Category: Ragnar Relay

The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly Race Recap: Ragnar Relay Tennessee (10.23.2015-10.24.2015)

Ragnar Relay Tennessee (10.23.2015-10.24.2015)

Over the weekend I successfully completed my second Ragnar Relay & I am starting to feel like a veteran Ragnarian!

Overall this was an awesome Ragnar Relay – so different from Chicago, but still an amazing adventure . . .

  • First time running in Tennessee – oh so, beautiful! I want to go back already for a mini vacation or another running adventure!
  • Fun Ragnarians all around!
  • Was a part of an amazing team & I loved my vanmates!
  • Amazing, supportive volunteers!
  • All of my gear worked fabulously – especially my Orange Mud Hydraquiver Vest Pack 2, my Trail Toes, my Undress, & my loaner Black Diamond Icon headlamp!

Here area my key “take aways” from this race!

THE GOOD: Amazing women that I get to call friends for life!

You never know how an adventure is going to go when you know no one on your Ragnar team & your first time meeting your vanmates is on the ride down to your Ragnar starting location (Chattanooga, TN) from Chicago, IL . . . eek!

I can only say that I truly lucked out! I have never had such a great experience with people that started as complete strangers & finished as life long friends!

I cannot wait to run / race with these lovely ladies again! So many stories, jokes, & memories! TEAM PICKLES!

THE BAD: Tennessee has hills or at least all of my legs did!

Oy! I knew that Tennessee wasn’t flat, but it felt like every single leg that I ran was nothing, but hills! And I don’t know how it was possible, but all of it seemed to be uphill without the reward of the downhill.

These were probably not the best legs for me to run coming off of the back to back marathons, but my body held up & pushed through the muscle fatigue just fine. I will definitely be focusing more on hill training in 2016!

AND THE UGLY: Rain, rain – GO AWAY!

Hot, hilly, & wet! I lucked out again that I was able to avoid the rain on my legs, but my vanmates weren’t so lucky. *wa wa waa* This just adds to their credibility of being amazing! And when I say it rained . . . I don’t mean a little misting or drizzle . . . it RAINED! Cold & hard & unfortunately through the night, but none of my vanmates were made of sugar . . . they all sucked it up & found the magic in the misery!

SUMMARY:

An awesomely amazing experience that I will forever look back on & smile! I’m looking forward to my next Ragnar Relay, but I seriously cannot wait to run with these fabulous ladies again! TEAM PICKLES!

Now to go find my bed to catch up on some much needed sleep!

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The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly Race Recap: Ragnar Relay Chicago (06.12.2015 – 06.13.2015)

Ragnar Relay Chicago (06.12.2015-06.13.2015)

Over the weekend I successfully completed my first ever Ragnar Relay & whoa – what an experience!

The saying goes that the magic happens outside of your comfort zone & I would say that this weekend proved that this is absolutely true!

  • I have a new appreciation for runners & the craziness that we go through!
  • So many crazy creative runners!
  • Was a part of an amazing team!
  • Amazing, supportive volunteers!
  • All of my gear worked fabulously – especially my Orange Mud Hydraquiver Vest Pack 2 & my Knuckle Lights!

Here area my key “take aways” from this race!

THE GOOD: 

Learning to go with the flow. I am a planner – always have been, always will be . . . BUT you really can’t plan for a Ragnar. You can PREPARE, but you cannot plan for the unexpectedness of the Ragnar.

You also should not, must not, absolutely cannot pack everything that you think you will need because your vanmates will hate you.
I am so thankful for my amazing friends that are Ragnarians that were able to offer advice & help me put together a great checklist of Ragnarian needs! Check out my list of Ragnarian Essentials!

After preparing it was all about going with the flow!

THE BAD: Porta Potties

 Do I really need to say more than porta potties? There is nothing good about them . . . & often they could be considered ugly, gross, disgusting. On this adventure – they weren’t GOOD, but they weren’t UGLY either – BAD is probably the best descriptor. I have found out that you really do need to bring or borrow TP with you on these adventures, because by the end of the 2 days – most porta potties don’t have TP anymore & you don’t want to need to get creative to resolve this “issue”.

AND THE UGLY:

Sleep. There is nothing worse than hundreds of “Dexter” vans transporting zombie runners across 200 miles. You learn to sleep when & where you can. And then, when the Ragnar adventure is done – you almost immediately find a place to sleep away your Ragnar hangover. I’ve been slap happy before from a lack of sleep, but this adventure took it to a whole new level . . . I have never missed a bed & pillow SO. MUCH. EVER!

SUMMARY:

I definitely found the magic outside of my comfort zone & I’m looking forward to what new adventures this experience spurs! I’m definitely hooked on Ragnars! I’d love to see if I can participate in the sister relay – Ragnar Relay Tennessee!

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