ONE. Week. Til. RAGNAR! Ahhhh....
/O-M-freakkity freakin-G people! My first Ragnar Relay event is one week from today!!
Excuse me - wwhhaaa????
How did that happen?
I swear I just registered for this event and now it is a week away.
For those that may not know what the heck I am talking about, well let me bring you on up to speed!
What is Ragnar?
Ragnar is the overnight running relay race that makes testing your limits a team sport.
You and 11 of your craziest friends (or 5 of your crazier friends for an ultra team) pile into two vans and tag team running 200(ish) miles, day and night, relay-style. Only one runner hits the road at a time. Each participant runs three times, with each leg ranging between 3-8 miles and varying in difficulty. So, from the elite runner down to the novice jogger, it's the perfect race for anyone.
I will be tackling Ragnar Cape Cod - May 8-9 - with 11 amazing weight-loss success stories! The 12 people making up Team Running Down A Dream - combined to shed over 1,500 pounds. Amazing right? Read more about each of the fabulous members here.
Now of the 11 other folks that make up this inspiring crew, I only know 1 person in real life - my girl Dacia from My Roots To Grow.
It is actually because of Dacia that I am part of this crazy adventure. So thanks my friend. :)
Water donated thanks to Essentia Water. We are keeping the legs fresh because of Zensah. While our feet will be happy thanks to Oofos sandals. I can't forget to mention how my knees will hold up thanks to the KT Tape. And I will promise to stay awake thanks to ENERGYBits. (Can't thank these wonderful partners enough!)
And our vans will be decorated with these awesome magnets that Rik's wife designed.
I mean how cool is that? To get better perspective on size, here's another shot.
We will also be taking part in the "tagging" part of Ragnar, where you leave magnets on other vans.
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But now it is time to start making the packing list, seeing how many miles I will be logging between my 3 legs and freak the F-out. Woah what was that last one?
Yeah it is freak out time.
Since I have never done a relay race/Ragnar before, I'm not sure what to do/how to prepare. Why yes I know it isn't time to start training a week before the event so we will have to trust that marathon training I did for Boston and am doing for Rock 'n' Roll San Diego. Oh and I think the little run streak I have been working on (#WOMSStreak) has been a help as well. (Today is Day 189 - woo!)
But I'm not about to start staying up all night to prepare for a night leg (if I have one).
I am wicked nervous about meeting all my teammates just a couple of hours before we start - one of the biggest things giving me anxiety - but I am putting faith in the interwebs that we will all get along. I just get bogged down with those: "Will they like me?" "Will they 'get' me?" "Will they think I'm the weird sparkly girl?" "Will they wonder why the hell I keep taking so many selfies?"
We've been chatting for months so I think we will be okay. But I did make sure that they assigned me whatever leg would put me in the same van as Dacia. :) So I will be Van 1 - Runner 4.
So what am I doing to prepare/deal with the nerves? Working on race outfits of course. #Priorities
I do have all my reflective gear in hand! Yes I do have a reflective Sparkly Soul headband!!
How awesome is the New Balance Glow Beacon Jacket I'm also rockin'. People won't miss me coming down the roads of the Cape!
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I've learned I need not 1, but 3 race outfits (1 for each leg). Time to break out the Sparkly Soul headbands and Sparkle Athletic skirts and get to business.
In reality, I will be getting down to blog reading this weekend to find out the must pack items.
Our group will be kicking off at 5:30am on May 8, which means we need to be at our safety meeting at 4:30am, which means the wife & I will have to leave the house around 3:30am. Eek! The rest of the team will be staying close to the start the night before, but I need to work/save $. So day of it is. It will give me a leg up on the lack of sleep aspect of Ragnar. ;)
Overall, I am super excited for this new experience. If you would like to show your support for Team Running Down A Dream May 8-9 on Twitter please use hashtag #RunningDownRagnar.
Oh and don't worry I will be updating you all along the way on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter!
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If you have done a Ragnar or relay race before, what is your #1 piece of advice?
