I Am a Spartan! (and a Giveaway!)

Remember that one time I had a blog?  And I actually posted to it?  Sigh.  Thanks for your patience, folks.  My craziest time of year at work is FINALLY over, and I am officially tapering for my first marathon (more on this later), so my time is slowly becoming my own again.

Speaking of the taper, I did NOT think that finishing a Super Spartan race would be a part of the process.  HOLY COW, you guys.  This was by far the hardest thing I've ever done.  Months ago, my friend (and fellow runner blogger turned mama) Kelly hosted a giveaway for a free race entry, and I won!  I also anticipated that I'd spend many months training and I'd be in the best shape of my life for this race.  Yeah.  While I thought I was in great shape, Spartan told me otherwise.

For those who aren't familiar, the Spartan series is the MOTHER of all trail running / obstacle races.  They offer several distances: Spartan Sprint (3 miles), Super Spartan (8 miles), Spartan Beast (12 miles), and Ultra Beast (26 miles).  Kelly and I ran the Super Spartan on Saturday, and I CANNOT imagine going any further than that.  Additionally, there are 20+ obstacles along the way, that are a "true test of will".  And if you cannot complete them?  The penalty is 30 burpess!

* Leaping over fire (This is the LAST one, btw.  Also, this chick looks like a total beast.)

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* Climbing over SO MANY walls.  I was AWFUL at this, and definitely needed a boost from some of the very muscular dudes running the race, who were happy to oblige.  The cool thing about Spartan?  Everyone helps each other!

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* Ropes.  And mud.

 

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And folks, those are the EASY ones.  Let me start at the beginning.

Kelly and I made our way to Marseilles, IL early on Saturday morning for our Super Spartan.  While we had both done a little research on what to expect, I think we approached this with an "ignorance is bliss" attitude, as we were both equally excited and terrified.  Thanks to Oiselle, we were totally decked out and ready to go!

(Obligatory "beast" photo!)

(A Spartan tip:  Wear tight clothing that covers your knees.  And trail shoes.)

Before our wave, we watched some of the elite men and women finish (it takes the elite runners about 80 minutes to finish an 8+ mile Super Spartan, btw), and tried to watch their strategy and form on some of the final obstacles.  

When we got to the start, and I saw that I had to climb over a 5-6 foot wall JUST TO START, I knew I was in trouble.  I mean, I figured I could handle the run, but I was also petrified of injuring myself two weeks before the marathon.   I honestly believe that had I just thrown caution to the wind, I would have felt a bit more confident with the obstacles.

I honestly couldn't tell you how many obstacles we did, or in what order they came.  I will say this about the race:

* The obstacles are HARD.  I definitely skipped a few because I was afraid of injury, or because I knew I wouldn't be able to do it.  But, at the same time, I am SO proud of what I did accomplish.  I was much better at the strength obstalces than I thought, like the tire pull below:

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* There was mud.  Everywhere.  I literally lost count of the muddy water pits we had to wade through (where the water was waist-high).  But honestly?  It felt so refreshing!

* The run, which was probably the easiest part for me, was also extremely challenging.  The hills were so steep that at certain points, I was crawling on my hands and knees, or using tree branches to pull myself up the hills.  (As a result, I am SO glad I wore running capris to cover my knees.  They are STILL all scraped up, so I cannot imagine what they would look like if I had worn shorts.)

* It was SO well organized.  The sense of community at these Spartan races is incredible.  Kelly and I received so much help and motivation.  The course was well-marked, the after-party was awesome, and I honestly have no complaints about the race logistics.

(We finished!  Honestly, at the time, I swore I'd never do this again.  But now?  As soon as the marathon is over, this mama is going to incorporate some CrossFit into her life.  Beast mode, here I come.)

Have I convinced you to give it a shot?  With upcoming races in Milwaukee (stadium sprint), Dallas (sprint and beast distances) and Mississippi (sprint), Spartan is generously giving away one free entry to a Spartan race of your choice.  (Note: This entry is for a non-confirmed, open wave start time within the continential U.S.)  And don't worry!  If you don't win, I also have a code that I will share for 10% off your registration!

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