It's been two years since I last ran a relay race, but I ran Ragnar Napa Valley for the first time this year and really enjoyed myself.
My relay team consisted of Michael Nuttall, John Donley, Chris Goddard, Dave Mickle, and Todd Miller. With the exception of Dave, the entire team had been running Ragnar together for the past four years and their experience with the logistics of the relay really showed.
I was the ninth runner in our twelve person team and ran for a total of 15.46 miles with an average pace of 6:53 per mile over a total gain of 388ft.
I started my first leg around 1:00 PM in the afternoon on Friday with a temperature of around 82 degrees. This leg of the relay snaked through some residential neighborhoods before heading out to some more rural farmland. I mostly ran on sidewalks and the road shoulder.
My mile splits were: 6:30, 6:27, 6:37, 7:04, 7:21, and 7:30 across a total distance of 6.01 miles. The heat in conjunction with the gain in elevation slowed me down more than I would have liked but overall I felt good about finishing with an average pace of 6:55 for this leg.
I started off on my second leg just before 2:00 AM on Saturday. The temperature fortunately was hovering just around 50 degrees which made the leg much more comfortable to run. The leg itself took the shape of rough a right angle and was fairly flat and straight almost entirely on the shoulders of rural roads outside of Fulton, CA.
My mile splits were: 6:52, 7:08, 7:04, 7:05, 6:54, and 6:46 across a total distance of 5.33 miles. I was happy with how consistently I kept my splits and ran slower because of the uneven terrain and the low visibility my headlamp provided. Going into the run I had slept very little and had consumed a double burger, french fries, and two large cokes earlier in the evening.
Overall I was really happy with the result given the conditions and finished with an average page of 7:00.
I began my final leg of the relay just before noon on Saturday. The temperature was back up to 80 degrees but because this leg was short I was able to push myself. The leg cut directly through downtown Sonoma and largely consisted of sidewalks and a bicycle path that snaked through a public park.
My mile splits were 6:30, 6:50, 6:53, and 6:51 across a total distance of 4.12 miles. I was happy with this finish and with how I performed despite the heat. I finished this leg with an average pace of 6:46.
I couldn't have asked for a better group to have run the race with and walked away from the weekend feeling great. I'm looking forward to doing more of these soon.
My relay team consisted of Michael Nuttall, John Donley, Chris Goddard, Dave Mickle, and Todd Miller. With the exception of Dave, the entire team had been running Ragnar together for the past four years and their experience with the logistics of the relay really showed.
I was the ninth runner in our twelve person team and ran for a total of 15.46 miles with an average pace of 6:53 per mile over a total gain of 388ft.
Dave, Todd, myself, Chris, John, and Mike waiting at Exchange 6.
My mile splits were: 6:30, 6:27, 6:37, 7:04, 7:21, and 7:30 across a total distance of 6.01 miles. The heat in conjunction with the gain in elevation slowed me down more than I would have liked but overall I felt good about finishing with an average pace of 6:55 for this leg.
Ragnar Leg 9 - 6.01 miles through Novato, CA.
My mile splits were: 6:52, 7:08, 7:04, 7:05, 6:54, and 6:46 across a total distance of 5.33 miles. I was happy with how consistently I kept my splits and ran slower because of the uneven terrain and the low visibility my headlamp provided. Going into the run I had slept very little and had consumed a double burger, french fries, and two large cokes earlier in the evening.
Overall I was really happy with the result given the conditions and finished with an average page of 7:00.
Ragnar Leg 22 - 5.33 miles through Fulton, CA.
My mile splits were 6:30, 6:50, 6:53, and 6:51 across a total distance of 4.12 miles. I was happy with this finish and with how I performed despite the heat. I finished this leg with an average pace of 6:46.
Ragnar Leg 33 - 4.12 miles through Sonoma, CA.