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.