Three Quick Tips for Having a Successful Ragnar Experience (plus a packing list!)

Holy moly, Ragnar is THIS WEEK, my friends! Can you believe it? It's kind of blowing my mind, but I'm way stoked and I really hope everyone else is too.

So...I have a confession. I gave you all that training schedule and told you that it was soooo important to stick to it and I said that if you trained right, you would have a good race.

Remember that?

Well...that's only half true. Good training IS way important, but running smart on race day is absolutely crucial. I've seen amazing runners die on Ragnar (...not literally) because they didn't know how to run the race. Honestly, it's kind of a weird race, with the running and the sitting and the sleeping and the running...you get the picture.

So here are my Three Quick Tips for Having a Successful Ragnar Experience (plus a packing list!):

#1: Hydrate or Die
Drink! Drink lots! I'm willing to bet that the number 1 problem the Ragnar First Aid team deals with is dehydration. So don't be that guy!

And don't just wait until race day. Starting on Wednesday this week, really focus on making sure your body is completely hydrated. If you're not sure what's enough, refer to the pee chart below:

Haha...that chart always makes me laugh...Anyhow, we're getting a little personal, but your pee should be the color of the overly-hydrated spectator for a couple days before the race. But don't stop drinking once you start running your legs. After each leg, remember to slowly replenish your fluids. To be most efficient (and to avoid an over-active bladder), remember that your body can only retain 8 ounces of fluid for every 15 minutes. So don't chug a Gatorade immediately after your first leg and then call it good.

Another thing: just water won't work. Your body needs electrolytes, so pack a Gatorade, PowerAde, Propel...whatever your flavor, and drink that in addition to water.

It's especially important to stay hydrated for your during-the-day legs. It's going to get hot and you'll need a well-hydrated body to get you through.

Now there's a well hydrated runner!

And I'm just going to say for fear that someone thinks they can quit focusing so much on liquids once they cross the finish line...be diligent about drinking for a few days after the race. Nobody wants you passing out a day or two later (yep...it happened to Kyle, so it could happen to any of you...).

#2: Eat!!
It sounds like a silly thing to give as a tip...but people just don't know how to handle this when they're going to be running soonish.

Take this guy for example:

I'm talking about person #2. He was in awesome shape, super good runner. This is his last leg AND the leg that's finishing our race. He was dying. We all jumped out to run the last 2 miles with him because we honestly didn't think he was going to finish. Later he told us that he didn't want to eat anything during the race because he would be running kind of soon and didn't want a side stitch.

It's a legitimate concern.

Or you can ask Matt Bonner about how he took advantage of the all-you-can-eat pasta bar at exchange #6 and felt like junk the rest of the race.

It really is hard finding the line between too much food and too little food. Plus you have to think about the fact that your legs could be anywhere from 3-6 hours apart. It can get tricky.

Here's what I do. I eat a substantial amount of food right after I run (Perk: your body actually retains more nutrients if you eat within 60 minutes of exercising). During Ragnar, I never let myself get completely full. I'll snack if I'm feeling hungry or if I still have plenty of time before my next run. But I like to stop eating completely when I know I have about 2 (or a little more) hours before I have to lace up my shoes again.

What should you eat? When your body is most healthy, it will crave the things you need the most. So think back to some of your most intense exercises. What did you crave afterward? Honestly, I'm usually craving a Jamba Juice or a banana with some peanut butter. Here's a list of food I like to take with me for Ragnar:

• bananas
• grapes
• oranges or orange juice
• crackers
• pretzels
• peanut butter
• Power Bars/Gu/Honey Stingers/Sport Beans
• chocolate milk (actually one of the best things you can consume after a workout)
• string cheese

Hopefully that gives you a good idea of some stuff to bring.

#3: Have Fun
Just expect the worst...and decide to have fun anyway. I promise you will be sore and tired and maybe a little grumpy, but just remember that you're doing this to have a good time. I guarantee we won't win (the BYU cross country team will--they are fast!), so you don't have to worry about that.

One time I was on a team with a bunch of women and one lady set the tone by telling everyone, "Do NOT cheer for me. I hate it when people cheer for me." So we didn't cheer for her. But we didn't really cheer for anyone on our team. It turned out to be quite lame.

A different year, one girl on my team bought a coconut and dubbed it the Coconut of Healing Power. Someone would shove it out the window to our runner, who would rub it or kiss it or whatever. Weird? Yes! But also hilarious and awesome.

 No, you don't have to buy a coconut for a successful Ragnar, but have fun and be positive.


Okay. Those are your tips. And just in case, I'm going to write down a list of things you might want to remember to bring (like, things you might not think of. You all better remember your running shoes and some extra socks, even though they're NOT on the list):

• sleeping bag and pillow (for some reason, I always think I can go without the pillow. It never ends well)
• a tarp (in case your only option for sleeping is the grass...and the only option for grass is the wet grass)
• earplugs (it's very hard to fall asleep in an echo-y gym that's filled with restless runners. Just make sure that someone in your group will be able to wake up before you're supposed to be up and running again)
• Extra water bottles/Gatorade
• Layers! (it gets cold at 2am in the Utah mountains! Take winter gear--mittens and hat included. You'd rather be safe than sorry)
• A headlamp/flashlight
• Reflective gear (everyone on the team needs a reflective vest. Ragnar rules)

Reflective gear is very attractive.

That's everything I can think of. Good luck this week! Have fun! And remember to stretch before and after each run!