Race Report ~ Spartan Sprint North Vancouver

The more time that passes before I finish these race reports, the less likely I'll be able to remember which race was which... Just kidding, I've completed 4 races in the past 2 months, but 2 were road races and 2 were obstacle races, and they were all different distances. A pretty well rounded collection actually!

The Spartan Sprint on June 1 was my first Spartan Race of 2013. The "king" of obstacle course racing, Spartan is the original OCR organization and they've really set the bar for the various other mud and obstacle races that have appeared in the last few years. Definitely my favorite race series, Spartan races are all about strength, speed, agility, balance, grit, and in the longer Spartan distances, endurance. Competitors are fierce, well trained, determined, and adventurous.

Personally, I  thought the entire race was amazing. Package pick-up was the day before, so there was no messing around with line ups on race morning. Racers were divided into decent sized waves, so traffic was good getting to the race itself and into the starting corral. I raced in a group of 5, 3 women, 2 men, all of somewhat similar fitness level.

As for the course itself, it was typical Spartan, with one major unforeseen issue causing a number of last minute course adjustments: snow. June in Vancouver is usually warm, and the majority of snow has typically melted from local mountains by late May. But not this year. The course was essentially a bent figure 8, consisting of two loops which intersected in the middle. We started at the base of the "Mystery" chairlift, and followed one of the intermediate ski runs up to the top of the chairlift, and back down a different ski run almost to the start line, before veering off to the left and down to the lower half of the course.

The top half,or first loop, of the course (approximately 3k) was 100% covered in snow, about calf-deep, making for some interesting running! Obstacles faced in the first loop included over/under fences and barbed wire, pulling a 30lb cement block for about 40 feet, a sandbag carry up and down a hill, and even a little a bum-slide in the snow. We speed walked up the hill, ran down, and completed the first loop in decent time.

Loop 2 was where they had placed most of the obstacles, because it was snow-free. First up was the monkey bars, where I, far too excitedly, leaped out onto to the bars, my swinging legs following. In fact, my legs swung so far forward, my hands let go of the bars and I fell the 10 or so feet to the gravel below, landing entirely on my lower right arm. While I attended to the blood gushing from my arm, my teamates split my 30 burpee penalty (for failing to successfully complete the obstacle), and we continued on. Other obstacles in leg 2 included climbing up and over cargo nets, down and up through a steep muddy ravine, crawling through mud under barbed wire, up over walls, a javelin throw, a rope climb, traverse wall, tire toss, fire jump, and gladiator fight. There may have been a couple more that I've forgotten, too.

We kept up a good pace throughout the race. There were a few times the team stopped and waited while teammates completed burpee penalties or made it up hills, before finishing together as a group, in a time of 1 hour and 12 minutes. Could I have completed the race faster? Definitely. Am I happy with the time? Totally. I didn't go into the event with a goal to finish as fast as I could, I wanted to run it as a group and have fun. And that's what we did :)

The End of My Love-Hate Relationship with Running

At the end of 2012, I decided to make some huge changes to my physical health. While I've always considered myself healthy, I knew I could feel even better, so I made 2 major changes for 2013 in terms of diet (I now eat Paleo almost exclusively) and exercise. An active person for the most part, my love-hate relationship with running has gone on too long.

For years, I have run in spurts. I'd sign up for a race, train (usually not even close to enough), run, take some time off (long enough to lose all of my fitness), and repeat. The result? I never saw any significant improvements in my running speed because I was always starting from square one; I had no consistency. The other problem with this method? No maintenance; I was always building mileage. That meant that the runs were always hard because I was pushing my body to run further or faster than before. Plus my dietary habits were causing spikes in my blood sugar that would result in brutal lows during my runs, causing me to actually fear running. No more.

Starting in January I changed the way I was running. I ran for fitness, for fun, and for stress relief, not with the goal of a specific event or race. I set goals for weekly and monthly mileage, and for number of runs per week, and I made sure I hit them week after week after week. My goals were ambitious, but not so much that they were hard to attain. January's goals were to run 75km, and to be able to run 5k without walk breaks. February's goal was 100k. March was also 100k, but with a focus on speed during the week, and on the long slow distance run on the weekend. April's goal was 125k, and by then I knew I was ready to run a 10k race and beat my previous best time. I also registered for a half-marathon May 5th with the hope of setting a PR there too.

Paleo eating has been massively helpful too. I diet of low glycemic index foods, protein at every meal, and a ratio of 35/40/25 carbs/fat/protein, keeps my blood glucose steady all day, including during runs. And with a focus on what I put in my body and when, I have drastically decreased recovery time and eliminated my need to "carb load" before long runs. My energy level is stable, by appetite is strong, and my stress level has never been lower.

Overall, these changes, albeit small, have totally transformed the way I think about diet and exercise, especially about running. For the first time ever, I wake up in the morning excited about running. It's gone from being work to being entertainment, and I celebrate and enjoy every little improvement. Finally, I have found a way to run that I know I can stick with!!

Preliminary Racing 2013

Exercise plays such a critical role in diabetes management, that I try to lead my example, and teach my children (type 1 and not type 1) that exercise is a fun way to spend time together and a perfect way to keep our bodies strong and healthy. Because exercise is one of the MOST important parts of my life, I love sharing my enthusiasm for an active lifestyle with others, too. My favorite activities are running and cycling, but I also love snowshoeing, Bikram yoga, hiking, and walking. Anything outdoors is ideal, though it is extremely rainy in the fall and winter months where I live so when the rain stops, I take major advantage of it! I have big plans for 2013 year when it comes to exercise. BIG PLANS. Racing is calling my name, and it's long overdue that I started listening. 

2013 will be all about SPEED. Races confirmed for 2013 include...

Vancouver Sun Run, April 21st. I have run this race many times, but last year I skipped it and the year before I walked it with my mom. It is the largest 10 km road race in North America and is a total blast. With over 50,000 participants and live musical entertainment every kilometer, it is almost as much of a party as it is a race. I'm training hard for this one, as I'm hoping to shave 5 minutes off my Sun Run PR, set years ago.

BMO Vancouver Marathon, May 5th. Ran the half-marathon last year on their gorgeous new course, but was extremely disappointed with my result, which was more than 20 minutes slower than my BMO half-marathon PR. Going to give it another shot this year and finish with a result I'm proud of.

Spartan Sprint, May 11th. After the Warrior Dash last year, I knew I would be doing way more obstacle races. This one is a quick little 5km and is perfect for those new to obstacle racing. I'll be doing this with a huge group of Visalians, most of whom are cross-fitters and mega, mega fit. We'll see how well I keep up!

Tough Mudder, June 22nd & 23rd, Whistler. Next to the Cyclebetes National Relay (if it's back this year), this will be the highlight of my summer. I am SO excited about this one! A 10-12 mile course designed by British Special Forces, that combines running with military-style obstacles in icy cold water, mud, and hilly terrain. The same race runs two days and again I'll be racing with the Visalian crew.

There definitely will be more than the above to come this year.

New Year, New Goals

The advent of a new year is cleansing, in that it's the perfect opportunity for us to make new goals, set new challenges, and live life to its fullest. It's a time to discard practices that don't enhance our lives, in favor of those that do. Call them what you will; goals, resolutions, changes; the purpose behind the name remains the same: to improve our life.

I used to be one of the naysayers, not believing in resolutions. Until 5 years ago, when I decided to quit smoking on Jan 1st, 2008, after almost 20 years as a smoker. I've never slipped, never had a puff, never even been tempted in fact. Yes, the first few weeks were hell, but it was one of the most beneficial decisions I've ever made. In retrospect, I find it hard to comprehend the fact that I used to smoke; the idea of slowly and intentionally poisoning myself seems so absurd and foreign now. Ever since, I've been a full-on believer in resolutions. Why not? They work for me.

My 2013 resolutions are all health-related, pertain to nutrition and exercise, and will require a great deal of commitment, motivation, and dedication. Why the extreme, you may be asking? It's quite simple. I've been feeling like crap for too long. I've seen my doctor, has a gazillion different tests, and there is absolutely nothing physically wrong with me, which means the feeling of crappiness is self-induced and within my ability to change!

Nutrition-wise, I am giving up gluten and restricting other grains to a rare intake of corn and rice. I am limiting dairy to organic Greek yogurt and occasional cheese, completely eliminating all processed foods and sugar, and cutting out alcohol. And I'm upping my protein shakes back to two a day. Basically, I'll be eating whole, natural foods, in their original state.

In terms of exercise, I need to step it up. Waaaay up. The sporadic running I've been doing for the past 2 years is getting old; it's time to really commit. So Dec 28th, I kicked off a new 90 day challenge, in which my goal is to take 5 minutes off my 10km PR, set 6 or 7 years ago, and reduce my body fat by 5%. To train, I have committed to a 4-run per week schedule. Cross training will be once a week, with either snowshoeing or cycling, and I'll be doing 1 Bikram yoga class a week. I'm not doing any specific strength training program, but am doing daily Crossfit workouts which run about 15 minutes each. And to keep myself motivated, I'll be racing a lot this year, in road runs, obstacle course races, road cycling, and may even tackle a triathlon.

Officially a Warrior!

Yesterday I completed my first obstacle race, and wow did I ever have a blast! The 5.5km Warrior Dash is an obstacle race literally perched on the side of Mount Seymour, one of Vancouver's local ski mountains. Traversing up and down the rugged terrain, competitors battled the heat, the incline, and each other, while tackling a dozen obstacles along the way.

Group pic post race

Competing in a team of 4, with 3 truly awesome ladies, we donned neon clothing and arrived ready to tackle the mountain for our 10:00 am wave start. By the time we checked in, picked up our race kits, and checked our gear, the temperature was already nearing 25 degrees, but nothing was holding us back!

The first of many uphills...notice the magic
carpet lift behind us as we run up a ski run?

Up and down the mountain we zigzagged, oblivious to the burning in our legs and lungs, focussed only on the next obstacle and water station. Pulling ourselves over walls, wiggling under barbed wire, and climbing over cargo nets, no obstacle too high or too hard. 

Completed the last obstacle and the finish line is in sight!

Finally, after over 5km of running, we neared the final 2 obstacles - a couple of leaps through fire, a quick crawl through a mud pit, and we crossed the finish line to receive our finisher's medals and await our hose down.

Crossing the finish line after a terrific race!

What an incredible morning - I can't wait for the Super Spartan in September!!