2013 Thoughts and Montage

My second season of OCR has officially come to a close. A quick trip to Texas to see TeamTx members and get my Trifecta would cost about $600. I have a work commitment the morning of the Artic Dash. And, most importantly, my sprained ankle needs to heal. Thus, it's time to give my race shoes one last hose down for the year.

Even though it was a very frustrating season being plagued with a foot injury and shin splints, it was also very rewarding. Despite sub-par training and running, I performed better in almost all of my races. Back in January, I laid out my goals for the 2013 season. I had two:

1. Top 10 Female finish for any local OCR's I race. 
2. Top 20 Elite Female finish for IN Spartan Sprint in April.

I am very proud to say that I accomplished Goal 1 with 8th being my lowest place. Goal 2 did not happen. Due to struggles with my foot, I didn't even line up with the Elites. Instead I walked/ran the race with my bestfriend, Andrea, and fellow teammate Gina. And it was a fantastic time. Yeah, I was heartbroken and of course frustrated, but there is always 2014. And there will be a 2014. And more importantly, Goal 2 is on for 2014 and very achievable.

Now for the fun part (at least for me). If this were an end of season sport's banquet, it would be time to pull down the screen, dim the lights, and cue Queen's, "We are the Champions" (Please hit play before continuing for your viewing pleasure).







Pre-Spartan Sprint IN
Everyone's first Spartan with the exception of me and my Brother, Boogie

 

Oh, the dreaded barbed wire crawl at IN. It may have been dramatically shorter than 2012's, but definitely wetter and uphill. Lessons learned: 1. Don't stop to take a break. The man working the hose has no mercy. 2. Andrea has a fantastic butt. I had the pleasure of literally pushing it up the mud hills.

 

I was forced to a walk during this race due to my foot. It was frustrating and I held back tears during this race. I also found that I still do not like ice water.

 

Road Trip to Marseilles for the MW Super. I literally decided to race that week and Andrea was best friend enough to join me. Being out with a busted foot she was a loyal SAG. Monumental moments include: discovering Chicago is an hour behind us; finding my foot no longer hurt when I ran; getting up and over the inverted wall followed by singing, "Damn it feels good to be a gangster"; getting over the slippery wall after the fight of my life with the assistance of an amazing racer, then to get 3/4 of the way up the rope; feeling pure sadness looking up at the trees when I found out there was only 1 mile left of the race; meeting with TeamTx member Jesica and other Texan OCR's at a Mexican restaurant that evening (note: Texans should not visit Mexican restaurants in the MW. They will be disappointed); sharing the reasons why we ran our first Spartan and why we still run them; swearing I would retire from OCR once I got up a rope during a race; checking out the strip club in the mobile home in Peru, IL from the parking lot.

 





Hands down, best moment ever. Well, shortly before the best moment of my 2013 OCR season at the Mud Ninja. This is a picture right before Ulrike and I became friends. At the right of this photo you can see how the traverse is built into a mound. This mound drops into the biggest mud pit ever. The biggest mud pit ever is where I met my fellow BAMF, Ulrike. We both struggled around this pit trying to find a way to claw our way out of it. I thought I was going to spend the rest of my life in this pit. We strategized and bitched together. It was awesome. We finally found climbing pockets on the right side and clamored out. I ended up finishing the race before Ulrike, but I waited at the finish line for her. Best decision ever. I respected her as an athlete and wanted to cheer her on as she finished. I had to meet this girl. As soon as she finished, there was no shutting us up or separating us. We spent hours chatting, laughing, struggling to go to the Port-a-Potties in our flip flops through the mud. We raced a total of 5 races together this year (the first being the Survival race when we didn't know each other but she was on my hip the entire time being a PITA). I can't wait to race with this Chica in 2014. World be warned.

 

I raced the Mud Ninja because it was $27. Turns out it was an awesome race. Amazing obstacles and terrain. I completed all of the obstacles, including their tougher than Spartan Traverse wall, with the exception of the Ninja Warrior style spring board cargo net contraption. We'll blame that on my fear of taking a leap of faith. I acknowledge that fear and also know that it is responsible for my inability to conquer the Sternum checker at MGG. Any who, I had no idea that the top 15 of each gender won a Ninja Sword. And a real one at that. This pic, "What? Its a legit Ninja Sword." This sword has split Lemons over a bottle of wine and it was also the weapon of choice when I thought I was going to get robbed (turns out it was my neighbor dropping off a card and bottle of wine the night before my Series 7 exam).

Not OCR, but an Epic wipe out during my first time Surfing off the back of a boat.

Placing 2nd to the OCR champion Amelia Boone at the inaugural MGG. That's about it. Full recap can be found here. This moment was truly monumental. A game changer. I unfortunately sprained an ankle a few weeks later but the fire is still burning brightly. 



 

Not OCR but still awesome. Double Hula Hooping BKB for the WEBN fireworks.

 



 

More Cowbell = Get your ass up the rope. Done. I had my brother make me this shirt for the 2nd MGG race on Nov 2nd. I was deteremined to ring that damn cowbell during the race. I failed the first race and the first training session. I got up it the second training session after several tries and after channeling the RAS section of my brain (Google it). During the Nov 2 race, first time. I developed a rope climbing mantra at one of my training sesh'es at GoNative, "Loop, Push, Grab." Worked like a charm. I also decided to go back on my word and not retire from OCR.





This is the Weaver and luckily this picture is shot from a more flattering angle. I included this picture because despite my sprained ankle I still rocked the obstacles at MGG, Nov 2, that I failed at the first MGG. I got up the rope, across the Weaver, across the Monkey Bars, across the Polish Traverse. My time was much slower, but my strength and determination really shined through. I really look forward to being at the top of my game for their first 2014 race.



Not only are these ladies Sexy Beasts, but they are strong, crazy, determined, and so much fun. From left to right, meet my new fav OCR ladies, Grace, Ulrike, Bianca, and Me. I always look forward to these faces when its race day. Bianca and I share a certain determination when it comes to walls and ropes. We conquered the walls at Mudocalypse and rung the cowbell at MGG Nov 2.

The Crazy Mudder Muckers. I literally finally figured out what the team name alluded to after Mudocalypse. Before that I just thought it was an annoyingly long team name. Apparently I was the last to that party. Now I'm proud to call myself a CMM. In fact I've always been a CMM just Lone Wolf style. I've now found a pack that drinks from the same pitcher of Kool-Aid whom I look forward to seeing through out the year. We're a weird bunch. Quite frankly. But that's the OCR community in general. We're very tight and very hyper for a couple of hours following a race. We stick together like glue. We're friends with folks on Facebook that we've never met in person but trust them more than some of our own blood. We trust and respect one another because we know and understand the Hell we put ourselves through just to fight through 3-5 miles of woods and obstacles. We stayed glue to FB for a weekend searching frantically for updates on WTM, the Death Race, the Ultra Beast, and no one else knows what the hell we're talking about. We will have viewing parties on Dec 7th. Our hero's won't be found in Sports Illustrated or People. Our heroes are likely people who have a story similar to ours. Our heroes are lost souls who found their calling in becoming human again through the sport of OCR. We are people who cannot simply walk down the road. No, we walk down the road with logs or a tire someone tossed. We carry CamelBak's during races so we can hand out Gu Pak's and salt pills to racers that are struggling. We are who we are or who we are becoming. Most OCR athletes can tell you an incredible story about how the sport has transformed them. I know I can. Its a powerful hobby. Its a powerful passion. My family will joke that when my brother decided we're doing a Spartan race he created a monster. I like to think he forced me down the road I was meant for. I am forever grateful for this sport. I cannot wait for April when I get to race again. In the mean time, you'll find me diligently training so I can have opportunity to race with these admirable folks again. These folks who I call family. These folks who post all sorts of dirty pictures of themselves on the internet. These folks who understand the determination it takes to get through one of these races.





Mud, Guts, and Glory - Part Deux

Could this race possibly get any better? Yes it could, and it did. I was blown away by this course and staff after the inaugural race Labor Day weekend. Then, they stepped it up even more for the November race. So, how did they manage it?

1. Penalties: In August, there were time penalties for skipping obstacles that were hard to manage. This time they had physical penalties. I'm not talking about lashings or getting locked up in stocks. Rather they had physical challenges for failed obstacles. Even better, they varied by obstacle. At the Sternum Checker, there was a 30 burpee penalty. If you failed to hit the Spartan with a paintball, you had 10 squats with a slosh pipe. If you couldn't get over the new, gigantic walls, you had to 20 step ups onto a box with a log over your head. The penalties were just as challenging if not tougher than the obstacles. I remember dangling at  Monkey Business while guys were walking with Slosh Pipes telling us we did not want to fall off.
2. Mother Nature: Not sure how they did it, but the guys at MGG called upon Mother Nature to let loose a nasty storm earlier in the week leaving the course nice and slick. The creeks were flowing. The hills sans ropes proved much more of a bear.
3. The After Party: Hours were spent after the race, chit chatting, warming our buns next to the bonfire, chit chatting, dance partying, chit chatting, and playing tug of war. The post race ambiance was like giddy little girls on the first day of school. Or maybe that was just me. Who knows? Either way, I had so much fun hanging out with my teammates and meeting new people after the race. OCR folks are the nicest, friendliest people you'll meet. We're all united by a common passion for OCR and challenging ourselves, body and mind, to races that demand every ounce of energy and strength and then some. Not too mention, after an epic race such as MGG, we're all adrenaline driven, crazed adults. 

   

   Me and Ulrike winning the Tug of War Championship against some seriously fierce competition

4. New Obstacles: They added 2 new obstacles to the course. A trifecta of walls and a Polish Traverse. The walls are easy enough to explain, two little ones straddling a gigantic one nearly impossible to get over. The Polish traverse on the other hand, any explanation I would give it would not do it justice. Basically, its a pole that gets bigger to smaller or reverse, depending on which you decide, that you have to shimmy across. Easy? Nope.

And now the selfish part of my post: My personal highlights/lowlights.

• Stripping down going into the festival area: I got hot pretty early in the race. As we were heading into the festival area where the gauntlet is, I saw my dad, or so I thought. My Dad will occasionally show up places unannounced. He just rolls with the punches. He knew I was racing and asked about its location, so logically it made sense. Plus this guy looked dead on my Dad. Same height, build, stance. So, here I am so excited to see my Dad there to cheer me on. Plus, he could hold onto my extra layers. I came running across the bridge stripping of my shirt and hat, yelling "Dad" and waving. I chuck my clothes at the guy, and he just looks at me like I'm am a straight up nut ball. "Oh, you're not my dad." So there my clothes sat until I picked them up after the race. Oh, and my parents, they were well on their way to Vegas yesterday morning. Dad at race: Impossible.
• Getting across monkey business while getting a fantastic view of Ulrike's butt: Love this girl. We stuck together for the first part of the race yelling and cussing at each other between breaths (our form of encouragement). Ulrike hit the monkey bars before me. I yelled for her to go down the middle one, and just go. Going down is easy and fun. Gravity does all of the work. Once she got a good start going up by turning around and crawling up invertly, I made my way down. And then I caught up with her. So I hung on, creeping up, rung by rung, the whole time "encouraging" Ulrike to keep going. It may have been partly out of self-perseverance. I remember tilting my head back and seeing Ulrike's butt pretty much on my head. We had to of been quite the spectacle. Hopefully, someone got a photo of the 2 of us BAMF Spider Monkeys.
• The stupid Sternum Checker: Failed. 3 times. On my first attempt, I flipped off the thing landing on my back in a pile of hay (Thank you for putting that there!). The next two attempts I got progressively closer, but couldn't get over that stupid log. On the 3rd try, a fellow racer offered to help me over, but I had to decline. If I was getting over, I was doing it on my own. I also received the best advice from fellow teammate, Juffrey, "You just have to jump higher." Got it. Thanks for being an awesome volunteer and teammate encouraging me each time! Next time, I'm owning it. This time, I did 30 burpees.
• More Cowbell: Rang that bell loud and proud. First attempt, I was up that rope. "Loop, push, grab." Finally, I made it up a rope in a race. Then I flailed coming down, basically falling and sliding down it catching the rope at the bottom so I wouldn't end up on mine. Not very graceful, but the obstacle is to go up and not down. Boom.
• Pulling out my Cliff Shot only to find it had exploded. Note: do not store Gu's in sports bra and

  

  Gu Stain

  then proceed to attempt the Sternum Checker. There was no need to rip it opened. I just ate whatever was left from the bottom of the pack.
• Nailed the Weaver: I am so glad we practiced this in training. There was also an awesome volunteer who told me I was her hero. I love the MGG volunteers!!!
• Gigantic Check: Seriously. I've always wanted a gigantic check. There are no words to explain the feeling. But you can certainly tell how excited I was by the size of the grin on my face.

Overall, I came in 18 minutes slower than last time. And that's fine. I wasn't expecting to be any faster having sprained my ankle 3 weeks ago training at MGG. I was only able to run/walk this past week and I couldn't squat. I am very proud of my performance on the obstacles. Even though I didn't get over the Sternum Checker, when I was laying in the hay I got back up and tried again. I got up the rope, across the Monkey bars, through the Weaver, and across the Polish Traverse. I'll take it.

Rumor has it, the next race will be in April. I truly look forward to whatever they have in store for us next time. I can guarantee it will be EPIC. The folks at MGG are committed to building and having races that are for Obstacle Course Racers. So much so, they seek the input from the racers and more importantly, use it. The directors seek input from your Average Joe's as well as Champions, Pak and Boone, plus the OCR "celebrities." I have no doubt that this race will only continue to grow with more folks traveling farther to show up. I said it before, and I'll say it again. This is not your run of the mill sloppily thrown together course that wants a quick profit. This is a permanent, raw, challenging course that will suck out every ounce of energy that you can muster. A course like this is the reason why I love OCR.

Dream. Come. True.

 

 

Biggest and Fastest Team with 3 members taking podium and winning both Men's and Women's Tug of War: The amazing Crazy Mudder Muckers

MGG Training Session 1

It is simply a dream come true. Seriously. I cannot think of a better way to spend a Saturday morning when I'm not actually racing. Saturday mornings are my trail running days, but throw in some awesome, raw terrain and tough obstacles for practice. No brainer. Best day ever.

Mud, Guts, and Glory has opened up their course for training sessions the weekends leading up to the fall race, November 2nd. For $10 if registered or $30 if not registered for November, you get free range of the course starting at 9am. You can run the entire course or just focus on obstacles. Completely up to you. There are no volunteers on the course and no water stations, so you must pack your own water and calories. The course is still set up as it was in August. The obstacles are mostly fully functional. The only things missing yesterday were the log drag, any brought in water, and the electric on the army crawl. 

New wall
Pic by Julia Rohs

I got to King's Domain a little after 9am. There was already a nice little crowd gathered including a new race friend, Bianca. I met Bianca at the August MGG race. We raced together 2 weekends ago at Mudocalypse where we both got over the 7-8 foot wall unassisted (Woot, Woot!). Jake even drug his butt out of bed to train after a long night of bar tending. Once we were all checked in with our waivers signed, John King gave us a preview of the November 2 race as well as current conditions of the
trails. For November 2, plan on going under the Giant Monkey bars, and they are adding a gauntlet of walls. They also added new sponsors including Eddie Bauer and OCR Gear. What got me most excited for the upcoming weeks and race, is simply the passion in John's voice. He is fully committed to King's Domain and MGG. He wants MGG to be a destination race, and more importantly he understands the sport and what it will take to be on the OCR map. He spoke of the Spartan Death race knowing the history behind it. When I used the restroom, the reading material consisted of some outdoor magazine. He's not some fly by night guy who decided he wanted to throw together a poorly constructed course to make a quick buck. No way, not this guy or organization. He invited Amelia Boone and Junyong Pak to race the inaugural course. And, guess what? They're coming back. Yeah, this race, this course, is the Real McCoy with a dedicated team behind it. The only disappointment in this race will be from a athlete not able to complete one of the challenging obstacles or being brought to a halt from one of the many long uphill climbs.

Quite frankly, I may be one of the disappointed not being able to conquer an obstacle or two. And that is why you will find me every Saturday until race day at King's Domain diligently practicing the obstacles I cannot do. This past Saturday proved to be very productive. Our group of strangers with maybe a Facebook exchange here and there on our CMM team page naturally formed a training team. We mostly stuck together waiting from time to time if we pulled apart and separated. We jogged, hopped over logs, crossed the small Monkey bars, Jake tested the army crawl for electricity (John King wouldn't tell us if he turned it on for us or not LOL).

The Giant Monkey bars was our first major stop. I climbed up to the platform and stopped. I'm a

 

chicken shit. I hate heights unless I'm strapped to something such as a harness or another person. From the ground it doesn't seem very tall, but once up there, yeah, your feet suddenly become glued to the wooden platform. I encouraged everyone to go before me. I tried really hard to work up courage while everyone went and tried different ways to cross efficiently. When it came down to it, I was scared. It took a lot of coaxing. It took a lot of deep breaths. It took a lot of convincing myself it would only be a broken neck or concussion. Man, when I did go, it felt amazing. It was actually fun going down the monkey bars. After going down, you cross a couple of flat bars, and then you go back up. I made it maybe 2 or 3 bars high. It may not seem like much, but it truly was an accomplishment. I conquered a fear and built up courage. When I got off, my legs were shaking. Next time, I won't exhaust so much energy and strength from sheer terror. Honestly, I look forward to doing them again. Now I'm just determined.

Next major obstacle was the Sternum Checker. I took the time penalty on it during the August race. I

Sternum checker
From MGG FB page

stepped up, assessed the situation, and decided it was too dangerous. I felt the same way on Saturday. Fortunately, I was running with an amazing group of folks. Patrick and Shawn offered to spot me as I literally took a leap of faith. Luckily, they were there or I would have been laying in a pool of brain blood with Jake yelling at me because I'm a former basketball player and cheerleader. So, I climbed back up there more determined than ever, and made the leap again. This time I made it although there was some assistance still. Needless to say, House of Pain will be singing my theme song over the next few weeks. (vs. Mike singing "Catch me, I'm falling).

The rope climb. Yep, still can't get up it. I'm committed to climbing my rope everyday until race day. Today, I climbed in the pouring rain with our weird neighbor staring out his patio door. He finally came outside and complimented my strength (or lack of) which made it less creepy. Of course, I guess I don't have room to talk. I'm the crazy person attempting to climb my rope in the cold, pouring rain.

The Weaver. Boom. Got it. Fell off the first time going down, but climbed back up and tried it again.

The Weaver
From the MGG FB Page

Thanks to Shawn for helping with technique. Although, Patrick had the best technique swinging around those beams like a monkey :) Its not so bad once you figure out how to actually do it. It really only hurts your skin. I have beautiful bruises from this one as well as the Sternum Checker.

Finally, there was the gigantic hill climb at the end. Was it an obstacle I failed and needed to practice? No. It just deserves special recognition. After two times on this course, I believe MGG has a special vendetta against my Left Shin. In August, I fell of the bouncy bridge tearing up my Left Shin. On Saturday, a rock the size of a baseball rolled all the way down the cliff hitting my Left Shin just as I was beginning my ascent. Yeah, it hurt like a female dog. Looking forward to what the course has in store for my Left Shin in the future. Perhaps, I'll outsmart it and wear a shin guard.

Reflecting over the 2 hours we spent on the course and taking inventory of my sore muscles this morning, I know what areas need improvement. Definitely, jumping in general. Not sure where this skill went but I intend to get it back. I'll also be on my rope and pull up bar everyday. As well as, Dips, Baby, Dips. While I'm at it, my favorite, weighted hill sprints. And, whatever it takes to be <26.

26

26. The magic number. The motivation. The difference between me and a world champion Obstacle Course Racer. The number of minutes by which Amelia Boone kicked my ass. The new found kindling that feeds the fire in my belly. The image stuck on the dirty basement window with white electrical tape. And, lets face it, the reason I have got to lay off the chocolate chip cookies and wine.

Mud, Guts, and Glory was a race I will never forget. I signed up last minute. The week of even and only because Amazon had a deal on it. Lucky, for Jon (or not so lucky), it was a 2-fer. There was a lot of hype surrounding the race, most of it I really didn't believe. I've done the local races and counted on it being a few standard obstacles with an occasional hill. Boy, was I wrong. Dhani Jones was there filming for his show on Spike TV, Playbook 360. They flew in Junyong Pak and Amelia Boone. Matt Davis with Obstacle Racing Media and Heather Ganoe with Relentless Forward Commotion as wells as other "Celebrities" in the OCR world. In my gut I was very nervous for Kings Domain. All these big names with far social networking reach could have been potentially disastrous for their future in the OCR industry. But they put on one hell of an event.


The race started at the bottom of a hill that you could not see the top of. It was AWESOME! The MC was hilarious telling us "We started at the bottom, now we here." He read off the prizes ($1000, $500, and $250 for top 3 of each gender in Elite). Then we started.

As always the race was a blur. There were definitely some memorable moments:

Running with Matt

• Getting bounced off the suspended bridge and scraping up my calf at pretty much the beginning.
• Slowing to a walk only to have fellow Crazy Mudder Mucker, Kevin Jones, tell me to keep running, that I easily was a contender for the top 3, that I can catch them, not giving up on me, when I was giving up on myself. He is an amazing teammate and leader.
• The Paintball slingshot with a Spartan as a target. Hey, gotta appreciate the humor. Plus, it was so much fun even though I missed all 4 shots.
• It was at the Gatorade jug at the sling shot that I started running with Matt Davis. We stuck together for about .5-1 mile. At one point we were crossing a creek bed and a volunteer informed me I was the 3rd girl. Right on cue Matt blurted, "I'm the 4th girl."
• The volunteers. I have never done a race with so much energy from the volunteers. Not just volunteers at one particular obstacle, but every single one was rooting for us as we raced. Seriously. They were everywhere in the Neon Green Tee's whole heartedly wanting us to succeed. This was hugely appreciated.
• Carrying 2 tires for what seemed like forever. I was so exhausted and came upon a pile of tires expecting to carry only 1, but no those same lovely volunteers told me to carry 2. During the long trek, I managed to come up with a joke. However, when I told the volunteers I was tired, they didn't laugh. Tough crowd.
• Repelling down one hill, only to turn the corner to find the biggest vertical slope I have ever seen in my entire life. I think everyone was stopped in their tracks when they saw it. It was gigantic and looked impossible. Channeling my inner Mountain Woman, I climbed up all three ropes while getting bit by horse flies. Seriously. I felt like the stinky kid from Charlie Brown with them flying around me. It was kind of embarrassing. Luckily post race, I found out others were bit which made me feel much better about my personal hygiene.
• Sprinting the last 100 yards to the finish line. Two of the course builders (the carpenter and the digger) asked me which obstacles I liked the most shortly after the race. Although not a obstacle, I think I liked that stretch of green before the finish. I could eek out every last bit of energy and finish the race strong, not covered in mud crawling out of a pit or slowed because of Gladiators. There was something about just being able to sprint to the finish. It felt glorious.

Pak on the mountain

I finished 2nd in the Elite Heat, 26 minutes behind Amelia. There was another woman ahead of me but she signed up for the Competitive heat thus not eligible for prizes. Shame on her. Thus, I received a very nice $500 check. To be fair, I did skip a couple of obstacles. They gave you time penalties for any obstacles that were failed. I skipped the crazy monkey bars knowing it would take way longer than the minute penalty for me to get across. I also climbed on the Sternum Checker and realized I would most likely hurt myself. I already had a banged up shin. No need for more injury. I still cannot get my butt up a rope, a missed the sling shot, and the under over weaver thingy may require more coordination than I possess. I got to the under, hung there for a second trying to figure out the next move, and then got off. I'll have to strategize on how to complete that one.





26. The difference between me and a champion.



Getting paid!

Me and my new friend, Ulrike!

Repelling down the big hill

Top 3 Ladies

Pictures compliments of Julia Rohs. Our most awesome team photographer when she's not blazing the trails herself.

And finally, some Katy to take you out....

How My Shin Splints were Cured

Shin Splints. They suck a big fat one. I struggled with them last season trying everything I could think of to rid myself of them. The cure is always an ongoing discussion and a common question on the Spartan Chick Facebook page. A Google search will tell you to stretch and show several stretches. Unfortunately, no specific routine is given. I tried going to the free clinic at the Running Spot, but the PT simply gave me a sheet with stretches with no instruction.

Trying to figure out a solution is timely and sometimes costly. It cost me a foot injury that I'm still dealing with when I decided to wear my minimalist shoes to work for two weeks. I now have a foot that basically ceases up a mile or two in a run. More on that in a bit. After, injuring my foot from my minimalists, I finally set up an appointment with a podiatrist. She recommend Physical Therapy and also sent me home with a boot to stretch my feet with for about 10-15 minutes a day.

The Physical Therapy session was the best thing I could have done for myself. Did she give me a quick fix miracle cure? No. She laid out a plan and explained why I was having shin woes. She had me do a few different things to examine my feet. The most interesting and revealing was when she had me lay on a table stomach down with my hanging off. Most people's feet would dangle down, but my feet were pointing straight out. That's how tight my calves were. That was my issue. She asked if I was a dancer. I laughed and explained that I was a trail runner and struck on my forefoot. All the work with my calves without the extra attention to stretching caused them to tighten up. She explained using the name of the muscles that I do no remember, that basically the muscles in my calves work with the muscles in my shins which work with my Plantar Fascia. All the areas I was having troubles.

She went through a stretching routine and recommended that I do it in the morning and evening. I could expect results in about 2 weeks. Best part was I could continue to run unless my foot was troubling me.

The Stretches:

30 Seconds x 2 Straight Leg
30 Seconds x 2 Bent Leg
Complete entirely on one leg before doing stretching other leg. I use a Yoga Belt bought from Target.

The next stretch uses a Rubber band she gave me. I'm sure they can be ordered off the Internet. The movement is diagonally towards you and out focusing on leading with the pinky toe. Start with 25 with a goal of getting up to 50 per foot. She said this induced blood circulation in my shins to help with the healing.

Finally, the old tennis ball or frozen ice bottle trick. Simply roll each foot for 3-5 minutes. I personally prefer rolling with a tennis ball because I feel like it gets all the nooks and crannies.

That's it. Its time consuming but worth it. I ran tonight without shin splints.

As far as my little foot injury, I have tried all sorts of stuff. It happened right as I was transitioning from a job where I wore gym shoes to a job where I had to wear dress shoes. I believe if I was still wearing gym shoes everyday, the foot injury would be healed by now. That being said, I mixed it up  quite a bit trying to get it to heal. I tried wearing my flats which did not work. They are too
minimalist. I tried heels only. Again, no luck. A vacation on the beach did not help. The sand certainly caused some stress. Tonight, I went to the mall and bought a couple pairs of old lady shoes that have no heel but lots of support and stability. Its function over fashion. I found them at Clark's with the help of the best sales associate ever who dug them out of the backroom. They weren't even on display, but knowing my wide foot, narrow heel, hurting foot woes, she found the perfect pair. I'm hoping the extra support for 8 hours a day, will get me happily on my way to Ultra Marathon training. Fingers Crossed!

Sunday Funday - Down Home Edition

Today's Sunday Funday was the first time we haven't been bundled up in a multitude of layers with our hats and gloves. The weather was perfect for our outdoor training. Shorts and a tank. Its been a while. My skin even has a nice reddish tint to it. Hello, Summer. How you have been missed.

I started following the Civilian Military Combine Training schedule on Tuesday. Its basically an 8 week work out schedule that is supposed to prep you for their competitions. So far, so good. I am really enjoying it and modifying where needed. Not doing it necessarily verbatim. On Monday, I picked up a 45 pound, 7 foot Olympic weight lifting bar for only $45 in a Home Depot parking lot from a guy selling it on Craig's List. Seriously, a good deal. At Play it Again Sports, they were around $100. This bar has been key in the training program. I'm in the process of buying weights for it, so in the mean time I've had to modify by wearing my weight vest for Maximum Effort Squats. I've also realized I'm going to have to get a squat rack. Of course, I have no idea where we'd would put it, but I'll worry about that the day I find one on Craig's List. Oh, I guess I should mention that I am not doing a CMC, but rather just following their schedule. It was designed by Brian Hawkins of NY Endurance, and you can read all about his cred's on the link at the beginning of the paragraph.

So, what did we do today? It was a fun one. And more importantly, a tough one. When it was all said and done, my right butt cheek tensed up. Never had the happen before. Kind of funny feeling. The attendees were me, Andrea, and Bridgid, who we are hoping will be a last minute addition to Team Shut It Down for the Spartan. We trained in my backyard, which turned out to be the perfect space for today's TOD. We dragged all of the equipment out of my basement and cranked up my Work out mix on the iPod Boom Box. (The weight was my own personal weight. We each do what we feel comfortable with)

Warm up
Bridgid Jacks
Jumping Jacks
Seal Jacks
Alpine Jacks

5 rounds
20 Step ups (Used leftover cinder blocks from our wall)
15 Push Presses (45 lbs)
10 Kettle Bell or Kettle Ball swings (depends on who you talk to) (35 lbs)
5 Burpees

For the second half, we did stations. Basically we rotated with completion of the tire flips being the trigger to switch.

15 minutes
Tire Flips up and down the yard
Walking lunges with Sand Bag (30 lbs)
Jump Rope

Next week, we'll be hitting the trails to get some trail running experience under our belt before the race. I send out Event invites on our Team Shut It Down page on Facebook. If you would like to join us, please message me. I can add you to the page.

I found a weight lifting journal in our home office, and have been using it to track my work outs and what I've been eating. Its definitely something I hope to keep up. Especially, when I begin training for my first Ultra Marathon (Mt. Airy Stone Steps 50k - Oct 27th) More on that once I officially start my training.

Earlier this week:

Saturday 3/30
10.2 Mile Run (No shin splints! and decided to train for Ultra)

Sunday 3/31
8 Hill Sprints (30 lb vest)
3.4 mile trail loop
8 Hill Sprints (30 lb vest)

Total Miles: 5.26
Total Time: 1:22:09

Wednesday 4/3
CMC Week 1, Day 1
Maximum Effort Back Squats (45lb bar plus 30 lb weight vest)
8, 5, 3, 3, 3, 2, 2, 2

3 Rounds as fast as possible
25m Bear Crawl (crawled up and back my basement floor with Jon dodging a growling bear)
25m Crab Crawl (Jon dodging my pinchers.)
25 Kettle Bell Swings (20 lbs)
12 Kettle Bell Press, each arm (20 lbs)

Bonus: 25 Split Jerks

Thursday 4/4
CMC 1:2
12 Minutes - As many Rounds as Possible (AMRAP)
5 Thrusters (45 lbs)
10 Push ups
15 Sit ups

Results: 6 and 2/3, but finished out.

Friday 4/5
CMC 1:3
Strength: Squats ME
8, 5, 3, 3, 3, 2, 2, 2 (45 lbs + 30lb weight vest)

As Fast As Possible
21 - 15 - 9 reps
Dead lifts
Burpees

Results:
2:45
2:09
1:14

Saturday 4/6
5 Minute Jump Rope warm up

CMC 1:4
8 min AMRAP
10 Turkish Get ups (12 lbs)
10 Kettle Bell Cleans (25lb free hand)
10 Kettle Bell Swings (35 lbs)

Results: 2 rounds + about 2-3 Turkish Get ups. I cannot keep count of these to save my life. The exercise takes too long so too many thoughts go through my head before the next rep.

3.4 mile poorly ran trail loop. Luckily a bad trail run is always a good hike.

Well, that's it. This week I begin week 2 of the CMC schedule. And 3 weeks til the big race!

This was brought up today, and may be the new weekly cool down.

Back in the Saddle

March has come in like a lion. Jon and I are in the midst of a kitchen remodel which has our entire house turned upside down. I put in my resignation the day before my 8 year anniversary with Bones, with my final day Feb 28, and starting my new career at Merrill Lynch on March 4th. At Bones my wardrobe consisted of sweatpants, t-shirts, and gym shoes. Needless to say I had to buy all new clothes. From jackets, to shirts, to trouser socks, to panty hose, to shoes, and more. The best part of the necessary shopping spree was I found that I am a solid size 4, no longer a 6 to 8. Oh, and my weight is the same. I'm just denser, less pounds per square inch. I also had to get with the 21st century and buy a phone that did not flip open. Yay! Finally! Needless to say the past 4+ weeks or so have been a whirlwind. No need to go into it. Although, I will say, I am happy. I had been ready for change for a long time with my old job. I realize this sounds ridiculous, but I thank Spartan for ripping my butt out of that office chair. When I began training about a year ago, I found a happiness, a satisfaction in my life. I wanted that feeling in all things I did, so a career move was necessary. And I'm there. My new career is challenging with endless possibilities. Woo Hoo! So that's that. In a nutshell.

So I am back in the saddle. Well, not entirely, but I'm finally getting back into the groove. Figuring out my schedule and what works. The kitchen is almost done. I went to the podiatrist with the diagnosis simply being extreme stiffness. The following week I went to the Physical Therapist, and she instructed me on stretches to do twice a day. I'm a week in, and my shins are feeling better. I was so happy to find the two are related. So, the stretches will help with both my Plantar Fasciitis and Shin splints.

I raced the Arnold's Survival Race March 2nd. It was a pretty lame course and not one that I would race again. It was snowing so there was no water. The course basically went around an outdoor sports complex so the terrain was extremely boring. We were in a strip of woods for maybe 100 yards. It was flat, which was a little expected since it was in Columbus. And the course was fast. Meaning, a runner's course. I'm not a fast runner, so I didn't expect to place well. I figured the fastest woman would be around 25 minutes. Turns out the fastest was 24ish minutes. I did place first in my heat. And Jon, my voice of reason, made the point that had I raced faster women in my heat, my time would have improved. I'm a competitor runner just going fast enough to keep my lead. Overall I place 7th, with a time around 28 minutes.

My recent workouts:

Saturday:
My 3.4 mile trail loop with 3 pits stops:
1. 100 Walking lunges
2. 100 Squats
3. 100 Walking lunges

Core Circuit

Sunday:
40 lb, 1 mile ruck up to the park
(No room to work out in the house so I had to take my 20lb weights to the park)

I don't have the notes on my circuit, but it was 8 moves, 45 seconds on, 15 seconds off. Then, the march home.

Monday:
Rest

Tuesday:
3.4 mile trail run

With rock dug out of creek (it was either go home and do taxes or keep working out):
15 deadlifts, press, slam
Sprint
20 Burpees
Sprint
15 Chest Throws
x2

And in upcoming news:

Spartan Race will have a Representative at Go Native Fit on Saturday, March 23 from 10am-Noon. Come by, get info on the April 27th Sprint in Indiana, take your picture with the Spartan Race Car and have a chance to win some cool SWAG!!! While your there you can partake in the Burpee Competition for a race entry. Oh, and maybe get in a work out. $20 for the class. Highly recommended. Ryan is an awesome trainer and has kicked my ass plenty in the past. Hopefully, I'll see you there!

Sunday Funday - Whoop 'em Warrior Style

Yesterday was our third week of Spartan Spring training. It was only Andrea and I at White Oak Middle School. I foresee us doing some serious Chicking at the Spartan Race since the boys don't seem to want to come out and play. I am also awarding Andrea the imaginary Despite Days of Soreness I Keep Coming Back for More Spartan Award. Aroo!

Since it was at WOMS we definitely worked some hill sprints into the TOD. The rest was interval training with our DIY sandbags. Again, this is an easy one to do from home. And making a sandbag is super easy. There are lots of YouTube videos on this. Basically, get a heavy duty duffle bag. I bought both the laundry bag and a water tight bag from the military surplus store. They were a few bucks each. Fill contractor bags with your choice of weight in sand. You can do bags in 10lb increments or one big bag. Double bag it and tape the hell out of it. Insert said sandbags into duffel bags and tie it up. I also rigged handles on mine with rope. My 20lb bag is actually just a 20lb bag of charcoal. So feel free to get creative with your weight media.

Whoop 'em Warrior Style TOD

5-8 Hill Sprints

3 Rounds of intervals with 45 seconds on and 15 second rest

1. Squat to Press
2. Jump Front to back over bag (Switched to just jumping forward on the lawn because jumping backwards over something can be dangerous)
3. Rows
4. Jump side to side over bag
5. Walking lunges with bag on shoulder switching it up about half way
6. Burpees
7. Chest Presses laying on ground
8. Sit up with bag on chest

5-8 Hill Sprints

Side note: Super proud of Andrea. She could have stopped at 5 hill sprints on both rounds, but dug deep and knocked out 6 for each. Aroo!

The Hurt Bank

Inside my head there resides a little place I call the Hurt Bank. Its not a place to get a loan or refinance a house, but deals strictly in deposits and withdrawals. Deposits are made in the form of pain. Pain when running up stadium stairs and feeling like I need to vomit at the top. Pain when my shoulders are burning doing bilateral raises with free weights and walking lunges. Pain when I catch myself walking up the big hill on my trail loop and forcing myself to pick up the pace. Despite the pain, the burning, and the aches, I fight through it. Why? All of those little deposits add up, and I'll be drawing on them come race day. Each deposit gets me a little farther, a little faster, and a little stronger for each race. I remind myself of this when I need a little boost. I put myself at the finish line of an upcoming race fueling on the amazing feeling of accomplishment, and I push through. I make deposits in my Hurt Bank. First race of the season is March 2nd. In the meantime, I'll be saving up.

Thursday 2/7/2013 TOD:
Go Native Fit

Friday 2/8/2013 TOD:
Entire body was sore with the exception of my core, so core circuit it was. Followed by an Epson Salt Bath. That stuff is magical.

What do I Wear?

Always either the first or second question from a rookie OCRer. The other always being "How do I train?"

I am going to share with you what I wear when racing. This is just what has worked or not worked for me, and it has been a work in progress.

 

There are 2 Golden Rules:

With permission from Liz

1. DO NOT WEAR COTTON! - It absorbs water, will weigh you down, and my friend Liz can back up the fact (no pun intended) that it rips extremely easily.

2. WEAR TRAIL SHOES. - Only follow this rule if you think you will be serious about the sport of OCR, trail running, or you have excessive discretionary income. I have spent a ton of money on trail shoes. You could call it a trail shoe fetish. My posts on trail shoes are Here and Here. Otherwise, wear old gym shoes, but expect poor traction and lots of sliding.

Other Rules, (We'll call them Silver Rules): Do not wear jewelry. Not even worth losing it. I advise against make up also. Even wearing water proof mascara I have found that it ends ups dripping into my eyes and burning. I also wear a bandanna when I expect to be sweating. Again, just keeping the sweat/salt out of my eyes.

 

Summer Weather:

August Mudahlon



Seriously the easiest weather to dress in for a race. So your wondering, if not cotton, then what? Going naked would hurt, especially if you got hung up on a barbed wire crawl. So,Spandex. Yep, spandex. I wear a Tank top I got from Target last year that my brother printed Spartan Chick on it and Nike Pro Combat shorts. I prefer my clothes to be on the tight side. I've raced in a loose Tee Shirt and once wet, it was bothersome to run in. My socks are also not cotton. I race in these socks in the Aqua and Pink. I like them because they rise above my ankle to help keep rock and silt out of my shoes. They are also a very light sock, so when they get wet it doesn't feel like I'm running on a gym mat. And quite frankly they feel like my feet are getting constant hugs. I love them. Oh, and they are marked for which foot the sock goes on. When I first put them on I thought the "R" was for "Run." Then I noticed the "L" sock.

Early Spring/Late Fall Weather (40's):



TM: Can you tell I'm freezing?



This is when it gets tricky. My learning experience for dressing for this weather was the KY Tough Mudder. It was October, 40 degrees, overcast, and cold. I wore Under Armour (UA) Cold Compression Tights, my Spartan Chick Tank, a UA Cold Compression Mock, and our 'Team' UA Heat Compression shirt. It was too much. First, I felt my tights retained too much water around my shins and ankles. You can tell in the picture by the amount of mud that sits around my ankles and shins. They are longer, so this may be the issue. Second, on top, I simply had too many layers on so all of the water stayed against my skin instead of wicking away. I learned that less is more.





MW Super: Happy!





The following weekend was the Midwest Super Spartan. I had to dress for the same exact weather, although thankfully the sun was shining in Illinois. I changed my strategy and my clothes. First, I wore UA Heat Gear Compression Capri's. I found that the heat gear is thinner and so the water will drain right off. Also, capri's prevented water and mud from gathering around my ankles. On top, I still wore my Spartan Chick Tank It has become my race day talisman. My little good luck charm. Athletes are the most superstitious people I know. When I played B-ball I had a little Frog charm that I kept on my bag. Before each game I kissed it for good luck. Weird, but superstitions are a habit of athletes. And then a UA Cold Compression Mock. This combo worked like a charm.

Texas Traverse

In Texas for the Spartan Beast, the temperature was in the 50's at the start. I wore my UA Heat Gear Capri's and my Spartan Tank. I spent pre-race in a long sleeve shirt to stay warm. I debated keeping it on during the race, but I was happy I shed it. I warmed up pretty quickly and especially near the end of my race approaching late afternoon. I was also going back and forth between shorts and capri's before knowing the weather. If it was warmer, I still would have worn my capri's because of the terrain. Texas is rockier and they have cacti. I wanted to protect my knees as much as possible.

My next race is March 2. Only Mother Nature knows what's in store for that day. If it gets colder than 40, I'll let you know ahead of time my plans.

Tips:

• Always dress for 10 degrees warmer. This will account for you body warming up as you race. Strip off your extra layers right before you race.
• If your core is warm, then your extremities will stay warm.
• I wore gloves and a hat only for the TM and only for the last third of the race when I could get them from Jon. I took them off when doing an obstacle so I could keep them dry. In a colder race, I will most likely wear a hat. I train in a hat made from Alpaca wool which is super warm and naturally wicks water (Alpacas don't melt in the rain).  
• Train outside in all weather to acclimate your body to the season. Team Shut It Down's Sunday Fundays are held outside for this reason. This goes for both summer and winter. Feel how your body functions in race weather. Not too mention an outdoor workout trumps an indoor workout always.
• I even wear spandex UA Undies. They're black, you can always see my undie lines, and they give me one more layer of protection from mud going in places that the sun don't shine.
• TJ Maxx and Marshalls are your wallet's best friend. They have a Hind and a Layer 8 brand that are much cheaper (< $20) and equally good for races. I have also found my more expensive Nike and UA gear there. Don't shop at Dick's or even Target. Go to TJ's or Marshalls.
• Make sure your pants are tight or have a draw string. No one likes a droopy crotch.
• When in doubt, look at past race's pictures to see what others wore at that time of year. I've done this plenty of times.

If I have left anything out, which I'm sure I have, let me know. Or if you still have no idea what to wear, let me know. I would be more than happy to help.
Tuesday TOD:
Evening: Go Native Fit

Wednesday:
Morning:

You know you're a Spartan Chick when you have to call your husband while on your way into work to tell him that you did not poop your pants, but rather you were doing sit ups in a particularly muddy patch of earth and they needed to air dry on the kitchen chair before going into the hamper.

Kept my tally in the snow.

Evening:

Go Native Fit