Part 1 – Ready, Set, GO!
A few days ago, I completed a Spartan Sprint race – my first mud run! What an experience!! My write-up is a bit lengthy so I’m splitting it into four sections… (Pictures from the actual event will follow when I get them.)
My boyfriend gave me a heads-up that I would pass people at the obstacles and they would pass me during the running. A fair and accurate assessment. I didn’t get discouraged when people passed me running but I have to admit it did feel pretty good to pass the same people at the obstacles. Even better, it felt great to accomplish each obstacle (all except one) and not get slowed down by doing burpees!
I’m not sure that I remember each obstacle or their exact order but I’ll give a run-down of what I recall:
First we ran about a mile past a large chicken coop and along/through cow pastures and some wooded areas before coming to the first set of obstacles: over and under. Launch/hoist over the 4-5 foot wall and then crawl under the next one. Repeat. No problem.
A little more running and then over/under/through. Over a wall, under a wall, and then through a window-sized opening. Again, no problem.
Some more running and then the first real introduction to some mud. Climb down into a mud pit roughly thigh-high and wade over to a hanging rope. Climb up the rope using the strategically placed knots (or not if you’re capable – not me) and ring the bell at the top before climbing back down. I was given a tip to take my time if needed, so I made a point not to rush it and wear myself out. When I got to the top, I found that the bell was not accessible like the other ropes. I was not about to climb down and climb up another rope to ring a bell so I made it clear that I could reach where a bell WOULD have been hanging. I got the ok to proceed, made my way back down the rope, into the mud pit, and climbed out on the other side. Oh so thankful not to be doing burpees after that effort.
The next obstacle was right next to the rope climb. It was an inverted wall. I saw some guys jumping high up to grab the top of the wall and pull themselves up and over. My highest jump did not even reach the top of the wall. But fortunately there were some guys at the top offering some assistance. I jumped and they each grabbed an arm, and I used my feet and legs to help shimmy up and over. They stayed to help others as well. I found out later there were hand holds somewhere so I could have used those instead. Either way, the obstacle was done and I could move on!
The next obstacle involved climbing some rungs, walking across a platform on some planks, and then climbing down some rungs on the other side. Not really sure how to describe this one – one of the easiest and hard to believe that it was actually an obstacle.
Next post: wall to wall!
No comments:
Post a Comment