Life's Helmet: October 2011

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Running Ragged in Vegas

This last weekend I had the opportunity to participate in the Las Vegas Ragnar with a group of friends. A Ragnar is a 188-mile running relay which usually consists of 12 team members. Since the distance is so long, the team splits into two vans and rotates running over a period of 1-2 days. Needless to say, we were pretty exhausted by the end of the trip.

Since it would take way too long to write down all of the memories from the trip, I figured I'd summarize by listing the top ten things I learned during Ragnar. Drum roll please...

1. 12 girls in 1 van is CRAZY! - On the way to and from Vegas we all traveled in one 12-passenger van. I'm not gonna lie, it was chaotic but it was one of the highlights of the trip. With that many people in one car you get to know each other VERY well, VERY quickly.

2. Heat + Hills = One Miserable Run - While the distance of the run wasn't too bad, the combination of the heat, hills, and exhaustion made the run much more difficult. The daytime runs were brutal with the heat beating down on us. I like to think of myself as being pretty tough but I can honestly say that the elements made this run much more difficult than I originally anticipated.

3. Never underestimate how fast a pregnant girl can run - When running my nighttime leg, I watched as my team pulled the van over and started getting out of the car. I assumed they were stopping to give me water so I just waved them away telling them I was fine. Moments later I felt someone touching my back only to realize that 24-week pregnant Melissa had chased me down to get me to stop and put on a new "butt" light.

4. The more variety, the better - The personalities of the girls on our team couldn't have been more different. As you can see from the pictures, our team was made up of some real "weirdo's" which made it all the more crazy. Luckily, we had a few that were more "normal" than others (i.e. me) to level "the crazies" out. ;-)

5. If you think getting a tattoo is a good idea, think again - When checking-in for the race, all team members received a Ragnar temporary tattoo. While the "tatt's" seemed like a good idea at the time, we failed to consider the fact that we would be in the sun for the next 2 days. The result? My temporary tattoo has now turned into a "not so temporary" tan line.

6. Don't ~~talk~~ flirt with strangers - One of our team members, Annie, is extremely outgoing and talked to EVERYONE we came across on the trip. One particular man that she met took a liking to her and continued to pop-up unannounced throughout the run. Although it was a bit creepy, it became a fun game trying to guess where he would pop-up next. Runner #7....

7. Don't expect to get much sleep in a van - When the vans switched off, the group that wasn't running had the opportunity to get some food and a little shut-eye. While the getting food part was easy, the sleeping part was a bit more difficult. Although there were only 6 of us in the van, the combination of sore muscles, seat belts, and the cold made sleeping pretty much impossible. By the time our last legs came around we were all pretty drained.

8. Friends don't let friends run 6 miles UPHILL alone - One of our best runners had the toughest leg on the last day which consisted of 10 miles - 6 straight uphill and 4 downhill. After getting a cramp at mile 2 she sucked it up and ran another 3 miles. Although she could have finished it on her own, we as a team jumped in and helped her get to the top of the hill. After getting that short break she was able to finish the leg like the "racehorse" that she is.

9. Walking the Vegas Strip after Ragnar is a bad idea - After finishing the race we planned to check-in to our hotel, get cleaned up, and enjoy a night-out in Vegas. However, when walking to the restaurant for dinner we quickly realized what a horrible idea that really was. I'm sure we looked pretty pathetic hobbling up and down Las Vegas Blvd. Needless to say, our husbands didn't have much to worry about that night. ;-)

10. You quickly forget the low's - I can vividly remember thinking during my last leg that I would NEVER do Ragnar again. In my head I was cursing the girls who dragged me into this thing and couldn't understand why 3 short runs in a 2-day period were kicking my butt so badly. But it didn't take long to forget the pain and be ready to do it again. The weekend was full of high's and low's but all I seem to remember now are the positive experiences.

I think it's pretty safe to say that Ragnar will go down in my book as one of the most memorable experiences of my life. Never before have I walked away from a group event where I have felt so loyal to the people I was with. I hope I have the opportunity to do it again in the future! Go team!

Everything Tastes Better On A Stick

Let me first say that I've been told many times that I'm not the most "conventional" mom. From wheeling my daughter around in a wheelchair at the airport to dressing her up in doll clothes, I'm very well aware of the fact that I often do weird things to entertain my child.

On one particular day, Maeli "decked" herself out in jewelry right before we went outside to play. When meal time rolled around, she refused to eat because she was too busy playing with a stick. In an effort to get her to eat, I decided to pop the food onto her stick. I know it's not the most sanitary thing, but she was completely enthralled and gobbled the food right up. She then proceeded to eat the entire meal off her stick. I know that the day will soon come when I won't be able to win any battles with this girl so I'd like to make note of this small victory. Until next time, Maeli Grace!

Busy Weekend

This last weekend was a busy one with us visiting the Phoenix Children's Museum on Friday night and Schnepf Farms on Saturday. Since the museum hosts a free night on the first Friday of every month, the museum was totally packed. We went with some friends in the ward and I think we were all pretty exhausted after trying to keep track of our kids in the madhouse.

On Saturday we toned things down a bit by visiting Queen Creek's main attraction, Schnepf Farms. The weather was perfect and Maeli enjoyed a day of train rides, giant slides, pig races, a petting zoo, and most importantly, playing in the dirt. And to wrap up the fun, Maeli got to pick out her very own pumpkin. It was a busy weekend but was the perfect way to kick off the holiday season!