The Ragnar Experience

I am happy to say that Ragnar is over and we finished and I survived and I can even walk normal!! The whole thing, training, preparation and the actual race was quite the experience! But I can honestly say it was a good experience.
I was nervous about the whole thing from the very beginning and not just because I was getting married such a short time afterwards but because I always doubt my ability about racing and preparing for races and I was especially nervous about letting me team down!
The whole adventure started Thursday night with dinner at Olive Garden and then shopping for food at Walmart, it is amazing how much food the six of us thought we needed for two days, we actually ate a good percentage of it but we did go a little overboard.
The next morning we got up decorated our van (SUV actually) and headed to our starting place just outside of Ogden, the other van was a little behind because they got a late start so we hung out for an hour or two and then we were off. Sammi Draper started us off and was a serious rock star!! With a hurt ankle she still ran way faster than I ever could! Then I went and ran my 3.5 miles and then Angie ran and then Whitney and the Morgan conquered a big giant 7-mile hill with no van support!! I couldn't have done it, I need people cheering me on. Then my mom ran and we got in the van and were getting ready to head to the next exchange to stretch out on the grass and get some much needed rest before our runs through the middle of the night but unfortunately that didn't happen. As we got to the bottom of the big hill coming out of Snowbasin we found out our Van #1 had lost its brakes completely so Angie, Sammi and I took Lori, Michelle, Jacoy and Jobi in our van to make sure they got to their runs on time and we kept going. By the time a new car arrived and we were back in our original groups and we got to the next big exchange we had a little more than an hour to stretch out and relax. I laid down on the grass to try to sleep but started to get really cold so I went to sleep in the car but it didn't get better! I was shivering, felt like I was going to throw up, had to use the porta-potties several times and I am pretty sure I had a fever. I was supposed to be running 7 miles and I didn't know if I was going to be able to do it! But I got my running clothes on, forced myself to eat a banana and an oatmeal muffin and slept a little on the way to my exchange. The run went really well!! I was 30 seconds ahead of pace and I felt good the whole time. After I handed off to Angie things went from bad to worse, we had to pull over on the side of the road so I could throw-up and I was still shivering. In the next several hours while Angie, Whitney, Morgan and my mom ran I threw up several more times and couldn't stop shaking! Waiting at the exchange for mom to come in I was finally able to sleep for a few minutes but then Sammi, who had been sleeping near the front of our van on the ground opened the car door and yelled that she had just got ran over! I was the only one there and she was crying and shook up of course but that was understandable. Apparently a big 15 passenger van had ran over her hand and arm and didn't even know it and drove off. I couldn't believe it. She had a big bruise down her arm but was otherwise okay!
We finally got to go to a hotel and take a quick shower and sleep for a few hours. I woke up feeling much better and again forced myself to eat something so I would have a little energy to run. It was hot, like 92 degrees when I started and 5.5 miles seemed like forever. I did good for the first mile or two and then I started feeling sick again, around 3 miles I threw up but kept going, a half a mile later I threw up again and my mom saw me and made me get in the van. If you see the pictures on facebook this is when I was crying!! I was so upset that I wouldn't be able to finish and was so mad at myself for making Morgan have to run more, especially since she had already run so much!! Morgan ran for a mile and then I decided I wanted to finish the race so I did the last mile. It felt awesome to be done!
Angie and Whitney were super rock-stars powering up the biggest hill I have ever seen! Four miles straight up would be impossible for me but they killed it! Morgan ran down the huge hill and then exchanged with my mom to finish it out. We rode the shuttle to the finish line at Park City High School and when I got there we saw my dad, John and McKenna. McKenna ran up to me and said, "Paige, Paige did you win the race?" I told her "Yes, we did win the race." Because finishing was our only goal!!
When my mom came around the corner to the finish line I ran out to meet her and almost started crying because it was such a big accomplishment.
We finished in 38 hours and 30 minutes, a little slower than we hoped but we finished nonetheless!
I am so so grateful for being able to do the race with my mom, two sisters and two other awesome girls, I know I couldn't have done it without them!! I need cheerleaders to cheer me on and they total did that! And they rocked their own runs of course. It reminded me of all the reasons why I loved playing team sports. It is so much fun to come together with other people who have the same goal as you and then reach that goal together! And it just made it that much more awesome to do it with my mom and sisters.
I don't know if I will do another Ragnar but I know finishing this one is something I will remember forever!

Sometimes you just need a reminder

I have been so nervous about the Ragnar. I keep worrying about not finishing and letting my team down and to be honest, how much I suck at running. And then something amazing happened.
My little sister, Morgan, posted the most awesome message on my facebook page about how I inspire her because I never give up and always work so hard. It was super sweet and almost made me cry. I almost felt guilty reading it because all I have felt like doing the last few weeks is giving up!!
Sometimes it just takes one little thing to remind you that other people think you are awesome and that they believe in you! And sometimes that is all it takes for you to believe in yourself again!
So in the name of inspiring and being inspired I leave you with these thoughts.
Remember, even when you don't believe in yourself, someone out their believes in you. Remember, that no matter how much you think you such, someone out their thinks you are awesome. And remember that no matter what there is always someone that loves you!