A few weeks back, I blogged about a race my friends and I are doing called The Ragnar Relay.
We're all meeting up on Cape Cod, (coming from PA, NJ, NY, RI, FL, and MA) to run 200 miles over the course of 2 days. In 2 vans. With no sleep. It's pretty nuts. And we can't wait!
The race starts one week from today.
We are so ready and we are so excited.
And so I thought I'd spend this week's "My Story" blog post introducing you to my teammates.
We are Team Sole Sisters, and this is the order in which we will be running:
Runner 1: Courtney
What an awesome lady to start us off on this crazy adventure. Courtney was once my prefect at Hill and I coached her back in her high school days. She is now a teacher and coach herself as well as a wife and mom. Despite some recent medical issues, this woman is a warrior and ready to kick some butt. Although, she will quickly admit that she's a running diva and hates running in rain, wind or cold. Hmm… curious to see how THAT pans out!
(Leg 1: 5.1m; Leg 13: 5.1m; Leg 25; 3.4m; Total= 13.6m)
Runner 2: Sarah
Sarah and I go way back to the Hartwick days, when I was her assistant field hockey coach during her senior year (1996-97). She will be making the trip down from central NY to join us on the Cape, and I could not be more excited about seeing her again after all these years (haven't seen her since Hartwick!). Sarah has worked super hard to prepare herself for this race and we are all so proud of her! I cannot wait to watch her crush this!
(Leg 2: 3m; Leg 14: 5.2m; Leg 26: 4.8m; Total= 12.3m)
Runner 3: Lynda
Oh my word, what can I say about Lynda? Lynda is the fit and the fun and the fierce all wrapped up in one awesome package. She likes to proclaim that she's the vet of our group (but only by a year or so), but she'll be tackling one of the hardest legs of the group- a 9.4 mile leg at the END of our race. She didn't even bat an eye over it when we decided on our legs. She will surely have us in stitches when she's not kicking butt on her runs. The woman is hilarious.
(Leg 3: 6.3m; Leg 15: 5.2m; Leg 27: 9.4m; Total= 19.7m)
Runner 4: Chrissy
This photo soooooo suits Chrissy. She might be the coolest friend I have. I absolutely adore this woman. Before she ditched me at Hill for the beautiful shores of Rhode Island, she was my workout buddy. She made 6am workouts fun. No joke. I miss her all the time, but cannot wait to connect with her again on this adventure. She's a beast of a runner despite the beauty you see. She is definitely going to kick some butt next weekend!
(Leg 4: 6.2m; Leg 16: 4m; Leg 28: 5.6m; Total= 15.8m)
Runner 5: Dana
I have so many connections with Dana, I hardly know where to start. Back in the day, I coached Dana at The Hill School. She then went on to play field hockey at my alma mater Colgate University. From there we became dear friends as we had our kids right around the same time. And then I became her family photographer! And now, for the first time, we will be teammates. I could not be more excited! She's the best!
(Leg 5: 5.4m; Leg 17: 5.2m; Leg 29: 3.5m; Total= 14.1m)
Runner 6: Jen I
The first of our almost FOUR Jens (we have 3 Jens and a Jenna!), this Jen is the bomb! Jen stepped into the 6 slot just a couple of weeks ago after one of our Sole Sisters went down with an injury! Jen I is a gem. She actually lives about a mile off the course we will be running and has spent the past week scoping out the course, encouraging us all about our night legs and getting us excited about what we have in store. I have known Jen since those Hartwick days and I can't wait to finally run with her. We've been "sisters" pretty much since the day we met.
(Leg 6: 4.2m; Leg 18: 5.7m; Leg 30: 3.1m; Total= 13m)
Runner 7: Jen L (that's me!)
I'll be taking up the Runner 7 slot. I'm not really sure what to say about myself except that I absolutely adore all of these women. I have known each of them in some way before this race, but after the training for Ragnar and the fun we've already had, I truly consider each one of them to be my "sole sister". PS- photo credit to my little 4 year old love for this shot of me!
(Leg 7: 9.8m; Leg 19: 5.2m; Leg 31: 6.3m; Total= 21.3m)
Runner 8: Jen B
Nicknamed Jenny B, our fearless captain came up with this crazy idea for us! I still remember her emailing a few of us back in October, asking "Hey, check this race out! We can do this!" I thought she was insane, and still do a little, but she believed in us! Jenny B just finished a half marathon last weekend and so is definitely ready to tackle her 16 miles next weekend. Jenny B is one of my favorite running partners and one of the few crazies who loves 5am workouts like I do!
(Leg 8: 8.1m; Leg 20: 5.6m; Leg 32: 2.3m; Total= 16m)
Runner 9: Cat
Cat is the kind of friend you can't describe with words. We taught together at Hill, coached together, ran a dorm together, then got married within a year of each other (were in each other's weddings) and had our kids together (though in different parts of the country by then). Cat can do it all. She's a great mom, a tireless volunteer, friend, organizer, teacher, coach, you name it. And she's a tireless runner. She's running this race as a fundraiser in honor of a friend who recently died of cancer. Cat's trying to raise money for Madeline's children. Her Fundraiser is called "Miles for Madeline" and you can donate here if you want to support her through this.
(Leg 9: 3.6m; Leg 21: 5.6m; Leg 33: 7.3m; Total= 16.5m)
Runner 10: Shelly
Shelly is the runner of this group and we have all loved having her knowledge and experience through our training. Though she's never actually done a Ragnar, she's done countless half marathons and even a few marathons, not to mention all the shorter races. This woman loves to run! When she's not running, she's working, wifing, and mommying like a champ. Oh and being one awesome friend! Shelly has been one of my best friends since our Hartwick Days. She's soaking up rays in sunny Florida these days so we don't see each other too often, but I cannot wait to spend the weekend kicking butt with her! That is, if she doesn't FREEZE her butt off!
(PS- Shelly will be basically running a half marathon as her first leg… woah!)
(Leg 10: 12.8m; Leg 22: 3.7m; Leg 34: 3.6m; Total= 20.1m)
Runner 11: Karrie
Karrie stepped in a couple of months ago after we lost a teammate to injury (getting old is hard!), and she has been amazing. Despite bulging discs in her back, this woman cannot be stopped! Karrie and I were workout buddies and good friends back in the Hartwick days (are you picking up that Hartwick theme yet?) and I am so excited to reconnect with her. Despite our only living about an hour apart, we have not seen each other in maybe 15 years or so. I predict a lot of laughing and hugging! Maybe before we start sweating and stinking up the van though!
(Leg 11: 4.5m; Leg 23: 2.4m; Leg 35: 4.5m; Total= 11.4m)
Runner 12: Jenna
Last but not least is Jenna. In fact, Jenna might be our speediest runner! Jenna's trip to meet us will be a short one, as she hails from Boston. I absolutely love her accent. Always have! I coached Jenna at Hartwick and have adored her since Day 1. She's a spit fire and a feisty athlete, scrappy and strong, but then the funnest, sweetest girlfriend around. Again, it's been about 15 years since I've seen Jenna, so I anticipate lots of hugs!
(Leg 12: 4.8m; Leg 24: 3.1m; Leg 36: 8.4m; Total= 16.3m)
And there you have it- Team Sole Sisters!
I'll be bringing my camera along for this crazy race to document this amazing experience for us.
I know this will be something I'll want to remember for always!
Wish us luck!
Jen
