run megan run. : Ragnar DC: Packing List

Hey, wanna get in a van with five strangers, on a team with eleven total strangers, sleep a handful of hours in a 36-hour span, sleep and eat while being confined in a van, run a 4-mile race at 2 am, cover a distance of 198.9 miles throughout this adventure... and do it for fun? I thought so. Ragnar was meant for you.

Per the Ragnar website, “During the relay, each team member runs three legs, each leg ranging between three to eight miles and varying in difficulty. Each team is responsible for providing two support vehicles, with six runners in each vehicle. The first vehicle will drop off the first runner, drive ahead a few miles, cheer the runner on, and provide them with water, snacks, and plenty of love. That vehicle will then drive ahead to the first exchange point to drop off the second runner, and pick up the first runner when that leg is complete. They will repeat this pattern for six legs until they hand off to their second vehicle. This leapfrogging pattern will continue all the way to the finish line.” Sounds like a great time - count me IN (because it's too late to bail now).

I am so excited this is finally here, and really... can't believe it's already here. Considering I've been on this team since June and really cannot believe summer flew by that quickly, I'm in shock that this time next week, I'll be venturing into Maryland and gearing up for a running adventure of a lifetime. I'm already thinking about my packing list, so putting it out here so you experienced Ragnarians can help fill in the gaps as needed.

You can never get too organized for something like this!

Personal

I've seen lots of advice about packing each running ensemble into a 1-gallon Ziploc bag; that way, a) your stuff is already sorted for you and b) you can put your stinkky stuff right back in the bag! Brilliant. Each bag will contain:

Top
Sports bra
Socks
Headband
Shorts
Underwear

Additionally, I'll have some extra personal stuff on hand:

Hat
Running jacket
Running tights
Yoga pants for van-time lounging
Extra shirts for lounging
Fleece jacket
Sunglasses
Cash monies
Camera
iPhone (use it as my iPod)
Garmin watch
Armband
Headphones
Sleeping bag
Hoodie
Flip-flops
Chapstick
IcyHot stick
Deoderant... lots of it.
Power adapter/power strip (you know, we've got like 8 things charging at once!)
Hand-held water bottle
Sweat towel
Spare running shoes (?)

Team Stuff

Our captains have done an amazing job of getting team food stuffs in order, along with team-oriented supplies, including, but not limited to:

Raisins
Nature Valley bars
Quaker chewy bars
Clif Bar Variety Pack
Animal crackers
Ibuprofen
IcyHot patches
Tums
Goldfish
Pudding packs
Pretzels
Pop Tarts
Cereal
Gatorade
Yoohoo
Additional water bottles
Bagels
Batteries
Bananas
Starbucks doubleshots (caffeine is necessary, duh)
Tissue boxes/packs
Vaseline
Bandaids
Apples/other fresh fruit
Babywipes/wet wipes (for "showers")
Cookies

I realize this looks like SO much food, but even looking at it, I'm pretty confident that over 36 hours, 12 of us can polish this ish off. Right? Right. We decided, given that everyone's refueling tastes are so different, that we were each individually responsible for bringing our own refueling items of choice. Mine? Jelly Belly Sport Chews and Gu Chews, of which I'll bring an awesome variety, given that I don't want to OD on any particular flavor in such a short time-frame!

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