The Ragnar Wasatch Back was a great event, as usual. The start and finished lines were changed this year. While I never really had a problem with the start line, the change at the finish line was 100% better than last year.

I was runner #1, starting in the first group at 5:00AM in Logan. Well, the entire group took a one mile wrong turn up a HUGE hill. Then the people at the beginning realized they were going the wrong way, and turned around…and took the rest of us back on course with them. So instead of 6.9 miles, my guess is most of us went more like 8.2 or 8.4.  This of course, was a big bonding point among all of us who started at 5AM for the rest of the race.

Leg #2 was 8.3 miles, mostly downhill. Due to another course alteration, instead of being on pavement entirely, it started on a dirt trail, crossed a snow field (which was totally fun!) and then joined up to the pavement with the expected 7+ miles downhill. This leg is the reason I wanted to be runner #1. It’s the road from Snowbasin Ski Resort to the highway, and it’s absolutely beautiful.

Leg #3 was from Oakley to Kamas, and included a one mile section that I run at least once a week, if not more. That part was fun, but it was kind of boring otherwise. SR 32 just isn’t that interesting of a road, especially at 3:00AM.

Our team came in just over 32 hours. We had a great time, of course.

Starting Sunday evening (after recovery from the above), I began honey application again. Now that I’ve got it more down, it’s going easier. Still finding master improvement in my lymph nodes, hoping I’ll start see some massive improvement in the flakes on my scalp in the next day or two.

Well, life’s been busy. I’ve been getting ready for the Ragnar Wasatch Back relay, and so for the last two nights, I didn’t have time for honeying my head.

And it’s obvious. The spot on my eyelid was there again today (I did a quick treatment just there this morning), and my head is starting to get worse again. My lymph nodes had started getting smaller (it’s been apparent to me for a while that their swelling is related to the sep. derm), but are now regaining a little bit of size and firmness. So, starting Saturday (after Ragnar), I begin honey treatment again. I wish I could have kept it up this week, but I couldn’t. So, updates will start again over the weekend!

Just another day. Actually, my scalped itched a whole lot today, but I think it’s because my skin was healing.

Application tonight didn’t go so well. I didn’t thin out the honey as much as I have for the past two nights, and it was too sticky. My hair got too firm, too fast and I wasn’t able to get much onto my scalp. But, I did what I could. No massive improvement, but I’ll go again tomorrow.

My eyelid, of course, still looks amazing with no sign of sep. derm.

You’re going to think my blog as been abducted by acai-berry-make-money-while-loosing-weight amber. Seriously.

But this honey is amazing.

So, a recap of washing the honey off. Way easier than expected. I don’t know why, though, because obviously honey comes off anything with warm water.  It comes right out of your hair, even.

After rinsing the honey off, I could still tell where the sep. derm on my eyelid had been. But Chris couldn’t. The scales/flakes were completely gone…after one application! (I’m going to continue treating the spot for the next week, at least). After tonight’s application and rinse, I can hardly feel the sep. derm spot. Crazy.

I could tell last night there was an improvement in my scalp. Tonight, I started at the bottom and treated most of my scalp, since that’s where the sep. derm has been for a few months…pretty much everywhere. Application is still hard, since you can’t look at your own scalp. But I just sectioned my hair and used the honey mixture liberally to try and get it all over, massaging each section for…well, at least a minute in a half. I tried to do more like 2 – 3 minutes, but I got bored.

What surprises me is how honey gets everywhere during this process! Sitting in one spot, I had honey drops everywhere.

Anyway, even just rinsing off after one application on my whole scalp, there’s a marked improvement. The scales and itching aren’t completely gone, but it really is already better.

I’ve never finished tax season in shape before, let alone in the incredible shape I found myself in on April 15 this year. Since the first 105 days of the year were so great for my fitness, I didn’t have to do that build-up to longer distances like I usually have to do. I ran 15 – 18 miles a week throughout tax season, and could easily do six miles at a time, so right away I could start thinking about Ragnar. Three separate legs in about 24 hours is something your body can get used to; and it’s extremely painful if you don’t prepare for it. I know, because I’ve done that

The first hurdle I’ve had since tax season ended has been the weather. We’ve had snow just about every week, a lot of cold rain, and a lot of, well, cold. I started running in cold and snow in October last year, and by the time April hit, I was done. I’d put in my ‘I’m a hardened runner, I can deal with cold and snow and wind and rain’ time, and turned into a wuss. I admit, I’ve run inside more than I’d like to have. I’ve run inside when it’s just ‘too cold’ (a phrase applying to -5 or below November through March, but which becomes +25 or below as of April 1). But, I have run.

The second hurdle is knowing what to do. Our Ragnar team captain is…busy. We didn’t have a meeting until two weeks ago. So, as prepared as I was to start preparing for Ragnar, I didn’t know what to prepare for. I kind of just went mid-range, and started planning for 6/6/6 as my distances. But as of the meeting, I’m doing the longest of the legs. This is a good thing – I’m in the shape to do it this year, and it’s a leg I really want to do. So now I’m preparing for 8/7/5. I keep getting it into my head that the first two legs are 10 miles, but they’re not. So I keep having to hold myself back and not train to go longer than I have to.

The third hurdle is holding myself back. Both on distance and on how often I’m running. My legs have felt very taxed in the last couple of weeks, and are just starting to feel normal. Since they’ve been tired, I’ve been cutting out about one short run per week, or even two. The long runs and doing 2 – 3 in 24 hours are what is important. But there’s a constant internal battle between ‘I know I can do this’ and ‘I know I shouldn’t do this’. While I usually run three times during the week and then do a long run on the weekends, for the next three weeks, I’m planning on cutting down to two runs during the week so my legs will feel refreshed for one or two long runs and a short run on the weekend.  It’s hard when I get go faster on short runs, and I like going faster.

Starting last weekend, I also began my newest battle with the downhill. My second leg is 7+ miles, one mile uphill and six miles downhill, basically. I don’t know what you believe, but as far as I’m concerned, uphill is easy. You push yourself, you go! Downhill, on the other hand, is a battle. You CAN go faster, but you have to hold back because it’s so hard on your body. But you want to take advantage at least somewhat of the gravity. I fought the downhill battle during my half-marathon in December, which is net 2000 feet downhill over 13 miles (2.9% decline average). This six miles will be very different, though. It’s something like a 4.5% decline average. So I’m hitting the newest treadmill at the gym, which will do a 3% decline, at least once a week. And I’m hoping some of the mountain passes open so I can do some other downhills for longer runs.

I’m also hoping our current spring weather holds, and I can get outside and practice on real hills, because the 4th of July 3 mile run comes up pretty fast after Ragnar. That 4th of July course is nothing to take for granted, especially when you’re hoping for a speedy run, as I am.