Race Recap Spartan Run!

This past weekend I learned how difficult and rewarding it really is to be a mom and an athlete. I'm not a professional athlete, but I dedicate enough time and energy to my fitness that I feel like an athlete. Before we moved to Chicago, I signed up to run the Chicago Spartan Race. Back then, my plan was to run the Super Spartan and I even managed to get my cousin in on the action. Fast forward to last week and being superwoman by working full-time, being a mom, and training for a marathon, I kind of forgot about the Spartan Race. Me forgetting means, I forgot to tell Alex so that he could make sure he wasn't scheduled to work. What happens? He's scheduled to work the weekend and there's no getting around that. Saturday's Super Spartan was not going to happen as I had no one to watch the girls. Thankfully, there was a Spartan Sprint scheduled for Sunday and I did have someone who could watch the girls that day. Lots of scrambling and emails leading up to Sunday, but I was able to get myself signed up and was able to run without worrying too much about my girls because they were at the best place possible: my cousin's house with lots of toys and even more snacks.

My cousin was able to switch his date too and we were both able to experience Spartan for the first time together. This would be my 9th mud run and my cousin's first so I was really hoping he would love these runs as much as I do (I need a mud run partner). Complete success! The Spartan Race did an amazing job at putting Sunday's event together. Checking in was easy and so was trying to change your time to earlier waves. The people were great and their course was stocked with volunteers. This is the first mud run I have ever done where volunteers were at the showing station looking out for open showers for the runners. The trails were no joke and I wish I had a watch so that I could have recorded the level of upness.

As expected, the running was the easiest part for me, even with those trails. I am proud to see that I have gotten stronger with my upper body. The mud was something else; this was definitely the thickest and most slippery mud I have even experienced. The obstacles were as expected with lots of climbing, but there was no way to prepare for that mud. As horrible as the obstacle was, crossing the mud mounds and ditches filled with water between the mounds, was probably my favorite obstacle. I don't think I have ever laughed so hard at myself or worked so hard to get myself out of mud.

Spartan Race hits you with the obstacles in the last 1/4 mile: rock climbing wall where you can't touch the floor, climbing up a slanted wall, straight rope climb, swim, wall climb, another slanted wall climb, and jumping over fire. When we first got to the race we watched people climb that last wall and we wondered what must have happened over those 4+ miles to make the runners look so worn and tired. Now I knew.

As soon as we finished, I felt so accomplished. I love doing these events because I feel like a complete badass. I feel strong and, really, just incredibly proud of myself for going outside of my comfort zone and trying something new. I was especially happy I did this event because I felt I deserved a good physical challenge after the mentally challenging week I had before the race. This race reminded me so much of how I felt after my first mud run that it has me dreaming of accomplishing the Spartan Trifecta (Sprint, Super, and Beast) next year. I also got to try Pumpkin beer, so that helped with my elation.

What I liked:

• The camaraderie: I crossed the monkey bars on my cousin's shoulders. 
• The course was definitely challenging with those hilly trails. 
• The obstacles were challenging. Holy cow, were some of them hard. The hardest one for me was carrying a 65-lb stone. 
• Free beer!
• Cool medal. 
• Easy packet pickup. 
• Lively crowd. 
• You could get your time as soon as you finished. 
• Finish line obstacles were perfectly set up for spectating. 

What I didn't like:

• I'm cheap so I didn't like paying $10 for parking and $5 for bag check. 
• I liked the shirt, I just didn't like how big it fit me. 
• Burpees, ouch! (I'm just being a baby)

Next official race is THE CHICAGO MARATHON!!!! I'm so over marathon training so October 12th can't get here soon enough.

For more on my running and training for the Chicago Marathon, follow me on Facebook and Instagram @thecookierunner 

Spartan The F*ck Up with Joe De Sena

I've spent the past two weeks thinking about the things that I want to accomplish. My list includes mostly fitness things like finishing the Chicago Marathon with a huge smile and qualifying for Boston in the next 5-6 years. It also includes things like embracing myself more and exuding so much happiness and confidence that others around have no doubt about how comfortable I feel in my skin and in my life.

One of the fitness things I want to accomplish is starting and finishing a Spartan Race. I've taken the first step of signing up for one, the Chicago Super in September. I have friends who have run this and each of them has told me how life-changing and life-affirming the experience was for them. In my path to prep for Chicago, I dove into Joe De Sena's book, Spartan Up! If you can, read it. Now. It took me four hours to read the book and left me so excited about the Spartan lifestyle and inspired to take up the challenge of doing 30 burpees a day. There were two quotes that instantly struck me and haven't left me:

"Challenging yourself to accomplish more than you know you can is never stupid--it helps show you what you are capable of. It creates a new frame of reference, one you can draw upon in the face of other things that are perceived as being tough in your life. It shows you the possibilities you didn't know existed." (p. xix)

"Everyone has to suffer to put things in perspective, and bitching burns between zero and zero calories a minute, so there's no use in complaining about your hardships." (p. 180)

My life has had its share of challenges lately and, the more I think about those challenges, the more stressed out and frustrated I become. This book and those two quotes in particular reminded me of the importance of not being afraid to stop thinking and start doing. Thinking and talking about my problems gets me nowhere other than deeper in my problems. Doing something about them, changing my frame of reference, does the opposite and shows me that I am capable of overcoming life's obstacles and of looking back on those challenges and being able to smile ruefully.

To celebrate my signing up for my first Spartan Race and Spartan Up! here's an interview with insanely inspiring Joe De Sena. But first, a video:

What keeps you driven to lead an active lifestyle?
To be better than I was yesterday. My inspiration is in seeking inspiration from others that would wake up and take action in their lives. Isn’t it fun to watch movies where people work against all odds and get it done?

Where did the idea for the book, Spartan Up!, come from?
I have been writing it for 30 years, but now someone wants to listen :)

What is the most unique thing about Spartan Race?
We design our courses in a way that helps really push people up against the wall. That is the best place to be because it helps change your frame of reference. Once your frame of reference is changed life becomes easier. Spartan Race is more like the Special Forces or the Olympics. Others are more like going to a carnival and party.

As someone who is participating in the Chicago Super Spartan, what makes this particular location unique?
Its Chicago home of the deep dish pizza and worst mud in the universe...its brutal.

What has been your proudest athletic moment?
I would say it was the Ukatek in Northern Quebec because it was terrible and pushed me to the edge…I just liked to be pushed! The harder the better.

How is it that you hope to inspire others to lead healthier and more active lives?
Because at our core, we are meant to do this. We are animals and somewhere along the way we forgot. I want to inspire; there is nothing worse than an uninspired person in my mind. Let's get the world off the couch and pumped up to get stuff done in life!

Which obstacle is your favorite Spartan Race obstacle?
Yourself. If you can get your head to believe you can get anything done that is the key. We are all our own greatest obstacles.

What are your hopes for yourself and Spartan Race for the future?
To have Spartan Race in the Olympics!

What has been the best piece of advice you've ever been given?
Be patient. It's a long game and listen to older people.

If a person was only able to read one chapter of your book, which chapter would you suggest they read and why?
The prologue so they get hooked :)

Thank you Joe De Sena for creating Spartan Race and for writing such an inspiring book. Can't wait to conquer Chicago! For more on the book or to purchase a copy, go here.

Follow me on Facebook and Instagram @thecookierunner 

Note: the book was given to me by Spartan Race but the opinions in this post are all my own.