- We had a team of 6 (+ or - 1 at throughout the course) instead of 2! We brought along 2 strong guys to help gets us over the walls. This made a HUGE difference. I was thrilled to see that I was able to get over the first set of walls all by my self. My friend Andi showed me an even easier way and I COULD DO IT! My team was: Julia, Chris, Andi, Nick, Dallas, and (a complete stranger!) Allison.
- The course was in a different order. I loved the new arrangement. The downside of the new course was that it added another mile to the race. My 5k course was reportedly 4.75 miles. Not.a.5k.
- More water stations. Hurray!
- I also packed a bottle of water and my snickers bar. This helped a TON.
- We picked up a member to our team early on that was running the race solo. Can you imagine?! That's one brace chick. She struggled and needed to rest often, but that was ok. Our motto from the start was that we were there to have fun.
- This year I skipped the slide and uphill climb. The lines were SUPER long (people were reporting waiting an hour to slide). We didn't have a penalty for the slide, but I did do my set for the uphill climb. It was late in the day and we wanted to be done.
- We ended up spending MORE time on the course than last year. 4 hours and 15 minutes. I didn't expect that, but IT"S OK. I was one hungry girl when we finished.
- I didn't get sick this year. This was a combination of me bringing fuel/water and stopping to rest when people in our team needed a break.
- Trail running for the past year really helped on the course. I felt so much more confident on both the up and down hills. I am sure my trail shoes also helped!
- 30 burps each for: transverse wall, rope climb, uphill climb, spear throw, and slippery wall at the end. 150 total. Truth be told I did some jumping jacks in there too near the end. Burpees were making my dizzy. No need for that!
The best part of this race was the Sissy ran her first Spartan Kids and had a blast. She climbed walls. She slid in mud. She fell. She rocked! She told me afterward about all the things she did. She was more proud of the time that someone on the course offered her help and she told them "No, I've got this". Guess what?! She had it and made it over the wall herself.
I'm more proud of her because she stayed behind to help another little girl that was racing.
She says to me, "That's what Spartan's do". Yes, yes it is!
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| My favorite picture of the day! THIS is what Spartan's do. |
I'm sore today. Very sore. Sorer than I remember being last year. My training this past year has definitely lacked in the resistance training department.
I don't regret for a second running that race. It was a great reminder of how far I've come and how truly capable I am.
Aroo!
~Kari
