Why Are We Running a Ragnar Trail Relay Before a Marathon?

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In the immediate aftermath of our first Ragnar Trail Relay, all of us associated with Team Hot Bhattis licked our wounds and said that we’d probably never do it again. When we got back to Manhattan later that night, we all agreed that we should sign up for another one as soon as possible.

What’s a Ragnar Trail Relay? In the simplest terms, it’s an overnight relay race in the middle of the woods, during which 8 people run a combined 200(ish) miles. This year, we’ve signed up for one in Vermont. Sounds nice, right? There’s even a glamping option for out-of-towners that don’t want to bring their own camping gear!

But it also might be a terrible idea. Three of us are signed up to run the New York City Marathon this fall, with another three set up to race Chicago. On paper, squeezing in a Ragnar Trail in the middle of our training cycles probably looks kind of dumb.

So why are we doing it? Here are a few of my best guesses.

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5 Thoughts That I Had During My Weekend Long Run

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I’m not going to lie—I had very little motivation to do anything resembling long distance running training last Saturday.

To start the day, Jess made waffles. Not long after that, I settled into a very long session of MLB The Show 17 on the PS4. In that world, I’m the 6’5 starting second baseman for the Angels and am leading the American League in RBIs. Unfortunately, that version of me is still on his rookie contract and is anxiously awaiting a gigantic payday.

By the time I finally got off the couch, it was 3 in the afternoon. Thanks to Daylight Savings Time, I had three hours to get a 1:30 long run in. With no excuses to let myself off the hook, how did I get through the workout? Here are a few things I thought about to pass the time.

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2018 NYC Half Marathon Race Report

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Last year, my approach to running the NYC Half Marathon looked something like this:

  • Three weeks out: “I’m running a half marathon, everyone! Let me tell you all about it!”
  • Two weeks out: “I’ll run home from work once or twice. That’ll be enough to get me ready!”
  • One week out: “Oh shoot, I have not done enough running.”

But last summer, I started running with the Dashing Whippets, which made me wonder if I should follow an actual training plan. At the time, I was knee-deep in a pretty basic Hal Higdon training plan for the 2017 NYC Marathon. Because I’m paranoid about everything, I decided not to switch gears mid-cycle and do what all the other Whippets were doing.

Instead, I targeted the 2018 NYC Half Marathon as an experiment. Could I get faster if I didn’t just force myself to run 8-minute miles every time I stepped outside for a run? Is it possible for a putz like me to run a half marathon in under 1:40? Let’s find out!

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A Trip to The 2018 NYC Half Marathon Expo

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I don’t know about you, but I have a love-hate relationship with half marathon race expos.

What do I hate about them? Actually…not much, except for the fact that I know I’ll find at least a dozen things priced at over $100 that I’ll want to buy. My favorite gels are now available in a chicken nugget flavor? Put me down for a pallet. Running shoes made out of sourdough bread that scientists say will help me beat my 5K PR by 10 seconds? Give them to me, and give them to me now.

In most cases, I make mental notes of things that I want to shop for on Amazon. Then, I forget those mental notes because they never make the transition from “mental” to “written down.”

This year, my friend Sheraz decided to sign up for the 2018 NYC Half (his first half marathon!!!). I decided that it would be fun to keep a running tally of all the crap that we considered picking up at the expo. Did we cash out our 401Ks to buy moisture-wicking running belts? Let’s find out.

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