Yesterday, I woke up and saw nothing but thunderstorms in the forecast for this weekend’s Ragnar Trail Vermont. I’ve gotten better about reserving my panic until race day, so I didn’t jump to any conclusions.
Then, the folks that operate the Ragnar Trail Series posted this fun little update: “Due to rain in the forecast, which tends to slow teams down, we will be moving everyone’s start time earlier by one hour.” Most people probably didn’t blink an eye when they read this, but I’m not most people.
Think back to the last time you overanalyzed a relationship with a girlfriend or boyfriend. What did he mean when he said that? What does she really think of my shoes? Did she notice that I just ate 35 Chicken McNuggets? These are the types of questions I’m currently asking myself about Ragnar Trail Vermont.
Still, this is Team Hot Bhattis’ third Ragnar appearance, and we’ve learned a few things since our first attempt in 2015. Here’s why I think we’ll be OK this weekend.
We’re (Really) Prepared
Before Ragnar Wawayanda, the last time I had done anything even resembling camping was in the fifth grade. I’m sure you won’t be surprised to learn that I packed what I normally wear during road races, plus a few extra pairs of dry socks and a bag full of granola. By the end of the weekend, I was begging Joe to share one of his Epic bars because I was sick of whole grains.
This time, Sarah set us up with spreadsheets on spreadsheets on spreadsheets to make sure we have all the things:
I started packing last night, and I’m not going to lie, half of my worldly possessions are in my camping backpack right now. Since I don’t own a lot of clothes, it really feels like overkill. Better safe than sad and wishing I had a dry pair of underwear, though!
I also bought a few things that I probably won’t use again unless we sign up for a fourth Ragnar Trail, the most expensive of them being a real pair of trail running shoes. I have wide feet, so the Brooks Cascadia was basically my only choice. I also lost my headlamp recently, so I had the pleasure of waiting at REI for 30 minutes this afternoon while they searched for the item I paid for online.
OK, so that was a couple hundred words about stuff. But seriously, I did not have enough gear the first time we did this, so excuse me if the stuff is a confidence booster right now.
We Just Want to Finish This Time
A couple of weeks ago, we came up with a new acronym to describe our goals for Ragnar Trail Vermont: DNDNF. Or, in other words, “Do Not ‘Do Not Finish.'”
In 2016, I chickened out of my night leg at Ragnar Wawayanda. Before that, we had a few injuries that made us wonder why we ever signed up in the first place. The following year, we signed up for the road relay in Cape Cod, but only had 10 runners and were a big ol’ DNF from the second we started. Even if it takes us three weeks to finish this race, I think it’s safe to say that we’ll be thrilled just to have an official time.
Personally, I’m confident that we’ll finish. We all seem comfortable with “running” 15 minute miles if it means staying upright and healthy. Plus, a lot of things can still happen. Weather people get to stay employed if they’re correct 25% of the time, so maybe I’m getting all worked up about nothing.
But even if the forecast is correct, we’ll still have fun. At the very least, we’ll survive. Or, maybe not. Uhh, what were we thinking?
What do you think? Do you like our chances of getting an official time at Ragnar Trail Vermont? Do you think we should just give up and stay at home? Let me know in the comments below!
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