Weekly Mileage #266 and the Ragnar Trail Run

Monday I got up early to go get a blood draw done to investigate an issue that popped up with the 24 hour pee collection. I had planned on going for a run with Max afterwards, but I ended up laying around for awhile because I was tired- I didn’t sleep well and I was still feeling run down and exhausted from the convention.

I did finally manage to take Max for a walk in the park, which she enjoyed, but I was talking to one of my sisters on the phone, so there was no actual running.

After I got back, I put the deck railing back together. A large branch had fallen on it Saturday night and knocked one railing panel right off the deck. It’s back in place and reasonably secure, but the entire deck needs to be replaced- it’s settled unevenly and slants away from the house and the wood is really starting to show its age. Just one more thing to spend money on….

*panel back on, almost good as new, if you don’t look too closely*

Tuesday we went to music lessons. When we got home I was feeling super tired, so I rested for a couple hours before finally making it to Costco. I thought about hitting a couple other stores, but it was raining really hard and I was tired, so I didn’t. I did manage to make it to karate class that evening, though.

Wednesday we dropped the CRV off for its annual inspection, then I dropped Jeremy off at work since the Camry is having issues right now (it’s either the battery or the alternator) before running some errands with my sister. I finished the grocery shopping, took her to get some blood drawn for some labs she needed done, then got my hair cut. I’d hit headache length again, so it was past due.

I had my accountability call when I got home, then I picked up Jeremy and the CRV. Afterwards I laid down for a short nap since I was still so tired. I’m not sleeping well and still recovering from the convention.

Thursday I packed for the race, finally got emails written and sent, and packed course materials to ship on the way out of town.

We loaded up the car and headed to the Richmond Ragnar Trail run with my brother and sister. We arrived without problems other than being a little later than planned, unloaded and setup our camp spot. The campsite next to ours was loud late into the night, but my ear plugs did their job so I got a decent night’s sleep.

Friday we were up early for our first runner to start at 7:30 am. There’s 8 runners on the team, and I was #7, so I had a while to wait. I wasn’t sure what everyone’s paces would be, so I had to keep track of who was out and who was going next, but so was everyone else, so there were no problems there.

While we waited our turn, I talked running, gear, races, etc with my team members, and talked with my brother and sister. It was good to catch-up with them. My sister (#6 in the family) had been out to visit in the fall for River’s baptism, but I hadn’t seen my brother (#5 in the family) since the last family reunion, back in 2019.

My 1st loop was early afternoon and was about 4 miles. It was the green loop, which was supposed to be the easiest, but it ended up having the steepest hills. I mis-timed my breakfast oatmeal and had to go straight from the hand-off point to the bathroom. Good thing they were right next to each other!

After my run I changed and rested while waiting for my next loop, which I ran about 9:30/10pm. This was the red loop, and measured a bit shorter than what they said at just under 6 miles. Because it was so late, it was full dark, not dusk like I’d practiced running in (I knew this would be the case, I just don’t have anywhere to run when it’s full dark). It was a really good run. It was the longer loop, but smaller hills, and the trails were cleaner, with fewer roots and rocks than the trails I usually run on. The trail wandered back and forth through the woods so you could see the headlights of the runners before and after you and I didn’t feel so isolated. I finished the loop with the biggest runner’s high that I’ve had in a long time. It took a bit to come down from that high, then I went to bed.

I only managed to sleep for a few hours, then I woke up, afraid that I’d missed my alarm. I spent the next hour and a half or so dozing and waking, checking my watch every time. This turned out to be a good thing, since I was awake when the team member running the loop before mine stopped by to say she was heading to the start point- a full 45 minutes before I’d planned on waking up. Hers was the shorter green loop, so I hurried up and got ready. I didn’t lube up as well as I should have, which turned out to be a mistake.

My last leg was the yellow loop at 7am, which was a great time to be running since I caught the sunrise over the small lake we ran next to. It was the flattest of the loops, so it was a good ending to the race.

We ended up finishing a couple hours earlier than we’d projected, which surprised us, especially since only two of the team members actually have any speed. After some team pictures we loaded up and hit the road by 10am.

I rested after we got home, though my nap was interrupted and not nearly long enough.

My sore muscles really not that bad, which is surprising since my mileage has been so low. But the hills were comparable, if not smaller than the ones I have been running, so maybe that made a difference. I did get a blister on the arch of each foot- I still haven’t gotten my orthotics with the extra foam dialed in. I managed to tape my foot right and didn’t trip or fall even once, so my foot came out uninjured and not worse than before. There was some pain from use, but not from injury. Huge win.

My asthma was a problem even though I used my inhaler before each loop. The cold night air and lots of pollen didn’t do my lungs any favors. Daytime temps were up to mid60s and night time temps were in the mid to low 30s. I woke up Saturday morning after my night leg, hearing myself wheeze. My sister was in my tent and heard it and thought I was snoring, but I’m pretty sure I was wheezing.

I was tired, but not as exhausted and wiped out as I was afraid I’d be. Maybe my narcolepsy meds are making a difference in my energy levels? Depending on the results from my latest blood work, I may need to talk to my sleep doc and see if there’s a correlation.

*there’s a lot of “ish” in trail running*

My poor sister sprained her foot going to the bathroom Thursday night and couldn’t run and of her legs. She managed to hobble a mile of one of the loops during the last leg, but that was it, much to her disappointment. Others on the team took her legs.

I had fun and I’ll do it again, though I won’t be chasing races around the country/world like some do. I just don’t have the time/energy/money for that right now.