ragnar.

We’re getting closer to running the Wasatch Back Ragnar Race on June 18-19 and Dan and I have both been training a lot. For those of you who don’t know what the Wasatch Back is, it’s a team relay race that goes 188 miles from Logan to Park City over the course of 2 days.

There are no breaks, and each team has 12 runners (except the freaky people who only have 6), and each runner has 3 legs of the race. Each leg ranges from about 3-9 miles long and there are a lot of elevation changes and it goes all night! I am running with most of Dan’s family and I’m only 1 of 3 girls so I got pretty easy legs.

I think the hardest thing will be running 3 legs in so short of a period and trying to do that without a lot of sleep or rest. It will be an adventure that’s for sure!

When I agreed to do this back in December, I was VERY wary to say the least. I was terrified and I knew I wasn’t in great shape and even when I was in great shape at other times, I was never a good runner. I didn’t like it and I haven’t run much at all. So I started really slow and I have taken the training really slowly over the past few months. I think that was a wise decision because (knock on wood) I have had no major injuries so far.                    I have slowly built up and increased my time and distance over the past few months and I make sure to stretch really well before and after I run. I started taking joint supplements a few weeks ago because my knees are really bad and they hurt quite a bit when I run more than 2 miles or so. Good shoes make a huge difference while running and I got me a pair of these bad boys:

Now that it’s almost time for the race, I’m actually really surprised and so proud of myself. I can’t believe that in January I could barely run for a few minutes and now I can run 5 miles pretty easily! I know for some people that is a piece of cake and they build up to that a lot faster, but the great thing about running is that you can just compete with yourself and push yourself to reach your goals.

I definitely don’t like running. I have come to decide that over the past few months. It’s a lot more fun when you’re in better shape, but I just get bored (even outside with music) and I would rather do other things to get exercise personally. But Dan loves it because as he says, he has time to “daydream”. Haha funny boy.

So I think I want to run a few more races this summer and maybe fall and then I may stop the running for awhile. I’ll still run once or twice a week, but I just don’t love it enough to keep it up forever.

Anyway, this was really boring, but I felt like posting about it. Dan’s training is going great and he has a lot harder runs than I do, but he’s a lot tougher than me luckily :). He gets up and runs in the mornings and does great!

We’re really excited to run in the relay next month with some of our family and friends. It won’t be easy, but I think it will be a great experience and I’m really proud of the progress we have made!