Me Jane, You Tarzan

After several weeks of my manila rope hanging out on the floor in our living and not in a tree, we finally got it hung. Yippee! Special thanks to our amazing neighbor, Kristen, for letting me hang a rope in her tree. I approached the rope with trepidation. Kristen and I were actually talking prior to hanging the rope, and I told her I didn't think I'd be able to do it. If you recall, I tried to climb a rope attached to a cinder block in the woods a week or so ago and majorly failed.  It would just have to be one of those things I would have to work at steadily until I got it. Once hung, Jon climbed it first to test it out. He got about half way using only his arms. I, on the other hand, have been studying rope climbing on YouTube, watching videos of different techniques, and mentally going through it in my head. When it was my turn, I told Jon how I learned to create an 'S' with the rope around my feet and push up. I grabbed onto the rope, gave it a good tug, and then jumped up 'S-ing' the rope around my foot as close to my chest as possible. Aha! I was up. Okay. Push up and grab higher. Scissor kick to 'Re-S' around my foot. Repeat. It was glorious and also painful. In the future long socks or pants will be worn. I have a nice rope burn on the front of my left chin from coming down the rope. Yet this is one Spartan Obstacle I feel comfortable conquering.

This morning I decided to venture out into the cold. I checked the weather before dressing: a cool 43 degrees. Time to test out my new Under Armour Cold Compression tights that I scored at my favorite store, Marshalls. I also, got to try out my New Balance runner's cap I got from The Clymb for like $6. I also, wore my Nike+ SportWatch GPS to track my mileage. Once to the park, I did 8 hill sprints with my 30lbs weight vest counting with 4 rocks on my back bumper. I manage to do all 8 without stopping and zero water. I was also finally able to gauge how long my uphill was: .07 miles or about 112 meters. After my 8 sprints, I hit the trail for one loop around. At one point I had a cramp in my right side. My friend, Bridgid, had told me if you drop and do some quick oblique work you can squeeze out the lactic acid. I thought I would try it. I had nothing to lose. The verdict: It worked! So next time you cramp up, DROP AND GIVE ME 20!!

In other news, I will be starting an event page and team for the IN Spartan Sprint in April. I hope some, if not all of you, will join me. Below is a LivingSocial deal for a $30 registration fee. Trust me: This is a great deal. Having doubts? Don't think you can do it? Sign up!! You have 7 months to tell those doubts to Shut the Spartan Up! Aroo!

http://www.livingsocial.com/adventures/442024-spartan-race-obstacle-run?msdc_id=130-fort-wayne