Ragnar Northwest Passage | Race Recap COntinued | To-Do for Next Year

... or whenever I decide to throw myself into the throes of the madness that Ragnar is.After I detailed my experience in recap 1, I got to thinking about how different of an experience this could be every time I participate. The team, the  different legs, the events - it all makes a difference and can quash any prior expectations I originally had going into the whole thing.

That being said, there are definitely a few bullet points I want to remember for my next Ragnar. While they may or may not end up happening (like should I decide to just forget drinking water or pack all. the. snacks. wait, that will never happen), at least I will feel a little less anxious and more prepared about running at 4am.

  
1. Packing! Pack all my running outfits in separate Ziplock gallon-sized bags, with the leg map printed out with them. This worked out great, and I was incredibly thankful for an easy pull-out-the-outfit-without-looking move, as well as having a place to put my sweaty, stanky clothes that I had just ran in. While there was nothing that I didn't bring that made my time any less great, there were a couple items I wish I had brought:

• Warm clothes for the night runs - leggings, sweats, or a sweatshirt. I brought a zip-up, but  ended up having to borrow my friend's thick leggings as well, since it was pretty chilly. 
• A bag for all the swag! Mine ended up being shoved under the seat in front of me in an extremely disorganized fashion. Minor detail, yes, but I wanted my free Cliff shot blocks to be well-contained so I know exactly where to hunt them down the exact second I need them! #Ragnarspoiledbrat

Other than that, I think I did a pretty good job of appropriately packing. Baby wipes were a definite lifesaver.

2. Expect ZERO sleep. I had thought I would at least get a few hours, but that definitely did not happen. I got a solid one, which turned out to be fine since my adrenaline and the aforementioned shot blocks were running in my veins, making me an un-sleepable mess anyway.

3. Embrace the finish line. At this point, our whole time was sorta just "over it." I think had we all been closer friends, we would have been more into the fun finish line vibe of "let's get the pizza and beer and hang out and recap for hours," but maybe not. It's a long 2 days, so maybe this one just isn't bound to happen. We did manage to grab out medals (duh), more swag, and a legit Ragnar team picture.

4. Get everyone's contact information. More specifically, their phone numbers so that everyone can stay connected with whomever. This was something we should have done, and learned a lesson when one teammate was supposed to text another when I was finished running leg 12 to let them know to meet us, but accidentally fell asleep instead. Total first world problems, true, but it was a whole TWENTY MINUTES OFF OUR TIME! J/k, it was fine. Just another thing to take care of for next time.

5. Stay hydrated and nutritioned. This sounds like a dummy, but after having our captain visit the hospital for dehydration it's worth tucking away as a future reminder. While it may not even be hot out, your still running and putting your body through different habits that you probably aren't too accustomed to. The best thing to do is make sure it gets the water it requires (and lots of it) and good nutrients that won't make you feel like poo. I honestly felt like I was eating the whole dang time, but not once did I feel sick. The body runs on fuel, fuel that is what is going to help you woman-handle those three legs like a champ.

Speaking of woman-handle...it's important to wear a wrestling singlet while running Ragnar. #buyasmallertankyouidiot

I hope this little series was of some assistance to you future Ragnarians! I truly had a great time, and the Northwest Passage route was drop-dead gorgeous. Feel free to drop me a line with any questions!

Ragnar Northwest Passage | Race Recap

Well, I made it! We made it. Team 12-pack/Team Ragnarasauras (yeah, somehow we ended up with two different names. We went with it). It was a fun, wild, eventful weekend that made me appreciate the regular occurrence of sleep I get in my life, and in a bed to boot!

Thanks to it being 94 degrees, conditions we are certainty not accustomed to, our fearless captain ended up in the hospital with dehydration after her first run. I ended up taking her second run, which was 8.9 "very hard" miles at 4am, a mere two runs after I had ran my 5 miles at 2am. It was seriously one of the most physically rewarding things I've ever done, mainly because I really didn't think I could do it.

Instead of giving you a breakdown of times, conversations, bat and rat run-ins and cray-cray 4am fog, I am going to spit out a couple posts: things I learned on this wild adventure and things I will be putting into play next year.

Lessons Learned:

1. Adrenaline pushes. It's no secret that you run faster on race day, when you're completely immersed in the whole experience, but I didn't think it would be like that on my third (of four) legs at 4:30am going uphill in fog. My legs felt like rubber bands at that point, and I was wide awake and ready to run past any sucker that happened to be in front of me. Except there wasn't anyone, and that would have been a bad idea because man, my body was secretly exhausted at that point.Adrenaline was also the stinker that got me a 19:45 5k my first leg. Oops...not a good idea. There were black spots.

2. Team participation is key. Especially after the first legs, when the whole shebang gets real. You need support through and through - a driver, a navigator, a waterer, someone who won't fall asleep when the other team needs to be informed that they are on deck to meet us at the next exchange for their legs. Ragnar is great, because it turns an independent sport into a team activity, and having those 11 ladies backing you is crucial to making this a positive experience.

3. Night running is awesome. Um, yeah, la-HOV-ed it. My first night run I felt like I could have kept going forever (which I sort of felt like I was doing 2 hours later). Running in the dark is so much different than the day - there's so much more silence and serenity. The temperature was a million times better than it was during the hot, hot day, making for a very comfortable run.

4. Be flexible! There a thousand and one things that will not go the way you had planned, and it's important to move past it and figure out plan B stat. Sometimes even plan C. Sucky, but Ragnar lives on and will leave your team in the Northwest wilderness if you don't, so figure out a solution and get to it!

Flash? No flash?

Stay tuned for the next segment of Ragnar NW Passage Gone Wild: Next Year Do's, which includes a whole lot on packing and food stuffs.

Weekly Rundown & 2013 Northwest Passage Ragnar Countdown!

How is Ragnar staring me in the face already?! I feel like it was just four days ago that I started packing. Oh wait...it was. Don't worry, only a week in advance. Anxious much?

Got those baby wipes! Since I have already decided that I will not be showering (there's just too much involved), I have a feeling these babies (har har) will come in handy multiple times a day. More for my van mates benefit than mine, that's for sure.

Also key - the ziplock bags. I printed out each leg map with the outfit I'll be wearing into each bag to try and keep the whole thing organized and the post-run smell contained.

My mileage last week crept up slightly from the week before, which I'm happy about. My knee is feeling beautiful, and my runs have been pretty much pain-free, aside from the standard niggle here and there.

I've grown to really l-o-v-e running in the mornings when it's all quiet and stuff. Bonus: endorphins flowing all day long. Not a bonus: I'm physically more tired the rest of the day, which means I seem to rely way more on caffeine these days. This makes me feel like a sissy, but I'm alright with that.

Tuesday: 7.11 miles, 9:02 pace
Wednesday: 5.23, 9:9:22
Thursday: 3 miles, 9:27 pace
Friday: 4.36 miles, 8:27 pace
Sunday morning: 6 miles, 819 pace


 Grand total: 25.71

It's strange not following a training plan and having a set workout for the day. I'm so used to thinking I have to run a certain number of miles at this pace, or do a track workout of sorts but it's a nice change to just take it day by day by what my schedule and body can handle. Especially during the summer, when I like a little more free time to hang out like this:

Have a wonderful night!