The Ragnar Relay SoCal seriously crept up on me. I have no idea where time went or why I didn’t bother looking at training schedules, but before I knew it race weekend had arrived. Even now I can’t believe it happened 10 days ago. But on that Friday afternoon, me and 11 others started a 200 mile (ish) journey From Huntington Beach to San Diego.
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In case you aren’t familiar, this is how Ragnar Relay works. You create a team of 12 (awesome) people to run 200 miles from start to finish. Everyone has three different legs so each person’s total mileage ranges from 11 - 23 miles. The team is split into two separate vans for exchange purposes and comfort. (We rented a 14-person van so basically everyone had a row to his/her self.) Van 1 carries the first six runners and Van 2 carries runners 7 through 12. So once Van 1 has completed running their first leg they will tag Van 2 for the remaining runners to complete their first leg, and the process repeats until both vans have completed all three legs.
I have to say I don’t recommend not training for a Ragnar and that you should definitely try two-a-day runs for a slight idea of what to expect. As the third runner I had running times at 130pm, 12am and 8am. I’ve worked out twice in a day before but never at such odd times, and certainly not in the pitch dark where I needed to rely on a headlamp to see my feet.
Overall the race was an incredible experience. It’s crazy to see what you’re mentally and physically capable of when low on sleep, lacking hygiene and delirious from exhaustion. But it’s also a fun time to get to know people, grow closer and just have good fun. During and even after the race I really didn’t think I’d do another Ragnar, to be honest. But now that I’ve had some time to recover, I actually think I would do one again :)
If you’re interested in signing up for a race check out the below links for help with planning and preparing!
SoCal Ragnar info: http://ragnarrelay.com/race/southerncalifornia
Photo highlights (including a photo by yours truly!): https://storify.com/RagnarRelay/60-unforgettable-photos-from-ragnar-relay-so-cal/elements/35e9349a955371f12ce0656a
I've been pretty MIA lately but I promise it was all for good reason. March 14th I ran the 
I’ve been running since the summer of 2010 when I started training for my first race ever, the Nike Women’s Marathon. I’m glad I got into marathons when I did because I was younger, had way less responsibility, and it helped shape my mentality and lifestyle for the better. The only downfall of getting into running at that time was being so new to the space that I didn’t know anyone with the same passion. People entering their last year of undergrad didn't think waking up at 5AM on a Saturday to run 12 miles was fun. Hmph.
Training was often a lonely sport but I eventually got used to. It became therapeutic and a time to just reflect on life or to not even think at all. I could just let my thoughts wander, wherever. So a few years later when I started to hear about Nike Training Club and Nike Run Club I was so intrigued. Where had these people been hiding all of my life?! I had gotten so used to being a solo runner that I shied away from running as a social sport. But things can change when you meet the right people.
