Well...
It's been over two years since I posted any race updates, and boy has it been a busy few years! I will begin filling in the holes with THAT in a little while, the task at hand for today is a discussion about packing for Ragnar. I did my FIRST Ragnar nearly against my will in 2011, and will be doing my ELEVENTH (1..2...3...4... yep, I think this is 11) Ragnar on April 4th-5th 2014. I have gone from the ultimate race newbie to a well seasoned and traveled race junkie from early 2011 to well... early 2014. The road hasn't been without bumps, bruises, misfortune and some disappointment, but it has also been full of amazing - amazing opportunities, PEOPLE, locations, fun, PRs, and did I mention BLING??
Ragnar is not like your typical race weekend - it actually takes the WHOLE weekend, especially if you have to travel away from home. Our upcoming Ragnar is the SoCal edition, so at least we don't have to leave the state. Even so, my teams generally spring for hotels on Thursday and Saturday, the race takes place Friday and Saturday. Some teams rent 12 or 15 passenger vans, mine have always just used vehicles that one of our team members have already. For regular teams of 12, using a minivan or suburban or yukon or something similar is usually the best bet for each group of 6. I have also heard of teams keeping the whole group together, but I don't really advocate doing that, then the 6 who aren't running don't get any down time to sleep or eat.
Sleeping and eating! In general, the thing to do is bring a large cooler and stock it with ice and bottled water, sports drink, chocolate milk, and snack items. Some of our past and current favorites include fruit, string cheese, bagels and cream cheese, deli meats, crackers, trail mix, jerky, chips, veggies and dip. At our team meeting(s), we usually come up with an informal list and each person picks up a few of their favorite or must-have things to share. We have almost always had WAY TOO MUCH, so I caution newbie Ragnarly peeps to discuss the quantities before finding out 3 people purchased 4 bags of trail mix from Costco but you have no Gatorade. Sometimes there are food options at exchanges - usually fundraisers put on by schools, but make sure you carry CASH, as most of them only accept cash. Don't forget to discuss with your van mates things such as allergies or preferences so everyone knows what someone may need to avoid when you are looking for places to eat during your downtime.
We have found using a hitch on the back of a vehicle to be a great way to gain extra space inside for bags and other items. You can put your cooler outside on a rack, as well as rolled up sleeping bags and bungee all of them down. Another good idea that I saw once was to bring one or two of those 3 drawer stand alone 'portable dressers' (plastic/rubber/tupperware, from Walmart or Target), they are about 2 ft tall by 1 ft wide and can be put in the back of a van or suburban on TOP of bags and if you have two of them, each person could have a drawer to stash and easily get to things without taking out or repacking bags. For sleeping I recommend a sleeping bag and pillow or a large warm blanket, also a tarp in case the ground is damp or wet. If you have access to an air mattress and room to stash it, I suggest that too. Sleeping areas at Ragnar range from outside on grass and sidewalk areas to inside a school or community center on the floor, and tarps and air mattresses are nicer than putting your bedding on the grass or the floor. I do NOT recommend trying to sleep IN your van - unless there's only one or two of you who do that. During my first Ragnar, all six of us decided to sleep in the van because we were just too exhausted to know better, and the results still alternately make me laugh and give me nightmares!
So many people ask - so what do you bring with you for a Ragnar weekend?? The official Ragnar list won't always include everything you will want for your adventure. The very first thing I do (after deciding on a team name/theme) is create my outfits. I am a tutu/sparkle girl so something tutu or sparkle will ALWAYS work its way into my race attire... SOMEwhere. It's my trademark, along with my iG @ragnarbabe! The BEST suggestion I have ever received from a fellow runner was to pack my 3 outfits in gallon ziplock bags. Why 3 outfits and why ziplock bags? It keeps each outfit separate but all the pieces together, it keeps them easily accessible, and gives you an easy way to 'dispose of' the outfit afterwards which you can seal and keep from contaminating the rest of your bag. There's no guarantee you'll get a shower, but this helps a ton! Generally in each bag, I stuff a shirt option, a shorts/skirt option, socks, underwear, a sports bra, and accessories such as compression sleeves or arm sleeves. After the bagged three outfits, I find the following extras handy: two pairs of running shoes. In case one gets wet, muddy, you lose one, it gives you blisters or hurts, you have a second option. Also, bring a non-running pair or shoes such as flip flops or sandals if that's what you kick around in when not running. A hoodie or jacket! MUST HAVE after the sun goes down, because when you're not running, I'm sorry but it's downright cold. Layering is good, so at least one long sleeve tech/running shirt is good to have in case you need to layer it under a shirt or tank because the weather isn't what you expect. A pair of running tights or yoga pants or capris- something long, again in case of cold/unexpected weather. At least extra shirt, sports bra, underwear, socks, and shorts. You'll also need: Reflective vest (my personal favorite is the amphipod harness style), head lamp, tail light, small flashlight, sunglasses, garmin, music player, cell phone, and chargers/plugs for all electronics. My favorite extra right now is a usb charger which provides extra power - when it's full you can plug in your phone or use it to charge your garmin or iPod. Don't forget sunblock, chapstick, bandaids, and ibuprofen! Earplugs can also be helpful!
On the *fun* side we like to decorate, so some of my must-haves for this include 8x10 individual photos of each team member, plastic sleeves to cover them with (page protectors), painter's tape, and window crayons. We've also been able to get vinyl made for our windows with our team name and Ragnar logos as a little professional touch! See ya out on the course in a few weeks!
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