Chase the Rainbow

This past year I have had the awesome opportunity of being an ambassador for Ragnar Road Relay Series for their race in Colorado. It is has been so fun meeting other people who love this series as much as me, and together sharing our Ragnar love! Of course this position ends with the actual race which was this past weekend. I had never run the road relay in Colorado since we had just moved to here last summer...so I had the ultimate goal of running both the Ragnar Trail and Road Relays in Colorado (bonus-you get a special double medal!). I have posted on here previously about my trail experience which was in June, and up until this point I have to admit that I liked the trail relay just a smidgen more than the road. However something amazing happened over 200 miles with 12 mostly strangers that has now swayed me towards piling 12 people into 2 vans over 2 days again and again.

I made the decision to captain a team early this year, which comes with the pressure of finding 12 people. My Dad may never forgive but I found my 1st 3 members on instagram! They were from PA and within a few weeks of talking and planning they had their tickets bought to Denver. The other team members fell into place quickly after that...another ambassador, a friend of a friend, the husband of a friend, a Saucony rep and his wife that I met once at work, a run club buddy, another friend of a friend, and HOLD THE PHONE...my husband!!! That's right folks...Joel got tired of me repeating all my amazing stories (that are never as funny when you try to repeat them) and decided to see for himself what all this hype is about. So 12 mostly strangers piled into 2 rental suburbans and headed to Copper Mountain to start our 200 mile relay adventure.

It all begins with decorating your "vans". Well I guess it really starts with a team name. We picked "Chase the Rainbow" going with the skittle theme. Ragnar isn't about how fast your team can go-its about the adventure and fun (their tag line is "Find your Inner Wild"). Costumes are usually involved and it is quite hilarious to see what other teams come up with in clothing and van decorating.

This might be one of the only times you will ever see me wear a tutu! Oh what one does under pressure! Our girls had a lot of fun trying to take this picture at the start line. The guys gave up after awhile and left us to it. Teams are assigned staggered start times based on their projected finishing times, and we got slotted with a 10am start. Teams started as early as 5:30am and the last group left at 11am. (this means Ragnar thought we were fast but we were slightly concerned). Amy in the orange tutu was runner 1 and started our team off with a jump and a smile right at 10am.

From the start line, teams travel in their 2 "vans". Van 1 consists of the first 6 runners and once each runner has completed 1 leg relay style, van 2 takes over so van 1 can rest and eat, and then the process is repeated 2 more times until every runner has completed 3 running legs.

Along the way, teams will "tag" other vans when their occupants aren't looking with stickers or magnets so by the end you have quite a collection. Here our runner Janelle is putting a bag of skittles (our token tag) in the skeleton's mouth of team "Motley Shues".

The Colorado Road Relay had the highest elevation for Ragnar ever marked at an exchange! It was at 10, 660 feet. This is where I got to kick off my first leg after our runner Jen climbed pretty much straight up for 4 miles. I am decked out in my night gear because, yes you run through the night...you go until your team finishes the course. You sleep (or try to sleep) in token "rest stops" set up by Ragnar at local gyms or high schools. Some sleep in their vans. Most teams run on only a couple of hours of sleep (if even 1!).

At the end of each leg, runners check off the box! You also mark your "road kill" or how many runners you passed on your leg. This might be where competitive Mary came out (just a little). Our whole entire first set of legs in Van 2 (my van), we were at the back of the pack. Exchanges were being tore down behind us and volunteers were leaving. For about 2-3 legs, we were the last team on the course. Then slowly but surely we started racking up the road kill.

Colorado offered up some of the most amazing scenery I have ever seen. It was absolutely breath taking.

 And then the costumes come out at the finish line. Our intention was to be a pack of skittles but we did get mistaken for teletubbies a few times. Oh well, we had a blast either way! Mike (our last runner) led us to the finish after taking in 27 kills in his last leg alone!

See-we look like a rainbow coming down the mountain!!! It was a fabulous finish.

 "Together we ran 200 miles"

Then it was just time to party together and belly laugh over all our adventures.

We ended up 28th out of a 161 teams and placed 1st in our division!

And there you have it folks...12 mostly strangers now best friends. It was so sad to part at the end of the weekend. Then good news: we won a free entry into Ragnar Las Vegas and are already planning our trip in November. Skittles reunite!!

And some of you may be wondering what Joel's final thoughts were on this crazy adventure. After his first leg (which was 7 miles in the dark-I was super worried he was going to hate me), he hopped in the van, looked at me and said "This. Is. Fun!". We are now laughing together at all the inside jokes and he literally can't wait till Vegas. I have found a race he actually likes!!!!

Sweeter with Age

Joel and I are now another year older. On July 9th and July 10th we turned 36.

As the years have gone by, and are age has slowly ticked upward I have realized that life has only gotten better. I am stronger, healthier, and happier than I was in my 20s and we truly have so much to be thankful for. We had a wonderful time celebrating. Joel totally stepped up his game this year as I found 1 present hiding somewhere everyday of the week of my birthday. Then he surprised me on my birthday with tickets to the Cirque De Soleil Kurios.

There was a brief moment where I felt totally guilty that we hadn't brought the kids as it was so magical and fantastic! But of course the moment did pass.

 The kids and I designed a scavenger hunt on Joel's birthday with the big present in the end being a family night at a Colorado Rockies Game.

The Rockies lost (very sad) but I learned about rally caps! Yup, I really didn't know this was a thing.

Running is another thing that gets sweeter with age. I learn something new about myself with every race and every step. I never even dreamed of attempting a 50K a year ago and I'm now halfway through my training. July has been a huge month of preparation as Joel and I are running Ragnar Relay Colorado this weekend, then I have the Pikes Peak Ascent next weekend, and the big 50K in September.

Thank you Lord for another amazing year. One that brought us home ownership, a new state that we love, health so that we can get out there and enjoy it, new family members, and everyday joys that are too many to list.  

Its JULY!!!

Officially my favorite month of the year!

July holds so many special days: my birthday, Joel's birthday, and our anniversary. But it all gets kicked off with the 4th of July! I'm not sure why this holiday brings out so much joy for me. It could be: 1) Being a military kid and wife has made me very patriotic, 2) fireworks are the best thing ever, or 3) I always felt like the whole country was throwing me a party. No my birthday isn't July 4th, but who cares, you may celebrate my birthday all month if you chose to do so...hehe.

So how did we kick off July this year? We had friends from my childhood come and spend 3 days with us, including the 4th of July (and it may have also included a race).

Meet the Heck family from Columbus Ohio! Kendra and Andy have been married for almost 14 years, and have 2 amazing children Abby and Sam. Kendra is the cousin of Hillery Gaiser (my best friend since we were 7 years old). My friendship with Hillery resulted in her family becoming like my family. Kendra and I have celebrated many birthdays, holidays, vacations, and marriages together. It has been a few years since we have seen this wonderful family. It was awesome to reconnect. They are on a mission to see as much of the west side of the country (and middle) as they can and included us in their cross country adventure. We did our best to show them why we have fallen in love with Colorado.

First we tool them hiking. We chose the Devil's Head trail which is almost a 3 mile hike round trip with plenty of rocks for the kids to scramble over and under. There is a fire look out at the top of 148 stairs, counted by Jesse, with a 360 degree view. It was breathtaking.

 There was a ranger working in the lookout, and our kids bombarded him with questions. He was so kind and patient with them, telling us all about the forest fires he has seen over the years.

 Kendra and Mary at the top

 Abby and Anna, now BFFs and planning all kinds of trips between Colorado and Ohio.

One of the many rock climbing adventures along the hike.

And remember when I said there was a race involved? Well, there always seems to be! I am now working part time at a local running store called the Runners Roost. My boss wanted the staff to run the Independence 5K together, and then we had a float in the Highlands Ranch parade! It was a super fun way to start off our 4th of July holiday. Joel and I decided to make this one a Thorson family 5K and we got everyone involved. Asher had a goal to PR, Anna is on a mission to run to stay in shape for dance, Jesse wanted to complete his 1st 5K, and Josie just didn't want to be left out! Kendra and Sam wanted to run in the 5K too!

 Jesse (in the grey shirt) looks miserable here at the start because he was SO UNBELIEVABLY nervous! He had tears in his eyes and wouldn't even talk on the car ride to the start line.

But he did amazing! Here is at the finish. It took him 40:28 (and it was a VERY hilly course). He had a death grip on my hand here, and refused to let go-not even to run across the finish line. He ran the whole 5K clutching Joel or the stroller. I ran the 5K with Asher with the plan to pace him for his desired goal (under 27 minutes) and he pushed it to 26:42 (an 8:37 minute per mile average). Then I headed back out on the course to find the rest of the family. Anna came in at 38 minutes, and Jesse not far behind, and Josie barked "faster" from the stroller. I am so proud of kids and tickled pink that I got to share my passion with them on this special day. A big shout out to Kendra and Sam too! It was Sam's 1st 5K as well, and he did it at 5,00 feet elevation!! They rocked it all in smiles. Then all the kids made out like bandits at the parade with bags filled with candy.

Then it was straight on to our next stop: the top of Pikes Peak!

 We took the 1.5 hour cog railway trip instead of the 13 mile hike. We saw deer, marmots, waterfalls, and as far as the eye could see-to Kansas! 

 Jesse, Asher, and Sam at the top of Pikes Peak

 The Thorson crew. 

 Then we did more hiking and playing at the Garden of the Gods. This picture is like where's Waldo but I promise every Thorson is in there!

 Can you see us now?

 The kids had so much fun together.

After this we spent the evening eating, playing with sparklers, watching fireworks, making s'mores, and camping in the backyard. Kendra and Andy had to practically drag Sam to the car the next day to leave (and Jesse tried to get in their car!). Thank you Heck family for making our holiday so memorable and out of this world special! 

I hope every one of you had an equally memorable 4th of July!!

God Bless the USA

"Best Vacation Ever"

So in the kid's terms, our trip to Aspen was the "best vacation ever"! We have had pretty amazing vacation in the pasts, and I know that kids have a hard time comparing those kinds of things-but it still felt good that despite my racing addiction we managed to have a pretty nice family weekend. Finishing up Ragnar Trail Relay in Snowmass Village left me feeling pretty run down. I mean I was running on 1 hour of sleep by the time we reunited at the finish line.

I was so thankful to have them at the finish. They all pitched in to help pack up our campsite. A shower felt like heaven after 21 hours of running and camping in the rain. Then we joined friends for dinner and let the kids play in the pool. I really wasn't up for much else other than that.  I literally reached a point where I was falling asleep on the side of the hot tub (and it was only 7pm). But a hotel pool is one of the best gifts you can give children! However after 12 hours of sleep I was ready to join in on the family vacation and we made Sunday the best day that we could.

It started with a Gondola ride in Aspen which brings you to a summit of 11,200 feet and a panoramic view of the Elk Mountains.

Joel did a great job at showing his panoramic photography!

We were able to share this journey with some great friends, The Jarrett's. Mike ran the relay with my as one of the 8 snowballs while his beautiful wife (and dear friend of mine) Jessamy corralled kids with Joel. Asher got very upset anytime someone assumed they were a family (which happened quite a lot since they were touring the town together with 6 kids). The kids became best buddies by the end of the weekend.

From there, we drove a few miles away to do some hiking at the Maroon Bells.

The Maroon Bells are two fourteeners separated by about 1/4 of a mile, and this spot is said to to be the most photographed spot in Colorado.

We had a lovely time hiking and exploring.

We then took the long way home which took us through Independence Pass (only open in the summer).

It was like driving through another world and again, we had a great time exploring. 

Thus the "best vacation ever" was one super fun day of exploring. Colorado just has so much to offer in this area and we are loving every second of it!

8 Snowballs

School is over and summer is officially in full swing at the Thorson household. What better way to celebrate than whisk the family away for a weekend adventure?! Okay okay so they might not have had a choice on being whisked away. I, of course, was running another race and basically begged Joel to join in on the fun. It was Ragnar Trail Relay in Snowmass, CO weekend! For any of you who have no idea about Ragnar-well, you are missing out on some serious fun. I am extremely competitive. It is hard for me to run a race just for fun, however, Ragnar relay races allow for us competitive people to let lose. I was hooked once I ran the Appalachians Trail Relay last year, and couldn't wait to join a trail team in Colorado: 8 friends, 3 trails, 1 billion stairs., unforgettable stories. Somehow I found myself in captain role and pulled a team of 8 strangers together (some of us not meeting until race day!). We had Alicia and Ty from Longmount, Rachelle and Brandy from Lincoln, NE, Alison from Denver, Jen from Colorado Springs, and Mike and I from Castle Rock.

It all begins with setting up your campsite, which we were there doing at 8am. Yes, you CAMP! The campsite opens at 8am and teams from all over become neighbors. Teams have staggered start times so there were team starting as early as 11am, while our team was slotted at a 4:30pm start. A later start time meant more time to hang out and get to know each other...that plus 21 hours of running gave us plenty of time.

I lead the team off at 4:30pm. Each person does 3 legs, running each of the 3 trails, varying in difficultly, once-resulting in each team member running a total of 15 miles (a team total of 120 miles). The trails started at 8,200 feet but with gorgeous views. Unfortunately the rain (which started the same time as our team) put a bit of a damper on the views but we kept going! Our Nebraska girls, the flatlanders, blew my mind at how fast they were at elevation. 

The rain didn't stop. In our down time we attempted to stay warm and catch a few Zzzzs. The rain  put a dampness in the air but not on our moods. Well, of course there were a few low points...like only getting one hour of sleep and the nasty fall I took during my night leg, but it is all worth it!

And the rain brings rainbows! This was the view from the top of the 7 mile loop and some lucky runners were blessed with a rainbow. (Picture not mine-this was my night leg)

The night runs seem to be feared amongst most runners, but seem to hold the most magic. Running through the tiki torches and the quietness under the stars-it was my favorite run of the whole thing (even though it took me awhile to figure out that the mountain lion stalking me in the brush was just my bib rustling).

I loved seeing all the headlamps dancing across the mountain.

Ragnar does an amazing job of having a campfire going all night and morning..a place to stay warm while waiting for your runners to come through transition...

...a place to socialize, and a place to have smore's...YUM.

And 21 hours and 14 minutes later, we crossed the finish line as a team, with 120 miles behind us and placing 4th in the Sub-master's category!!!

"8 Snowballs with a Chance in....Snowmass" became Ragnarians!

Once strangers, now friends already talking about next time.

And now I am sure you are wondering how my family got involved in this adventure. They came and went from the campsite, cheering runners on and eating with us, playing in their heated hotel pool during the rain. After the campsite was torn down and this adventure was over...I got to spend a day and a half with my family exploring Aspen and hiking. It is a whole other realm of pictures to share with you so I am going to save that for me next post. But my kids say it was the best vacation ever!