2015 Ragnar Cape Cod

I wasn’t going to write a race report for Ragnar Cape Cod since I considered it more of a social event than a competitive one.  I didn’t do any specific training for it.  But, since I ran my legs hard and the efforts might be indicative of my fitness going into summer racing season, I thought it might be worth writing about.  Plus, I thought there might be some runners who’ve thought about running a relay and wonder it’s like.  (For an explanation of how the relay works, see this link on Ragnar’s website).

Pre-Race

Ragnar Cape Cod starts in Hull, Massachusetts and ends in Provincetown, MA.  The trip is a little less than 200 miles.

We drove down the day before and stayed at a hotel very close to the starting area.  Our team was starting very early in the morning.  A couple of teammates and I stopped at Dunkin Donuts on the way to the start to fuel up for the day ahead.  I drank a coffee and ate a bagel with egg and cheese.  We checked in and watched the safety video.  It was a beautiful morning.

I was Runner 3 in Van 1, so my first run was still a few hours away.  We got our first runner geared up and ready to go.  We cheered for her at the start and then hopped in the van to meet her at the first exchange.

Leg 3 – 7.35 Miles
“This is the exchange!”

I was a bit anxious about the distance for my first leg.  The race organizers emailed a few days earlier about a change to this leg and I wasn’t sure I really understood what it meant.  Originally, it was supposed to be a 6.5 mile leg but now, it might be closer to 8.5 miles.  It was also a “Choose Your Own Exchange” leg, which meant we could start the next runner at any point after the 6.5 mile mark of my leg.  We hadn’t discussed when we would make the exchange, though.

We got to Exchange 2, where I would start Leg 3, and I took a last minute look at the directions.  There are blue signs along the route with directions but runners have been known to miss them and get lost.  I had pre-programmed the length of each segment into my Garmin as a fail-safe.  If a new lap started and I hadn’t taken a turn, I would know I went too far.  My teammate finished her leg and I started mine at about 7:30am.

The course was on the sidewalk for the first mile and then transitioned to roads.  I was running on the 6 inches of asphalt between the white line on the road and someone’s lawn.   The terrain was rolling hills.  Coming off the Boston Marathon training, I was less intimidated by the rollers and felt more confident about not slowing down too much on uphills.

I took off a little fast despite the gradual incline of the first mile.  It felt good to run, though, so I didn’t immediately slow myself down.  I passed two or three runners.  I made rough mental notes of these “kills” – the number of runners you pass during the race – but, I wasn’t going to obsessively track them.

I settled in to a comfortably hard pace after the first turn a little before the first mile.  I’m not used to running on the road next to cars.  It was a bit scary when oncoming vehicles approached.  I moved over onto the grass or sand to create more space between them and me.  I wore a singlet and arm warmers and pretty quickly feel like the arm warmers are too warm.  (Temperature in Norwell, MA: High 40s to low 50s and windy).

For the first few miles, I shuffled a bunch of songs on my iPod.  But, a few miles down the road, I switched to a playlist with my recent purchases.  In the end, I listened to these 4 songs over and over again for all three of my legs: “Renegades” by X Ambassadors, “I’m in Here” by Sia,”Chandelier” by Sia, and “Uptown Funk” by Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars.  These four songs are forever imprinted on my brain.

My van drove by and honked during this segment.  They offered “van support”, which is when you stop to cheer for your runner or offer them water or food.  But, I don’t want anything.  A little while later, the van from another team slowed down and asked me if I needed anything.  I thanked them but said I was okay.

After about 3 miles and a few more “kills”, I found myself running alone.  Not seeing any other runners had me worried that I had missed a turn.  Then, it occurred to me that we had probably caught most of the teams that started with us and I was now running to catch up with the earlier teams.

I see the “One Mile to Go” sign at about the 5.2 mile mark but know it’s a lie because of the last minute course change.  A little while later, I reached the downtown area in Norwell.   There are a few vans pulled over on the side of the road and runners are cheering me on, which was encouraging.  I took a left, crossed the road, and pushed the pace on the downhill:

Then, I saw my teammates cheering for me!  I was startled when they tell me this was the exchange.  I was done with my first leg!  I got in the van but stood for a while to let the sweat dry.

Splits (by Garmin): 7:29, 7:40, 7:48, 7:50, 7:44, 7:27, 7:50, 2:39.  7:43 pace overall.
Kills: ~12/Killed: 0. 

Our first exchange with Van 2 occurred at a beach.  The hand-offs between Van 1 and Van 2 are called “major exchanges” since, in addition to port-a-potties, there might be real bathrooms, showers, food, gear, or other amenities available.  This one looked like a scene from Mad Max – sandy and desolate except for a few tents.  It was also incredibly windy.  We found our Van 2 teammates pretty quickly and then went to the Ragnar merchandise tent for some shopping.  It was colder than a lot of people anticipated so warm clothes and blankets were selling fast.

We had a few hours before Van 2 finished their legs and decided to see Plymouth Rock.  While we were in town, we had lunch at a very eclectic restaurant based on the recommendation of a local we passed on the street.  I ate a delicious veggie burger, sweet potato fries, and a couple Diet Cokes.  We see The Rock.  The whole set up seemed suspicious to me and I (jokingly) peppered my teammates with questions about it’s authenticity.

On our ride to the next major exchange where we would meet up with Van 2 again, my stomach was so upset that I thought I was going to throw up.  I think I ate too much for lunch.  I sipped water hoping it would help with digestion.  (This became a van joke, as I wondered how long the veggie burger would be with me).  We drove over the Sagamore Bridge and arrived in Cape Cod.

The next major exchange was at an ice arena.  I got out of the van hoping the fresh air would help my stomach.  Despite being allergic to grass, I laid out until my stomach settled. My teammates and I talked and laughed the afternoon away while we checked for updates on Van 2.  Soon, Runner 12 handed off the snap bracelet to Runner 1, and we were running again.

The scenery turned less suburban and more what I imagined New England fishing towns would look like.

Leg 15 – 4.24 Miles
“Looks like you got a ringer”.

Exchange 14, where I would start my next leg, was next to  a shopping center in Sandwich, MA.  After 6:30pm, runners are required to wear a reflective vest, a headlamp, and a tail light that blinks.  I wear the same outfit as this morning, but without the arm warmers, and all my safety gear.  One of my teammates wisely suggested I bring a blanket to stay warm.  I hesitated but quickly realized it was a good idea.  (Temperature in Mashpee, MA: Mid 50s with calm winds).

It’s hard for me to turn my competitive instincts off and as I waited for our exchange, every runner that left before me was a runner I wanted to catch.  Especially the teams that we seemed to be going back and forth with all day.  My leg was only 4 miles, though, which isn’t a lot of distance to make up time.  As soon as I saw my teammate, I started jumping up and down like a crazy woman with excitement.  It’s about 6:45pm. I grab the slap bracelet and sprint out of the start area.

The first part of the course was through a parking lot.  Then, I took a right onto the sidewalk.  I caught one runner quickly and then saw three more ahead.  I passed them right before taking a left to cross the road at the 1 mile mark.  My van was at this stop light and I waved to them.

I was running on a narrow strip of road like this morning.  It was more congested, though, and passing runners felt riskier.  As I caught the next few runners, I tucked behind them and waited until it felt safe to pass.  I also paused very briefly at a stop light.

About 2 miles into the leg, I heard footsteps behind me.  “What?  Someone’s about to pass me?!”  A tall, male runner whizzed past me and pulled away.  Momentarily, I thought maybe I could stay with him but he was hauling.  I estimated he had to be running sub-6:30 pace if I’m running 7s.

The course went uphill towards the end of the leg and I slowed down a little bit.  At the top of the hill, I knew I was almost finished and managed to find another gear.  I crossed the road and sprinted into the chute at the exchange.  A runner from another team comes up to me and my teammate to compliment me on how fast I am.  We joked about stealing me away from my team.

Splits: 6:57, 7:11, 7:01, 7:03, 1:38.  7:02 pace overall.
Kills: ~7 or 8/Killed: 1.

I walked with my teammate to the van and drank some water.  Over the next few legs, I also ate a mini bagel with peanut butter.  My stomach was finally ready for food.

The driver noticed we were low on gas and we started looking for a gas station.  It seemed like we were in a nice sized town but oddly, there weren’t many gas stations.  And, the few we drove by were already closed even though it was only about 7:45pm in the evening.  Finally, we pulled up to one that seemed open but just as we were going inside to look at snacks, we realized – it was closed!  The attendant was still there and after a lot of pleading, we convinced him to turn the pump back on.  There wasn’t another gas station for miles and we were sure we would run out of gas.

There was a turn mid-way through the next leg that looked pretty tricky, so we stopped to make sure our runner went the right way.  While we were there, we stopped a couple of other runners from going the wrong way.  There happened to be a convenience store there so I bought a Vitamin Water and ate some potato chips.

The next major exchange was at a school in Hyannis, MA.  We got there at around 9:30pm.  I thought I would be running my last leg at an ungodly hour but now I’m sure of it. I used the port-a-potty and then saw the exchange between the Van 1 and Van 2 runners.

Back at the van, I lay down in the back seats and tried to get some rest.  It was difficult to sleep, though, because the ride was bumpy and there was a seat belt pressing against my side.  I decided the most comfortable position was facing the back of the seats.  Plus, with five other people in the van,  there’s a lot going on.  I poked my head up a few times or listened in on conversations.  At one point, we were parked by a beautiful lighthouse.  And a bit down the road, I thought I heard we went to the wrong exchange.  At the next major exchange, the van went to bed.  It would be about 2 hours until Van 2 would arrive.  I managed to get some sleep – maybe a half hour to an hour.

Everyone in the van was up and moving at around 1am. When I woke up, I changed into a long sleeve shirt for my last run.  I searched my bag for a pair of half tights I thought I packed but apparently decided to leave behind.  We got coffee from volunteers at the school.  It was the best coffee I’d had in ages.  Someone gets a text from Van 2 that said they’re at the exchange waiting for us!  We’re late!  We rushed over to the chute and our first runner was off.

Leg 27 – 9.43 Miles
“Do you want a salt pill?!”

When our first runner got back, she said she thought it was humid outside.  I decided to put the sweat-soaked singlet I wore on my two previous runs back on.  It was disgusting but I’d only packed the one singlet.  We provided van support for our second runner and she asked us to take her jacket, which confirmed for me that a long sleeve might be too warm.

We reached Exchange 26, where my last leg would begin.  I got out of the van to use the port-a-potty and immediately felt cold.  When I got back in the van, I hurriedly changed back into the long sleeve, pinned on my bib, and put on all my night-time running gear.  Once again, I followed a teammates sage advice to take a blanket with me to the chute.  (Temperature in Brewster, MA: High 40s with fog and mist).

I was also nervous about this leg but for different reasons.  The course seemed fine but I thought it would be difficult to run 9 miles fast at 2 o’clock in the morning on little to no sleep.  I told my teammates I wasn’t sure I would be able run fast and, of course, they said it didn’t matter. We chatted with the race volunteer who was logging when each runner that arrived at the exchange while we waited for our runner.

Runner 2 came into the chute.  I was excited to see her and get this leg over with.  She goes to take the slap bracelet off her wrist and… it’s not there!  It must have come off when we took her jacket!  The panicked look on her face was priceless and it erased any nerves I was feeling.  We asked the check-in volunteer if we needed it and he said we did.  Another volunteer went to get one for us while my teammate ran to the van to see if she could find our extra.  She came back empty handed but the volunteer found one for us.  We formally make the exchange at about 2:45am and I took off.

I didn’t enjoy the terrain or conditions on this leg at all.  The leg started with a half mile downhill and then went uphill for 1.5 miles.  My legs weren’t feeling all that great but surprisingly, I was still running at marathon pace.  Once again, I’m running facing traffic on a sliver of asphalt.  It was even worse now because I was in the middle of nowhere and it was pitch black.  With the fog, the light from my headlamp created this strange cloudy, halo effect that made it hard to focus.  And, I thought I was seeing critters running across the road just ahead of my light.  The oncoming vehicles were even more scary to me at night.  At the 2 mile mark, I took a left.  The course flattened out and I was in a neighborhood now and there was an occasional street light.  I felt a little better. After a right turn at mile 3, the course went downhill for a while.  I lengthened my stride and actually felt good.  In fact, I worried I might be running too hard and pulled back a little.

The van pulled alongside me and the driver asked if I needed anything.  I yelled that I was okay and waved them on.  I wasn’t going to stop or slow down for anything unless I absolutely had to.  A little down the road, I approached the van again and she asked if I needed anything.  Again, I indicated that I was okay.  Then, I heard her ask, “Do you want a salt pill?!”  I waved that off, as well, and they drove off.  (This would become something we joked about a lot after my leg.  My teammates could tell I just wanted to be left alone after that point).

At the end of the road, 6 miles into the leg, I crossed the street and then took a right onto the rail trail.  The van was waiting there for me but I didn’t want any support.  The trail was completely dark – my headlamp seemed to be the only light source for miles.  It’s so desolate that I was afraid I took a wrong turn.  I convince myself that there was no way I could have.  After a half mile or so, I saw another runner’s blinking tail light.  I’m relieved.  And, now I have someone to run after.

It was very strange running on the trail.  It was pitch black.  Without any visual references, it was hard to get a sense for time and distance.  I passed a few runners on the trail.  A couple were walking and I gave them encouragement as I passed them.  The water stop was at the 8 mile mark but by that point, there was no way I was going to stop.  My left hamstring was barking a little but I pushed through it.

There’s a lit area in the distance that was becoming brighter and brighter so I assume the exchange must be just ahead.  I turned left to leave the trail and quicken my pace.  I handed-off the slap bracelet to two teammates who were going to run the next two legs together.  Another teammate wrapped me in a blanket.  I’m done!

I’m pretty happy with how I ran my legs.  I ran two pretty long marathon paced runs and the pace didn’t feel terrible.  I also ran the shorter run the same pace as I raced the Fairfax 4 Miler on New Year’s Eve.

Splits: 7:43, 7:47, 7:32, 7:29, 7:22, 7:51, 7:42, 8:14, 7:58, 3:10.  7:44 pace overall.
Kills: ~7 or 8/Killed: 0.

The final major exchange is always so interesting to me because it’s the first time I get a sense for how many teams are running the race.  I hung out at the chute so I could welcome the last Van 1 runner back.  Van 1 was finished!

We started our drive to Provincetown.  We stopped at a Dunkin Donuts only to discover they didn’t have any food!  We get coffee and continued our journey.  Our van got to “P Town” at about 7am.  We tried to check in to our hotel but the rooms aren’t ready.  Instead, we loitered in town until a diner finally opened at 8am.  At around 10:30am, we made our way to the finish line area.  We’re there for a little while, but eventually, everyone except our last runner was reunited.  We all ran with her for the final 100 yards or so.  We are finished!

Post-Race

There was a post-race party at the Pilgrim Monument.  Every runner got a complimentary beer and a bowl of clam chowder.  We stayed for about an hour before heading back to the hotel for the best nap ever and then a night out on the town.

Over the next couple of days, the van broke up as we all went back to our real lives.  Each departure was sad, but one of our teammates quoted Dr. Seuss who said, “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile smell because it happened.”  I’m going to miss these smart, strong, funny, fast, beautiful, resourceful, and caring women.  I can’t wait until the van comes back together again.

Epilogue

Next, I really need to figure out a training plan for this summer.

Abridged Version

I ran about 7:40 pace for my 7 and 9 mile legs and 7:00 pace for my 4 mile leg.  My stomach was upset for some of the race.  I got about an hour of sleep.  I did not want a salt pill on my last leg.  My hamstring felt okay until the last few miles.