Don't Let Me Fall Behind

[Jukebox the Ghost]

I've been struggling since the marathon 2 weeks ago. I've run once. A 7.5 mile run this last Sunday. I haven't stopped working out: I swim, bike, lift weights, and do the elliptical. None of these are as satisfying as a good run. But, that marathon did me in.

So, when Lisa of Run Wiki emailed me saying that she had some running spots open for the Nuun Hydration Ragnar Wasatch Back team, I was beyond myself.



First, following Lisa's blog... She's not a novice runner by any means. She runs for the Oiselle Running team, is a certified RRCA coach, a Fitfluential and Nuun Embassador, and the list goes on. How cool that she thought of me?! [I mean convenience was one thing -- I am in Utah -- but still!]

Secondly, am I ready to tackle another race? So soon? I know I said I was taking away the marathon as a "positive" experience, but I can't seem to shake the feeling of disappointment in myself. I find out if I get into the St. George Marathon on May 16th and I was, secretly, kind of crossing my fingers I didn't -- only because running a marathon in September seemed TOO soon. Haha.

But, this is RAGNAR! It's supposed to be a blast. And though I've tried to get a team together, year after year it just don't even get anywhere close to being a possibility. This might be my only chance to run this...

After emailing the team captain(?), Megan, I was informed this wasn't JUST any old Ragnar (12 member) team. This was a (6 member) ULTRA team!! I've done countless races -- but I never REALLY pictured myself doing an Ultramarathon. That's anywhere between 30 and 100 miles. Most lying around 50 miles. After looking at the legs, I would need to run about 30-40 miles during the course of Ragnar.

[Insert anxiety]

But I had a voice telling me that I had to do this. I mean it's an ULTRA! You HAVE to do this!

Plus, I needed something exciting. Something to look forward to. Something to motivate me to run.

This would be that.

...And more importantly, I've learned that doing a race WITH someone is better than doing a race WITHOUT someone. Running a race with a team of support... a team of avid runners.. that sounds completely AWESOME! (Plus, I'd get to finally meet the incredible Lisa. Bonus!)

I'm in.

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One last comment. Lisa ran her first Boston Marathon this year. Her posts about witnessing the bombing was heart wrenching. I highly recommend reading those posts:

On the Boston Tragedy
Boston Marathon before the Bombings
Part 2: After the Finish Line at the Boston Marathon

Also, if you enjoyed her posts. Check her out on twitter, too:  Lisa on Twitter