Here at Fresh, we’ve gathered a team of 12 hardened warriors to run in the Northwest Passage Ragnar Relay in July.  The scenery, the distance, and the 24-hour relay aspect make this one fun.

I’m excited (and a bit out of shape at the moment) for the Ragnar. I do love running, so while I’m working myself back into solid running condition, I thought I’d share a few tips of my own.

Get Technical

Having a cell phone with GPS is an amazing tool to have at a runner’s disposal. Being able to track a run (both distance and time) no longer involves estimating based on your pace or going for a drive ahead of time to plot things out. Thanks to running apps, you can get your time, mile markers, and total distance tracked for you while you run. In addition, you get a handy online log of your runs to track your progress and share with others.

I’m currently going back and forth between RunKeeper and Endomondo to track my runs. Both have free versions that will work great for your basic tracking needs. The perks to the pro versions vary between the two apps and currently only Endomondo has a Windows Phone 8 version.

Be Nutritious

In addition to the tech side of things, I need to keep my body in tip top shape, especially after the runs to gain the benefit.  My wife has been graciously making me an all natural electrolyte drink after my runs that really seems to be helping. It tastes good and is gluten free too! If you’re curious, check it out here.

On my old cross country teams, we had some good bonding with good food before the big events.  There’s nothing like a massive pasta feed the night before the big race to build energy stores and team camaraderie. I even know a great crock pot lasagna recipe that makes it easy to make and partake of right after work.  I’ll be recruiting the team for that to see if I can revive that youthful energy.

Anyways, those were a few random ideas I wanted to share as I’m preparing for our first racing endeavor as a team . Who else is running the Ragnar Relay? We’d love to see you there!