Bits from Ragnar - because it helps to know

Ever wanted to do a Ragnar? Here are a few "soundbites" if you will, if you want a bit of insight about it.

A Ragnar can be torture or a lot of fun. It just depends on who you ask. Really! There are some people here who look like they can't wait to hit the next Ragnar. And then there's people like me - probably not many - who are just thinking "ok, been there, done that, mark it off, don't need to do it again". LOL

Aside from that, it has been a good test and exercise of will over mind. Oh yes, and the elements. It was freaking cold here in Las Vegas, I think the only thing I did right in preparing for this was bring 2 sweaters, 2 long sleeve shirts and flannel pajama bottoms. Without those items I would have not been able to survive. It was that cold.

There are a couple of things that could have made this a great experience, not that I didn't have fun; it's just that it could have been so much better. I think the problem here with me was that we were not really competing. If we came here to compete I think there would have been more unity in my team, a better sense of camaraderie. I never felt like we were working towards anything in specific. My van was having a great time, but the team comprises of 2 vans and we almost didn't even think about the other guys - other than "we hope they don't get hurt". We are pushing and cheering for each other, for us, but there was not much of a connection to the other van. I believe it was a lack of communication and a lack of sense for a common purpose. That's what brings people together.

I had fun cheering for my van and seeing my peeps do pretty amazing things on their runs. I mean, one of our girls set out for a 9 miles run with an upset stomach... and she finished, and in great fashion at that, with a great pace. But I felt as if we had been doing this without a reason other than to do it. From that perspective it felt like a big hassle, not enough bang for our buck - at least not for mine. Then again, I am a competitive guy, I don't do many things just to do them. Running is even not like that for me; well a little bit, I am not looking for glory but if I am going to go to a race or anything like it, I can't not compete. Let's be clear, competing doesn't mean having a chance of winning, but it does mean working to excel at what you do.

If I was a more seasoned runner I could have done my part fairly easy. It is a good way to push myself to do more than I thought I could. Running on empty or just deliriously tired. You really have to dig deep at some points to stick with your run and not quit. Learning to put yourself through a tough physical task while already physically spent takes another level of mental toughness. There were many times after my first run when I thought: I gotta do this again in a few hours? No way! I can't!

Then came the half attempt to get at least bad sleep for a couple of hours. Waking up from that, alone was enough to send me into an anxiety attack. Then the realization came: "I gotta run in a couple of hours!" This time longer than before, and it's way colder than before (who knew the Vegas dessert can get so cold). As I tried to sneak a bit more sleep in the front seat of the van - not easy - we were going from relay point to relay point until finally we came to mine. GULP!!

My diet consisted of very simple foods. Multigrain bread, hummus, PB&J, trail mix and chia seeds. I never did a gel - even though we were supplied some. I didn't want to mess with it, last thing I needed was a revolting stomach at mile 3. I'd eat my hummus with the pita bread and drink chia seeds in my water before the run. I had all the fuel I needed. One thing I did learn was that you need salt to keep your muscles going. Luckily a good samaritan saw me stretching my legs and offered me Shot Blocks, small gummy cubes of salt - tasted good too - my body absorbed them pretty fast and I never looked back. So yes, salt, whether you get it from your sports drink, Shot Blocks or just salt, you need it.

When I needed some distraction from thinking about my legs, I'd picture my friend Will running next to me. That helped me take my mind off my body and move it to a fictional conversation. It helped with pacing myself as well. It helped me breath better. I breath better when I talk during my runs, and usually I only talk when I run with Will. At one point, on a stretch home and running uphill I wanted to stop for a quick breather, this is where this little exercise helped: I repeated over and over"Pain only hurts" which I got from Scott Jurek's book, "pride lasts forever" that's mine. LOL. "Pain only hurts for a little bit, knowing you did something you didn't think you could do will change you forever." I repeated that until I crossed the end of my segment. You know what? I was right. The pain went away when I stopped, but the feeling of not giving in is still here. The knowledge that my limits are actually a lot farther than I thought is still here. It was great overcoming my weakness and find out that maybe I'm not so weak after all. Try it next time.

Choose good people to go with. Make sure everyone gets along decently. Personality is a big thing, I'd only go with people who have personalities with these traits: flexible personality - understands that things happen and is willing to roll with the punches. Considers others - because at some point you'll have to.

That's it for right now. It's late. I'll try to fill you in a bit more in a later post or update of this one.