Day 172 - Spartan Super Accomplished

 This past Saturday I traveled to the Chicago area to compete in the Spartan Super race. This race is 8-10 miles. I was only in competition with myself though, because I needed to beat my previous failure. Need I even mention the unfished Ultra Beast?

And let me tell you, it was great! And I can't even lie, pretty easy actually. Pretty easy for a Spartan race, that is. There were no ski hills to climb or super crazy terrain, it was a pretty mild course. I needed some help on a few walls and chose the burpees instead of the obstacle sometimes, because let's face it, sometimes I just needed help, but I also needed to listen to my body. I didn't really jog very much. This seemed to be the first race where it was a hurry up and wait situation, because there were many people and narrow path ways, and oh my gosh - THE MUD! 

Had to be the muddiest Spartan race ever! The one proud moment I did have though; was when the last mile had about 1/4 mile of just straight mud on the trail. Deep enough to lose your shoes in. It was tough but I kept pushing and didn't stop once, but others were not so lucky. Some people were taking breaks on the side lines because they were so tired. I have some words of encouragement but kept moving. That's one thing I can say about the Spartan races is that people encourage and help one another, and I love that. I can't tell you how many times people run pass and just shout some words to help you keep pushing. No matter how slow you go, you're faster than sitting on the couch.

So my mom got me these for my Mothers Day/Birthday Present. They are trail shoes and they made the world of a difference! Where people were slipping and sliding, I was sticking and moving. I will never do another race without them. 

Unfortunately they'll never look the same as the first day again, but they'll work just as good and I love them. If you're ever thinking about doing a run, I would recommend getting a pair of these. They are super comfortable, never came off, and kept me from sliding I don't even know how many times.

And this was a early Happy Birthday to myself. I wanted to get it mainly for my fitness journey, but it was great to have it for the race as well. I knew my pace, how far I ended up going, how long I took, and the bonus of putting it in my FitnessPal was the icing on the cake. I like that it's tracking my sleep cycles as well. The Sleep Cycle app, although helpful, just doesn't work as good in my opinion. 

And here's the results! Not too bad for 8.79 miles. Not to beat myself up, but it could be better, but I'll get there. I'm just glad I finished. I was worried with the iron deficiency thing I'd get too tired, but I listened to my body and didn't push myself too terrible. But I finished!