Healthy Diva: Race Recap: Ragnar Northwest Passage NUUNsense (Part 1)

Friday, July 26, 2013

Race Recap: Ragnar Northwest Passage NUUNsense (Part 1)

I can't believe that Ragnar Northwest Passage was already one week ago. I thought about how I wanted to recap this experience for a long time. No matter what I could think of, nothing could really do this incredible journey justice. Nuun went above and beyond and made Ragnar Northwest Passage my favorite race experience to date. I truly had the most amazing weekend and made some wonderful new friends. I came home a different person which is hard to explain. I definitely have a renewed sense of running and couldn't be more excited to embark on some new running adventures. Thank you to Nuun and my amazing Nuunsense teammates. You are all wonderful people and I am so thankful to have met each and every one of you.

The entire Nuunsense team at the finish line:

Back row left to right: Dani, Nicole, Casey, Colleen, Sarah, Leana & Zoe

Front row left to right: Me, Kim, Robert, Jenny & Sara

*The runners in black Ragnar finisher's shirts were in van 1

I am going to break up my Ragnar recap, but here is the start of my incredible journey on Thursday night....

First stop: Nuun HQ for dinner and van decorating! Thank you Megan for picking me up at the airport. :-)

Nuun HQ

Van decorating

Most hydrated team on the Ragnar course!

I am so freaking EXCITED!!!!!

After dinner, Megan dropped Leana and I off at our hotel downtown. Once we got checked in we decided to do some exploring for a good adult beverage. We somehow stumbled across the motherload of goodness at the Yardhouse- 120 beers on tap. INSANE. It was fun to have an opportunity to hang out with Leana since we weren't in the same van. I loved picking her brain about triathlon training and her IM races. She is definitely badas* and just signed up for her 3rd IM in Boulder.

Enjoying a beer with Leana at the Yardhouse

Leana was in Van 1 and was going to be picked up with our other roommate (Nicole arrived while we were at the Yardhouse) at 5:30 am so it was off to bed we went. I am glad I was able to get some good sleep since I knew it would be hard to come by over the next 24 hours.

During the middle of the night, Dani arrived. Her flight had been delayed in Boston so she didn't come in until the wee hours of the morning. It was a good thing we weren't getting picked up until 11:30 am so she could get some rest. We both wished Leana and Nicole well wishes before they left and then we headed back to bed for a couple more hours of rest. Once Dani and I got up and moving we ventured out for breakfast and then walked over to Pike Place Market. While we were in the area of Pike Place I showed her the first Starbucks store and then we walked around the market for a while. I hoped that I was a good tour guide! I enjoyed this opportunity to hang out with Dani and learn more about her and her family back in Rhode Island. I barely knew Dani and I already felt like we had known each other forever. We had so much in common and it felt easy to talk to her. Meeting Dani was definitely one of the highlights of my Ragnar experience.

Dani and I at Pike Place

After we walked around for a bit we headed back to the hotel to pack up our staff and chat some more. Shortly after 11:30 am we got picked up and were off to the first major exchange point at Bellingham HS…..