Ok, I’ll admit it. I wasn’t even planning to train for Ragnar. I mean, I’ve run 14 half marathons this year and I have another one in August. I looked at the distances for most of the runners for Ragnar DC and they fell around 13-16 miles. Given that I’ve run several half marathons 24 hours apart, I figured I’d just throw a few doubles into my normal half marathon training and call it good.
And then I got my runner assignment. I’m runner 11. I’ll be running 8.9 miles, 9.2 miles, and 3.8 miles. The first of the runs is mostly flat, but it’s on a trail and largely unsupported. The second is rolling hills on pavement and dirt road. 21.9 miles total. Mostly in the dark.
What’s that saying? Go big or go home? Guess I’ll be going big for my first Ragnar.
I haven’t trained hard during the summer since my first marathon in 2008! I don’t like the heat and humidity + I don’t have much free time with the kids not in school. So, this could be… interesting.
I have 8 weeks. There will be back to back long runs, double days, and I’ll be running every hill I can find in the DC area (luckily, there are hills aplenty just outside my front door.)
I want to enjoy the experience of Ragnar. I don’t want to be worrying about how hard my legs are or whether I can run that distance in the heat. I plan to be ready to go when September arrives.
The summer of slacking is over. I’m putting on my big girl panties and getting ready to run.
You have totally got this and you ARE well prepared. I had run a total of like 15 miles between March and June before I ran Ragnar and did totally fine. Try not to stress to much about it. You can do the miles, they won’t be your speediest by any means, but the point is to just finish and have fun. I think the MOST important part is the recovery INBETWEEN runs.
I do pretty good with recovery, but other than Ireland, I haven’t run more than 6 miles since Zooma. Oops.
I am on a Ragnar team and will NOT be runner 11 or 12 – we are leaving those for the guys. I am thinking about doing a few double run days since I never run in the afternoon or evening. I think I need to brave the Custis Trail for some hills!
oh goodness the custis. i don’t know if you could PAY me to run that trial again. at least not from rosslyn west…ugh!
11 wasn’t my first choice, lol, but eh, I’ll get it done.
I’m doing my first Ragnar (DC) in September, too! I’m Runner #1, with a much easier load than you. I look forward to hearing about your training and hopefully meeting you in person along the course. Good luck!
Good luck! I’m sure you’ll enjoy being runner 1.
Whew, that’s a lot of miles! I thought running 11 in 3 legs in one day during a 12 hour relay was tough! Double run days definitely help for relay prep. Good luck, you’re going be fabulous!
Thanks! My last two runs have been awful, so I’m hoping my body gets back on board soon.
this looks like a great plan — i’m so excited to hear about your ragnar experience. 🙂
You’ll be fine with your training. I really didn’t do anything extra (not that I’m fast or anything), but I was about halfway through marathon training so I had a base. I was runner 12 at Ragnar So Cal, and I had about 17 miles total. Have fun and enjoy the experience!
I’ve got 7 more weeks and a good half marathon base, so I’ll just keep buildin’ the mileage… I just want to be prepared enough that I can enjoy myself.
That’s exciting!!! Good luck with your training! I’ve always wanted to run a Ragnar!!
Thanks! This is my first one, so I’m pretty excited.
I prefer tights to big girl panties. Those things always make me chafe.
LOL!
Wow that’s a crazy training schedule! I’d love to do a Ragnar one day- looking forward to hearing about your experience!
Thanks! I’m hoping to have a good time!
I’m doing my first Ragnar in October, at the Hill Country Trail relay…8-man team, 3 legs each totaling 15.6 miles…and it looks like we may have some “missing runners”, so we will each do 1-2 legs extra. I’m so looking forward to this – after running my first 50K last April, I absolutely have the trail/ultra fever…enough that I’m using Ragnar as a warm-up for a 50-miler in December 🙂 Good luck on your race, keep us posted with your training, and the results, of course!
You’re crazy! ;o) Some day I’d like to do an ultra.