Sunday morning started very early as I wakened at 4:30 to prepare breakfast and begin my 2.5 hour drive North to Monterey for a Spartan 300 workout. As an official California Street Team member I was assigned to assist in checking in workout registrants. I had great street team members to work with and when all was done 175 participants would be accounted for.
Michael Ainis would lead them all formed in lines of 7-15 in each line. Burpees, crab walks, push-ups, lunges, running and a great time was had by all. Toward the end of the workout a partner carry was assigned. This is where I would observe one of the most amazing displays of strength and love. A couple in their 70's began the carry with the husband carrying his wife. As they went to trade for the carry back to the starting point he simply told her he'd walk by her side. Earlier I had watched this beautiful woman taking a knee to catch her breath and I had asked if she was okay with a gentle touch of her shoulder. She looked up, smiled and said yes I'm okay.
At each Spartan Race event I attend I am always touched by someone. Today it was the eldest lady in the group giving it her best and always smiling.
Monday I attended CrossFit because my dear friend Terri held me accountable. Terri finished a 12 hour solo adventure race on Saturday and despite being tired and sore she still showed up to put in the work. Terri is an inspiration to me so driven and so kind I can't help but adore her. We did front squats at 70% of one rep max. I got encouraged by Chrissy and Terri and met a new woman Becky. We then moved on to the workout of the day. It consisted of running, back squats and toes to bar. For the first time I did 10 toes to bar without releasing the bar. I made the back squat weight heavier than prescribed for an increased challenge and I had a great evening.
Last week I went a little out of my way to locate a Uhaul van to have available for a business needing to utilize it for Mother's Day floral deliveries. Today I got rewarded ten fold with 2 dozen gorgeous yellow baby and long stem roses.
Tuesday was the second Pub Run of the season sponsored by Running Warehouse and Salomon shoes. It was great to run a 4 mile out and back and hit a sub ten pace on mile 4. It was followed with delicious taco salad with friends for Taco Tuesday.
Wednesday is always rest day and I welcomed it, but I committed to a 30 hour endurance event in 2015 and registered for it today. It's called the SISU Iron.
Thursday I got prepared for Fridays travel to Born to Run UltraMarathon.
Friday morning I arrived at the event site. I was planning on doing the archery run, but was asked by the race director if I could spare a couple hours to assist his wife. I set my wants aside and jumped in to help with participant check-in. The couple hours turned into 9 and I had a great time meeting people and handing out race t-shirts. I met a guy that had the little event rule tattooed on his arm.
I slept in my car and woke up early to assist with the last of the race participants check in and tshirt distribution.
The 50k, 100k and 100 mile runners were given instructions to begin with the pink ribbon marked course lap followed by alternating laps of pink and yellow. The 10 mile participants were told to follow yellow.
I began the run at a great pace and never stopped on the first few hill climbs. I stopped to hike/walk/lunge some of the climbs. I knew if I were to have a chance at achieving my goal I would need to improve speed on the flat and stay completely focused on the downhill and the few technical downhill sections. At mile 7 I started experiencing pain in a strange section of my legs, but I knew I had to keep moving. I was on my last 1.2 miles and I saw my friend Kevin. He passed me with a hand slap and encouraged me. I'm an emotional runner so of course I got all choked up, forgot to keep breathing and got weak in my legs. Then adrenaline kicked in and I said I have to go hard to the finish. I used to run with Kevin sometimes. He is fast and he always slowed for me. I was almost to the end and ran into my friend Larry doing the 50k course who thought I was following the wrong course mark and he directed me up a hill. My friend Jadd saw me and had a puzzled look on his face. I knew something was wrong when all of a sudden a runner yells, hey 10 milers you're going the wrong way." I turned around, ran down the hill and saw that what I'd been directed to was actually the left turn taken earlier during the course. I ran to my car parked near the finish, retrieved my tire and ran to the finish line. I did 11.3 miles and was right on track to finish in sub 2 hours had I not had the detour. The course was gorgeous it was great training and I loved all of it! I was there to see Natosha complete her first lap of her first 50k and Kevin complete his 50k in right around 4 hours.
Today I began my day meeting 3 weeples for a charity run benefitting wildland fire foundation and honoring the fallen hotshots 19.
The course began with a wall jump start a quick spray down and some over under obstacles. We walked most of the course enjoying getting to know one another. We climbed walls and cargo nets. We assisted a team of women participating in the 3 mile course. One woman was discouraged by a teammate to do the obstacle because she was 7 weeks pregnant. I think the discouragement had the opposite effect on her and up she climbed. I even learned a new technique from her. I tried her technique as I climbed it a second time. We crawled through large plastic piping while a GoPro attached to a drone filmed us. The warped wall would require assistance that we received from other members on the course and we in turn would offer that same assistance. That was my favorite part of the run. I think the drone was filming there too. At that obstacle a guy slapped my leg and said dang look at those quads. That made me laugh. There was a rope/wall obstacle that defeated me a few times until I took the option on the left. There was a fireman carry. Ernesto carried Jorean and I carried Sai. That part was great because you needed a partner and it honored the fireman. We came to more wall climbs and an aid station where the canopy kept threatening to blow away. The weeples and I stopped to assist the aid station volunteer who we learned was the race directors wife. Sai and I also used the aid station for a tire photo opp.
We neared mile 7 aid station and our teammate Ernesto who had been carrying on strong with a knee strain decided he needed to end his time on the course. We wished him well, he cheered us on said he'd see us at the finish.
We came to a tire obstacle I was really excited about. I'd seen it in a picture. It was way harder than I anticipated it would be.
Just before the finish was a set of angled monkey bars set between two shipping containers. The reach to the first bar was a little far so I tried a jump grab successfully. Three bars in I'd learn I picked the one set that carried the greatest challenge. The bar was pushed too far away and despite my best efforts I'd have to let go. I watched Sai complete them with ease.
Sai, Jorean and I did the last Barbwire wall crawl unders and jumped hay bail stairs to the finish where Ernesto was there to take our photo like he was so kind to do all along the course. We didn't receive a finisher shirt or medal because they ran out, but they took our info to get them to us.
I went back to try the monkey bars and used Sai's suggestion to take advantage of the shipping container on the side. I did it I didn't fall.
In life sometimes we fail once, but it's attempting twice that matters.
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