Ragnarian

Remember last summer and my first Ragnar adventure?

Well, of course, like every other runner, I was hooked.
However, this year presented much more of a challenge.  
Ragnar Hill.
1700 feet up to 9000 feet elevation in just 4 miles.
Kill me.

Let's just say that in preparation, I'm pretty sure my quads doubled in size.

 Proud day of training run up Squaw Peak. Check out those quads. 

FYI--all my jeans are too tight in the thighs and too big in the waist. Oh the joys.

Then our Ragnarian adventures began:

 

Van 2 in Eden, UT

 Beautiful Wasatch Mountains

Ready? Set! Go!

 

Run #1, Done!

Snow Baisin Resort

Sleep anywhere you can find a place on the floor.

Run #2 was in the middle of the night. Pitch Blackness. You can imagine it, I'm sure.

Run #3: I was hyperventalating all morning long. Finally it was my turn to conquer this beast of a mountain. I got started and pushed it way hard up the first mile--much harder than I should have. I was dying after only going one mile. This sweet girl named Ashley, caught up to me and said, "Man! I've been trying to catch you this whole first mile! I feel like we're at about the same pace. We need to stick together to make it up this hill."

And stick together we did. We pushed each other, encouraged each other, and built it each other up. We ended up finishing it faster than both of us had even planned on. As we topped the hill and the finish line was in sight, Ashley was exhausted. I had a burst of energy in anticipation of finishing. She said, "You can just sprint ahead and finish!" I said, "Absolutely not!  

We're finishing this together!" And finish together we did.

I have no idea what this wonderful girl has been through in her life, I have no idea what religion she is, I have no idea if I will ever see her again. 

But that day, on that mountain, we conquered something incredible together. 

And I will never forget it.

Conquered and Survived!

It's funny thing, Ragnar--the actual time that you are running is never really that ideal. Actually, sometimes it's completely miserable. But the times in between and especially crossing the finish line, knowing that you just did something amazingly crazy and hard, is beyond description.
The elation and sense of accomplishment continues to hook you year after year.
Are some of us really crazy? Yes. Absolutely. But you won't know how crazy until you try it too!