Course description beforehand - "We've added a couple hills to get your legs burning". That's quite an understatement! If we weren't climbing one brutal hill, we were coming down a rocky trail.
My goals for this race were
1 - work on my mental game
2 - no burpees
3- beat the tough competitors that I was about to be faced with
4 - win!
How did I come out??
Well 2 out of 4
After much recommendation from my friend and amazing marathoner Amber Green, I finally read some books she recommended. I started to recognize why I was falling short of my goals at races. For one I get entirely too nervous over things that I can't control. Secondly, I start my races in a panicky state. And Thirdly I wasn't setting high enough goals.
Honestly my race results for years have not in any way reflected what I do in training.
So I decided to try out some of the techniques and I really think they helped.
I started the race in a much calmer, focused state.
Pre race, I showed up with my friend Aimee about 2 hours early, and it was already getting warm. It is Vegas of course. I couldn't seem to get hydrated! Even during the race. I had to constantly calm myself down throughout the morning, which im sure will get easier with more practice.
We did a 1.5 mi warm up, and the guys were ready to go when we were getting back. [panic again, swallow, breath, calm]. We were up in 15 min. I wrote courage on one forearm, calm on the other, and then my kids and hubby's names on my hands.
At the starting line I examined who had showed up. There were no surprises, but it's hard to not get intimidated by the tough looking competition that I knew were going to challenge me to reach my goal. Ella, Angela, April, Amelia, Jenny - they all knew how to win, all have a high pain threshhold, all were proven fast and strong, and were all waiting to take my place if I made one mistake. Yet I managed to start the race with butterflies in check (goal #1 - check).
"What am I, Spartan, What am I Spartan, Aroo, Aroo, Aroo, Goooo" - not your typical marathon sendoff:)
And they are off....and running too fast to start as usual. I hang back and make sure to keep my pace in check. I wore my garmin (nice to start with, worthless later) to see what we were at.
Obstacle #1 - mud pit jump - made it over first 2 but not 3rd - dang it - wet shoes already
run up hill - ladies are still going fast and I'm waiting for them to start dropping - the hills are already pretty honest
Obstacle #2 - over wall, under net, through wall
Obstacle # 3 mud pits - there's nothing like getting you dirty and wet right away
At this point my garmin is pretty much lead weight as it's covered in mud
I'm feeling ok at this point, but as usual my breathing is harder than I'd like. These races are no joke. There is no easy pace to settle into.
#4 Hobie Hop - band around ankle, hop over hay bale
All the tough girls are right on my heels, but I'm now in first
Run up rock hill
There are a LOT of guys that we are having to pass at this point. It's fine on the open areas, and for those guys that were moving over, but some refused to move so we had to off road it around. I'm spending a lot of energy asking them to move
#5 Monkey bars - Why do these always feel so slippery??? Are they secretly greasing them?
More down rocky terrain and them back up - Really feeling the hills!!! but still strong
I ran a little past the next turn, and had to come back. April catches me and passes me like a crazy woman going down the rocky terrain. I was holding back a bit - just didn't want to sprain an ankle.
#6 Tire Flip - 3 times out, 3 times back - I see my friends here - Liz and Michelle, and it gave me such a boost
My shoelaces are almost untied....crap!
I tried to ignore it but finallly gave in and tried to just tuck them really quick. 1 min later i finally stopped and tied them. April gets ahead of me and away a bit. I'm mentally trying to stay with her but I had lost a bit of momentum. She was honestly killing it on the downhill - I'd catch up on the uphill, but she is an fearless gazelle going down rocky hills! At one point I wipe my garmin off and I'm going 5:45 min/mile down the trail!
She gained some ground getting away on the next down.
#7 sand bag carry - It wasn't too bad, but I was waiting for several guys that wouldn't move on the single track, and april gained some more ground away from me
#8 Tire pull - Holy crap these were heavy (I heard a couple hundred pounds). I pull back with my legs and I barely moved the thing. This was a slow go, and the other girls catch up and are working right by me. Thankfully they are having just as hard of a time
Big, big steep hill- april and i are both running a few steps, walk, walk, run. That tire pull had taken it out of us
#9 bucket carry - This didnt feel as bad as last time - Feeling great that I'm stronger - I see Amelia and Angela are still right on my tail as I head back with the bucket.
#10 atlas carry - Are these things getting lighter? i'm glad things are feeling easier:)
(carry heavy concrete block, 5 burppes, and then back)
Head down to the traverse - April had pulled away more - Mentally I was worried too much about the ladies behind me and should've concentrated more on catching her.
#11 traverse wall - all of a sudden, there was another girl by me when I jumped off the wall. Where did she come from???
down to barbed wire crawl - april is still in sight
#12 barbed wire - mystery girl is in front and not moving very fast, and won't move over - I ask her if she is women's elite and she says yes (there had been some girls that started with the guys) . I'm thinking there is no way that she passed me and the other girls without anyone noticing. Later we learn that she must have cut some course off, which makes sense.
Someone is yelling at me to catch April so I speed up:)
#13 - log hop - catching up to april
#14 - cargo net crawl - lost some ground on april here - later i found out that I should've rolled over the top - this was kind of a cool obstacle and a break. I'm seriously pooped though. I should've taken some gel before this point but didn't. I think it would've helped cause I was out of fuel
#15 - Hurcules hoist - Sooo much easier this time - no probs
This is where I should've dug in and sped up. I didn't know I was so close and I may have been able to catch April. I thought I had a ways to go!
#16 2 x 7ft walls - only hard cause I'm tired
#17 2x 8 ft walls - ditto
down through swampy area around to swim start. Amelia is not far behind and I see April at the other side getting out:( ugh!
#18 swim - I'm a good swimmer, but I had to keep catching my breath with a side stroke - getting out was hard too
The finish line is in sight! April makes her spear throw and runs in for first.
So I'm battling for 2nd
#19 Rope climb -no problem here this time
#20 slippery wall
#21 spear throw (the finish is a few steps away).
I know that Amelia, Angela, and Ella are all coming
I have been practicing like a mad woman on this. I hate the fence that they put up between us.
my spear throw hits it sideways. CRAP CRAP CRAP! I'm better than this.
So i start my 30 burpee penalty and Amelia comes over the wall.
Misses her spear throw - yes! I'm 15 burpees ahead of her.
Mystery girl and Angela both come over. Mystery girl misses. Angela takes her time and chooses a bale. I have 5 burpees left and I'm pumping them out. I'm thinking I'll have to race her to the finish
But she misses too!
Luck was on my side for sure.
I run in and am super relieved to get 2nd and a $1000 Check.
So I didnt beat April or run a burpee free race, but my mental game was better. i need to work on my race ending to finish stronger. I did beat some seriously tough looking mommas that I have mad respect for. I'm glad to be ranked among such great athletes!
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