Georgia

The week after Ragnar we had to opportunity to visit our dear friends Trevor and Katelyn Phillips who live in Atltanta. It worked out that we were able to be there the weekend of their new baby Kaden's blessing and at the same time as our other good friends (and the sister of Trevor), Chelsea and Jed. Trevor and Christian go back to high school together and have lots of good Fresno stories. I got to know the group when I started dating Christian and joined their dinner club (or D-Club as we affectionately called it). Coincidentally, that was around the same time Katelyn started dating Trevor and Chelsea and Jed got engaged not long after that. Then the marriage dominoes started falling, with many in our original dinner club getting married. I laugh so hard and have so much fun with that group (shout-out to John/Ida and Julie/Spencer!) I will treasure these friendships forever.

Next four photos courtesy of Katelyn:



                              

At the Chattahoochee River

                             

Aren't they adorable!? Unfortunately our little three year-olds had some clashes but we still have hope that someday they can be buddies :)

                             

Kennesaw Mtn - Civil War site. 

Trevor let us visit his office where he works for CitiBank. Cool guy, cool job.

The headquarters of CNN was cool to tour

 The meals and playroom below were from a fancy American Express Lounge at the Dallas/Ft. Worth airport. This ritzy lounge (and the trip in general) were courtesy of Christian's credit card genius.

Another highlight of the trip was authentic southern cuisine, family-style, at a renovated historic home. That was some good comfort food. Georgia was awesome.

RAGNAR!

Third time doing Ragnar, and this time I roped my husband into it! He was convinced it was crazy and sounded miserable, but in the end I think I converted him. He even was the runner with the most mileage - 23 total! I did that two years ago and I was going to do it again but he was training really well and was willing so why not trade? I took his spot with 21 miles, so not much difference in the end. I was the first runner and in van 1 which I really like. We get to start off the race and I didn't have to run in the middle of the night. Christian was runner three and had a similar schedule. I ended up feeling a lot stronger than I expected and had quite a few "kills" (people that you pass) which we tally on the side of the van. First leg was a little hilly at the end but I felt strong throughout, second leg was through the city of Anthem, AZ where I got offered some alcohol at a stoplight by some high school hooligans. Then the last couple miles I started dreaming of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and potato chips (foods I don't normally crave). I've heard of people fantasizing about food when they are severely in need of it, but it was funny to experience it to a small degree- I was definitely in need of calories!! Fantasizing about food motivated me to finish strong and gave me some awesome kills at the end of leg two. Then I got to sit in the back of the van and savor that pb&j and Ruffles potato chips- man I can still remember how good it tasted. Wow. The third leg early the next morning was more rural and short. 

The race route circles around where we live, so we had a chance to get a huge almost 6 hour break at home during the afternoon, but looking back I'd almost rather stay out and about the whole time. It was weird feeling nervous and not being able to rest very well at home because you knew you had almost a half-marathon in distance left! Overnight we got a few hours sleep and there definitely were moments where the sleep deprivation made you feel a little queasy but then you'd get a second wind. The finish line was party-city (and not quite family-friendly you realize, after you have to shield your child's view of an overweight man walking around in tighty-whities). Some people's sense of humor, yikes - the van decorations too. Come on Ragnar Runners, we're grown-ups here :) But it was fun to be there with the team and my sis who ran with another team - what an amazing person she is.

I can never get over what a sense of camaraderie Ragnar brings. I've always had some or many in my van who I didn't know very well and I always feel so comfortable with them by the end - it unites people SO quickly, it's crazy. That's why I love it.

Source: Emily Knight

 Chilly chilly before the starting line (38 degrees on a February morning?? Come on! All my runs were in the 60-degree range. Can't get more perfect than that). This pic and almost all below, courtesy of Amanda Gordon - thank you!!

And we're off!!

Checkin' out the race swag at the starting line

Leg 1

My awesome water support - my husband!

Down the hill to finish leg one. I'm all about safety first, but having to wear all your reflective gear and headlamp in the morning is a little cumbersome.

Christian's off!

So cheerful and friendly as he approaches his first leg finish.

 Entire team

 Just our van

Last leg! His nine-miler.

44 MPH, slow down buddy

He is done - all 23 miles!

The Deadlegs - cartoon skeleton courtesy of me!

Sammie! This girl is amazing. She will change the world (and is already, did you see my Facebook post that she is the first-ever woman president of BYU's Marriott School undergraduate club? She is also part of the selective strategy program). Smart girl and natural-born leader

My cheerleader

Ragnar gave me motivation this winter to enjoy the beautiful weather and train long. My mom was so wonderful to come down and watch the kids and I didn't have to worry about them at all.  

A good sign is that as soon as we were finished I wanted to plan to do it again. Wouldn't it be fun to do a family one, family that is out there? Wastach Back June 2016?? (Since John and Christian are busy next summer) What do you think??