A bunch of cheeseheads

Where to start with our latest sisterhood adventure is a bit of a conundrum.  Do we start with the amount of searching we did for just the right birthday race experience for my 40th!?  Or with the crazy early morning departure westward on my birthday Eve?  Or how about with the night we called our big sister and asked her to join in the fun... and she actually AGREED to come?  Man, I just don't know where to begin...Heck, I am just gonna start writing and hope it turns out okay. You know fly by the seat of my pants!

fly (or drive) by the seat of one's pants

phrase of pants

1. 1.

   informal

   rely on instinct rather than logic or knowledge. 
2. 
   
3. (my google search findings for this phrase;  this may actually be my lifestyle not just a momentary situational gig)

BACKGROUND

In our family (the one we grew up in not the one I am busy raising) we tend to overdue it in the celebration category and I don't mean we are drunk all the time (although occasionally we are), but we will use any excuse to throw a party.  Any. Excuse.  The neighbor's dog turned 10?  Oh, let's party.  We built a new fire pit!?  Let's throw a party.  We got done with hay season? Party.  You get the idea.  We like to party.  (We like, we like to party!)

RESEARCH
So anyhow, we did in fact spend countless hours trying to plan the perfect 40th party for me.  And of course, it had to involve an EPIC race because that's how I roll so the amount of research spent planning this thing was paramount to the research that Pfizer is spending trying to find a vaccine for cancer (or some other serious disease because I actually have no idea if they are searching for a vaccine for cancer or not).  We spent a lot of time searching for this race.  There were races in Vegas, Virginia, Maryland and Michigan being considered for the special day.  And we were struggling with the decision because just like Goldilocks none of them seemed "just right".  And then it happened, after all this time (and wine) because you have to drink wine while planning a party...and after all the back and forth debating the pros and cons of all the options, Mird found "The (just right) One",  Ragnar Relay Northwoods Trails.  I had heard of Ragnar because I know folks who have done road Ragnars, but I had no idea Ragnar also did the more rugged, out-in-nature, trail versions of these relay races.  And guess what?  The race started on my actual 40th birthday (a friday) which is typically a pretty hard day of the week to locate a race.  We knew we had to run the race, but also knew we needed other like-minded people willing to join us because we certainly couldn't run 130 miles in 24 hours alone.  Us sisters are pretty awesome, but not that AWESOME!

THE SEARCH FOR TEAM AWESOME
So we embarked on a serious campaign search for the perfect team.  We were so determined to do this race that our standards were fairly low, but we also wanted to be cautious because if you get one person who doesn't fit it can really destroy the chemistry of a team in a hurry.  I started by asking all my close friends who run.  This yielded an add on so we were up to 3.  We then turned all mafia style and started to make threats.  This yielded no new runners (shocking) but at this point in time the race entry fee was going to increase soon so we started to panic.  And then I went to run club... on a Wednesday night.  Eureka!  We added three runners (and at a later date a fourth from the group).  In hindsight, I should've started at runclub by its very definition it is full of runners and on Wednesdays everyone drinks a couple beers after the group run.  If you hit someone up for something like Ragnar, it is beneficial if they have a good buzz.  From there we knew we would be able to get a team together so we saved the date (ha it was my 40th birthday a hard date to forget) and figured we would continue on with our mission to fill our roster.

Third Sister
It is unclear exactly how our older sister, Dominica, came to be on our team.  There are several versions of the story.  She doesn't actually run so that is a bit perplexing, but she does know how to party so that part makes sense.  Anyhow, we invited her once and she said firmly no, but then somehow we invited her twice and she said yes.  It is possible that alcohol also played a roll in her commitment or it is also possible that an alien imposter agreed to her joining our team.  I dunno. Whatever happened that magical night when we called her for a second time and she (or an alien imposter who sounded like her) said, "Yes"; I am just truly thankful for whatever that was (alien life form, tequila or what have you) because  Dominica was just what our team needed.  Someone who gets things done and doesn't mess around and knows how to party, plays well with others and is willing to endure pain and sleep deprivation in the name of LOVE.   I am so PROUD of my big sister for kicking ass in Wisconsin and I am sure Mird feels the same.

The sisterhood is growing!!!

The Waiting Game
The worst part about any good party is the waiting.  Waiting is hard for me.  But the waiting is also important because it allows for the anticipation and excitement to build. For those who don't fly by the seat of their pants, it allows for planning.  For the next few months that is just what happened. Our team of 8 giddy school girls waited.  And then one of our giddy runner girls broke her wrist and she wasn't going to be able to run.  For a short time, we went into panic mode until Richard (who shares the same exact birthday as me he is just 3 years my junior) agreed to join our otherwise all female team.  At this precise moment in time, Team Awesome_Constantine-Birthday Bashers added another name to its already lengthy title, Richard's Angels.  Richard officially became my hero that day.

Preparation and Getting There
From there on out we were a team, forged together in the name of my 40th birthday party (Oh and in the name of running a lot on tough trails and in the name of tent camping and in the name of serious road trips). Everyone trained independently, but on September 22nd we would all join together for the voyage into Cheesehead Country (Wisconsin for anyone who doesn't know).  Just getting there proved to be a challenge as the weatherman called for flash floods and rain the week prior to the race and for the race a 30% chance of rain for the weekend as well.  Also, Dominica's flight out of DC was delayed resulting in her missing her connection to Wassau so Car Number Two had to rescue her.  This proved to be a blessing because it gave all my Runclub friends time to get to know her and vice versa. By the time they pulled into camp, Mird, Courtney and I (Car Number One) had camp all  settled and Dominica and all the Runclub members had bonded through the journey that is a four hour road trip through unending construction zones!

Race Day
On race day we ran.  A lot. Like 130ish miles.  Now unlike many relays, Ragnar Races run for 24 hours straight. Yes, you run through the woods in the pitch black cover of the overnight hours and you're all alone.   It is intimidating and many of our team members were nervous and anxious for their night time legs.  (Not me because I am super brave). But everyone finished their dark legs feeling a sense of major accomplishment and with a rush of endorphins second to none.  We raced better and faster than I ever could've dreamed and we celebrated 40 like it is going out of style (It's not though... it is still cool to be 40) and we finished the race which was an amazing indescribable feeling of euphoria.  We made so many great memories that I hardly noticed I got older at all!  And then it was over. In a flash, the whole dadgum, wonderful experience was done and we were packed up to head to the hotel.


Conclusions
The Ragnar Relay Northwoods was the absolute PERFECT 40th Birthday Celebration.  I am eternally grateful to each and everyone one of my team members for sharing in this wonderful day.

 Finish line frenzy!  

Look Who's 40!?  

PS  Who knew my 40th birthday would include a bunch of cheeseheads!? I certainly didn't, but now thanks to this adventure and my super thoughtful friends I have all these great memories and a super cool wine bottle topper that is a big chunch of cheese... and that my friends is priceless.

PPS the only possible drawback was the serious Ragnover (think running hangover and you get the idea) we had afterwards.

Wassau,Wisconsin State Number 6

Northwoods Trail

Vern out

We're back!

This past weekend we went on another sisterhood adventure!  I know; it's about damn time right?  Just a half hour away from Mird's place is this really stellar state park-- Sleepy Hollow State Park-- to be exact and we headed there for a 10k trail run.

A bit of background info on this one because it is helpful to truly appreciating the experience and because it makes me smile to tell you:

1.  The entry to this race was actually a prize we won for winning our respective age groups last year at a race.  Pretty cool prize right?--a free race is the best prize in my opinion

2. We headed to the race a bit nervous because-- the only other time we had ever been to this particular park was for a girl's camping weekend some eleven years prior when Mird got so lost she ended up in Flint or Kalamazoo or somewhere strange like that

So we were a bit on edge going into this thing given our history with Sleepy Hollow State Park.  We headed out early in case we got lost because you know us sisters truly are the directionally challenged, leading the directionally challenged!  Thankfully we brought Courtney with us because she had a smart phone and is likely a much better navigator that either of us.  Fate was on our side, as we drove directly to the park without incident. We arrived to be greeted by a chipper state employee who asked if "we were there for the race!" Wow we thought that was a great sign, until we followed her directions to find a mostly empty parking lot with a couple of "joggers" in it.  We immediately assumed we had the wrong start time and/or the park worker was playing a horrible joke on us!

We of course went into Nancy Drew mode and started investigating the area and interrogating the few people we found.  What we learned was this:

• We were in fact there on the correct day at the correct time.  
• There were roughly 30+ people running (in all three events combined)
• The race director seemed a bit uncertain (route, the mile markers, H2O stations etc) 
• As usual, there were cool runner people who had come out to the event

Well it was settled then; we were going to run a wild and crazy (and not-well marked) trail run with a few other cool people and probably get lost and/or be thirsty.  Let's Run!

And run we did!

 And here we are afterwards, completely exhausted and bonafide champions (3rd,4th and 1st place overall females!)

It was a great adventure!

PS  I now declare that I am a professional athlete!! There was a $20 prize for the overall male and female winners so I earned twenty bucks for this one!

Vern Out