**mkate710**

[InBetweenDays]

mkate710 - You're running Ragnar NWP next week, right? Me too! What runner are you? What time do you start? Have you done a relay like this before?

We start at 9:30am and I'm runner 7. So my estimated run times are 3:15pm, 12:30am, and 10:30am. I'm worried about the heat on Friday during that 3:15pm run!

[mkate710]

I am!! Yay! Right now our start time is 11am and I am runner 1. I'm running at 11, 9:30ishpm and 8 or 9am. I think I lucked out on the heat, although I would have preferred an earlier start time.

This is my first relay, so I may have a thousand or so questions for you when I start packing

Our team name is the Legion of Zoom. Our captain thought her H was a genius for coming up with that, but there are totally 3 or 4 other legions of zoom, which is kinda funny.

[InBetweenDays]

You guys must be fast with a late start time! I have my go-to packing list that I can send you if you'd like. My best packing advice (that you have likely seen elsewhere) is to have your three changes of clothes packed into three separate 1-gallon Ziploc bags. So you just have to reach in and grab the bag rather than digging through to find your socks, shorts, etc. Then you can put your sweaty/gross clothing into the bag and zip it shut.

Love the name! We're the Hot Cross Bunz. Not sure where that came from (I don't really know the captain beyond running this with him last year. He's a friend of a friend).

[mkate710]

I don't think we are very fast. We have a couple 8 min milers but most of us are more like 10. We aren't projected to finish until Saturday evening. The captain just didn't want to have to leave crazy early on Friday morning.

Our captain is making it a van rule that our clothes all be in zip lock bags. I think I like this rule!!

What are some of your favorite food items to bring along?

[InBetweenDays]

Oops, sorry I missed this! I don't think you want my food tips Our van tends to eat a lot of junk food during the race. I brought veggies and hummus once and I don't think anyone touched them. I do like to have string cheese, chips (favorite are Lays Sour Cream & Onion for some reason), some sort of GORP, and cold grapes. Oh, and someone on our Ragnar SoCal team made the energy bites that were so good! I think I may make them on Thursday.
www.isavea2z.com/oatmeal-energy-bites-bar-no-baking-required/

[mkate710]

Ohh those energy bites look yummy! Maybe I will make a batch for my van too. I'm not too worried about junk food, I've heard its just part of the experience!

[InBetweenDays]

mkate710 - how did it go?? Did you enjoy it? Would you do it again? And if you don't mind me asking, what was your team number? Reason I ask is our finish time was within seconds of a Legion of Zoom team. I was wondering if it was your team.

I loved it again this year. It was fun to be in a different van (Van 1 last year, Van 2 this year) but I was more sore from this than any other relay I've done. Still planning to do it next year. Some people are trying to convince us to do an Ultra team actually.

[mkate710]

Jul 22, 2014 13:11:20 GMT -5 InBetweenDays said:

mkate710 - how did it go?? Did you enjoy it? Would you do it again? And if you don't mind me asking, what was your team number? Reason I ask is our finish time was within seconds of a Legion of Zoom team. I was wondering if it was your team.

I loved it again this year. It was fun to be in a different van (Van 1 last year, Van 2 this year) but I was more sore from this than any other relay I've done. Still planning to do it next year. Some people are trying to convince us to do an Ultra team actually.

Congrats on your finish!!

We were legion of zoom #358, one of 5 (I think?) legions of zoom. We had teal shirts on at the finish and finished around 6:45pm.

I did have a lot of fun and would totally do it again, although I suck at staying up all night. I think it would also help if I knew my team mates (esp my van mates) better. We all got along fine, but one lady just was way undertrained and was a good 20 minutes over her projected finish for 2 of 3 legs. In determining our start time, the captain asked everybody a couple weeks out if we were POSITIVE our 10k time was a likely estimate. She said yes. So we had a super late start (11am) and ran really late. Before we started our last set of legs, we got the ok to double up on a couple of legs so we wouldn't miss the cutoff time. It worked out - I got to run with our captain and pushed her to PR on her third leg, so that was really cool. The REALLY cool thing was that one van mate lives in Bellingham, about a mile from exchange 6. She invited us all to use our off time to go to her house, take hot showers and eat a yummy dinner her husband made us.

My running buddy (also in my van) really wants to put together an all girl ultra team. She keeps saying next year. I'm saying we'll see how our fall marathon goes before we commit to something like that

I'm weirdly not as sore as I anticipated. My first leg was brutal but it was a 10k PR. Night leg was 4.5 miles, third leg was a hilly 5k with a massive headwind. I liked being runner 1 but I felt like I kinda got off easy.

Overall, I really did have a good time and I'm sooo glad I did it. It was inspiring to watch my teammates run and I made some new friends. I want to try Ragnars in other parts of the country now too!

Thanks for all of the newbie tips!!

[InBetweenDays]

Jul 23, 2014 0:02:18 GMT -5 mkate710 said:

Jul 22, 2014 13:11:20 GMT -5 InBetweenDays said:

mkate710 - how did it go?? Did you enjoy it? Would you do it again? And if you don't mind me asking, what was your team number? Reason I ask is our finish time was within seconds of a Legion of Zoom team. I was wondering if it was your team.

I loved it again this year. It was fun to be in a different van (Van 1 last year, Van 2 this year) but I was more sore from this than any other relay I've done. Still planning to do it next year. Some people are trying to convince us to do an Ultra team actually.

Congrats on your finish!!

We were legion of zoom #358, one of 5 (I think?) legions of zoom. We had teal shirts on at the finish and finished around 6:45pm.

I did have a lot of fun and would totally do it again, although I suck at staying up all night. I think it would also help if I knew my team mates (esp my van mates) better. We all got along fine, but one lady just was way undertrained and was a good 20 minutes over her projected finish for 2 of 3 legs. In determining our start time, the captain asked everybody a couple weeks out if we were POSITIVE our 10k time was a likely estimate. She said yes. So we had a super late start (11am) and ran really late. Before we started our last set of legs, we got the ok to double up on a couple of legs so we wouldn't miss the cutoff time. It worked out - I got to run with our captain and pushed her to PR on her third leg, so that was really cool. The REALLY cool thing was that one van mate lives in Bellingham, about a mile from exchange 6. She invited us all to use our off time to go to her house, take hot showers and eat a yummy dinner her husband made us.

My running buddy (also in my van) really wants to put together an all girl ultra team. She keeps saying next year. I'm saying we'll see how our fall marathon goes before we commit to something like that

I'm weirdly not as sore as I anticipated. My first leg was brutal but it was a 10k PR. Night leg was 4.5 miles, third leg was a hilly 5k with a massive headwind. I liked being runner 1 but I felt like I kinda got off easy.

Overall, I really did have a good time and I'm sooo glad I did it. It was inspiring to watch my teammates run and I made some new friends. I want to try Ragnars in other parts of the country now too!

Thanks for all of the newbie tips!!

Your van mates definitely make all the difference in the world as to how fun the race is. All but one person were in our van last year, and three of the people are good friends of mine. It's a very fun group.

But congrats on your 10k PR! I wasn't setting any records but I was happy with my times and came in earlier than anticipated for two of the legs.

We did Ragnar SoCal earlier this year and it was ok. I had a great time because I love the race format and we again had a fun van, but the race was VERY poorly organized. I wouldn't do it again. I have some friends doing the Great River one in Minnesota so I'll be interested to hear their thoughts. I'd like to do Napa as an ultra, but my friend wants to do NWP. Ask over on the H&F board too if you're interested in the other ones. I know people over there have run Chicago and Florida Keys, and maybe Cape Cod?