Ragnar Relay Chicago is a running relay that starts in Madison, WI routes east to Milwaukee and finishes downtown Chicago, IL. Each team covers 197 miles in two days and one night. One member from each team is always running, while the other members ride in a van to the next exchange. Most teams have 12 members (2 vans) while some have 6 (1 van), who are considered “Ultra” teams.

Michelle and I were apart of an ultra team, Eating out at the “Y”. Our theme was the Village People and the song YMCA. We kinda knew the others on the team, but really got to know them after 29+ hours in a van. Lucky for us, they are very cool people and great runners (not just sayin b/c they’ll probly read this).

Team - Eating out at the Y

There is so much I liked about the experience but words wouldn’t really do it justice and it probably won’t mean as much to write about it. Kind of like telling a joke and no one laughing because you had to be there. With that, I’ll just give my stats for the race.

We all ran three legs total. My distances were 12.7, 9.4 and 16 miles. I ran Friday around 9pm, Saturday around 4am and 3pm. I can’t speak for the other legs but I think mine were great. I got to experience the sunset during my first leg on a rural Wisconsin trail and the sunrise just north of Racine. My favorite running moment was experiencing the beauty of the Evanston and the campus of Northwestern. Typically, I hate anything to do with Wildcats and the color purple (Go Hawks!) but that day I was soaking it in. My last leg finished north of downtown Chicago on the beach. We all crossed the finish line, in costume, 29 hours later with minor aches and pains but with a big sense of accomplishment.

Notes:

• Leg 1 – 12.7 Miles – 1:33:12 (7:20 pace)
• Leg 2 – 9.4 Miles – 1:17:06 (8:12 pace)
• Leg 3 – 16.0 Miles – 2:31:59 (9:30 pace)
• Total – 38.1 Miles – 5:22:17 (8:23 pace)

Last Sunday, was my first swim of 2011. Coincidently, it came during the Pigman Sprint Triathlon in Palo, Iowa. Last weekend, I decided to run my first 5K barefoot and was left with multiple blisters on each foot. Not smart. This weekend, I decided to, literally, dive into swimming and not train. Again, not smart.

Immediately after hitting the water, I was out of breathe and struggled to find my stroke. After what seemed like forever, I looked ahead to find myself about a quarter of the way finished. Not even to the turn around point!  Already exhausted and kicking myself for not training, I debated whether to grab a boat and hitch a ride back to shore with my head down. Then, I saw another guy struggling and grabbing the rope. The rope stretches from the beach 275 yards out and swimmers must swim out and around. Alright, so I’m not the only one sucking ass today, that makes me feel a little better. I managed to make it to the half way point and started heading back to shore, but I had no breathe left. It was either grab the rope or head to the bottom of the lake. I swam over to it used it to keep myself above water while doing some sort of doggy paddle (really just pulling myself in). After about 50 yards of this non-sense, I realized I could do the breast stroke and keep my head above water. I think this helped calm my nerves and heart rate with about 150 yards to go. I slowing eased back into the free style form and completed the swim portion. Man, was I glad to touch sand and head towards the bike. What a pathetic showing! The good news, most of the other bikes were already gone from the rack, so finding mine was easy!

The bike felt great. I was immediately flying downhill and never really slowed down. I even got some crowd support from my friend, Jay, at the top of the hill just outside the park. What a boost of energy! For not biking that much, it went better than expected.

The only thing left was run a 5K. My original plan was to hop off the bike and go (without shoes). But, since my aforementioned barefoot snafu, I took the time to slip on the running shoes. The first mile always sucks, as your legs feel like bricks. Slowly, they loosened up and I even caught up to Katie, who had started ahead of me. I slowed down and we chatted for awhile. Once we hit the two mile mark, I took off again for the finish. Now my legs were loose and it was fun passing other runners. What a great feeling compared to hanging on that rope in the lake!

For my efforts, I ate lots of cheese pizza at the post race party (and a couple beers). I also realized duathlons may be more rewarding than triathlons, or at least until I get in the pool.

Katie and John after the Pigman 2011

Race stats:

• Swim – 16:58 (632 out of 648!)
• Transition 1 – 2:04
• Bike – 46:59 (163 out of 648)
• Transition 2 – 1:10
• Run – 21:04 (44 out of 648)
• Total Time – 1:28:13 (200 out of 648)

Clearly, I’m a runner, not a swimmer!

Next weekend, I’m running with six others from Madison, WI to Chicago, IL. The race is apart of the Ragnar Relay series. The total distance is about 200 miles, or a little over 30 miles each. We’ll start on Friday at noon and finish the following day in the afternoon. A member of our team will always be running, day and night. This will be no easy task, but my real problem is finding the costume.

Our team is “eating out at the Y” and we are themed after the village people. Right now, I’m more concerned with finding a headdress than worrying about the mileage. So if anyone has some feathers and/or loincloth, let me know.  I’ve got to get an indian costume put together in a week.

It’s official; I completed a “real” ultra marathon. Technically, this is my third ultra but the first two were 50Ks or five miles beyond the marathon distance. They’re considered Ultras, but in my mind, 50 miles was the legitimate test. I first stumbled upon the Ice Age 50 two years ago and contemplated entering. It wasn’t until after surviving the Hawkeye 50K and taking a break from marathons that I got the courage to sign up. I thought the spring would provide the perfect time to ramp up the mileage. My training wasn’t very specific and mostly just made up along the way.

A typical training week consisted of the following…

• Tuesday: 7 mile hilly route (Vibram Five Fingers) for speed and strength
• Wednesday: 5 mile easy run (Asics Shoes)… sometimes rest, if tired
• Thursday: 7 mile hilly route (Vibram Five Fingers) for speed and strength
• Friday: 5 mile easy run (Asics Shoes)…sometimes rest, if tired
• Saturday: 3-5 hours (Asics Shoes), usually signed up for a local race and ran to and from the race
• Sunday: 3-5 hours (Asics Shoes), wasn’t concerned with mileage, just getting comfortable with running on tired legs
• Monday: Rest and rebuild muscles

Notes:

• Totally weekly mileage varied from 50-75 miles.
• I also joined a Kettle Bell class on Tuesdays and Thursdays to help with overall strength, but especially the core.
• My diet was vegetarian with the last two months, “Slow Carb”.
• My speed actually increased during training with new PRs in the mile and 5k distances (probably due to the Vibrams)

Crossroads Motel before Ice Age

Michelle and I drove over to Elk Horn, Wisconsin the night before the race. We got a late start and arrive at the Crossroads Motel just after 10:30pm. The front desk lady said we were the last to arrive and looked slightly relieved that she too, could go to bed. The Motel was super clean but had furnishings from 1973. It was more cozy than outdated, but too bad we only got to enjoy it for six hours! The next morning we were up at 4:30 and on the road to Kettle Moraine State Park by five. The 50 mile started and 6:00am and I still had to pick up my race number, timing chip and pack my drop off bag. The race allows runners to pack a drop off bag which they will transport for you to a spot in the middle of the run. I threw in an extra pair of socks, shirt, Clif Bars and Ibuprofen.

Start of the Ice Age 50 (Black Jacket)

After the national anthem, 300 runners started off down the Nordic Trail and into the forest. The first loop was 9 miles long, which I was very conservative. I obeyed the “walk uphill rule” and stayed back.

Finishing the first loop of the Ice Age 50

Once we passed the start/ finish line again, the course took us to the southern out/ back section (20 miles). I believe this is the actual Ice Age Trail and was mostly hilly single track. I mostly stayed behind a group of runners from Chicago. They sounded like veterans so I figured it was a smart move to hang with them.

PB&J at the Aid Station Ice Age 50

Michelle also met me at the Aid stations and we chatted. It was nice to drink, eat, and rest, but at the same time, I knew I had a long ways to go.

Finding my drop bag Ice Age 50

At mile 26 or just over the half way point I found my drop bag and changed shirts. It had been sprinkling for the last couple hours and the clean, dry shirt felt nice. The Ibuprofen also seemed to help. At the aid stations I made sure to drink a cup of Heed or sugar-free electrolyte drink. Sometimes it tasted terrible but I knew it would help keep the cramps at bay. My foods of choice were pretzels, little sandwich cookies and PB&Js. The aid stations were no further than 5 miles apart so my handheld water bottle held enough water to get me to the next one.

Heading out from the forest Ice Age 50

I started the northern out/ back section feeling good. What a surprise! I expected to hit a low around 30 miles and again at 40. Whatever the reason, I just kept going and didn’t think much of it. By the time I hit 45 miles, I knew finishing wasn’t going to be a problem. In fact, I started picking up the pace. Those last five miles seemed to fly by and I was passing other runners like crazy. (Really, I started too slow, and saved way too much)

crossing the finish line Ice Age 50

At last, the finish line was in sight. Michelle was waiting along with a good sized crowd cheering us on. For my efforts, I received a silver belt buckle. We stuck around afterwards and eat some hot food, chatted with other runners, and then started the dreaded drive back home. Overall, the race was well organized and the course was challenging but worth it for the views.

Michelle and I at the finish (note the belt buckle)

Finishing Time: 10 Hours 34 Minutes 37 Seconds

Place: 130 out of 222 Finishers (I think around 300 started)