So last we left off I was just wrapping up with Day 1. You can read that recap here.

Now for Day 2 and when the lack of sleep caused irritability and um….for me….stupidity.

It was now past midnight and we still had a good 100 miles to go. I was really disappointed in the exchange parking situation. It seemed that most exchanges were so crowded that parking was a bit of an issue. We ended up parking outside of the exchange wherever possible and walking a block or across the street to get there. I think perhaps the field of 500 teams was a bit too high. That really was my biggest issue with the event.

At one point in the middle of the night I waited in a long line for the Honey Bucket and just when it was my turn i realized my headlamp was not working. I didn’t want to lose my spot and have to wait on the line again so I went in to a pitch dark stall and guess what? I COULDN’T SEE SHIT! Literally. #TMILineCrosser

Right after that I went to get Valerie after her 9 mile leg. It had been raining and she had lots of malfunctioning gear.

TIP 5: Make sure you have fresh batteries in your night gear before setting out on your night leg, especially if it’s a long one. And try and remember a flashlight or headlamp when using a Honey Bucket in the dark. =)

As the sun rose and we were finally in Napa the views became so breathtaking.

We all had some struggles on day 2. Elvia had an 11 mile leg in the hot sun with no shade. It was an unsupported leg so we weren’t allowed to stop. But she needed water as her water got hot. We ended up tossing a bottle out the window. Hey! Ya gotta do what ya gotta do. Lisa got stung by a bee just before her final leg but she was a trooper and just plowed through. Good thing she was not allergic to bees.

TIP #6: When you are planning your expected average pace remember that you will most likely be slower on day 2. I actually had a decent leg 4 and 6 but my 5th leg was almost a 12 minute per mile pace. Granted I opted to walk and drink my slurpee. =)

TIP #7: Even if you don’t actually get real shut-eye you should try and lay your head down and shut your eyes for 15 minutes every so often. I didn’t and ended up experiencing vertigo for the first time in my life. My eyes also burned a lot under the lids! It took me a good 5 days to recover.

And then I got to carry us home. The final leg, leg 36. I couldn’t believe I had to put my night gear on! We had been on this relay journey for 36+ hours at this point.

It was going to be dusk when I finished. Lisa and her bee sting finished up leg 35 and I took the slap bracelet for the last time.

I actually LOVED this run. It was 5.5 miles and so peaceful. The sun was just starting to set and the vineyards just glowed.

And finally at about 7PM on Saturday I arrived at the finish where my teammates joined me to run it home.

For the most part, the event was fun and pretty well organized although lacking in ample parking at the exchanges. My only other issue was the volunteers. They weren’t very knowledgable and there weren’t as many as I am used to. Luckily the signage was pretty spot on (although some of us did end up with a few unplanned detours).

The next day, after sleeping and fueling properly…

…we went out for brunch and then spent the day touring wineries.

My friend Margaret who lives in San Francisco even drove up to meet us for some of the wine tastings.

It was the perfect way to recover from a 38 hour relay =)

If you have any questions for me related to Napa or to running a Ragnar just ask me in the comments.