Ragnar Relay Northwest Passage Planning

This past week our Ragnar Relay Northwest Passage team had our first team meeting. It was so fun to meet all the girls that we will be running with. I had only known two of the girls, one of whom is my sister-in-law, so it was great to hang out with the other girls that I'll be spending two straight days with.

We had a Ragnar veteran come to speak to us about all things important, who was a huge help. Get your butt light! Paint your van! Eat your snacks! We had so many questions, some that I definitely hadn't thought of. I can't believe it's now only 2 weeks away - which means I really need to get on the planning/packing bandwagon for this event.

1. Can we shower? YES! Total surprise to me. I guess some schools will be open, along with a couple campgrounds, so bring some change. Here's the thing though - I'm not our household's the world's biggest showerer. I don't want to get into details, but showering isn't a big priority for me most of the time. My husband, on the other hand, takes two a day. I consider it a nice form of balance, and keeping our water bill at bay.

Long explanation short: while I plan on being sticky sweaty and nasty hot, I highly doubt I will be taking advantage of this showering business. It sounds like a lot of work? (Who would have thought a girl that lazy would even sign up for Ragnar in the first place.)

2. Can we eat? YES! Like, real food, not just Cliff bars and bananas? Still a yes! Total relief. This was a worry of mine, since as much as I love snacking, runners need some serious fuel in meal-form. I felt sort of "duh" after this, since obviously we will be driving all over, past placed that sell real meals, soooo yeah. We can actually stop at those! Unless I smell too bad and am refused service (see number 1 above).

3. Can we get our art on? Yes! It's highly encouraged to decorate our two SUV's that we're bringing, so we can flaunt our team name, number of kills (when you pass people), and other such important things. Done and done.

In order to appropriately prep as best as possible, I've perused the internet for thoughts on what to pack and what to expect. Sarah OUaL has been a big help, who outlines all her relays here, and Meghann and Erika give detailed posts on what to pack here and here.

In relay running expertise you can provide?

the day before a marathon

Before my first marathon, I was surprised to feel all the emotions that come with the preparation of running 26.2 miles. My nerves were shaking, my adrenaline was pumping, I had dreams about running the course that was etched into my mind...I didn't expect this. It's just running. It had been a daily activity for the past 18 weeks.

And now, I'm getting those same feelings. The excitement surrounding the packet pick-up, the finish line events, even waking up at 5:45am on a Sunday. All of these things with the common denominator of running four hours (crossing fingers I get less than that tomorrow) straight! It's a crazy time we live in.

I spent Friday trying to drink every last bit of water in my line of sight. The problem is...I strongly cannot stand drinking water. The only exceptions to this statement are when I just ran a bunch of miles and feel like I will die without it right then and there, or when it's all frozen in cube-form and floating in my cocktail.

So, to honor my body and try to show it a little respect for the upcoming torture I'm going to put it through (I'm only saying torture because I haven't ran more than 6 miles in 7 weeks. It might freak out on me a little), I bought 3 different kinds of coconut water: peach mango, pineapple, and orange. Peach mango was definitely my favey, with orange coming in second and pineapple being a far behind "yeaaah, maybe never again."

The said thing is, as much as I love fruit, I love chocolate much more, which is why chocolate coconut water will always beat all other flavors. No contest.

I've also been loading up on lentils, fruits, veggies and Mexican food so my energy stores can be in tip-top shape come tomorrow. There have also been some chocolate squares in there as well, no duh.

The above e-mail I sent to myself and Scott to make sure we're both on the same page. The race is about an hour away and we won't have time to get over there today to pick up my race packet, so I want to make sure we get there nice and early to get all my ducks in a row (line? How does that saying go?).

And yes, McDonald's coffee is an absolute must, with its badass $1 any size price.

As I've mentioned, my #1 goal is to finish this race, free of pain. With my training being so rudely interrupted I don't have any PR hopes. All I want is for this knee of mine to behave so I can enjoy the b-a-a-Utiful trail that connects Sequim to Port Angeles. Oh, and to celebrate over a hearty carby meal with my people!

Have a great weekend!