I've put it off long enough, but it's time to blog about my amazing experience at Ragnar Relay Northwest Passage  The experience of this race went way beyond my expectations, and it is difficult to put into words exactly what that felt like.
 As I had blogged earlier, I had been asked to run this relay with a team from Nuun Hydration.  I have been a fan of this company for about a year, and was honored to represent their company in this relay.  From the moment I started receiving emails from Megan from Nuun I knew that this was going to be a great experience. She was so helpful with always responding promptly to my questions and concerns.  And when she offered to pick me up from the airport when I arrived in Seattle, I was so happy and relieved.  Meeting her in person was great. Just a sweet, genuine person.  And she's a fellow Oiselle Team Member, so even better!
  I arrived in Seattle on Thursday evening at 9pm.  Megan picked me up at the airport and brought me to the Sheraton Hotel where I would be staying with 3 other ladies on the team.  Once I arrived, I met Leana (runner #6) who would be in Van #1 with me, and Tasha, runner #7 in Van #2.  We busily got ourselves ready for bed, knowing that Leana and I would be up bright and early to be picked up by our van at 5:30 the next morning.  Danielle, the other lady staying with us had a late flight from Boston, and ended up not arriving to the hotel until 3 am!! Luckily she was in Van #2, and they didn't need to leave Seattle until 11:30.
  I slept very fitfully, as to be expected the night before a race.  I think I woke up every hour, worried about not getting up on time. Leana had set an alarm, but I really should have set a back up as well!
Luckily, we both woke up on time, with the help of the alarm, at 5 am.  I quickly got dressed, repacked my bag, and we headed downstairs to wait for Casey from Nuun to pick us up in Van #1. A few minutes later, the van pulled up, and I was able to meet Casey (runner #5), Jenny from Nuun (runner #2), Sarah (runner #3) and Colleen from Nuun (runner #4).  We all agreed that a stop at Starbucks was in order, which made me super happy.  I knew I was with the right group of people!!

Casey, our fearless leader of Van #1

  One grande Mocha Latte and chocolate croissant later, and we were on the road to Blaine, WA for the start of the race.  We arrived in Blaine 2 hours later, and the excitement level went way up.  Along the way, we also saw the Oiselle Team Van #1 with Sarah driving!! How fun! I received my sweet Nuun Ragnar water bottle and was excited to see the ample supply of Nuun available in the van. Sweet hydration!!
  Our scheduled start time was 9am, and I was runner #1, so I started to get myself ready for my first leg of 6.3 miles.  We attended the mandatory safety briefing, received our race bibs, Ragnar tattoos, safety flags, took the requisite Honey Bucket break, and then it was time to line up.  Casey was our designated team captain. His only rule for us was to "Have Fun".
    So, with that in mind, I was ready to start this party. After our team was announced, I was off for my first leg of the race. I held back at the beginning, as the other runners I ran with started out very fast.  I think this was to my benefit, as within a mile or 2, I was able to start passing people.  I passed a couple of ladies, and then by the end, I was able to pass 3 guys. What an awesome feeling! I ended up being the first lady to finish in my group, which was completing empowering. I think my time for the run was around 52 minutes, with an average pace of 8:30/mile. Not a hilly leg, but a bit boring, because most of it was on a straight road. The temperature was rising, and it was full sun. Still nicer temps than on the East Coast! I passed the slap bracelet to Jenny, and she was off on her first leg.  I jumped in the van, and we continued down the road. This pattern continued until all 6 of us had completed our legs.  We then were at Exchange 6 in Bellingham. We passed off the bracelet to Van #2 so they could complete their legs. Van # 2 included Tasha, Kim from Nuun, Robert from Nuun, Zoe from Nuun, Sara (friend of Sarah in our van) and Dani.
 At these "major" exchanges, there were showers, food, Nuun, and even foam rollers to use!  I decided to take advantage of the foam rollers, and rolled out all the tight parts. It felt great!! After saying hello to Megan at the Nuun tent and some of the Oiselle ladies, our team decided it was a good time to go off course for some food.  Casey had found a great place in Bellingham, the Boundary Bay Brewery.  I took the time to change my clothes, and then enjoyed a lunch of fish tacos and an Oatmeal Stout. Yummy! After lunch, it was time to head to Exchange 12, where we would meet Van #2 to start our second leg.  This was in Burlington.  My next leg was at approx. 7pm.  It was still warm and sunny, but not as hot as it had been for my team-mates through the afternoon.  This run was 4.5 miles through the town of Burlington.  I found it a bit challenging with the regular streets, sidewalks and street lights. I decided I would ignore the red lights, and just take my chances when the course was clear.  By doing this, I was able to pass one woman who had started before me. She was not too happy with me, as she said "So, that's the way it's going to be, is it?" and tried to chase me!  I quickly shifted into a faster gear, and she never caught me!  I feel like I was running away from her the whole time. The rest of the leg went well, except I made a wrong turn at a bridge, and ended up running an extra 1/10th of a mile because of it.  I also ended up on the wrong sidewalk of the bridge and had to cross 4 lanes of traffic to get back on course!  Ooops. So, I lost some time while waiting for the chance to cross. Nice downhill finish made up some time, so I ended up with a 9 min pace for this leg. 

Colleen and Sarah

     What a great feeling knowing that I was 2/3 of the way done already.  My team prepared for the night running, with safety vests and lights.  The temperature had cooled off quite a bit by now, so once I had cooled off from my run, I decided it was time for my Oiselle running pants and lux layer. I would not be running again until early in the morning.  Our van continued on, completing our legs.  All my van mates loved the night running!! I even offered to pace Leana on her run, thinking maybe it would be difficult for her to run by herself at night, and she didn't need me! I have to admit, I was a bit disappointed. It seemed pretty cool to don the headlamps and follow the blinking lights ahead of you.  Maybe on my next relay!! Once we finished our 6 legs, we continued on to Exchange 24, where I would start my last leg.  I fell asleep on the way to the exchange. It was almost midnight by then.  We all "slept" in the van for a few hours.  It was difficult, with hearing all the runners coming and going, and we were in a van. All six of us.  I was fortunate, as I had a whole bench seat to myself.  I think I dozed on and off for about 3 hours.Leanna
   At 4am, my husband sent me a text that said "You are a warrior goddess". What a motivation, thanks honey!! I decided I would get up and have a shower before my last leg.  This turned out to be a great decision! Although the shower wasn't the greatest (it was almost scalding hot), it did revive me quite a bit.  I put on a fresh pair of running clothes, dried my hair, and returned to the van.  After a great breakfast of Smooth Caffeinator Picky Bar and Cherry Limeade Nuun,

I was ready to go.  And boy, did I go!! I was amazed about how great I felt. My first mile pace was 7:40/mile! After slowing down a bit during the hilly 2nd mile, I was able to finish strong along the water in Oak Harbor.  My time was 24:53, only 43 seconds off my 5K PR!! What??!! I was so surprised to be feeling so great. I think it was the weather. 54 degrees and overcast.  Perfect. So now that my legs were done, I focused on cheering my remaining van-mates on in their legs.  Colleen had the roughest leg. If you want to see how hard it was, check it out here. 8.1 tough, tough miles.  I give her major props for that one! Good thing she's an ultrarunner. Total badass! 
   Casey (runner #5) also had a challenging 4 mile run with some nice rolling hills.  The temperature was rising and the sun came out at this point.  I think our van really lucked out on Saturday with the weather. By the time we handed off the Van #2 at 10:00, it was getting much hotter.
   After we finished our last leg, it was time to EAT!! We went to a great place in Coupeville that was offering a Ragnar Breakfast special.  I had waffles with berry sauce with scrambled eggs and a Mocha Lattte. It definitely hit the spot.  After breakfast we headed to the finish line in Langley on Whidbey Island.  We had a good amount of time, since we weren't expecting our team to come in until 3pm.  We took the time to change into our new Ragnar t-shirts and enjoy the Beer Garden next to a horse show going on.  Not something you get to do everyday! While enjoying our beer, Mason Reay from Nuun came by to say hello.  He and Jenny got into a hilarious conversation about whether Jenny had ridden horses as a child.  "How do you think I grew up? I didn't even own a blazer!" Just one of the hilarious "Jenny-isms" from the weekend. Others include: "I don't enjoy things that I can chew but don't swallow" and "196 miles ain't no thing!"  This lady cracks me up. And it was her first ever race. Not first relay, first RACE ever.  She handled the miles like a champ. She admitted she had never run more than 5 miles before, so the fact that she ran over 13 miles in 24 hours is amazing!!

Finally, at 3pm, we were told that our last runner, Sara (friend of Sarah in our Van) was coming in.  We met up with Van #2 and we all ran into the finish.  What a fun experience. Then we all posed for photos together as a team. 

Here is Van#1 at the finish. Casey,Sarah,Jenny,Leana, Me and Colleen. Note only 1 of us has running shoes on, and the cool Beer socks on Casey.  This was an all around awesome experience from start to finish.  Sarah and I already started coming up with ideas for team names next year "Green Legs and Hammies" was one idea, so keep those socks Casey!!
  I want to say special thanks to all the "Nuunies": especially to Megan for handling all the logistics of the trip; Casey for being our fearless Van leader and driver; and to Mason for the opportunity to represent such a great company. 
Thanks also to all my team-mates who were so supportive and great. I count you all as friends now, so we need to keep in touch!
And lastly, but certainly not least, thanks to my Rock Star husband Chris for taking over for the weekend and holding down the fort for me.  I couldn't have experienced this without you!! I would say I owe you, but I really don't...... can anyone say "Army Wife"? Just kidding honey, you can do a Ragnar anytime the opportunity presents itself.
  I will be working on another post-Ragnar post soon. I spent another 24 hours + in Seattle before flying out on the red-eye on Sunday evening.  Activities included yoga at Oiselle HQ, meeting some great Oiselle ladies, and touring around Seattle. Stay tuned!!

 

 

I'm About to Join the Ragnar Nation with Nuun!

A few months ago, I had applied to be on the Nuun HTC Team.  I unfortunately did not get selected for that team.  I was very surprised and thrilled to receive an email from Megan Fay who works for Nunn just a few weeks later.  She was inviting me, on behalf of Nuun, to join one of their teams at another Ragnar Relay this year.  After researching the different relays offered to me, I chose the Ragnar North West Passage Relay.  This looked like a great place to run.  I have never been to this part of the country, and the timing of running in July worked out for me.  After looking at the logistics of leaving for 4 days, and discussing it with my husband, I let Megan know that I was up for it!!
  It's hard to believe that it's already the week that I will run this relay!! I have my bags packed, and I leave for Seattle tomorrow.  I have the kids booked into summer camp/day care. I did all the grocery shopping, laundry and cleaning, so everything is ready to go!  Our start time is 9 am on Friday and we should finish sometime in the afternoon on Saturday. I am runner number one, so I get to start the party!!! I haven't had the pleasure of meeting any of my team-mates yet, but I am looking forward to it. Our team name is Nuun-sense, so I guess I whole lot of silliness!
  I am thrilled to be part of a Nuun team running this relay.  I have been a fan of their company for a while now, and they have been nothing but great and helpful leading up to the relay.
 There is also an Oiselle team participating.  I am hoping to meet some of my Oiselle team-mates IRL as well. See the details of that team here so you can follow along during their fun weekend. I will be tweeting ( @nhm1970) when possible during the weekend, and blogging about my epic adventure next week. So stay tuned!!
  PNW here I come!