Barefoot Brenna
Posts tagged with "Eat Blog Run"
Finally, a recap of The Relay with my awesome team Eat Blog Run!
First, a little explanation of The Relay. With our 12-woman team, we ran 200 miles from Calistoga to Santa Cruz. We started at 7am on Saturday and didn’t finish until about 7pm on Sunday. Yep, about 36 hours round the clock of running. Our team was split up into 2 vans and while the 6 girls in one van were taking turns running, the other 6 were eating and sleeping. For a really awesome recap, check out my teammate Kari’s blogpost because she rules and ran her first leg in VFFs!
Here’s a summary of my runs:
LEG 1 - 9.7 miles - 4pm on Saturday (9:30 avg pace)
I already gave a little recap of this run here. Ranked “very hard” this 8.9 mile run with 1000+ ft elevation gain in the first 3 miles just wasn’t “very hard” enough for me so I decided to miss a turn and tack on nearly an extra mile. Oh and I passed 3 dudes during the first 3 hilly miles!
LEG 2 - 4.2 miles - 6am on Sunday (7:51 avg pace)
After 3 hours of sleep on a patch of grass near the Golden Gate Bridge we were off running again. My 2nd run was ranked “easy” so I decided to carry along a walkie talkie to entertain my team back in the van. I think all I really ended up saying was that I saw Bigfoot and it smelled like weed. Oh and I did a sweet jump during my run and my brother caught it on video.
LEG 2.2 - 2.1 miles - 8am on Sunday (8:59 avg pace)
One of our teammates had an injury so we split up her runs. I did a little bit of her 2nd run for her.
LEG 3 - 6 miles - 4pm on Sunday (9:39 avg pace)
I ran this “very hard” run in my underwear and sports bra. Well and my sparkle skirt, reflector vest and knee-high argyle “compression socks”. I ran by a Bigfoot Museum then the 2 miles of straight uphill started. A guy in front of me was running diagonally back and forth to cut the steepness. While one of his teammates was videotaping him from the sidelines, I caught up to him and said “Nice technique! I eat hills for lunch!” I offered him some of my Gatorade before I passed him. Once I hit the last mile, I ditched my shoes and socks. It felt really good, even when a huge blister from a barefoot run earlier in the week ripped open.
Conclusion: Run a relay! They are super fun!
cryingisforsissies asked:
Do you have any advice you'd give to someone else slated to do a vey similar event (Ragnar Relay Woodstock to NYC) in two weeks? What was your favorite part?
The relay was a blast. My favorite part was definitely my team. We had so much fun together. Advice:
- Eat - Make sure you eat enough. Eat plenty of carbs and drink plenty of water the week leading up to the relay. Eat a good dinner the night before and breakfast the morning of. Even if you aren’t hungry, force yourself to eat enough calories. I bought 3 protein drinks (Odwalla) so I could drink one after each of my runs. Be sure to eat real food too between runs (not just energy bars and fruit). I recommend a burrito or hummus and bread. Something that will digest pretty quick.
- Gear - Bring layers of clothing so you have lots of options for your runs. Also be sure to have proper night gear (reflector vest, blinking lights, head light, flashlight, etc.) for the night run. A gal who ran the relay I did (not on my team) got hit by a car. Supposedly, she didn’t have reflective clothes on and was running in the middle of the lane. The road she was running was a narrow road with blind turns. It didn’t help that our race instructions were to run WITH traffic instead of AGAINST. I am pretty sure Ragnar has you run against traffic.
- Night Run - The night run can be sketchy. Think about having someone follow you on a bike, run with you or at least carry a walkie talkie or cell phone with you.
- Costume - Our team wore sparkly skirts and argyle or striped socks. I was disappointed that not many other teams dressed up. I hear Ragnar is a bit funner in that regard. I recommend dressing up. Makes it way funner and it helps distinguish who is on whose team.
- Have Fun - Seriously, our team was 3rd from last place out of 200+ teams but we had so much fun. We cheered for everyone and would even get out of the car, pump up the music and dance for runners.
Finished! 200 mile relay completed. I ran about 22 miles of it with the last mile barefoot. One of my blisters from barefoot run on Monday ripped open. Luckily skin below was ready to go and not raw. Full report on the relay coming soon.
Made it through my first leg. Was supposed to be 8.9 miles but I missed a turn so it ended up being 9.7. First mile was gradual uphill, next 2 straight uphill then downhill or flat the rest of the way. At the top of the 3 mile climb this awesome couple with their dog named Fox were waiting with water!
Today is the day! Well tonight and tomorrow too. Running a 200 mile relay with 11 other women on my Eat Blog Run team from Napa Valley to Santa Cruz. I’m in van 2 and we’re driving up to Napa now to meet up at the exchange area. Getting nervous about my first leg. 9 miles with 1000+ ft elevation gain in the first 3 miles!! Pray to baby Jesus for me Tumblrs! You can follow our adventures on Twitter at @eatblogrun
First Blog Post on Eat.Blog.Run.
I just wrote my first blog post on Eat.Blog.Run.
Especially if you’re wondering why I’ve decided to run the LA Marathon barefoot.
Eat.Blog.Run.
It’s official! I’m running on the Eat.Blog.Run. team in a 200 mile relay from Napa Valley to Santa Cruz. I will be runner #10 meaning my 3 legs are:
- 8.9 miles (1100 feet elevation gain) from Sonoma to Petaluma
- 4.2 miles from Millbrae to Hillsborough probably in the middle of the night
- 6.2 miles (450 feet elevation gain) from Ben Lomond through Felton
You can follow us on Twitter at @EatBlogRun.
