I just took a few minutes to catch up on all the documents and information about this relay race I said I was going to do with Jared's family at the end of August. I don't think I read the fine print before. So it's actually 185 miles divided between 12 runners who each run between 12 and 20 miles (3-8 miles a time). It lasts 24 hours and involves being shuttled to different places and trying to find a way to sleep somewhere in the midst of it all. There are lots of hills. There's heat in the day and darkness at night to contend with. Reflective vests, transition areas, running with pacers - it's all a bit foreign and scary to me. Hmmm.....
Today I ran almost 3 miles in 32 minutes. Yesterday I managed 3 miles in 35 minutes with some walking thrown in with the running - so I am improving. The words "I hate this" come to mind quite frequently as I run - especially if I come to a slight incline. And my measly 3 slow miles today on pretty flat terrain is pretty darn skimpy compared to what this race would require. Can I do THREE 5-8-mile up-and-down hill legs to complete my part of this upcoming race? I guess I won't know until I try! I've got almost 2 months to train. I've never really trained for anything physical before (other than giving birth - and I got pretty good at that...).
Jared jumped right on the relay team as soon as it was announced. He says this will be hard for him too since he's never been into running. But he mountain bikes 15-20 miles straight uphill all the time these days. And he ran the St George marathon a couple years ago after "training" by just going on a few 3-5 mile runs. He's all about endurance and stamina even though he's never been one to regularly work out. I, on the other hand, have worked out religiously 3x/week for as long as I can remember and I thought I was in pretty decent shape. I'm realizing I really haven't pushed myself all that much for a long time - and that my regular workouts on the good old eliptical machine combined with some sit-ups and push-ups haven't really prepared me for much.
If my name's on the super cute "Team Loosli" t-shirt design my sister-in-law created, does that mean I can't back out? (I'd put the t-shirt design on here but I can't figure out how to do that...)
This'll be good for me. I can do hard things. I better go to bed so I can try to run three whole miles w/o walking tomorrow morning! Sounds pretty miserable to me right now....
11 comments:
I hear ya! It's the middle of winter here in New Zealand, and I am training for a 10k in a few months. Waking up at 5:30am in the cold is HARD. But I do it, and I feel good about it for the rest of the day. Good luck with your training. It sounds much harder than mine!
sar you can totally do it! sayds and I are doing long runs at tge lake this year - we can all train together. I am hoping to do one of these relays in sf in sept. I've always wanted to. the adrenaline of a race will keep you going. it is so exciting and you can run so much farther than you thought. and if you are like me, the I hate this thing will turn to I low this before too long! good job!
sorry about the typos
Right now I'm sort of glad that I'm not a Loosli. You go girl!
To answer your question, it is too late to back out - welcome to the team ! :)
You can do it! You should download "Born to Run" from Audible or somewhere else and listen to it as you run...it will definitely help you get through your 3+ miles and transition from the hate to love. That book is a crazy mix of a story and great running form advice.
I can also show you some great running trails when you get back.
sar, I'm psyched you're doing this! There's nothing better than long runs, and how fun will it be to run together in the mornings at BL? Beautiful, quiet, no kids. Now we just need to convince Shawni that running beats that darn p90X.
Hey! I have to comment on this. I've done several of these and you will love the challenge! They are a lot of fun especially if you're with people you like! :)
It's like nothing else. The running in the dark, the hills, the no sleeping (as awful as it sounds) is all one big adventure. You will do great! Hope the training goes well!...
You will not regret doing this race!! I just did my first Ragnar this past February and absolutely loved it. It was a great challenge and pushed me in so many ways. It will be even better because you get to share it with family!
My husband has done the Ragnar a couple of times...you can do it. He said it was the hardest thing physically he's ever done, but also the most fun and rewarding!
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