Ragnar Michigan - Which Way Is North?

A few months ago, a friend from an online running group mentioned wanting to put together a team for the Ragnar Michigan.  I commented that it was interesting, and she replied that she was saving me a place.  I said, “OK”.  I mean, it doesn’t really take any arm twisting to get me to run a race.

As the months went by, the team grew and changed as runners joined up or switched out due to injuries.  The final roster for team Which Way Is North? included several folks that traveled from outside Michigan and had never met in real life.  This is part of the Ragnar spirit - Strangers coming together to share in an intense activity and coming out on the other side as friends.

Ragnar Michigan was my fifth relay race but my first Ragnar.  Previously, I ran the Oahu Perimeter Relay, the Texas Independence Relay, the Capital to Coast Relay, and the Tinajas Ultra Relay.  Tinajas was the only trail relay and didn’t involve loading everyone into vans and traveling from point to point.

The road relays are typically 200 or more miles (Ragnar promotes their races as 200ish) broken down into 36 or more legs.  Teams are generally 12 runners in 2 vans and the two vans leap frog each other over the course, 6 legs at a time.  Ragnar Michigan ran from Muskegon to Traverse City, Michigan.

I arrived in Grand Rapids on Thursday evening and met with the rest of my van at our van captain’s house.  Three of us non-local runners were going to stay at her home for the night.  We loaded our six runners into the van and hit packet pick up where we watched a safety and rules video and checked out the expo.  I replaced a pair of Goodr sunglasses that I lost at a recent race.

Van 1 at packet pick up
Me, Carl, Megan, Bayli, Ashley, and Liz
The Rando with her arms crossed wasn't with us
and she doesn't appear pleased to be in the photo

We got up early the next morning and headed out to the start line.  Van 2 planned to meet us at exchange 6 where their runners would take over.  The temperature was in the high 50’s at 6 AM, which was cold for me.  I layered up with running tights, two long sleeve shirts, and a pair of gloves.  I also had all my required nighttime gear – reflective vest, headlamp, and tail light.

Ready to run Leg 1!

I was runner two, so my first leg was early in the morning.  At the exchange, I was right behind another runner but he was slowly pulling away from me until we had to cross a major intersection.  We stood there so long that two more runners caught up to us and we crossed together as a group.  They were all a bit faster than me and pulled away.  I did manage to pass two other runners on this leg, so our team was only down one overall spot from my leg.

I started out a bit fast (trying to stay with that runner) but felt really good.  The first mile was through some city streets and then we hit a park path.  This was when I realized I was dressed a little too warm for the weather.  I did hit a short section of the course where sprinklers were crisscrossing the sidewalk.  There was no choice but to run through them so I hoped it would cool me down without making me cold or miserable.

The leg was classified as fully van supported but it was three more miles before we came out of the park to a spot where the van would be able to park near the runners.  I saw my team at an intersection near a Walgreens and they cheered me on while I passed.

I finished my 6.4 mile leg in 51:15 (8:03/mile) and felt great.  I like that Ragnar puts a marker on the course one mile before the end of each leg to let you know you’re getting close.  I was paying attention to my watch as I ran and knew where I was while running but it is a huge motivation boost to see that sign near the end of the leg.  I did worry in the weeks leading up to the race about my ability to stay on my predicted pace of 8:00/mile.  I worked hard to keep my conditioning while recovering from an injury but until you race, it’s hard to tell exactly where you stand.  I felt that even if I slowed down a bit on the later legs, I was still in a good spot and was very happy with my performance on the first one.

Happy to be done with Leg 1!

After I handed off the slap bracelet to the next runner, I napped a bit over the next two legs of the race.  I also worked very hard to stay on top of hydration and nutrition.  That was a lesson I learned the hard way in a previous road relay. 

It wasn’t long before I broke out the brand-new cowbell at exchanges.  I got “More cowbell!” at least three times at every exchange from other teams.

 

We met van 2 at exchange 6 and I got to meet all our other runners.  One of the downsides to this type of relay race is that your interactions with the other half of your team is limited to a few minutes at every 6^th exchange point.  The race moves along surprisingly quickly.  The running van is busy keeping tabs on their runner and the resting van is trying to eat, get gas for the van, fins a place to use a clean bathroom, and sleep before they switch roles and become the running van again.  There’s just not much time for social interaction between the two vans during the race.

My second leg started in the late afternoon.  Despite a temperature of 54 degrees, I skipped the running tights and wore a short sleeve shirt over a long sleeve baselayer.  I wore my gloves and a buff and tried to stay warm before the start.

Ready for Leg 2!

The hand off went well and I started out strong.  There was a good grouping of teams at this exchange as many of the staggered start times began catching up to each other.  I had some long straightaways where I could see runners lined up all along the road and I worked to pick them off one at a time.  I did mark one runner that was moving well and passing people regularly, so I gave myself the rest of the leg to catch him and the chase was on.

About halfway through the leg, I was doubting myself a bit.  When I have moments like this, I think about how easy it would be to quit.  To just slow down.  Take it down a notch.  These doubts, I think, are natural.  I think it’s important to know that they happen and to be ready for them.

When I run, particularly during races, I repeat some important phrases over and over to myself.  There are a lot that I use, but there are four that I come back to again and again.

The first two, have become so important to me that I’ve had them tattooed on my body. 

“I don’t have to be fast, I only have to be strong.”  This one is on the race bib on the back of my leg.

“You will want to quit. Don’t you dare.”  This is on my right forearm.

“Don’t let fatigue make a coward of you.” And  – “To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift.” both attributed to Steve Prefontaine.

This last one really resonated with me during this leg.  I thought a lot about where I came from.  It was just over three years ago when I had the strength and courage to save my own life by choosing to live healthier and acting upon that choice.  This got me in my feels a little and I ugly cried some happy tears as I ran for a bit.  I mean, getting through a few miles and catching a few more runners were nothing compared to what I’d already accomplished, and I kept pushing.

With just one mile left, I passed the runner I’d marked at the start of the leg.  He heard me coming and ran like he didn’t want to be passed but after chasing him for 6+ miles, I wasn’t going to let him get away from me.  In total, I got 11 road kills during that leg.  I completed the 7.9 mile leg in 59:56 with a pace of 7:37/mile.  That was 25 seconds faster per mile than my first leg and I still felt strong.

After the leg, I watched for the runner I had chased for so long and congratulated him on a well run leg.  I would not have run as well as I had if I hadn’t set a goal to chase him down.  We chatted about the race a little before heading back to our teams.  This leg ended at a beach and we took a picture with it in the background. 

 

Me, Bayli, Ashley, Megan, and Liz
Carl (not pictured) was running

We met up briefly with our other van briefly at a school to hand off the running duties.  I got a cup of coffee to warm up with at the exchange and we chatted a bit to trade stories about legs and van shenanigans.  

Exchange 18

We stopped for some food on the way to the next major exchange and then got some sleep.  My tracker said I managed a whopping 1 hour 14 minutes of sleep!

Late night silliness
If the meatballs won't fit IN my belly,
 they can just rest ON my belly.

My third leg was another early morning run with reflective gear.  It was 48 degrees and I passed on running tights.  I stuck with a long sleeve baselayer, short sleeve t shirt, gloves and my buff to cover my ears.  I was really tired before the start but eager to be done.  Once I got the slap bracelet, I moved out nicely and started to slowly gain on some runners.  I marked another runner that was moving well but I just couldn’t gain any ground on him.  It seemed every time I tried to close the gap, he would speed up, too. 

Ready for Leg 3!

I moved through the first three miles in the 7:50s/mile range and was surprised by how strong I felt once the sleep fatigue was washed away.  At the start of the fourth mile, we hit a long downhill that lasted most of the next mile.  I worked very hard not to overstride while picking my pace up as much as I could.  I didn’t want to look at my watch but felt that I had to be under 7:30, for sure.  I managed to make up a lot of ground and pass the runner I had marked partway down the hill and knew that once we leveled out again, I’d probably have to push hard to keep ahead of him, as he looked strong when I went by.

Shortly after the downhill leveled off, my watch buzzed and the voice prompt from my Garmin app reported I had a split of 6:56 for that mile.  My fastest mile came in my second to last mile of my last leg!  With a huge downhill, of course, but still!  I managed to hold off that other runner for only another half mile or so and he passed me in the last quarter mile leading up to the exchange.  I did manage to get 5 more road kills during that leg, so for the race, I netted 15 total road kills.  The leg was 5.1 miles and I finished it in 39:02 with an average pace of 7:43/mile. 

Afterwards, my van told me I ran that leg too fast!  I told them to drive to the halfway point or so and wait for me to pass to check on me.  They drove out after the previous runner was ready to go and pulled off to the side of the road to wait for me.  After a long time had passed, they realized that I had beaten them to the waiting spot and they sped off to catch up to me before meeting me at the exchange.  When I pulled into the exchange, they had only recently parked, and the next runner was still a few seconds away from entering the exchange area.

Overall, I feel I had a strong performance.  I was able to keep my predicted goal pace and I felt strong throughout the race.  I finished injury free and, perhaps most importantly, no one tried to murderize me with my own cowbell! 

I had an amazing time and am so thankful for the team captain for putting so much work into getting such a great group of people to all run in the same direction.  I met some online friends for the first time and made some new friends in real life.  Everyone comes in with a unique story and it was an honor to share an adventure with them all and become a part of each of their stories, just as they have all become a part of mine.

Which Way Is North?

Run Hard

Be Grateful

Celebrate Love