Georgia Spartan Race

I am a Spartan.

A glorious mud filled day!

I have got to say - this was SO MUCH FUN!

I raced in the 3pm heat, since it was the earliest time they had open when I registered (way back in december! note the importance of registering early!!!) so we headed out to Conyers, GA around 11am. It took us about 1.75 hours to get there. This is what we walked into

When we walked through this to get into the festival area, we thought it was just one of the challenge games they had for the spectators. Nope! This was an actual obstacle that was part of the course! And it's way harder than it looks!

We got in, I got my packet, and I got markered up with my number. 1943 seems to be my number, this is the second race where I have had that number - and I've only done 6 races so far. That's the year my mom was born. Makes it significant to me, and easy to remember

 <<< Me, pre-mud!

The weather was good - 55-60, partly cloudy with the sun shining pretty bright at times.

I had plenty of time to check out the festival and prepare before my race started. My husband ended up going back to the car for awhile - he wasn't feeling well due to just having had foot surgery 2 weeks ago, and the cocktail of various meds he's on right now was making him really groggy and miserable. I felt so bad for dragging him out there, but the timing of his surgery and my race just wasn't the best. I signed up way back in December and didn't know it would be a conflict. Still, I am incredibly thankful and appreciative of the fact that he came out there to be with me for my first ever obstacle race. 

I rallied up at the starting line and listened to the announcer while we were waiting to start. I got to see some of the "famous" Spartan racers up close. Chris Davis (formerly 600+ lbs) spoke and introduced us to another man who weighed 400+ lbs and had just completed his first race.   I love the fact that people of all different sizes and fitness levels are out there doing this stuff!  After the beginning speeches and AROO!'s , we were off! We ran off into the woods, hopped over and crawled under a few walls, ran back into the woods, and  ran/walked through a narrow stream. The first mile was mostly running - they trick you into thinking it's easy!  

Below - Me doing some burpees! 

We came out of the woods and met the log balance. Since I'm no good at balancing I was dreading this one. I tried my best, but didn't even make it to the third log. Yep. Those were my first 30 burpees of the day (the penalty for failing an obstacle is 30 full burpees). The big rope climb tower thing at the front of the festival was hard too. You had to roll across the ropes at the top which is not easy, since the ropes dip down in the center and you have to use your arms to pull yourself forward - if you don't you won't go anywhere. The next thing was this wall with pegs that you had to move across (Here is a picture of it - I don't have my official race pictures yet so I just snagged this off SR's facebook page) This was hard!!! I tried so hard not to fall!! I did not want to do more burpees! Alas, I got to the third to last peg before I lost my grip and fell. 30 more burpees, 60 total. Next was the water station and fuel up time for me. I had to bring my Spi Belt along for Honey Stingers. Being hypoglycemic, I need to make sure I have sugar to avoid blood sugar crashes. After a quick break it was time for tire flipping. This was really easy for me. After that it was back into the woods for these "mud mound" things - slide down into a mud pool, wade through it, then climb back up a mud mound - repeat about 4 times. That mud was cold too! Then we lifted weights attached to a pully system. I kicked ass at this! More running, and more MUD! Waded into the river, more like a giant mud pool really! There were alot of holes underwater that people kept stepping in, just to keep it interesting.

Climbed some muddy hills with only a few spare branches and logs to grab onto, then moved on to the sandbag carry. I smoked this too, even stopped at the top to pose for the camera man! Can't wait to see that picture. I also did well with the weight and chain pull. My most unexpected moment of the day was probably the monkey bars. Listen, I have NEVER been good with monkey bars! Not even as a kid! But I did it somehow! I think if there had been one more bar I would probably have fallen - but I just kept telling myself DON'T FALL!!!! I took my much needed water and snack break - very important for hypoglycemic athletes like myself. Got back to it for some uphill running and the 7 foot walls. The first wall I was a little unsure of myself, because when I got to the top the whole wall was wobbling from everyone else who was on it, and I was certain I'd fall if I put my other leg over the other side. A gentleman helped me out and I got over the wall. I was feeling more confident at the second wall and made it over with no problem. Then the 8 foot wall - bam, done! 

Next was the spear toss. I threw it with all the power I could muster but it landed nowhere near the target. 30 more burpees (90 total). Rounded the corner and there it was. The dreaded rope climb. This one wasn't gonna happen. I slid into the mud pit, grabbed my rope, tried to wrap it around my legs, and pulled up with all my might. I wasn't going anywhere. Tried again, still wasn't moving. I just don't have that upper body strength yet. So, 30 more burpees (120 total) Those burpees are brutal - you better believe I took breaks! But I didn't skimp out on the burpees, every time I had to do them I stayed until I got all 30 done.  

Next was sliding down into the muddy barb wire crawl. I'm right there on the right in the above photo, crawlin' on my belly. Note the girl in the pink shirt - she stood up and walked out the side of the barbed wire and skipped the mud. Ma'am, you are obviously lost. This is a MUD run! I'm sorry, but crap like that makes me mad. If you sign up for it, don't half ass it. 

  My husband had come down to the finish line area and was able to get some really good action shots of me at the last 3 obstacles. Here's one of me trying to get up the inclined wall. From this angle you can't tell, but that thing is covered in mud. Very slippery. In fact, here's a nice picture of me falling! I got back up though, and hoisted myself over to the other side. Yay!

Next was the barb wire crawl. Holy gods. Again, WAY harder than it looks. You'd think that because you're crawling through mud, it would be slippery and slick, and that you'd move through it quickly and easily. Nope. The mud slows you down, it's got sticks and rocks in it so crawling through it is actually quite painful, and it requires a good mix of upper and lower body strength to move through it.   I had acquired a pretty painful bruise on my knee bone from the first obstacle, so any pressure on my knee was kind of unpleasant. 

Tried the "roll" strategy for a little while, but ended up getting really dizzy. So, back to crawling

Oh hey, sup. Just chillin in the mud.

Hah! Love this picture

The barbed wire crawl was really long. It felt like it took me forever to get through. But I finally did, and all that was between me and the finish line were two gladiators with pugil sticks. Since there was no one else around me when I ran through, both of them were able to focus on me! Once they were done wailing on me, the finish line was mine. 

Spartan status - unlocked!

Words can't express the feeling of accomplishment I experienced after this race. You go into this challenge about to face the unknown. There is fear - fear of failure, not finishing, having no idea what to expect, and not knowing what you are truly capable of. But once you get out there and get into it, the fear is gone. It becomes an adventure. All that walking/crawling/wading through the mud is fun as hell. I discovered that I love mud. I love figuring out how to navigate the crazy off road terrain. Don't get me wrong, this was HARD - but the payoff was unbelievable for me. I had no idea what I was truly physically capable of until this day. And on the contrary, it allowed me to see what aspects of my fitness I need to work on. It's true what they say - I am not the same person I was before I crossed the finish line. I had an opportunity to be pushed outside my comfort zone, and as a result I am stronger, more capable, braver, and more confident than ever before. I am a Spartan!

My official time was 1:41:03. I was not going for time by any means, and I definitely played it safe on this course. I gave it my best effort and laid it all out on the field, but at the same time I played it cautious and did not try to rush through the obstacles. I ran/jogged at any point where I felt like I could. My time was about average, and I'm perfectly fine with that.

Here are some pictures of the sheer amount of muddiness on me. There was all kinds of mud - Red mud from that wonderful Georgia clay, Bright orange Jersey Shore fake tan-esque mud, black lumpy mud with thousands of tiny sticks in it, light brown oatmeal mud, really thick grey mud that you could lose a shoe in, and soupy light brown mud. Beneath the mud are many scrapes and bruises. My left knee was bleeding (probably from the barb wire crawl)

After the race I proceeded to rinse off (very cold, painful shower), change into my dry clothes, claim my free  (tall!) Bud Light, grab some much deserved dinner at Chili's, drive home, and take a nice hot epsom salt bath!

In summation - this race was an amazing experience. I had a blast! I can't wait until my next race, and would absolutely recommend it to anyone who has the ability to try it. 

Next up - Warrior Dash!

Coming soon - my official race pictures, and a first timer's advice on how to prepare for this type of obstacle race.