Adventure/obstacle/mud racing - Spartan Race!

Alright, so I keep getting requests for write ups and/or suggestion on adventure races (ie mud runs, obstacle courses, etc.).  I have never done one, so my brother and I made it our mission to find the websites of every adventure race, big small, near far, and find THE best one.  If it has more than 3 people in it and it's not held in someone's cousin's back yard (and Maybe even then), we've probably studied it.

Each race has some good stuff, some bad, and some stupid (such as "The toughest course you've ever run in your life, you'll never finish, was invented by Navy Seals!" and it's a 5k).  We then compiled a list of our top 5 or so and really started digging in, finding everything we could, reading race reports, watching helmet cams on YouTube, asking friends and fellow crazy people, anything we could find.  What we found surprised us.  See, we expected to find the top half dozen, have no real way to differentiate them, and then just try a couple and see what happens.  We were wrong.

Introducing:
 

Holy wow!  Alright, I can go on and on about why this is so awesome and what all they have (and I will), but nothing else matters until you watch this 4 minute video  -  seriously, it's that good.  If this video doesn't get you fired up, you need to check your pulse!




Ok, now that you are sufficiently fired up and ready to run through walls and jump through fire - here's what Else we found that make Spartan Races look so amazing:

Spartan Races are held all over the USA and also 5 additional countries.  The locations make it where there will always be one within a reasonable short drive of you, the obstacles are tough, numerous, and varied, and, the coolest thing of all (other than the Eric Thomas video you just watched) is that the Spartan Race is offered in 4 different distances - and all races include a t-shirt, a completion medal, after party, and awards for top 3 male and female finishers:

1.  The Spartan Sprint:
      Spartan Sprints are muddy 3.1 MILES / 15+ OBSTACLES course races. The challenging sprint races are a great way to get off your couch and start living. Beginners to hardcore warriors, and marathon runners alike come out to test themselves on the insane obstacles! This 5k race is comprised of mud runs, obstacles, trail racing, physical challenges and mental challenges all in a 3+ race. 99.9% of all people who try this event will finish, and 100% will have their thirst for mud fully satisfied!

2.  The Super Spartan:
      The Super Spartan obstacle race provides an 8-10 MILES / 20+ OBSTACLES battlefield of insane mud running with 20 or more obstacles to test your physical strength and mental resolve. This mud fest of a race will have many trials to push you to your limits that any man or woman with resolve can complete! This endurance race conists of mud runs, trails, and both mental and physical obstacles and challenges. The good news is that after you complete your painful journey, there will be live music and a catered meal to soothe your aching joints

3.  The Beast:
     13-15 MILES / 25+ OBSTACLES - An obstacle Race from Hell. 
If you have done any race anywhere in the world: whether a mud run, fun run, olympic run, bike race, death march or any kind of event claiming to be the "toughest race on the planet" you will be happy to know that this is where it ends..THIS IS THE SPARTAN BEAST... Step up and get out of your comfort zone on our 13+ mile beast of an obstacle course race; many will arrive, but very few will finish!

*4.  The Death Race:
        This is highest level of Spartan Challenge. Not widely marketed (with a website that is "www.youmaydie.com")The death race is designed to present you with the totally unexpected, and the totally insane! Traditional physical challenges will make giving birth look like a walk in the park. This endurance race is comprised of mud runs, obstacle racing, trail racing, physical challenges and mental challenges all in a +48 hour adventure race. 90% of you will not complete this endurance race. Please only consider this adventure style race if you have lived a full life to date.

The races look amazing and I highlighted the... uh... important parts ;)

So here's the deal, you've got to get in on this somehow, check the events page  and get signed up for one and let me know which one you're doing!
I'm going to do the Carolina THE BEAST obstacle course in November (I think this around is a little over the 13 mile mark and, according to Spartan, is the toughest course in the country, The hardest race course they offer short of 48 hour Death Race, so... who's in!?

Join my team, we'll take the weak, the strong, the crazy, the racers, the casual, come on out and have some FUN with team "What Was I Thinking".

Not only that, but shoot me an email or facebook message about Why you want to run a Spartan Race (bonus points for pictures and/or videos) and you just might win a FREE race entry!

Also, EVERYONE Gets to use this link (http://bit.ly/spartanwarrior) to get
15% off ANY Spartan Race registration
(and the prices are always cheaper the earlier you register so get on it!)

blisters, porta-potties, and heat strokes: And then there's the Other runs....

Bloggers love to write about the good runs.  Those runs where you feel like you're floating, like you're feet don't even touch the ground, the breeze is blowing, and always behind you, cars slow down to look at you because you're going so fast (and you're running in the woods), you channel barefoot Ted somewhere in India and he answers...

and then there's the Other runs.   

Last night I left my truck at work and rode home with my wife (who I had met to watch my 5 year old graduate pre-k) so this morning I ran to work.  

1.  We have a newborn and are getting no sleep and Nothing crushes a run (mentally or physically) like no sleep.  A mile out of the gate and I knew my pace sucked, but what the heck, it's just a fun run to work anyway, right?  (self talk, self talk, self talk)

2.  There's a section of down hill that's literally 1/2 mile all down hill.  Awesome!  I LOVE downhill running more than anything else - That's how you fly!  Unless of course you're running sockless in a new pair of shoes that you've never tried before that happen to be a little long.  Half way down the hill I started to smell something -- "I thought someone was bbqing!.... but oh lord, it's a FIRE!" -- on the front pads of both of my feet.  I'm pretty sure they were melting.  Yay blisters.

3.  I get to the bottom of the hill, turn the corner to the flat for the next couple of miles and they show up.  Runners cramps.  Now, I'm not talking about those adorable little 'stitches' you get in your ribs when you're first learning to run, no no, I'm talking about nether region cramps where all of the sudden it feels like the Tanzanian Devil is declaring war on your colon.  Fabulous.

About a 1/2 mile up the road there's a porta-potty.  Now, I know what you're thinking, "gross!" and "it will never have toilet paper in it", and while you would normally be right, this particular porta-potty was  at a tennis court, and unlike runners, and soccer, baseball, and football players, tennis people have these things called "standards".  Score.  So I make it to the porta-potty and I find it pristine cleaned and freshly stocked, however there's another problem.  As you may know, running cramps of this nature don't give up (pass on) particularly quickly so I was now faced with 2 options:  get off the porta-throne before I really 'want' too and risk another attack in the next 2 miles to work OR pass out from heat stroke because we live in TN and if Satan himself had been sitting in this particular porta-john he would have been screaming to turn the air on.

I crawled out of the big blue incubator and back into the TN sun (which now felt like December after sweating off 10 pounds in last 3 minutes) and resumed my run, which caused me to face number 4:

4.  So now what?  I'm Really in a hurry to get where I'm going (namely an air conditioned facility at work) so I should run there as fast as I can -- BUT (no pun intended), the thought of bouncing and sloshing my volatile guts around by running seems less than ideal so maybe I should walk... which will then take longer... I really should have driven my truck home.

SO, the next time you have a less than ideal run, just remember this epic adventure of blisters, porta-potties, heat strokes, and the other 'runs' (see what I did right thur?)  and feel better about yourself ;)

Spring (form) cleaning

As spring arrives (and leaves, and teases, and retreats...) more and more people are getting running again.  If you are just starting out, learn correct form first, if you are just starting back, take this opportunity of rebooting to check out your stride and evaluate your form, if you're a year-rounder, take a spring cleaning look at yourself and double check for loss of efficiency and/or possible flaws in mechanics that would make you more prone to injury.

Conduct a lengthy mid-flight checkup and see how you're doing.

Stand up, now really Stand up (tall):  pretend there's a string coming out of the top of your head, reach up, grab it and pull up, lifting all of your body Tall and straight.

RELAX: relax everything, loose fingers, hands, wrists, elbows, shoulders, and neck

Check your leg movements:  March in place - your feet land directly underneath your center of gravity (under your hips), you are Lifting your legs off the ground (with your hamstrings, quads, and butt), Not pushing yourself off the ground (with your calves)

Bend your knees.  Now bend them even more, and a little more, and keep them bent.  Knees should stay bent the entire time, even (especially) when you land.  Your knee should Never lock out - you have God given leaf springs, use them

Land on the ball of your foot and immediately roll flat (think about landing perfectly flat)

Bend slightly from the Ankles (Never bend at the waist)

When you get tired, the first thing most people do is start to lean forward and their shoulders come forward and in, constricting your lungs and further exacerbating your breathing.  Stay tall, head up, shoulders back, chest high



**Remember the principles: straight body posture, everything (toes, knees, hips, chest, shoulders, arms, and head) pointing and moving in the direction you want to be going, loose, loose, loose, lift your foot off the ground using your big muscles (the "Pull" in Pose) instead of springing into your next stride with just the use of your calves, land lightly on the ball of your foot and roll flat, breathe In the mouth and out the mouth, smile ;) 

Tragedy in Boston

The events of Boston shook the nation.  A day marked as "the best day in Boston", Patriots Day, schools were out, the Red Sox were playing, runners from around the world had gathered... it was a big day, a beautiful day, an Americana day.

When the first plane hit the first tower on 9/11 the nation gasped at this terrible accident.  Then the second plane hit and the realization sunk in.  Similarly, the first bomb went off and spectators, runners, and news media couldn't believe the tragedy of a man hole cover/gas explosion/accident... and then 20 seconds later that dark realization of the world we live in reared its head once more.


There will always be evil. Evil people, evil deeds, evil consequences. But whenever evil people come out from the shadows, good people, courageous people rise up to meet them. When evil atrocities are committed, amazing acts of kindness and love can immediately be found in the still smoking embers. Before the evil (full of cowardice) can even slink back into the night, love, goodness, courageous are already running to the epicenter to pick up the pieces and prepare for tomorrow.

"The world is full of evil and terrible things, but fear not, I have conquered the world"

Crossfit Shoes

Several people have asked for a list of Crossfit shoes.

Here is just that, a simple list of the shoes I would recommend looking into:

Skora Phase (really ANY Skora shoe would be great)

inov-8 Bare-XF 210

inov-8 Bare-XF 260

Altra The One

New Balance Minimus Zero

New Balance MT00 Minimus

"Hey, what about X, Y, Z shoe!?"

There are a lot of other shoes for Crossfit that Look really good, but they violate my one hard-line rule of Zero drop only.  

Deliver Milk to the Orphans!

Hey guys, several people have asked about the strangely named "delivering milk to the orphans" workout that I've talked about some and that was posted on my list of crossfit style exercises.

It really is a great piece of work - hitting pretty much Full body.

Here's a little 2 1/2 minute video I made for a friend who was wanting to learn it - the first 2 minutes are the verbal explanation/instructions and the exercise demo starts at 2:04

http://youtu.be/XJ7uX2CxU64

WHY do you run? HOW do you train? Are they linked?

As is often said, you only get out of something what you put into it.

Exercise is THE perfect example of this.  You WILL reap what you sow.

So, decide first... What do you want Out of it?

Probably to each individual it seems like an easy answer, because you have thought about what Your motivation is, but understanding that that motivation is different for everyone is an integral part of learning about yourself:
Your source of motivation may change as you progress, and you may find that what you thought your motivation was in the first place was... not.

Here are some examples (good, bad, indifferent):

• To get in shape (about as lame and generic as you can get, but there you have it)
• To lose weight
• To fit into a small pair of jeans
• To look better in your bathing suit for the upcoming summer
• To make your body more healthy (heart rate, blood pressure, etc.)
• To have something to do with a loved one
• To have something to do to go pick up a new 'loved' one
• To blow off steam
• To be able to run faster
• To be able to run farther
• To be stronger
• To get myself ready to compete in x (a new distance: a 5k, 10k, half, full, ultra, etc.)
• To beat my previous time
• To win x race(s)
• To de-stress
• To run...away

Depending on which category(ies) you fall in dictates what you do to train and how.  If you want to run faster, than your training will look different than someone wanting to run ultras, if you're wanting to run ultras your training will look very different than someone wanting to lose weight, etc.

For me, running is not competitive.  Understand that I am a very competitive person, in most all aspects, but running is Not competitive for me, it never has been, and I truly Hope it never will.  For me, running is de-tox.  It's stress relief, it's joy, it's (as I've said many times) meditation in motion.  

So, with knowing that, how I run is very different than how most people do who are training for most of the things in that list.  

Again, what's important is that you recognize WHY you are running, and then plot your input accordingly.