With my shield or on it

Beginning with the IN Spartan race, I chose to race each course for fun. Every warm up was intended to find my smile before entering the starting corral. And it worked like a charm. My body thanked me. It's amazing how much stress can drain your legs. I figured that out in Georgia at the Spartan Sprint. Following GA I raced being thankful for the opportunity to spend the day outdoors with my Island of Misfits comrades sharing war stories and beers. For this reason, 2014 has been my best season yet. Perhaps, not my fastest, but my strongest and most rewarding.

And then came Vermont. Simply, Vermont broke me. I'm not sure what it broke. Maybe my human spirit. Mayby my silver linings attitude. I don't know. But I remain broken after that course. Ulrike and I spent 9 hours on that 16+ mile course with 6,600ish feet of elevation gain, insane, dangerous terrain, and obstacles that are seemingly easy when standing alone, but hell on Earth when strewn together in perfect order that only a sadist could visualize. In all honestly, the inverted wall served as the Gates of Hell. Once we climbed over it, shit hit the fan. Perhaps, that was intended by Norm. Who knows? I slowly transformed into a very ugly person. Every other word out of my mouth started with an "F." I felt hatred towards people who were truly innocent or meaning the best. I flicked off another racer at the Tyrolean Traverse. After falling into the water and doing my 30 burpees, a guy had the audacity to ask me if this was the burpee station if you skipped the obstacle. What. I did not provide an answer, but gave him the death stare. He turned to ask someone else and up my middle left finger went. The barbed wire crawl was painstakingly long. Glancing at it when not already being on the course, it would be super easy. But, after being on the course for so long, it hurt. Every minute pebble, grain of sand, dug into my palms and knees. Rolling was impossible. The weather was cold. Worst of all, there was an innocent, cheery volunteer in a Moose hat who I truly wanted to throat punch. I am ashamed to say this. This is absolutely not like me. I am always the happiest person on the course screaming the names of the folks I know as I see them and thanking all of the volunteers. Earlier in the day, I was screaming, "I'm alive. I'm human," while swimming across a pond because I was my typical race self. But this self, was fucked up Vermont self. I transformed into a Vermonster.

And I still have no idea. No amount of analyzing has revealed the answers. I just don't know. I know I'm broken. I know I am not the same person that I was when I started that course. I can honestly say you had to be there. I advocate for a 2014 Vermont Beast Support Group. Luckily, I have had Ulrike to share the experience with. I am grateful we can laugh at our absurd behavior and also not feel crazy when we realize we have both suffered spontaneous crying and lack of motivation. We joke we became OCR wives on that course calling each other babe and being the strong one when the other was faltering. I cannot imagine not being able to share in the experience with someone. So, that was Vermont. Not the glorified experience that I imagined. It was a beat down without success or satisfaction. Simply an ass kicking.

Now I go to the Ohio Spartan. After VT I decided to downgrade to only the Super. Spartan never returned my email, so I have decided today to stick with the Trifecta heat. Why? In some sick, masochistic way, I need to feel the pain. I need to know that Vermont did not defeat me. I am giving myself a 10% chance of completion. In exchange, I will leave 100% on the course. I will feel the pain of the struggle. I will be ripped off the course fighting. After Vermont, I just have this weird need to fight back. To go 10 rounds with Spartan. This is completely insane I realize, but to the racer, to the athlete, to the achiever, to the fighter, it is a fight that must be fought. It must be fought with bravery and courage. It will hurt and I will struggle, but I will leave satisfied. The odds are in my favor this time as I will have my team scattered all over the course. This is a team that has been with me through it all and has given me strength. I am proud to call myself a Crazy Mudder Mucker and cannot wait to line up next to them this weekend. I am ready to give myself to the Spartan Ohio Trifecta; heart, body and soul. So bring it Spartan.With my shield or on it.

The Curious Explorer

To say the least, the past several months have been a journey of self-reflection and discovery. I have found myself questioning all of the decisions that I have made. Questioning everything that has led up to that particular moment when I'm set in a deep reflection. I've had my doubts. I've had my moments where I am in sheer panic that I totally screwed up my entire life on April 8th when Jon and I chose to separate. I speak to many who have been through the same. Its fascinating how quickly you can connect to a complete stranger once you discover you are both going through the same grieving process (furniture sales women, nail technicians, co-workers, family, teammates, etc). You compare stories, compare emotions, you relate, and you realize what you are feeling is par. Phew. I'm not crazy. Well, at least not in the committed kind of way. Most importantly, I've uncovered an underground, secret society of those who have been through it. Those who understand. You know who you are. And I thank you. We've grown closer because of this and your support has truly meant the world to me. I am grateful that so many friends and family have stepped forward to lend a helping hand, share a story, or just tell me, "It sucks" and offer a big ol' hug. It is a process, and it still sucks. There are good days and there are bad days. There are Tuesday nights that I'm roaming Big Lots crying my eyes out. And then there are days I feel that I can conquer the world. I much prefer the latter.

Regardless, this is the decision that was made. I will continue to grieve as is the process. For how long? No idea. Whose to say? What I can do is choose how to ride the tidal wave of change. Starting new is an opportunity not many folks are afforded. And here I am presented with this gift. I choose to ride this wave as long as feasibly possible without getting knocked of my board. I have decided to not settle into my old ways. Yes, I may stray. I've always been terrible at quitting cold turkey. But, I will strive to live the life that I was meant to live.

What does this mean? The life I was meant to live. When experiencing a monumental shift in lifestyle, one thinks back to the ways things were. For me, I thought of my childhood. I was a truly, happy child. I enjoyed my childhood. What changed between then and now, outside of my mom's home cooking and my dad pitching wiffle balls? After much thought and conferring with close, childhood friends (which to this day remain my closest comrades), I have realized I was an explorer back then. I was a leader as well. I've always had a tough time conforming to rules if I felt there was a better way. Well, that led to a lot of trouble. Ask Steph and Matthew about the time I convinced them to drag our bicycles through 100 yards of mud (Matthew broke his bike). Ask Andrea how I convinced her to skip Girl Scout chores to explore the woods and find new trails while at camp (We got in huge trouble with extra chores). Ask Shannon, if she remembers, how I convinced her I knew where the Fountain of Youth was (We ended up grounded because our parents couldn't find us). Ask my mom about all of times I came home covered in poison ivy, but I just kept going back into the woods determined to find a new adventure.

Now, quickly approaching 32, I observe my nephew and niece as they embark on their lives. They are 4 and 2, respectively, untouched and unscathed by the influence of school, media, and others around them. They are simply true to there genetic make up. They are who they are. Who they are meant to be. Emma talks to ants and lives in her own happy world. Independent and confident. Colby, loves to learn. He will question everything. And he's an amazing athlete. I envy them. I have realized that I need to get back to my essential being. Who I am, and who I was meant to be. I've tried to fit a mold. Huh. Not a good fit, perhaps, currently. Although getting there. I need to go back and remember who I am.

This finally leads me to the reason behind the title of this blog. I have a book, Wise Women, by Joyce Tenneson. It was given to me over a year ago for attending a business women's networking event. It's a coffee table book with pictures of women aged 65+ sharing memoirs or advice on life. Last night, was the first time I chose to actually open the book. Fate, or whatever you may choose to call it, had me turn to pages 24-25. Evelyn Lauder's message on page 25 resonated with me so strongly it brought me to tears. And I quote, "I've always believed that whatever you are when you are young, as you age, you become more so." I found the closest pen, and I wrote, "I am an explorer."

Spartan Sprint IN - The Catalyst for Change

I distinctly remember the moment that was the catalyst that set into motion small changes that have slowly transformed my life.


Not surprisingly if you know me or read this blog, it was at the 2012 IN Spartan Sprint. My very first OCR. It was bitter cold. The temperature hovered around 40 and the sun was nowhere to be seen. My brother, Jon, my dad, my sister-in-law, and I arrived at the course to see people swimming across a lake, carrying logs, hurdling over logs eight feet in the air. To put it simply, I was scared shitless. This was not what I signed up for. These races were supposed to be fun runs. This could not have been further from the truth. I wholeheartedly believed I was going to die. That I was not able to do this race. I asked Jon to stick with me and help me through it. However, he was more interested in competing with my brother. We fought. I begged him to stick with me, we were married after all. Yet, he insisted on running at his own pace. It was bad enough that my dad and sister-in-law walked away because it was uncomfortable. Here I was at the starting corral, petrified, upset, and fighting with my husband. Once Drop Kick Murphy's started playing, we took off with Jon speeding ahead. At one point he looked back for me, and at that point I just told him to go on. I'll do it by myself. And I did. And it was incredibly scary and insane. I met some people along the way here and there, just as I do now when I race. There were folks who helped me when I needed it. I remember when standing at the lake crossing hearing my dad cheering for me to go for it. Telling me I can do it. So I swam across that damn lake. And I felt amazing. I had just swam across a lake in 40 degree weather with my dad and sister-in-law in winter coats watching on. The tempo really changed for me. I went into my fighter mode and picked up my pace.


At some point after this when I was mostly alone on the trails, I felt this surge of empowerment. Here I was, doing what I thought could not be done and on my own. I am capable of conquering amazing feats with solely me as the support. I seriously felt all, "I am woman hear me roar." And at that point I reached down, swiped my index fingers in mud and swooped them across cheeks like war paint. That was the moment. That was transformation. The sheer surge of empowerment has stuck with me for 2 years now. That course released something that was buried way down deep that I had forgotten about. It released my essential being, who I am. The nature girl. The lover of adventure. The eternal optimist. The girl who believes in Disney movies. The hard worker. The laborer. The athlete. The fighter.


IN Spartan Sprint 2012 will always hold a special place in my heart and will always be my favorite race. Since that first race in 2012 I have accomplished more than I ever could imagine. I traveled to IL and TX to race. I became obsessed with nutrition and the healing power of food. I changed jobs. I left a position with a small company because I was unhappy and did not foresee an opportunity for growth. I joined Merrill Lynch and passed both my Series 7 and 66 within 7 months on my own time. Then I chose to stay with my team when we transitioned over to Morgan Stanley where I continue to thrive in the industry and play a key role. I have met many, many, many amazing people through the sport of OCR who continually inspire me with their own Super Hero conquests of glory. My outlook on life has changed. I want more out of life because of this moment. More importantly, I have the courage and faith in myself to go after it.


That being said, I am running this weekend's race not so much to compete but to celebrate. I don't think you'll see me this weekend without a smile slapped across my face just grateful to have tromped through that dirt 2 years ago and appreciative of everything the sport has given me. Aroo!

Fear and Failure

Fear has been at the forefront of my thoughts lately. Not so much what it means, but how it affects my choices. I've long believed that I push myself in all aspects of my life because I have a fear of failing. I'm afraid of admitting that I can't do something. Having to deal with some sort of shame. Yesterday I had a profound revelation when I failed to hit a back squat PR. Coming off a rest day when Ryan said we were doing back squats, I announced, "I'm going to PR today." I worked up to 175lbs, and I failed. I did half a squat. I tried again on a second round, and although stronger, I still failed. Driving home, I thought about not hitting my PR, and about how I'm going to get to that 175# benchmark next week. And while I'm at it, maybe I should have a goal of a 200# back squat. Then, light bulb. Not one of those environmentally friendly lights bulbs that barely give off enough to light up a room. I'm talking bright, industrial grade fluorescent lights. In that moment I realized that I thrive when I fail. I. Thrive. When. I. Fail. This whole time, I've been holding onto a fear of failing for no good reason. This fear has been holding me back. Stopping me from doing things because I might fail. And more than just athletic endeavors. Career. Life. Travel. You name it. All along, this sneaky fear of failure has paved my path. Who knows what I have missed out on? Who knows what I could have been or where I would physically be? All because of this fear of failing.

Watching the Olympics is always an inspiring experience. You watch these athletes who have fought and trained everyday for 4 years, just to have a chance to compete in the international spotlight. I caught the post performance interview with Gracie Gold following her skate for the Team event. She mentioned that her and her coach were reading Phil Jackson's book. Summarizing from the book she said, "...you know, when you let go of all the fear that’s when you find the love for—not just in sports—but anything in life. So you have to love it and let go of all the fear." Days later I still find myself thinking about her statement. I even bought the book.

I've made the decision to not let the fear of failure dictate my life. I'm letting go of that fear. I may need to remind myself from time to time, but I'm taking a stance against it. Failure may become more common place. But, who cares? I'll come out stronger on the other side.

So here's to failure. May we have many more.

**Please note author does not believe failing in Sky Diving will make her stronger or better or alive for that matter.**

Back

What started as a short walk ended in the ugliest, slowest, but most glorious and necessary 3 mile jog. I'm back. It's time to rebuild. But most importantly, I have running back in my life. Running is my happy place. Running is my dark place. Running is my therapy. It is my escape. It lets me feel without judgment.I run when I'm happy. I run when I'm grieving, when I need to sort things out. I've cried my eyes out, I've laughed, I've danced, I've smiled, I've rejoiced, I've gone numb. All while running. I'm alive. I'm free. I'm me. Am I a masochist? Maybe. Am I an addict. Yes, in all sense of the word. I turn to running to hash things out. I crave the goose bumps and tension release with every deep exhale. I need the time alone where I can just be me. No To Do lists, no work obligations, no pressure. Just my shoes, my body, and my mind working as one.

2014 To Do List

2014 is going to be my year of redemption. It's going to be huge. Epic. I have never been so focused and determined. I have never woken up at 5 am consistently in my whole entire life because that's just crazy. Unless, you want it that badly. Come Hell or high water or snow or ice or sleet, I am in my car just about every morning headed to the Sweat Shack (Go Native Fit) to bust my ass or my shin to become a better athlete. And I am. Ryan (owner and my OCR Coach Extraordinaire), is slowly building my body making me stronger faster. And I'm loving every second of it (except for rowing. I hate rowing. You're literally rowing for dear life but going nowhere. Even with a PR today, I still hate it. I like my boats with a motor and an ice cold beverage in my hand.) I digress. Let's just get into it.

1. Do 1 One Handed Push up - Why? Because then I would be a legitimate Bad Ass and its a cool party trick.
2. Run - Still healing my thrice sprained ankle
3. Run Faster - Naturally
4. Stay healthy - No more shin splints or PF or sprained ankles
5. Do 10 Pull ups - I'm up to 3 as of yesterday's Friday Pull Up Challenge
6. Ring the cowbell at the top of the rope with my foot - Somebody better have a camera ready if I succeed
7. Go outside the wake and then back in on my Wakeboard
8. Run 50 miles in one day - Original plan was to run the Mountain Masochist but due to timing and travel, I've decided to do 15 laps at my favorite park and call it the Cowbell 50. Insane? Yes. But I love this park and I want to accomplish this feat on home turf with hopefully my friends and family running a lap or two with me and cheering me on. Date is TBD. Spartan needs to get their stuff together and announce VT's date. 
9. Get up and over the Sternum Checker at MGG - 'Nough said. I'm tired of falling off this thing.
10. Goal Race finishes (Note: My race schedule is very lean and focused. No "Fun Runs." I'd rather be training either at Go Native or on the MGG course)
• Spartan Race - Top 15
• Mud, Guts, and Glory - Top 3 
• Mud Ninja - Top 3
• OCR World Championships - Top 20

That's it. Nothing fancy, but definitely tough. I expect the race field to be deeper with amazing female athletes this year. Having not ran since late November, I have moments of panic and feelings of failure. I know my strength is there. It was almost there last year. I know it continues to improve by leaps and bounds, but I fear that I just won't be fast enough on my feet. And that is when I have to flex the mental muscles and squash all feelings of trepidation. This is when I have to completely trust Ryan and believe him when he says to wait a few more weeks, you'll get it back quickly because you love it, and you got the dog fight in you. Followed by, "Go row."

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!