The Spartan Season is in full swing… with a race discount!

Now is the perfect time to get out and SPARTAN UP!  Yep… it’s me again.  It’s been awhile since I wrote on this blog about the Spartan racing series, but the time is here.  I hear it all the time, “when are you doing another mud run?”.  Well, the truth of the matter is a mud run is a warmup to this type of event, or OCR (obstacle course race).  A mud run is usually put together by people that want to raise money for a charity (which is awesome) or a dirty Saturday run instead of the traditional road race.

Spartan is one of the most demanding and rewarding experiences most people will ever face in their lifetime.. and those that do usually come back for more.  Sure, there are other races out there where you can “experience” obstacles put in front of you to test your ability in cold, wet or ‘electrical’ situations.  Spartan races are geared for you to test YOUR limits and push yourself forward as you have never done before.

That’s me… carrying a log up the ski slopes of Wintergreen resort in Virginia. This was about 2/3 of the way through the Super

I’ve always looked at ways to “get better” at something.  Right now it is Olympic Lifting.  The snatch is my GOAT – it kills me to get my mind around it but I am working at it… including spending a weekend with Coach Mike Burgener to help me see it from another perspective.  Yep, the perspective of a World-Class coach!

I don’t skydive because it’s not something you can get better at… of course, you can accrue jumps and become a master at the drop, but in reality if you make it to the ground in one piece you have won!

Back to Spartan… not only can you experience the race by dipping your foot in the water with a Sprint level race (3-4 miles) but you can go further with the Super (8-10 miles) and then the Beast (13+ miles).  There is something for everyone… even the kids!  My son ran the Spartan Kids race in Atlanta and loved it.  He was under age for the full mile race but chose to ‘scale up’ and run with the older kids.  Again, he decided to push himself past where he thought he could go.

For those that have run a Spartan race there is a sense of accomplishment.  Sure, I could sit in an ice bath or shock myself… but how am I going to get better at something?  How am I going to push myself to the limit to make myself ready for the world?

You make it on your own in this world.  You will never know what you can accomplish until you break yourself down in an unknown environment and push yourself through it.  And just like life, there are penalties… Spartan has them – make it through the best you can to avoid these penalties (30 burpees for each failed obstacle, in case you were wondering).

And if you make it through all three levels in a 12-month period you will become a member of the exclusive Trifecta Tribe!  You get to wear the medal, the shirt and have your name etched in Spartan lore…

Run all three and you can be a part of the Trifecta Tribe

Spartan is gearing up races all across the US and into parts of Europe and Mexico.  Check out the Spartan Race Finder page to see what is coming up in your area!  And if you are ready to jump in and test the waters… here is a code for 10% off any race (open heat) in the US:  SPARTANBLOGGER

Check through my other posts where I break down the different Spartan races and obstacles…

If you want a little more motivation, either before or after getting dirty in a Spartan race, check out founder Joe De Sena’s book Spartan Up!

And no… I am not a paid endorser of Spartan or any of it’s races.  I believe in it and have written about it on several occasions on this blog and elsewhere!

… now – SPARTAN UP and make it happen!

Ask me questions in the comments section or leave your Spartan race thoughts.

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From the gym, road and garage

Ah yes… Still on the road to youth-dom! If that is not a word, it is now! Youthdom is my new goal in life – most of you know I am the youngest 39 year-old most of you know and I will continue to improve as I inch closer to 40 in April.

I am a full fledged member of Performance QSA in Greenville, SC. The folks there have a different mentality when it comes to fitness. Over the years I have been a member at various gyms, clubs and involved with “programs” to get me in shape. None of which actually did anything to motivate me to do better… QSA sends me emails, postcards and gives motivating words during classes. I can’t go wrong.

Well… Maybe I can. Food is still an issue (for another blog post) but Nadine at QSA is retraining my brain. With the help of the LoseIt! app she turned me on to, I am making progress. SCARY to see the caloric content of foods I once loved!

Anyway, back to the training… you schedule your workout and take part in an hourlong kick butt routine that changes daily – nothing is ever the same so to keep your body guessing… and improving! The largest attendance at a session I have attended was six – with two trainers. This is as close to one-on-one as you can get. However, this beats being the only person as you are constantly competing against those in the session with you – males and females. Everyone works to their own level and everyone is put to the test.

Add to this the running I am doing – sporadically – and you get a whale of a workout routine! I say sporadically as I am constantly on the road traveling. Excuses, excuses, excuses. I know.

Well, I am off to conduct an appraisal today… then I will perform the ‘hotel room’ workout QSA provides their members when they travel. Not as kick butt as being in the workout room, but it is still intense enough to keep me at a good sweat level.

And… we’re off! Until our next stop…