Reebok Spartan First-timer!

So long! posting things in a timely matter! Or even in chronological order!

A couple weekends ago, I ran the Reebok Super Spartan Race in Soldier Hollow. I signed up because it sounded like a good idea. As the date got closer, I was dreading it more and more. I kept hearing how hard those races are! I only had time to train a couple times a week. Even the day of, as our time approached, I was feeling so anxious!

Well friends, I ended up loving it! LOVING IT! It was an 8.5 mile obstacle race. Hiking through the mountains of Midway, 26 obstacles, and running. They have obstacles like rope climbs, wall climbs, cinder block pulls, mud pits, barbed wire, bucket carries, tire flipping, cinder block pulling, spear throwing- you name it! If you can't do an obstacle (and you only get one chance!) you have to do 30 burpees before moving on. I had to do 60. Messing up on 2/26 obstacles isn't bad, right. One of those was the spear throw. Sorry Reebok, I've never thrown a spear before! Give me another chance!

 ^^This was the only obstacle besides the spear throw where I had to do burpees. Stupid gloves! I desperately want to try this one again!^^

^^uneven monkey bars^^

^^crawling under barbed wire. I saw the camera man and panicked and threw up a peace sign like a freaking ____^^^

If you are ever thinking of running a Spartan, I have some advice for you! I don't know if it makes me more or less credible that I just did my first one. Probably less, but maybe it makes me more convincing if you feel like an amateur too! 

• Say a prayer. I said a prayer before the race that I would be able to feel the spirit and find opportunities to share the love of Christ. This totally gave me the right attitude! When it got really hard to hike, I saw flowers popping up in the mountains, and they felt like a motivational gift from my higher power. I also had my eyes opened to strangers who needed help with obstacles. I helped a lot of people over a wall while waiting for my teammates; I gave a guy who was cramping my Powerade for the sodium; and a guy's feet fell off the monkey rope but I ran to catch his legs before they hit the ground, and helped him get his feet back on the rope. This prevented him from doing burpees. I'm not telling you this to toot my own horn. I'm telling you this to convince you to say a prayer.
• Hike! I was nervous because I was only up to about 8 miles of running on flat ground, and I had heard that the Salt Lake Spartan contained a lot of hills. I didn't know that my love of hiking was preparing me for this race! There are parts of the race where you basically hike straight up and straight down. Nobody runs this part, and it totals probably 3 miles. All my hikes definitely gave me an advantage here!
• Climb! I have this completely useless talent that I can climb anything. And I love climbing everything! Climb trees, monkey bars, fences- whatever you can find! This will prevent you from having to ask for help on a lot of obstacles. It will save you from a lot of burpees too!
• I wore Nike hot shorts, a breathable tank (NOT cotton), and a water bottle belt. I believe I had a very accommodating wardrobe. I'm glad I wore the belt because they only have 4 water stations. I took my belt off for the mud pits then just picked it back up when I was done. I also brought gloves, but I think they hurt more than they helped; hence, my first set of burpees. 
• Take a gas relief pill before the race. This helps get rid of the pre-game poops. Or the running craps feeling. TMI???
• Clif gel energy blocks. You're going to need at least one whole bar. Take as directed. I credit me finishing to these gels!
• Something salty. I've heard that salt helps muscle cramps. Remember how I said I brought a water bottle belt? Well I filled up the water bottle with Powerade and salt, then just refilled it with water at a water station.
• Bring fans! The course weaves in and out of the starting area, so spectators can watch you do all the obstacles, and take pictures and cheer you on. The only person there for us was a guy on my team's mom, but I was glad she was there for moral support! She was so nice to help us all out even though we had just met her!
• Work smarter, not harder. Use your team mates to help. Ask strangers for help. There's no point in working harder than you have to.
• Do your research. The experts have great things to say! Just Google Spartan advice and you'll learn all the tricks of the trade!

Let me know if you want a team for next year. Like I said, I seriously LOVED it! I would do another one in a heartbeat!