Friday, September 19, 2014

RAGNAR RELAY DC - ULTRA

BEST ADVENTURE EVER!!!!!!!!!!!   If you ever get a chance to do a Ragnar Relay I highly recommend it!  It was SO much fun combined with hard work, pushing to the limits, no sleep, and many, MANY laughs!!

We started off our adventure by packing everything as neatly as possible while living in a big white van with 7 people ... 6 of whom are runners and will probably start to smell after a few hours!!

6 different running outfits .. All Oiselle of course!!  Then I crammed everything into Ziploc bags to minimize stink after my sweat legs of the race!

 I packed a ton of food, TP, water, NUUN, blanket, pillow and was ready to go!


We all met at Dave's house and loaded up in our van:


Team Glutiators on our way to get our final teammate Laura!!!

I LOVE this girl!!  She is such a blast and so positive it is contagious!!

:Laura rocking the night gear!

It was about a 4-5 hour drive from here to our hotel in Frostburg, MD since we made a few pit stops (yummy dinner and Joanne Fabrics for much needed van accessories )!!  We settled in to our hotel and tried to get a good night sleep since we would be living in a van for the next 24+ hours!!





Our mascot Steve!!!!



Our start time wasn't until 12:30 on Friday so we had plenty of time to get up, eat, decorate and head to the start of the race.  Team Glutiators ready to rock ... John was runner #1 and I was runner #2 .. our first transition was super easy since leg 1 was around the lake and the transition was right across from the start!


John set the pace and tone for the day ... Looking super strong!


Seriously...started off with a STEEP 2 miles of climbing followed by a wicked downhill!


Trying to stay calm before my first run!



I was really leery on how well organized this race would be considering it is 200.5 miles long and starts in Cumberland, MD and runs to the National Harbor in DC.  I was pleasantly surprised with it!  I  honestly think we had such a smooth time with logistics and exchanges because of our amazing driver, Byron aka JUICY!!

I was super excited to see my team at the end of my first leg!!  Laura was runner #3 and her first run was the HARDEST leg of the entire race!  1700 ish elevation gain ... it was such a difficult leg that the runners all got a belt buckle at the end of that leg!

Laura KILLING that beast!


Dave was runner #4 .. he is a  SUPER speedster and nailed every single leg he had!


Then runner #5 was Jen W.... climbing that dirt road to her first exchange.

Our final runner #6 was Jenn B ... She had the highest mileage with one of her legs being 11+ miles!

But she is a superstar and flew through her legs!
#BEASTMODE

Our team worked really well together .. we all encouraged and supported each other and made sure everyone had what they needed.  Right before my 2nd leg ( which was called "What the Hill ??" ) I was hitting an energy low and really nervous about how I would climb this mountain :


THANK GOD for my crew because they had a ice cold diet coke waiting for me at the bottom!  Also Byron was a miracle worker and helped massage out my angry piriformis!!!  I felt a tug and a pop in my left butt cheek/hamstring area as I was climbing that hill.

Also heaven sent is Erin from Lucky Girl Cookies!!  Her chocolate gingerbread cookies were the perfect snack and really help stave of the nausea I was having between my runs!  The natural ginger was awesome. Look ... how cute are the little sneakers??!!


One of the hardest things for me was nutrition ... I really focused on hydration and did a great job with that but the fuel was much harder for me.  I survived off of dark chocolate covered pomegranate and acai berries, organic bread with natural PB, picky bars and pretzels.  I had some fierce nausea and the thought of food made it worse.  Jenn B. gave me some mint essential oil for my water and that really helped.  During my overnight run we stopped in this general store and bought their last case of water, chocolate milk and hot tea ... plus I got a powerball ticket:
Sadly it wasn't a winner!
Dave ready to kick asphalt!
I managed to take a 30 min nap around 0200 when Jen W. was running and it really was just the right amount to get me through the night!  Once the sun was up my body was ready to go.   It was also a lot of fun to check off our boxes on our van window:
Our first leg down!

Oh yeah ... and to add of "kills" to the window too ... Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture but we had close to 250+!!

One of my favorite highlights was running into my Oiselle teammate Mary:


I LOVE her and her Team Pudding came in 1st Coed 12 person team!!!!  ROCK STARS!  

Team Glutiators KILLED it too and we place 2nd Ultra team and 16th overall!!!!!!!!!!  With a time of 27:25 for 200.5 miles and countless memories made!

Here are some more of my favorite pics:

Representing the Bear Glasgow Y:

My MIZUNO Wave Rider 17's ( I packed 3 pair of mizuno's but stuck witth my riders ) and my Jasyoga legs up:


My final leg completed in the pouring rain with another STEEP mountain to climb the final 2.5 miles!!:


Jen W super happy to be finished her final leg also:


My favorite Superheroes,  Jenn B. and Laura!!!!!


While Jenn B ran her final leg of the race we hurried over to the finish line so we could all run Jenn in and cross the line together as Team Glutiators!  EPIC experience and I cannot wait to do it again!

I really enjoyed the beer and pizza afterwards and chatting with other teams!



CHEERS RAGNAR to an amazing adventure!

Anyone else ever do a Ragnar Relay?  

Happy Running!


Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Ready for Ragnar DC

Well,  the time is finally here ... I will be running the Ragnar Relay Ultra with 5 of my fellow crazy runners!!  We are doing 6 legs each and my total mileage is about 35 miles.   We will start our run in Cumberland, MD .. Our team will "head East through thick forest trails and scenic paths ".  Around nightfall, we will run through Civil War-era towns,  pass the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial then head to the finish line to PARTY!!!

200 miles + 6 crazy runners + 1 amazing driver  = Epic Memories

I am the 2nd runner so my legs look like this:
6.3 miles ( HARD )
4.5 miles ( Moderate )
2.8 miles ( Easy )
6.8 miles ( Hard )
6.9 miles ( Moderate/Hard )
6.9 miles ( Moderate )

OH MY!!!



 Definitely will need my favorite pairs of Mizuno Wave Rider 17's and Wave Hitogami ... Plus,  I think I will pack my Wave Kazans just in case we are on some trails!

Since I will need 6 running outfits I am packing all my Oiselle!!!!  So excited for these new pieces the Gwen Tank, Chevrona Shimmel, and Rogas!



And FOOD ... KIND bars, Picky Bars, Pretzels, PB, Pickles, my favorite bread, bananas, Milburn Orchards Honey Crisp apples, trail mix,  instant organic soups ( thank you Holly R. for suggestion ) and ??? whatever else I grab and toss in bag!  Plus a ton of NUUN and water!


I also packed baby wipes, Wet Ones, foam roller, the stick, foot log, lacrosse balls, my TENS unit, vest, head lamps, fuel belt, handheld water bottle, and some running fuel ( honey stingers )!

I have to say a HUGE THANK YOU to Holly R. and the rest of my Oiselle family for all the advice, suggestions and best wishes!!!!  You gals really have helped calm my nerves and get me totally pumped to take on RagnarDC!!!

All you Ragnar Vet's out there please let me know what else you would bring or wish you had brought on your race!

Happy Running!

Wednesday, September 3, 2014

Bird Camp Recap .... FINALLY!

WOW!!!  I really do not think I can put into words what an amazing experience and opportunity going to Bend, Oregon  and being at Bird Camp with Oiselle was!  Life changing for sure!

First of all this was my very first time EVER flying/travelling alone!  I know I have lived a sheltered life...LOL.  Second,  this was my first time leaving my kids and hubby for that long.  Once I got to the airport and on the plane I was excited about this adventure!


Looks a lot different from Delaware!

There are so many reasons why I love Oiselle and everything that the company means/stands for ... The perfect word to express the bond that I immediately felt is .. Sisterhood!!  Here I am flying across the country by myself .. going to a unfamiliar place and meeting a group of women I have never met before in my life at the airport in Portland and yet they all welcomed me in and we immediately hit it off!   When we got to camp we were just in time for dinner and everyone was super friendly and inviting.  I LOVE that we all had special name tags!!



I expected to feel a little uncomfortable and nervous but honestly I NEVER once felt that way!!  I got to meet my amazing roommate Victoria :

She is such a fabulous woman and friend!  Instantly we bonded and I knew it was going to be a great match!  Oh yeah and this super ROCK STAR woman Lauren Fleshman!!!  Talk about a class act of a person .. She is a stellar athlete, an Olympian, amazing mother and instant friend ... She brought us into her home of Bend, OR and treated us all like family!  I cannot say enough about her and how much she inspires me to reach my goals and dreams!!  Here is a pic of Lauren showing us the trails:

Our second roomie Suzie B.  joined us on Thursday and I feel in love with her right away!  We definitely hit the roommate jackpot!

Okay this is so hard to condense into one post so I will give you my favorite memories!  Trails, TRAILS and more trails ... I am now completely addicted to trail running and definitely need to explore more areas.  There is something so freeing about running and being surrounded by nature and all of its beauty.  No cars, no horns, no red lights ... just you and the trail!
Whoa .. steps to help get up the hills


Add caption

Snow capped mountain




I was tempted by this rope swing into the river!!  I would never want to be inside if I lived here.  The air is crisp and fresh .. the river is clear and clean .. I am in love!

We all loaded up in 2 buses and went to run the Deschutes Brewery 5K!  As I have said before the 5K distance absolutely terrifies me .. I have a love for distance running and the speed of the 5K really intimidates me.  But with this amazing and supportive group my outlook was completely changed!  I had a blast and loved every step of the race ... and the beer afterward!

Strong, beautiful flock of birds!
Also going on in Bend was the Bend Brewfest!!  I know my hubby would have loved to be a part of this .. NOT so much the running!


After the race and cheering on my teammates .. Lauren took us on a quick shakeout/cool down run around the river!  GORGEOUS is all I can say!



Then we re-hydrated with a few brews!  Looking fly!

Saturday we went to Smith Rock ... Holy breath taking views!  I have never seen anything like this before in my life:


Smith Rock is a rock climbers dream and a runners play ground!



LF giving us the details about the variety of trails and varying levels of difficulty.


I went with a 6 mile run with breath taking scenery and even better company!




Thank goodness I had my Mizuno Wave Kazan trail shoes with me!!!  They really got a lot of mileage put on them in Oregon and they felt great .. light weight yet super supportive on the different terrain!


I seriously could have explored ALL day here in Smith Rock.  We even had lunch and I enjoyed chatting and getting to know more of my teammates!

Sunday we did a long run along the Deschutes River trail and I am soooo thankful for these two wonderful women:


Susie and Darnelle!!!  We ran to the Benham Falls ( which were absolutely amazing )and back for a total of 16 miles.  I am so grateful for having the time to bond and learn more about these two rock star runners!!

Fellow birds along the way who took a detour!


And I am so proud I only fell once on the trails!! Woohoo!


We jumped in the river post run for a nice cool down and modified ice bath on our legs!  This felt incredible!

LOVE this pic!

We NEVER went hungry at camp and they proved us with the most delicious, healthy and fresh foods!  We even had Brew Dr. Kombucha

I have been seriously craving this since I got back home and have not found a kombucha that stands up to it here in DE!


And to wrap up camp Oiselle threw the best party complete with tacos, beer, a band and DONUTS!!! 




Other major camp experiences include Jasyoga ( taught me so much and helped me RESET and relax ), Jay Dicharry ( PT extraordinaire ), Stephanie Howe (  female winner of the Western States 100 mile race and Sports Nutritionist ),  Linsey Corbin ( Professional Triathlete), Kate Grace ( LOVE HER, she is a super star runner and amazing person ), form drills and activation exercises and PICKY BARS!!! ... So much talent, amazing advice and life lessons learned!!!!


I saved the best for last:

Kristin Metcalf .. LOVE her!  She is such a big part of Oiselle and to finally meet her in person and get to experience just how awesome she is was priceless!!!  THANK YOU for everything you do!

Dr. Sarah Lesko:  UMMM how the heck did I not get a picture with Lesko??  Epic fail on my part!  Anyway ... Lesko I another HUGE part of Oiselle and I am so honored to have had the chance to meet her, chat with her and learn from her!!!



Sally Bergesen:  Momma Bird herself!!!  She is my idol and I am so lucky to be a part of her dream!  She is the Founder and CEO of Oiselle and the most down to earth, friendly, supportive, positive woman you will ever meet!!!  Thank You for EVERYTHING!!!



I really cannot cover all the fabulous things that we did and experienced during this trip .. but I can tell you it was exactly what my life needed!!!

Happy Running!