Do You Want to Run a Relay?

Last year a friend of mine asked me, "Do you want to do Ragnar?"  I asked if she was speaking English because I had NO idea what she was talking about.  "A what?" I asked.  "Ragnar Relay," she said casually and then informed me that I was doing it whether I want to or not.

So what is a  Ragnar relay race?  Well, of course there is some running involved.  There is about 200 miles of running.  Teams can be split different ways.  We had 12 members on our team.  There are some who run it as an "ultra" team and there is only 6 runners.  Each team has 2 vans and you tag team/relay race the 200 miles over the course of a day, a night and part of another day.  Each runner on a regular team has three runs called "legs" and the legs rang from 3-8 miles usually, sometimes as high as 13.  There is a lot of fun in the van with 5 other friends.  You decorate your van and tag other vans with your team magnets.  You try to "kill" other runners by passing them and keep count of your "kills."  Ok, that sounds a little savage but it is so much fun.  There is not much sleeping and lots of camaraderie, laughs and a great sense of community with other runners from all over while running in some beautiful landscapes.

In in May 2014 I ran Ragnar Cape Cod and I was hooked!  (See my post P90x3 April and May and Running and Cape Cod )Almost immediately I signed up for Reach the Beach Relay in New Hampshire.  Once again my team is comprised of mostly runners from my neighborhood.  I don't know everyone but I will when we are through. Tomorrow I head out to New Hampshire and the race starts Friday morning.

My legs are reasonable: 6.6 miles, 5.5 miles and 6.7 miles.  There is a wild card transition for my second leg.  We can transition anywhere from mile 6 during runner 7's leg (I'm runner 8) to mile 9.  I'll let you know if I end up picking up an extra mile.  My legs are finally feeling better.  For some reason I thought it was a good idea to run a Half Marathon on Saturday.  I went for two short easy runs this week and I think my legs will be fresh on Friday.  Maybe I'll do a little yoga tomorrow afternoon before the ride out to New Hampshire.

Maple Leaf Half Marathon, VT September 6, 2014

I'm packing all of my gear now, fearful that I will forget something.   I need reflective vests, blinking lights, head lamps, 2 pairs of shoes, several changes of running clothes,  hydration belt, sun screen, toiletries, hats, sun glasses, just to name of few of the items I am packing.  I am making some delicious energy bites as healthy treats for my van mates.  As a special treat I am making homemade rolls so that we can have our chicken salad sandwiches after our run.  You need protein and carbs after a run so this will be perfect.  No matter what happens it will be an adventure and that is what it is all about. Fun times!

Packing my gear.  Murphy wishes he could join me

Fresh baked rolls for refueling after our legs.  

I'll miss my family while I am away and I'm sad that they can't join the fun but it is only a few days.  I'll keep them posted on Facebook and they can cheer for me virtually.

Stay tuned for my recap of the relay later on the weekend!