Ragnar Zion

In Junior High I ran the mile run 3 times.  That was about the extent of my running career.

So when Brooke signed me up to run Ragnar Zion, you can imagine the thoughts running through my head...

I don't even own a pair of running shoes,

I don't own any outfits resembling running attire,

By the time of the run I will have a 4 month old baby,

I have to figure out how in the WORLD I am going to run 15 miles,

To sum it all up:

I'm going to die.

I had every good intention to train for this, but without owning a gym pass, and with a husband who leaves for work at 5:30 am and doesn't get back until 8:30 pm, you can imagine that it was pretty difficult to find the time.

I was able to run a total of FOUR TIMES before this event...

The first time I ran 2 miles and I had to recover for 6 hours afterward,

The second two times I ran 3 miles, recovery was better,

And the fourth time I signed up for a day visitor pass to a gym so I could attempt running 7 miles on a treadmill.  I did, in 1.5 hours with two bathroom breaks in-between.  

(Reminder: I am NOT a runner...just making it to 7 miles was a HUGE accomplishment!)

The night of April 25, I had all my belongings packed for Ragnar.

At 6:30 am on April 26, we met up with our team, GOT THE RUNS, to head down to Zion.  Our team consisted of:

My oldest brother, Cory (6.5 min/mile)

His son (my nephew) Bryce (less than a 5 min/mile)

3 of Bryce's freshmen cross country teammates from Davis (Daniel, Colten, & Colter - all less than 5 min/miles)

My amazing sister, Brooke (6.5 min/mile)

And my autistic nephew's therapist, Megan (9 min/mile - not pictured here).

Oh yeah, and ME...

I range between a 12-15 min/mile.  

SWEET.

This is what we had to do on the drive down:

This is what he wanted to do on the drive down:

I wish I had a picture of where we camped.  It was in a dirty, dusty, cow corral, with hundreds of other tents and runners surrounding.  This is where we'd be staying for the duration of the relay.

Here is a breakdown of how the relay worked:

There were three trails, all began and ended in Ragnar village.  Each runner runs every trail, so everyone ends up with the exact same mileage.

Green loop/easy: 3.7 miles, mostly downhill

Yellow loop/moderate: 4 miles, with a 500 ft. elevation climb within the second mile of the run

Red loop/hard: 7.5 miles, with many elevation changes.

15 miles total.

Our team was given the latest start time of 5:00pm on Friday.

I was runner #3, so my 3 legs were in the order of Red, Yellow, Green.  I was scared, but also grateful to get my hardest and longest legs over with first.

I was tagged in around 6:00pm Friday night to begin my 7.5 mile run.  Most of the trail was on very narrow deer tracks, so it felt like you had to run with one foot in front of the other.  Some of the time we also had to run in a couple inches of soft sand which made it extremely hard.  Because of the expanse of the trails, it was rare for me to see another runner.  I was glad to have my music because at times I felt lonely.

I ran the entire loop with exception of the last 1/2 mile, which was all rocky switchbacks, straight uphill.  Each of the 3 loops ended in this fashion.

Here I am, after my Red 7.5 mile leg, about to cross the finish line to tag my brother so he could start his green leg.

I completed this leg in exactly one hour, forty minutes - which was a HUGE accomplishment for me!

My next Yellow/Moderate leg began at 1:00am.  It was so hard to start this run.  After my 7.5 run I felt pretty sick, and I had a hard time eating anything or sleeping beforehand to help give me energy for run #2.  It was also FREEZING cold...I wore my long running pants with capri pants underneath, an under-armor top with gloves, headband, and running jacket over top.  Because this run was in the middle of the night, I was required to wear a headlight.  None of the trails were lit, and were only very lightly marked.

I had been warned by Brooke that this run was quite difficult, and also warned by Colton that running it in the dark was even harder...because he couldn't see well, he had tripped on a root and hurt his leg.

The run began pretty easy, but the second mile consisted of a 500 ft elevation climb to the top of a mountain...most of it in deep sand.  Most of us on our team found it faster to hike up with long strides than to run, so that's what I did.  It saved my energy, but I SO badly wanted to run because I was all alone, in the pitch black and cold weather...I WAS SCARED!  Luckily, I had downloaded hymns to listen to for this run...I know that's the only reason I got through it without having a heart attack.  The trail was also narrow, and completely unpaved - so you had to jump over bushes, or run with your legs wide because the trail dipped straight into a 'V' in the middle where water had once run down the mountain.

Around mile 2.5, I too tripped on a root (the same location that Colton tripped).  I rolled my ankle, then rolled my knee, and landed straight on the outside of it.  I felt a pull on the outside and when I stood, the pain shot straight up and down the outside of my leg.  I had to hobble-run the rest of the way to the finish line, where many other runners were suffering with injuries from the unlit trails.

I have no clue how long it took me to run this leg...I'm guessing about an hour.

I tagged Cory again for his 7.5 mile leg.  He returned in even worse shape than I had...badly sprained ankle, banged up knee, and torn up, bloody finger.

I had to have my knee taped up, and for the next few hours I tried to keep it warm and moving.  I attempted to jog a few times but could hardly even walk on it.  Eventually I realized that there was no way I was going to be able to run my Green/Easy leg.  I felt upset and sad, but in the end, it was the best decision not to run it.  Colter ended up running my last leg for me.

 It was such an amazing experience being able to hand off to my bother, Cory.  He was always waiting for me with a smile, and words of encouragement...telling me that I was doing so well.  

Coming to the finish line of our very last leg.  Colton ran his 7.5 mile leg in the dead heat in 55 minutes.

Out of over 200 teams, including the Soloman Pro-Team, we ended up finishing in 4th place with over 300 kills!

 My incredible sister...I can't believe what a talented runner she is!  She was there for me at every send off, and every finish, even in the middle of the night.  I looked forward to seeing her because I knew that she would give me a hug and tell me that she was so proud of how I was doing.  I love her SO much!
Brooke ran over 26 miles in the Wasatch Back Ragnar a couple years ago and said that the 15 miles of trail running this time was WAY harder!  

Shane...what an amazing husband and father!  He and Cole came down and stayed in a cabin while I ran the relay. 

 During all of my runs, especially my night run, I couldn't stop thinking about Cole.  He has given my life so much purpose, so much to live for.  It truly was because of him that I was able to finish.

And since I know you all wanted to see a picture of my feet, here is my biggest RAGNAR WOUND...

I stubbed my toe pretty hard during my night run (I tripped 3 times).

That baby is for sure falling off...just in time for ballet recital and swim suit season.

Day 2:

 I had to drill a hole in the nail to release the blood and pressure.  It was all I could do to not pass out while drilling.

Day 3:  it got even worse!  I had to drill another hole in it last night.

 Besides my ogre toe, running the Ragnar Zion Relay was an incredible experience.  It was HARD, but it was so neat to prove to myself that I can do hard things...things that seem impossible!