Ragnar Tips

How do you get over fear of missing out on the next upcoming Ragnar after doing your first one? Answer: Get convinced by one of your Cape Cod Ragnar teammates to do the Chicago Ragnar. I did not expect to be back in the saddle so soon, but here we go again.


Back in the day (a.k.a-three weeks ago), the thought of doing my first Ragnar scared me. I did not know what to bring, if I would get lost, how to dress and so on. The more tips I read, the more comfortable it made me feel. Here are some of my tips on how to handle your first Ragnar. These tips are in no order of importance.


Tip 1: Don't over pack


This is an important tip because it is important to remember because, there are other people who bringing their things and there will not be a lot of space in the vehicle. I felt like I packed pretty light  for my Ragnar, but I ended up not using a lot of things.


List of things I suggest bringing:


Dri-fit gear or gear that is anti-microbial


Shoes (your running shoes and comfortable shoes like flip flops or sandles)- If there is a strong
chance of it raining, you could bring two pairs of running shoes.


Baby wipes (may be most important item)


Nutrition items like Gu or Cliff Bars


Big sandwich bags to put wet or smelly clothes in.


Comfortable clothing to wear when you are not running


Something that can help with over packing is communicating with your teammates on who is bringing what. My Madison to Chicago team met recently and we ironed out some important details on what to bring and who will bring it. If everyone brought a lot of the same things, there would too much of it and it would go to waste.


Tip 2: Don't expect too sleep much


Sleep is something that really, just will not happen a lot. Any sleep that you get during a Ragnar is a bonus. I am not someone who can fall asleep anywhere, so this is something I expected and handled pretty well. There are a lot of people out there who really like their sleep and I do not blame them for that. They will just have to prepare to catch up on that after the weekend. Personally, it probably took two to three days to get back on a normal sleeping schedule.


Tip 3: Get out of the van as much as you can


It is exteremely important to stay loose to keep your body ready for the next leg. I had a little routine I did before every run to try and keep myself loose. If you are a runner who has a routine like this, do it before each run. Ragnar is not a normal running event and it is important to try and keep it as normal as possible. I am not saying that doing these things will completely eliminate soreness, but they definitely will help. With that being said, bring a stick (I suggest the Type A or C roller from Addaday) or foam roller to use before or after runs.


Tip 4: Now is not the time to be anti-social and have fun


This is not the event for anyone who is anti-social. Or I should say, someone who is not ready to break out of their shell. There is a lot of time in the van with your teammates and sometimes, it will be with people who we may not know very well. Get to know your teammates and have a good time. It really is a great event and one that is meant to bring people closer and learn more about them. On the last Ragnar (Cape Cod) and on this Ragnar (Madison to Chcago), I did not really know many of the people on my team. They were not complete strangers, but over the course of the weekend, I got to know them a little more.


There are a ton of other things that could be said, but these are the most important to me. If you are reading this and doing Madison to Chicago, have fun!


What are your Ragnar tips?

Ragnar short #3

What a weekend! Our team is currently heading back to drop off our vans right now.  There are a lot of beat-up, determined runners in this van right now; most of which are sleeping while I am updating a short blog post.

Unofficially, the team finished in the neighborhood of 28 hours. We thought we were way behind our projected time, but it ended up being real close. It is real interesting to be on a team for once when running a race. Many think running can be is strictly an individual place; running a Ragnar is not one of those times. Each runner needs each of his teammates to get through the legs.  There comes a time when those legs do not want to work and the words of twitter friends and your teammates keep you going. It has been a really fun experience.

I did not really know what to expect when going into this thing except a lot of running in a short time period.  A lot of my friends tolde a lot of fun things and it really lived up to expectations. My. Friend friend Brittany is the only person I really knew going into this., but I feel like I made new group of running friends.  Running this race made love the experience of running even more. It is hard to put into words, but I have an example.

During the first leg, which is one of the hardest things I have done in a long time, a lady nearly caught up to me. Kills(passing a runner) are really popular during relay races and  sometime during the last  three miles of my leg, I nearly got passed. I really tried not to let this runner change the way I raced this leg, but it definitely motivated me during a tough stretch. At one point we both stopped for water, wished each other good luck, and then continued running. She never caught me(whoo!), but we found each other after our leg and thanked each othe for motivating each other. I never saw her again and I will probably never meet her, but I probably will not forget that moment because of how cool it felt.

I will leave it at this for now. Once I am not tired and busy from the weekend, I will upload a recap or two and some pictures.  Thank you to everyone who cheered me on from afar. I guess I can say I am a ragnarian now.

Leg 10 playlist for Ragnar Cape Cod

Leg 10 is probably the hilliest run I have ever run in life. These songs and GU Peanut Butter got me through it.

Ragnar leg 1 music in reverse order:

Foster the People-Houdini

Luke Bryan-rain is a good thing

Jack's Mannequin-people running

Cold War Kids-Saint John

The Mowgli's-San Francisco

Fall Out Boy-young volcanoes

Dr. Dre-bitches ain't shit

Timbalad-give it to me remix

Foster the people-pumped up kicks

Little Big Town-pontoon

Walk the Moon-drunk in the woods

Vampire Weekend-giving up the gun

Jack's Mannequin-Dark Blue

Walk the Moon-Anna Sun

Good Charlotte-like it's her birthday

The Mowgli's-hi, hey there, hello

B.o.B-I am the man

Punchline-I am the man

Tony! Toni! Tonè-feels good

Sleigh Bells-Rill Rill

Fitz & the Tantrums- 6 am

soulDecision-Ooh it's kind of crazy

Fall Out Boy-The Phoenix

A couple of Houndmourh songs I forgot about

Ragnar shorts

*Pictures will come once I am back to my computer

I am up early for my race, so I figured I would update  my blog with a short post from my phone.

Part of the  Chi Squad team got up bright and early and headed to Midway for an early trip to Boston. It had been over 10 years since I last visited Boston. The flight went pretty smoothly, and we finally arrived in Boston for our highly anticipated trip to Boston for Ragnar Cape Cod.  One of my teammates brothers picked us up and we headed into the city to find down breakfast.

We found a good little place to eat (Trident Booksellers & Cafe) and then walked around the area for a bit. I definitely enjoyed finding the Boston Marathon finish line on Boylston. Hopefully someday that is a finish line that I will be crossing someday. The morning continued with a little more sightseeing as we headed towards the Bunker Hill Memorial. We climbed 294 steps to get to the top and see a great view of Boston from the top.  My legs were sore and I felt like I did some hill training for my long run today. Harpoon Brewery would be the next stop on our mini your of Boston.

Part of the team hung out at Harpoon for a while and the rat of our team eventually met up with is. I had only met a couple of them, so I enjoyed meeting the majority of them. Eventually, the team left Harpoon and headed into Plymouth.  The Ragnar finally felt like it would really  be happening.

Thankfully some of the team members have done this before and have been a big help  to is. We decorated the vans with a Chicago themed  decor.  Once that got finished, part of the team headed  to dinner. We went to a Hibachi place and the chef put on a fun show. We headed back to our rooms and van 2 wished good luck to van 1; they had to be up early to get started!
                       
I'll try to get up another post before or after my run!

Hoka Conquest Notes

Hoka notes


Specs from Hokaoneone.com:

Natural Performance Cushion Shoe
4mm offset
Weights-11.8 oz.

A couple of weeks ago, I got a pair of Hoka Conquest to test out. Here are some of my thoughts after runs in them:

Day 1

Did a 1.47 run in them and they felt good.

After the run, I did 3x3x3x400

Now if I had expected to do a speed workout, I am not sure that these would have been the shoes that I picked it. I am glad I did because I really got to test them. They held up better than I thought they would. I had a little shin pain, but that didn't last very long. It probably would have gone better if I had pulled the no-tie laces a little tighter.

Day 2

Did a solid 45 minute run and felt really good. I only had minor shin pain after the run. The shoes never really felt too heavy. It is hard to believe that they weight as much as the Hoka website says they do.

Day 3

3.2 mile run with the track kids and it felt nice and soft. We ended the run with 6x100 striders. My legs definitely started to feel real sore. Originally, I could not figure why. Eventually, I figured out that it is probably because of the 4mm drop in the shoe and my legs are just getting use to that. My legs have not been that tired in a while.

Day 4

1.15 warm up jog before a tough speed workout. This is a workout that I did not know if I would get through due to tired legs and tight calves. With the help of an extended warm-up, I made it through the workout just fine. I tightened the laces and the shoes felt better. I never felt like they were holding me back. The workout went very well and I felt like the shoes were working with me.

Day 6
* I forgot to note how I felt after my fifth run in them.

Today I completed an easy three mile run and they felt really good. The shoes seem to be getting lighter, while the fit of the shoe is improving. The extra cushioning is nice and can make a runner forget about the heel-to-toe offset. Working through tight calves and sore leg days were tough, but I have gotten use to the lower drop and do not notice it anymore. No-Tie laces are something that is still new to me, but it is fun not having to deal with tying my shoes at any point doing a run. Do not be afraid to try on the shoe. It is very comfortable and works well for a variety of running styles.

It's been a while/runchat 4/20

It has been far too long since this blog has been updated. A lot of that is due to the fact that I have been busy and just generally tired lately. I really need to be better about updating this blog for myself and the others that read it. Here are my runchat answers from last night (another fun thing that I have not done in a while).

Runchat 4/20

Q1-How will you watch the Boston Marathon?

A1-As I type this, the marathon is on my television and I am following updates on twitter. It is pretty funny that I am watching a marathon; a few years ago, this would have never shown up on my television at all. This is much I have come to love talking about running in any form.

Q2-Who or what is your biggest inspiration to keep running?

A2-Staying healthy and fit is my biggest inspiration. I definitely always think about where I would be if I were not running. I definitely have my ups and downs, but I feel like I am a happier now compared to when I started running.  Helping others out who ask me for help and want to get better at running is also inspiring. It is hard to believe that people are asking me for help at all with running. I definitely want to do my best to help anyone who wants help. 

Q3: What's a big lesson you've learned through running that you've applied to other aspects of life

A3-You can do just about anything if you push yourself. I have two marathons and the biggest challenge is finding that mental edge to keep yourself going. Marathons are painful, but if you just tell yourself that you can get through it, you truly believe that anything can be done with hard work. I think people start believing in themselves more after completing things (5K's, half-marathons, marathons, etc...) they never thought could be possible. 

Q4: If a non-running friend came to you for running advice today, what would be the first words out of your mouth?

A4-Get fitted for proper shoes and do not give up if you struggle. 

Q5: Which races have the best spectators? Why?

A5-Out of all the races I have done, marathons have the best spectators. I have the Chicago Marathon twice and the crowds have been amazing both times. The people make all the runners feel like celebrities. It feels great to get cheered on by a lot of people you will probably never meet. 

Q6: Finish this: I run for ______.

A6-Food, confidence and my health. 

Brooks Pure Project Shorts review

     

Front of shorts

The Shorts are semi-fitted, soft and very light weight. It fits very well around the waist without slipping.The liner is snug around the hip flexor area and takes some getting use to;it eventually goes unnoticed.The four-watch stretch material is nice for me because my pants, tights and jeans have all split in the crotch area. I feel like the stretch material will allow the shorts to not do that or as early.

Back of shorts

I think it functions as advertised. I really like the antracite color because I think it looks good on me. The DNA fabric liner is nice because while I have run it, I do not notice it at all. Originally when this post got written, it had been cold and I did not know if it could serve as a lifestyle piece; that of course has changed. I have worn it to work and when I am out and about. It definitely is something I would wear on a spring or summer night out with friends or even if I ventured to te beach. The pockets are also surprisingly deep.

The DNA fabric liner and two-way use as a lifestyle/running piece will be one of the shorts selling points. Some people might be worried about the fact that it is gray(anthracite if we are getting specific) and that others will see how much they sweat in it after a workout. I have worn it several times and that will be minimal at best.

The liner

The Pure Project shorts are comparable to 2-in-1 shorts. I personally like that the liner fits around the hip flexor and not wrapped around the quad. With the 2-in-1 shorts, you probably could wear underwear under it, but I would not do that with the Pure Project Shorts.