The Triathlon Rx

I’m not quite ready to post my Ragnar race recap just yet, but I can say WOW it was so much fun! I am 50% exhausted and 50% still pumped! We are already planning next year’s race. In the mean time… I’ll leave you with this:

When I was trying to think of everything I needed to bring along for the Ragnar Relay.. I felt like I kept forgetting things, or thinking of new things! The whole trip I found myself saying, “I wish I would have thought of that!” I had searched on Ragnar’s site for a “packing list”, but all I came up with were some suggestions of a few food items, and the mandatory items you needed to run (reflective vest, headlamps, etc.)

I’m putting this list up so that if anyone else is googling trying to find a Ragnar packing list, they might stumble upon this and I can be of help! Of course not all of these things are necessary, and some of them are just personal preference items that I wanted to have along, but at least it’s a good place to start!

CLOTHES:

• Running top (3 – one for each leg)
• Running shorts (3 – one for each leg)
• Socks (3 pairs)
• Shoes (I recommend 2 pairs in case it is raining during one of your legs)
• Sports bras (3)
• COMFY CLOTHES (to wear in between legs)
• Sweatshirt
• Sweatpants
• T-shirt
• Flip flops
• Hat/visor
• Running belt
• Jacket or windbreaker

COSMETICS:

• Baby wipes
• Deodorant
• IcyHot
• Ibuprofin
• Inhaler (if you have asthma)
• Contact case / solution / glasses (if you wear them)
• Hair brush (hair gets super tangled in the humidity)
• Bandaids
• TUMS
• Toothpaste / toothbrush (your teeth start to feel furry after all that Gatorade)
• Shampoo / soap (several of the major exchanges have OUTDOOR showers. Read: cold)

ETC:

• Garmin/watch
• Cell phone
• RACE BIBLE (at least 2 copies – one per van)
• Reflective vests (2+ – Mandatory. At least one per van, but they get sweaty – I would bring your own)
• Head lamps (2+ – see above)
• Flashers for back side (2+ – see above)
• Camera & batteries
• iPod
• Sleeping bag or blanket
• Pillow (though you’re not going to be getting much sleep!) 
• Ear plugs (see above)
• Money
• FOOD & BEVERAGE (see below)
• Swiss army knife
• First aid kit
• Towel
• Glow sticks
• Sidewalk chalk (to write on the road ahead of your runners.. it’s so fun to see a message to kick a$$ when you’re dying on mile 7 trying to peak the hill!)
• Book / magazine (I brought them.. but honestly you’re having too much fun with your team to have time to read)
• Walkie Talkies (if you want em’… cell phone coverage is spotty)
• Cooler
• Sharpie (I wanted it.. I feel like it’s always a good thing to have along!)
• Window paint markers (for your van)
• Safety pins (for pinning on numbers.. taking care of blisters.. you get the picture)

my lovely artwork

FOOD & BEVERAGE:

• Water bottles (bring more than you think you’ll need. You’ll need them.)
• Gatorade or Powerade
• Bananas
• Bagels
• Peanut butter
• Apples
• Grapes
• Bars (clif/power/granola/etc.)
• Gu/Sports beans/Shot Blocks/etc.
• Raisinettes
• Cereal
• String cheese
• Crackers
• Gum
• Trail mix
• Pretzels
• COFFEE (you don’t need to have it with you, but if you are one of those people who need coffee to keep going, make sure you have a plan of where you will get it!)

the goodie bag

Like I said, some of these things are just things I wanted to have along for personal comfort. You obviously don’t need chalk to write on the road, but it is something I wish I had brought along when I saw “Kick It In!!” written on the road ahead of me! 

I’m off to bed mis amigos. I started my first leg at like 3:00 yesterday afternoon, ran somewhere around midnight, and finished my last leg at like 9:00 this morning (Saturday). There were probably about 3 hours of sporadic sleep thrown in there.. and as far as I’m concerned, it feels like its already Tuesday. 

And I wouldn’t trade it for the world!