Ragnar Relay coming up!

Ragnar Relay is upon us! 

 So for those who aren't familiar with the racing series, I've inserted a blurp from their website to better explain it: "You and 11 of your closest friends running day and night, relay-style, through some of the most scenic terrain North America could muster. Add in live bands, inside jokes and a mild case of sleep deprivation. The result? Some call it a slumber party without sleep, pillows or deodorant. We call it a Ragnar Relay... each relay team will consist of 12 members. During the relay, each team member runs three legs, each leg ranging between 3 - 8 miles and varying in difficulty. So, from the elite runner down to the novice jogger, it's the perfect relay race for anyone." 

This weekend is my first Ragnar race- 185 miles from Chattanooga, Tn to downtown Nashville. If you know anything about Tennessee, its a lot of elevation change, yay hills! Lucky for me the van I'm in is full of Ragnar veterans, so they took all the harder legs, which leaves me with a 5.8, 3.5, 3.5- for a total of roughly 14 miles, can't complain. My first leg, the 5.8 mile, is the hardest b/c there is such a decrease in elevation, downhill for majority of it which should be interesting to pace. To be honest I think the hardest part of this whole 'experience' is being cooped up in a van with 5 other people and on no sleep- one can only assume my muscles are not going to be happy.

The company I work for, Healthways, is actually sponsoring the event here in TN, so the Ragnar trailer has been parked out front all week and anticipation has been building in watching everyone prepare for it. To help encourage Healthways employees  to take part in the first year of this race taking place in our lovely state, they allowed all employees a free day if they ran or even volunteered- getting paid to party and run!!

Stuffing the Ragnar bags all race participants receive

Trailer parked in back parking lot! 

Another reason I'm super excited is that  each team of 12 has to come up with some type of team name, as well as a theme (if its not already suggested in your team name) Costumes and van decorations are highly encouraged to go along with your theme.  Our team name is "Runners of Wal-mart" No idea how we came up with this, or what to expect exactly, but we're going for white trash / hilbilly style / 80s. I picked up a navy blue sweat shirt last night at Goodwill, cut out the sleeves, and cut it open all the way up the front to make a Wal-mart vest- we even got name tags and stickers for our 'flare' Of course spandex is a plus, stupid hats, and maybe even a thong poking out. I'm sure there is way more last minute costume ideas and swaps that will be implemented, I'll definitely make sure to post pics when its all said and done. The 5 other teammates in my van include one of my old high school track buddies, Scott, and all his friends (whom I don't know, so should make for a great 'get to know you' experience) 

Definitely look forward to meeting my whole team come Friday at our first meet up exchange  b/n the two vans and i'm sure many great memories will be made. Just looking forward to adding an overnight relay to my race adventures!