Thoughts/Reflections going into this week:
- I felt pretty good overall on Saturday. I crushed all the hills with no problem. Let me tell you, there was no shortage of them. And they were big. Yay, for weight vest hill sprints, walking lunges, and having a strange love for going up and down hills.
- I had zero cramping, which the rest of my team suffered from. Thus, my Gu's and Nuun worked. With a slight allergy to bananas and peanuts, I had to bring my own nutrition on the course. Glad I did. I carried them in a little wrist pouch I had bought a while ago at TJ Maxx for about $5. Worked like a charm. I was never really thirsty, so I was properly hydrated prior to the start. But I made sure to drink water at all of the water stations.
I am not built like a walrus or any other Arctic creature. I froze the entire time. My teeth were chattering before, during, and after the race. I joked with Brendan that my shoulders would be sore from shaking. Well, they are. I ended up leaving the team somewhere around mile 8 and ran the rest. There was no stopping at that point cause I probably wouldn't have been able to restart. - Gloves are necessary when cold, even if I don't need them for the obstacles. I made the decision at the start line to ditch them. I was flexing my hands the entire time to try to keep them warm. Luckily Jon showed up on the sidelines around mile 7 maybe, and I got my gloves. I simply took them off and tossed them to the side on water obstacles.
- My shoes are the shit. No problemos on the slippery slopes we had to climb. Once again, not too heavy. To anyone seriously looking to getting into OCR, buy and train with Minimalist Trail shoes. Be sure to train with them though. Your feet, ankles, and shins need the time to adjust.
- My tights retained water. This weekend I'm wearing Capri's. Also, less layers on top. I had my Spartan Chick tank, UA Cold Gear Mock Turtle neck, and our 'Team' shirt, a UA Heat Gear Long sleeve shirt. Independently, they are all great and wick well. Together, not so much. I'm restrategizing.
- I am that annoying girl that is all giggles and cracking jokes that she thinks are funny the entire course. Even when the going gets tough and my lips are blue, I am still smiling, laughing, and having a great time. I love OCR. It is a sport that I see myself doing for as long as I am capable. Some people run road races, ride bike races, compete in Tri's, knit, bake, swim, etc. I am an OCRer. I enjoy the full body workout. I love running on the trails and through the woods. I love the always changing challenges from race to race. I love the training. I love the camaraderie between perfect strangers on an OCR course. I love the community and support of my fellow Spartan Chicks. Its my hobby. Its the reason I get out of bed every morning (literally). My brother signing us up for the IN Spartan has changed my life. And I will forever be grateful for that cold, wet day in April where I found the joy in pushing myself beyond my comfort level and rediscovering the basic human in me.
Sunday morning I woke up and decided to get a work out in. This is when I discovered that gym shoes were out. So I altered The Murph (a workout I found on Seal Fit).
Original Murph:
1 mile run
100 Pull ups
200 Push ups
300 Squats
1 Mile Run
Nicki's Murph:
5 minute jump rope with faux rope
Done 5 times with short rest between sets:
10 Pull ups - No assistance bands since no gym shoes, so sub 4x10sec negatives (hang on at top)
20 Push ups - Became girly push ups
30 squats
5 minute faux rope
 |
| Came with my pull up bar |
No comments:
Post a Comment