"Ready To Run" - Dixie Chicks

Sorry, first I must say I was a little freaking excited when I entered my mileage today and saw that February = 329 miles. 
I was planning on taking a "rest" day tomorrow but then these babies came:

And I follow orders. ;)

Ragnarrelay.com defines a "Ragnar" as:

An overnight running relay race that makes testing your limits a team sport. A team is made up of 6-12 individuals; each individual runs 3 legs. The legs of the race vary in difficulty and distance, from 3-8 miles, allowing elite and novice runners to run together. Over 2 days and 1 night, teams run across 200 miles of the country’s most scenic terrain. Pair that with crazy costumes, inside jokes, a great finish line party and unforgettable stories. Some call it a slumber party without sleep, pillows or deodorant. We call it Ragnar.

I call it, "a freaking must do event".

I'm not going to do the timeline of events - - that would take way too freaking long.

Instead, I will list way too many details as to why this rocked, why this was an event like any other I've done & what I'd suggest for anyone wanting to do this race.

*  I underestimated the "party" factor.  Sure people were out here to run but they were out there to have fun doing it - loved that.
* We started in Wickenburg - ya, I was freezing, as always. [nice face, right?]

*  Some awesome outfits/costumes included:  Forrest Gump, Mitt Romney [we smell like Mitt], Men in Speedos,

Women looking like they just stepped off the pole [sorry that's the only way to put it], Team of super heros, 80's disco crew complete with music, Cast from TOP GUN [TOP RUN] - loved that . . . .awesome.

* Having Mandi as our team captain.  Ya, this woman . . . .she's amazing.  I'm pretty sure the fact I loved this was because she made it run smoothly.  Even down to the stink / stank factor - this girl had it covered.

Thank you Mandi!
* I was runner #1 - so I had the first 14.1[ish] miles.  Then I'd sit for the next 10[ish hours] and run again around 8pm. 
* Ya, I'm pretty sure we had the best team ever.  Not only was I with 5 of the coolest "Cholla Chicks" - I was adopted, I was with two of their husbands [driver/co-pilot] who were beyond amazing.  Seriously, a van with 6 women for 31[ish] hours = sainthood.  I'm sure of it.
* Pretty incredible to be in a van for that long and have zero issues - zero - yes - zero.
*  These Cholla Chicks are pretty hard core.  OK - they are freaking hard core & they are pretty.  And Jeff [Christy's hubby] & Ked [Mandi's hubby] even though they called us their "sister wives"  - - - freaking rock stars.  Cannot express THAT enough.
* We had a 15 passenger van [back seat removed].  Best layout ever.  You could stand up in this baby.  Ideal for stretching.  The girl who had finished running would take to the back area of the van.  Baby wipe shower, stretching, sleeping bags & food.
awesome.
* Jeff was the best with his water bottle hand-offs.  He'd run with me as I drank.  Super awesome.
* cow bell mania.  Sure there were the normal "lull" periods when the bells didn't ring as much, we all got tired....duh...but the support was always there.
*  It was hot.  Lucky for me I ran at 9:30am, 8pm, 6:45am - which were all amazing weather wise.  I had one run at noon [I think] that was only 6 [ish] miles but felt freaking hot.
* Love salty butterfly crotch.

* All and all ------ incredible.
* Loved the finish line.

* loved Emily pushing through at the end with a very sore hip.

* Loved that my views on "Ragnar" were changed....... completely.
* Loved that I got to run 43.2 miles [not my planned 37].
* Love that I had to run one more mile on my Treadmill at home so it'd be 44 miles.
* Love my new treadmill decor

* Love that I altered it because I'm a little peeved they don't do an "ultra" sticker

or medal for that matter.

* The Pita was happy I was " gone runnin' " as it provided him time to buy a-yet-freaking-nother gun.  How many guns can one person have?

Where is my contact info for my peep at Woodway?  ;)
Anyway . . .
* This was one of the best experiences ever.  I've done a trail 50 miler.  I treadmill 100 miler. . . . . and this was unlike either of them.  A different type of demanding put on the body.  A different mental game.

*I'll be doing this again, no question.

BUT . . .

I want to do it with four.
A four person Ragnar relay.
50 miles each.
So, I'm looking for three takers. . . . . . .

 . . . . who's in?

"Love Ultra" - Dwele

Actually . . . .

"FREAKING" - Love Ultra[s] but no one seems to have written that song title just yet.

So a few months back, Mandi asked me if I'd be interested joining her Ragnar [6 women - ultra] team.  Heck ya, I would.

best. decision. ever.

Truth time.

This is how the conversation went down with the Pita when I told him about it.

Me:  Mandi asked me to do a Ragnar with her!
Pita:  sweet.  when, where, blah, blah
Me: February, Wickenburg to Tempe.  It's an ultra.
Pita:  So you run an ultra 3 times?
Me:  No a total of 37-ish miles
Pita:  then that's not an ultra.
Me:  well, it kinda is
Pita:  It's kinda not too
Me:  explain mister
Pita:  well . . . .  do you run 20 miles on Friday then 6.2 miles on Friday night and say you "ran a marathon"?

I'm sure I'll tick a few people off at some point during this write up.  Sorry, in advance, if our opinions differ.  First, you must know, I am married to the Pita.  This husband of mine speaks his mind and I actually agree with some of it, some of the time.

So before I write up my review of this freaking awesome race, I have a question for you . . . . .

* *What do you consider an ultra?* *

Way too long race report to come tomorrow!!

"The Race" [that wasn't one - IMS AZ Marathon] - Wiz Khalifa

Soooooooooooo
my
"it"
race . . . .

Ya, it wasn't "it".

[Thanks Albert]

Which was good & bad.

The good part is . . .

I didn't find out at mile 16, 20 or 22 it wasn't my race.
 . . . I knew, 3 weeks prior, it wasn't going to be MY race.

and

I knew I'd get to meet the one and only Miss Zippy.  Her blog was one of the very first running blogs I ever followed . . . best. find. EVER.

and

That I'd get Racing Dawn here to stay with me for four days [which should have been 5 but whatever] ;)

The Bad . . .

Well, mostly that I was not, even remotely, feeling close to 100%

and

that I want this freaking "BQ like a man" thing pretty freaking bad.  I know I was "there" in my training in October/November [insert a huge . . . . uggggg]

And oh this other little thing . . . . .

that I'm slightly FREAKING competitive [with myself].

Anddddddddddddddd

just so I didn't wake up race day morning and TRY to race it . . . .

I. did. this.

What?
Most normal people destroy the backing off their race bib, right?!

So here we are race morning:

Normal:

And not quite as normal:

We did bump in to SR, staying warm in Basha's [smart girl].  Who kinda killed this course.  Congrats SR!

The weather was fabulous.  Like the most perfect of all perfects.

Some mid run photos:

Ya, thanks for this one Dawn. :/

After Dawn got her SUGAAA:

Shoulda been Twizzlers, just sayin'.

Here's the finish shot [thanks MOM!]

All. Smiles.

After the "after shot":

Not going to lie. . . . I teared up two times out on the course {anger/sadness} that this day wasn't my new PR day.  [kinda doesn't help when you've told other runners (that you get to know from other races) that this was going to be THE DAY.]

But this was what was best for this day.

I am beyond grateful to have a best friend by my side for the whole ride.

And parents who will always be there racing or not.  Always there to support me.

a l w a y s.

So while I'm not super sure "what's next" for me.

I do know . . .

1.  This was one awesome weekend
2.  I love this race/course
3.  I will still get my 3:0x
4.  I am one blessed woman
5.   ............ And this Ragnar with My Cholla Chicks this weekend, will be one big huge tutu, hairy man, pickle juice drinking . . . party!

"Tight" - INXS [Aspaeris Pivot Shorts Review]

Compression.

I freaking love me some compression.

A few weeks ago, I was lucky enough to receive some Aspaeris Pivot shorts.

I've always been a fan of compression SOCKS but I had never tried a compression short before.

Why?

Well, I was worried that I'd look like an overstuffed sausage for one. Those suckers are tight. Tight on thighs can sometimes yield . . . . ummmmm, not favorable results.

Second, I know how I feel about a MAN in biker shorts . . .

[too visual]

I probably don't want to even see "The Rock" in biker-esque shorts. ok, that one . . .

Wait. . . now . . .I'm . . . . ummm not so sure.

A n y w a y . What was I saying?

Ahhhhhh, ok.

They came . . . .

These suckers are tight - perfectly tight. They looked like they'd fit 11 year old Peanut way better than me but once they were on . . . . they felt amazing.

17 miles later.

I now have a new favorite pair on long run COMPRESSION shorts.

Ya, I loved them.

These rocked.

They without question receive the 5 out of 5 pickle rating.

So out of four 11+ mile days -- I wore them for three [yes, I do two loads of laundry daily - no worries on the smell-o-meter].

The only sad part. . . . taking them off . . . no joke. As soon as I take them off I want them back on.

So my only problem is that I wish I could wear them post run too [need more pairs, maybe blue & red to support my Wildcats at U of A]. ;)

So a big fat huge "thank you" to Aspaeris for letting me try these out.

Happy Friday!!

QUESTION:

Do you rock compression gear?
Socks?
Shorts?
Tights?

"Fit" - Better Than Ezra [PureFit Bar Review]

So you all know I don't do many reviews.  [In 2.5 years, I've done four]

I only agree to do a review if it's something I've been busting to try.

. . . . . . Enter. . . .  PureFit Bars.

I loved the fact that they are:

* all natural
* gluten free

and

* Wheat free
* dairy free

and

* vegan
* kosher
* high protein

and

* low-glycemic
* don't melt [super important in Arizona]

The nutritional profile . . freaking awesome.
The flavors . . . loved them .. . . . well minus the chocolate brownie.

Not a chocolate brownie fan. 
My favorite . . . . . . Berry Almond Crunch. 

Holy. Freaking. Yum.

I suck at eating right after my long runs and I did find these very easy to eat post run.  On the plus side, they go with pickle juice quite well. ;)

So given my pickle-meter . . .

I'd give these 4.5 out of 5 pickles.

QUESTION:

V-day plans?
Do you give your significant other a gift? or just a card?

"Mother" - Ashanti

one day late

and

4.4 million dollars short.

Happy. [70th] Birthday. To. MY. Mom.

Mom.
Nana.
Nurse.
Psychologist.
Chef.

f r i e n d.

Here are only a few of the reasons I freaking adore you Mom.

* I love that you check on me. Every day.
* I love this photo - one of my 5 favorites.

[love that you are relaxing with me & I really would like that wood paneling.]
* I love that you were there when Peanut was born.
* I love that you and Madeline were friends - because it gave me my first best friend at birth.

[but honestly, what did you feed me? I'm a freaking giant]
* I love that you are funny.
* I love that you always encourage me.

* supportive - like in everything. I know you'll hate this photo because you've lost some mad poundage since then but . . . . I love that you drove to Tucson to see my legs cramp up . . .

[note, Dad's awesome sunglasses]

* I love that just you and I Farmer Fanny, went to Puerto Vallarta

* I love this stealth looking photo of you.

[ya, my time has expired, I dare you to give me a ticket.]
* I love the relationship you have with Peanut.
* I love how many photos I have of you and her together.

* I love that you were an amazing [are still are an amazing] cook.

[love the top of the head kiss]
* I love what an awesome grandma you are . . . I mean seriously . . what other grandma does this . . ? . . .

* I love this photo of you and I [yes, I even love my smile lines]. But we should probably work on NON-race day photos of you and I together.

* I'm thankful that after this happy photo - they didn't get the "after" photo where I shoved it in your face and you got ummmmm, not so happy at me.

* Thank you for doing 90% of what it took to make the 24 hour run a HUGE success. *DISCLAIMER - I HATE and LOVE this photo*

Hate: because seriously, I look beyond horrible.
Love: because I remember exactly what I had said to you and Shar 20 seconds earlier.

* Thank you for the hot breakfast every school day. Yes, EVERY.
* Thank you for taking me to aerobics with you. For without you I'd have never known canned green beans and beets ever could have been used as weights.
* Thank you for traveling with me for Junior Olympic [Austin, Vegas, Tampa . . ]
* Thank you for letting me hold your hand when nothing else would ever / could ever take it's place.
* Thank you for having my back - when sometimes - others didn't.
* Thank you for having another child. I know the story well. I'm super glad "emily" came. [my brother and sisters???? well, I know they are learning to love me.] ;)

Happy 70th to you MY Mom.
I adore you.

With all the freaking love I've got,
Emz

"220" - t.A.T.u. [and winner, winner, winner]

So it's WAD.

Wacky Ankle Distress?
Worry And Die?
Wonky Achilles Disco?
Weird Ache Damage?
Want A Drink?

Nooooooooooooooo...........

winner
announcement
day

So here's the math [I suck at math so feel free to check it].

7 outdoor marathons:

Phoenix
Surprise
Glendale
Boston
Seattle
Pocatello
Vegas

= 183.4

Plus the 10k with Peanut

= 189.6

Plus my 9 mile run where...it sucked & I almost died. [ok, ok, I didn't]

= 198.6

Plus 3 miles run with Peanut at run club

= 201.6

Plus three separate 5 mile hill runs

= 216.6

Plus four miles, one random day in November, when I had lost my brain.

= 220.6

So out of 3,204.44 miles in 2011 . . . .

220.6 were run outside.

Which makes the winner . . .

Holy. crap.

two people said 227.  Which was the closest answer.

So I went down the the time the answers were submitted . . .

And

Jenna Z -- ding ding ding YOU win!!

Dancing runner - - please also send me your address and I've got a few pretty sweet things to send you too!

please email me at runemzrun [at] gmail [dot] com

Now for my Friday question . . . .

** How many miles to you run to warrant putting on your compression socks? **

"Emily" - Elton John

So I was tagged again to do 11 [super] random fact about me by Emily.
Emily of Unicorns On Roller Skates .

If you don't follow her . . . you must.

And while your at it . . . follow her on twitter . . . she's a freaking riot!
[totally stole this photo without permission]
Her questions for me:

1. Why do you run?
Hmmmm. Pretty sure I'd be mentally unstable, if I didn't.  Yes, this IS stable.

2. What is your favorite childhood memory? Why?
Birthday dinners.
The menu, the song, the cake shoving . . . bliss.
3. If you could be anything other than your current profession, what would you be and why?
Truly.  Wouldn't change a thing.  Kinda feel like I'm "living the dream".

4. Favorite City you have run in or raced.
Whangaparaoa.  New Zealand.

5. Favorite late night snack
Healthy - blueberries
Not - In -N- Out.

6. Describe yourself best in 3 words
Driven. Sensitive. Loyal.
or
Holy.freaking.nuts.

7. What is your drink of choice? Alcoholic or Non?(drink that is)
Workout drink - Pickle juice
All other times - Muscle milk
unless I need a Rockstar, Monster or diet coke.

8. What kind of vitamins do you take? Why? Certain brand?
Crap what DON'T I take?
I produce the worlds most expensive pee.
Let's see:  Multi vit, vit D, calcium, Glucosa-whatever, vit C, hair and nail blend from Hi-health, Flax seed oil & fish oil.

9. How do you sleep? On your back, side, pillow btw the legs...
Side sleeper. Three pillows.  two under head.  one between legs.

10. Your first pets name and your moms maiden name? 
Pretty sure these are my credit card security questions --- so I'll lie and say..
Dog "roscopecotrain"
and Maiden name: "Hickey"

11. Favorite Book. How many times have your read it?
"The Happiness Project".  Ummmmm.  Still working on it, but I swear it's my favorite.

Thanks Em!

** Also, if you haven't yet . . . . click here to enter my pretty freaking awesome give-a-way! **