First off, let me tell you that if you ever get the chance to run a RAGNAR relay series—take it. We don’t often get the opportunity to challenge our physical and mental limits. Running a long race like this one, is a good metaphor for life. You’ll have your share of good times filled with joy and laughter, bad times that will strip away your ego and break you down, remind you that you are a mere mortal human. At times you will need to rely solely on yourself and find a way to dig deep and garner the courage to go on, other times you’ll be surprised that what got you through was the kindness and support of others. Trust me when I say that it is well worth the cost of a hundred bucks, a weekend of your time and a few blackened toenails. Following are a few hard earned lessons learned along the road to finishing RAGNAR.
YOUTH RULES: Anyone who still in their teens or twenties please pay close attention to the following: You have a golden opportunity to push yourself to your physical limits. Do not let it pass you by. Your physical performance will begin to diminish significantly decade by decade from age thirty forward.
Our team of twelve was divided with six runners to a van and Van #1 runners were much younger than those in Van #2. Their ages ranged from as young as twelve to thirty seven, and their oldest was a seasoned runner. Van #2 consisted of runners between the ages of thirty four and forty nine. I, of course, was in Van #2 and might add that I was the weakest link of our group.
Nothing like being at the bottom to humble a person—right?
It was quickly apparent that the younger runners covered those long distances with much greater ease and faster mileage. They easily ran 7 – 8 minute miles and were crucial to our overall team’s performance. They had the responsibility to shave off time resulting from us slower Van #2 runners. Our little 12 year old runner was fast as a jack rabbit and ran with only two weeks training. Young people simply do better. They are typically leaner and much more fit than those of us in our thirties, forties and beyond. They are also much more resilient and can recover much more quickly from injuries acquired along the road.
Now don’t get me wrong here, that is not to say that an older athlete cannot perform as well as someone much younger. At 38, Craig Alexander is the oldest overall winner of the Ford Ironman World Championship; yet even he, has spoken openly about knowing that he’d be hard pressed to accomplish that feat again. There are simply too many elite athletes like him, who have the advantage of youth on their side. Those athletes know that they are inside of that golden window of opportunity—just like you. So if you’re under thirty get on with your bad self and get running. But if you’re like me, and well past your prime, run anyway. Just don’t try to compare yourself to the sleek cheetah who is passing on your right, and leaving you for road kill in her dust.
DIG DEEP TO OVERCOME DOUBT: As I said above, this is a challenging race and let me tell you why. Unlike other running events, for which you get up in the morning, run your event and then go home, to say—make lunch or mow your lawn, RAGNAR lasts for two days time. So after you run your first of three legs, your body begins to stiffen up and get sore. This is right about the time you’d typically be planning to down some Ibuprofen, soak in a hot tub and maybe have a cold beer or glass of wine. Nope, no can do buddy.
With RAGNAR, this is exactly when you’d need to soldier up and get back out there and run again. RAGNAR is physically and mentally exhausting because you run intermittently over 36+ hours, with little or no sleep.
Make no mistake, RAGNAR will challenge you and may even bring you to your breaking point.
The elevation is another factor. Many of the running legs involve steep climbs whether on asphalt or gravel trails. My 2nd leg was only 3.6 miles from East Canyon Campground. It was only considered to be of “moderate” difficulty. I say, Bull*@#! I ran this one at 1:38 AM, yes, in the middle of the night and without sleep. Yep, it was just me and my headlamp. Worse, it climbed 500 ft in elevation over those short 3.6 miles. Not a single runner passed me who didn’t complain that the hills were kicking their butt. And me, well I was talking to God, baby. Literally, asking God to get me through that run.
I had to find a scrap of courage and dig deep to keep up a descent pace so as not to let my team down. Many times, I heard myself saying, “I can’t do this.”
This is when three things happen. First, you pray—earnestly, begging God to help you. Second, you kick yourself in the ass for not having taken your training seriously. Third, you rely on the hard times that you, or a loved one has faced in the past and you use that to stop feeling sorry for yourself and dig deep, keep moving. I did all of the above.
And let me add, that I forgot my iPod, so all I could hear was my own ragged breathing, and the intermittent padding of footsteps behind me, coming up to pass me from the rear. It was quite an experience, running under a blanket of stars. In the end, I left the weight of doubt and fear on that mountain, gained a little self respect and a new perspective on my life.
FOOD IS NOT THE ENEMY: I will try to keep this one brief. It is no secret that I have struggled with my weight. I’ve tried countless diets, only to lose and gain the same pounds over and over the past twenty five years. The only time I have been successful, is when I viewed food as fuel. This weekend was a reminder of just that.
Food is so not your enemy.
In an event like the RAGNAR, you learn quickly that it is impossible to push your body to such extremes without properly fueling it with food. You forget about good carbs, bad carbs, and all that other nonsense we dieters tend to fixate on, and use as excuses to eat poorly. We say that it gets so confusing, all the calorie counting and measuring of portion sizes.
When running, carbs are king; with protein being the faithful prince, ready to step up to the challenge should the king be nowhere to be found.
RAGNAR and races like it, remind you that food is energy; it is nourishing and life giving. It is second only to water for maintaining bodily function. And without it, you might as well just sit home on the couch, because you’ll only have the energy to press the buttons on the remote control to your TV.
So the next time, you sit down to eat, think of what is on your plate as being fuel for your body. If you haven’t done much, your tank is probably not that empty. We wouldn’t keep pumping gas into an overfull tank, but that is exactly what we, or should I say I, do every time I overeat without being in need of fuel. I think I am going to try and take my own good advice.
SIZE DOES MATTER: Since we’re on the subject of food, let me say that size does matter. It appears to be much easier to run when you weigh less. Running is physiologically hard on the joints, and the more weight you carry, the more strain you place on your aching, aging joints. I watched the runners who passed me, and believe me; a whole lot of runners passed this slow gal over the course of those two days. The lean runners seemed to move effortlessly. Yes, they were likely well trained, seasoned runners but I can’t help thinking their size contributed to their running performance.
While leaner is certainly better when it comes to running, do not discount the heavier, larger runners who participated over the weekend. They were incredible as well. I saw people out there running, that if you saw them in a movie theater, you might make the erroneous assumption and think that they were unfit or perhaps even lazy. No, ma’am. They were clearly well trained and had outstanding cardiovascular endurance.
As for me, well, I am going to try and drop a few, or a lot of pounds before taking on such a challenge in the future. I can’t do anything about my age, but my weight and training are completely within my ability to improve upon.
POWER OF PLANNING: One of the single most importantly lessons I learned was the power of planning—more specifically, or training. I did not train well for this race and it showed, big time. You cannot just go outside and go for a run once in a while, as a means of training for a race like RAGNAR. If you know someone who is putting a team together to run RAGNAR in 2013 and you’d like to join them, then start training now and be consistent. It is the only way to build up the endurance you will need when facing the distance and climbs that await you on the Wasatch Back.
Another area where proper planning was of importance was in our race day supplies. We had a whole arsenal of high energy foods, bars and drinks. There was plenty on hand to keep everyone well hydrated and ready to run. We even had what we called our senior citizen bag full with muscle rub, ice packs, Ibuprofen and the like. Yes, planning was key to our success.
I just wished that I had planned to get my butt out on the road much more often than I did.
SWEET SUPPORT: With RAGNAR, you learn quickly about the power of the team. You find out that your team has your best interest at heart and that they will step in and help you when you need it, even when you don’t want or think you need their help. I found that out early on, in my first leg of the event.
I wanted my team to drive ahead the first four miles and not wait for me along the road. This was mostly because I was so embarrassed at my poor level of ability and lack of preparation. The temperatures were searing hot on Saturday, and I was much relieved to find them waiting for me at the 2 mile marker. I was grateful for their cheers and encouragement, in equal measure to the ice cold bottle of water they held out for me. Yes, support is a sweet thing to have when pushing yourself to such an extreme.
Speaking of support, unless your next race is only a 5K, you are going to need to have a supportive spouse and family to be able to put in the training time necessary to do well in a longer race. So, thank them profusely the next time you leave them eating cold cereal on a lazy Sunday morning when you head out for your long run of the week.
SEEK EXPERIENCES OVER THINGS: On a final note, running RAGNAR was a great experience and I am grateful that I got the opportunity to participate when I was clearly not a strong addition to the team. I learned a lot about myself along the road on those two days. One thing I know for sure is that I will never forget the experience.
To me, experiences are much more valuable than things. Things lose their value and sparkle after we acquire them. Think of the new shoes, car or house that you wanted so badly and finally bought; after a while, perhaps even now, it doesn’t seem to have the same appeal to you. It just doesn’t seem as important or special. Now think about the great vacation that you went on, or your wedding or graduation. When you recall those events, they seem almost as splendid as when you first experienced them. They are vividly recalled in your memory and you may even feel joy on a physical level, simply by recalling those special experiences.
My advice (retirement planning aside), spend your money on experiences rather than on material things. You’ll get more of a return on your investment. Experiences gain in equity; things only depreciate and gather dust.
And let’s be honest, who enjoys dusting?
Rita Aguilar 