Getting Ragnar Ready

Next month, I will be running in a relay race that covers 196 miles and goes from start to finish, running non-stop through the night. Ragnar Relay is a new race for me, but some of my team mates have ran in the past. I have 3 legs of the race assigned to me to run, and although the start time of each will vary based upon the speed of all my previous runners, I am slated to begin my second leg of the race at about 1AM.

Yeah, you read that right, 1AM.

So, due to the time slot, I have had to purchase a headlamp (race rules) and I’ve ran a few times on my own at home attempting to get use to the new equipment.

Sexy, right? I know you are jealous.

Just last night I meet some teammates for a 6 mile run at 10PM, so there was a big group of us wearing these, along with highly attractive reflective vests. It is all in the spirit of not getting killed by a car, so I am completely fine with it.

Also, in preparation, I’ve been running a few road races. I’ve got one more to do before the big weekend event. I will be running 5 miles in some sort of Halloween costume that is still to be determined. I’ll keep you guessing on that one, although suggestions are completely welcome. (I have run it as Thomas the Train in the past!).

And to also help me in being Ragnar ready, I’ve been continuing with my Crossfit workouts. I still enjoy the brevity coupled with intensity in these workouts, for as a momma to two boys, they do not offer me much time to workout for too long at a time. The other day, in order to keep Wesley out of my way, I allowed him to have my phone and take pictures. Turns out the little guy snagged some decent photos of my doing some 75lb thrusters: And those fancy stripped socks are part of my getting Ragnar ready. Gotta love fun socks, right? Race essential, indeed.

Sunday I ran a nice 8 mile trail run at a great pace, but the real kicker to Ragnar is the frequency in the runs, coupled with the fact the routes are not flat and easy, so I really need to train by running more multiple hard runs in a single day to get best prepared.

Our team of 12 has 36 hours to run from Chattanooga, TN to Nashville, TN, and the word on the street is that you don’t sleep that entire time. I have officially accepted the challenge to attempt sleep in the van in between my legs of the race, for I am not one to skimp on sleep much. It’s enough of a stretch to get me to attempt to do anything at 1AM, much less actually RUN, so I am thinking I am going to need some sleep!

I’ll let you know how it all turns out in about a month!