By 7:00 am this morning we were off to Echo Bay to start the Ragnar Las Vegas Relay, I was Runner #1; therefore, starting things off for my team, Sweaty Or Not. During the team Safety Meeting, I ran into Z and Matt (my Hood To Coast team captain and her husband) who were running their first Ragnar Relay. It was great to see them and we'll hopefully run another relay one of these days together (maybe the 2012 HTC). By the time we got situated, it was time for me to get our relay started. At 10:00 am, my team and I were off. I jumped out to a fast start with a 5:44 opening mile. However, the reality of the hills and the 80-degree-plus temperatures started to sink in with the following splits over the next 3.5 miles: 6:38, 6:47, 6:39, and 3:02. In short, I was hoping to run a 6:05 pace for this opening 4.5 miles, but I was glad to just make it to the exchange with a 6:22 pace. Of course, I fumbled the exchange with Lindsey (a very fast runner) after a perfect walk through at the starting line.
I cannot complain because it just continued to get hotter and my teammates were fighting thorough extremely hot temperatures (i.e., it got as hot as 95) and some really challenging climbs. Just after 7:00 pm, I jogged a quarter of a mile down to Exchange #12 where I noticed a group dancing around a fire near the shore of the Lake Las Vegas. I thought they were just a bunch of crazies, then they called out my name and I realized that they were with me. Yes, Van #2 had arrived at the exchange, but not our runner. Taking the handoff from Lisa (our twelfth runner) at 7:55 pm I was off on leg #13. Starting off from the Lowe's Lake Las Vegas Resort, I was initially able to keep a solid pace for this 3.5-mile leg that was a steady climb. With that said, when we hit the gravel trail then paved bike path, things started to slow down for me again. I was a little frustrated with it, but my quads were feeling heavy and I could not mentally change my focus from what seemed like the slow and tired legs I was running on. Even though the temperatures were much cooler than my first run, it was a 6:23 pace (splits: 5:50, 6:07, 6:55, and 3:30) on a leg that I thought I could go sub-6:00 on. With that said, my teammates were able to pick up the slack and keep us ahead of our projected pace by a good forty minutes. Anyway, it was off to try to get some sleep in a dingy Vegas hotel known as The Gold Strike at Exchange #30 then to try to get some redemption on my third leg, which should start somewhere between 2:00-3:00 am. You have to love these relays! | 