Opportunity of a Lifetime

Wednesday the 18th I celebrated my 36th birthday with a beach run followed by burpees on the sidewalk with friends.

Thursday afternoon I went to Mountain Air Sports to find something to provide warmth for the upcoming race I was traveling to participate in.

Friday morning I arrived in Burlington, Vermont where I was met at the airport by my friend Corinne. She was a large reason I made the choice to take on this race. I waited in the car as I encouraged her to go check to see if the airline had her lost piece of luggage. Much to her excitement she was reunited with her shorty shorts and salomons. We then traveled a less than 2 hour drive to a little lodge in Killington, Vermont. I think it was at this point we each decided a nap was completely mandatory.

Later Friday afternoon we traveled to a press conference and dinner. I met some great athletes all so inspiring and kind and some just ridiculously attractive. I met a young man named Iram who is a brain cancer survivor and he became our roommate for the weekend. He was so funny and positive his great attitude was contagious and I enjoyed having him around.

Saturday morning I went to the race venue and volunteered to help with the volunteers. That afternoon I watched as top athletes crossed the finish line every one of them in agreement the race course was their most challenging physical athletic accomplishment. I watched as others talked about not finishing because of cramping or hypothermia and I watched the weather pattern. I was determined not to be discouraged by any of the elements that could be a factor in what I was about to take on the following day.

Saturday evening I packed my hydration pack along with my long sleeve cotton dry wick shirt complete with thumb holes. This is the only time I deviated from the general rule of thumb of nothing new for race day. I also had my clif bar nutrition and fluid performance for electrolytes. Corinne and I were given a small map of directions that said where to take our drop box along with simple instructions that said,"figure it out." This is where I thought geez at least give us a map with coordinates and make me figure that out. We talked to a security guard who told us where to go, however when we followed his instructions we thought we had gone too far, thus we turned around only to learn 5 minutes later we only needed to go a mile farther. This should have been the first indication of what Sunday's race was going to entail.

Sunday morning Corinne drove me to the venue. She had completed the beast distance 14 mile course on Saturday with a pre-existing hamstring injury and decided at the last minute not to do the ultra beast marathon distance course.

I began to make my way to the starting line as I looked back at Corinne she said something I didn't understand and waved. My eyes started to tear up because I knew how much she wanted to be at the starting line with me. I had to walk fast, be tough and wipe the tears away. Each of the racers climbed a wall to the starting line. At 6:00 am I began the world championship spartan race ultra beast course. I was nearly the slowest right off the starting line. I was determined to find a slow pace and stay there. The first obstacles were over, under, through walls and I loved them. The course continued up a hill to barbwire to crawl or roll under. There were hills and more hills to go up I began to wonder if this mountain had a downhill. My question was answered with the next obstacle of a downhill/uphill tire drag. That was followed by a downhill section of mud, roots, rocks and trees. I hear a voice behind me say, "hey Jen, Corinne is behind us." I realized queen of green Andi Hardy was talking to me and I thought she can call me any name she likes she's pretty awesome. I watched her crawl, scoot, roll and have the Barbwire obstacle for breakfast on Saturdays course. Corinne yells to me and my competitive drive sets in. Only this terrain is downhill, completely saturated from the previous nights rain and I know I have to exercise caution. I follow the same pattern I did at the first Spartan Race I completed a month ago. I do not follow the pack to the left and scoot on my butt, yet I look to the right and read terrain line and exercise caution and maybe too much. I can see this section is costing me valuable time as I know there are checkpoints and cutoff times on the course. Corinne goes cruising by as Andi does some crazy sideways skid laying on this downhill section. I'm led to believe these elites do the practice for these sections in their sleep.

The course then travels uphill winding through all the trees of this gorgeous mountain at the top of this section we are given a memorization task. Take the last two digits of your bib number then read the word and numbers on the chart accordingly and memorize them. I love numbers and memory so this is my favorite obstacle thus far. I'm given Delta 730-2007. I get to run again finally after all the climbing and I'm looking forward to the sandbag carry. I arrive at the sandbag carry which I learn is around 60 pounds and it feels pretty light as I throw it over my shoulder and begin my ascent up the hill. The terrain is grassy, muddy and wet. This makes for watching my footing and every step count. I slip once or twice drop the sandbag pick it up and keep going. I have my garmin going to time myself on this obstacle as it was the major topic of discussion for the shorter course the day prior. I'd later learn I set a STRAVA course record for that carry. I look up and Corinne is on the downhill part and I realize I want to be faster. I am at the turn around point of the sandbag obstacle for the open heat when I'm told the elite heat goes to the top. Okay cool to the top I go another 3/10 of a mile up this mountain. It's something to look forward to because as soon as that's over I can engage my quads I worked on strengthening by being the back squat junkie. A short period later an athlete named Elliott passes me and I know he's the first place competitor for the beast course wave that began at 8:00. I cheer him on and tell him he's got the lead and to keep it! I finish the sandbag carry and stop tracking myself on my garmin so I don't waste the battery and not know the time. I realize at this point I'm obsessing about those cutoff times. 

I do more climbing, hiking, running if it can be called that and come to a lovely balance obstacle where I earn my first set of burpees. I don't mind them I actually love burpees they remind me that I'm lucky so lucky that my body moves from standing to plank to knees tucked up to feet on the ground and I can jump and clap. 

Shortly after this I meet a guy named Eric he and I run and walk together for the next couple miles until I realize this easy grassy terrain is my chance to do a timed mile and make up for lost minutes from all of the climbing. I feel bad, but I have to leave him. I am here for myself and I want to complete this course.

There's another barbwire obstacle and more walls and I'm excited walls that used to be a struggle are fun now. The rope climb earned me my next set of burpees.

I arrive at the spear throw and earn some more burpees, but that's okay because here's where some strategy comes into play. The next obstacle is an open water swim from side to side of a pond. Burpees generate body heat and I'll want that when I hit the water. My IT band had also been a nuisance so cold water therapy will soothe that. I jump in the pond and say wow this is awesome it's nearly the same temperature as Lake Lopez where I did some training. I submerge my torso and arms and think no, no this is definitely colder than Lopez. I know I just need to keep that frog kick arm moving going all the way to the shore. I refuse to use the floating balls and rope for assistance. I know my stubbornness has played an essential roll this entire time.

I get out of the water and am looking forward to running to my drop box, but I'm stopped dead in my tracks. I get told to go flip a log in gravel the distance of the flag markers and back. I like this obstacle too. It's like the tire flip, but it's half a tree. I'm soaking wet, not cold and flipping a log at a ski resort with amazing scenery and positive people surrounding me. I run over to get to my drop box and I'm told I have two options take a penalty and go to my box or return in 6 miles. I take the penalty as I've used all my fluid its just after 2:00 pm and I know the weather changes around 3:10 from my observation of the previous day. I transfer out of my wet fleece to my dry thumb hole zip up. I kept my wet FLUID t-shirt on under it. I climbed a wall and continued on course strait up another hill. I'm trying to make 3 miles to the 3:00 pm course cutoff. I was nervous and thinking of everything I could tell the volunteers or course marshalls to let me continue in case I'm late. I arrive at 3:02 pm am told the cutoff time was extended and I'm allowed to continue with an elastic band around my ankles bunny hopping up and down flights of stairs and over posts on a bridge. It's like box jumps meets Peter Rabbit or the hobie hop as some refer to it.

On to the next obstacle they call commando chain bars. These are not anything like the monkey bars in the last Spartan Race or the set at Laguna Middle Scool I trained on. These are gorilla bars. Large rusty pipes too high for me to reach with a chain attached. I attempt twice to pull myself up with the chain and grab the bar. No luck burpees it is where I'm completely annoyed and may have cursed Norm the race director/course designer...sorry Norm. On to a 12 ft wall that I wish was more challenging to climb or an invert wall. 

Somewhere I get to climb a cargo net and I'm hanging at the top and the female volunteer says to me,"I really hope you don't take this the wrong way, but you have amazing legs." All I can reply is thank you as I'm willing said legs to propel me over to the other side. 

It's back to up and down more hills back to the pond where I get to carry a log and roll it and me under barb wire. I finish getting down the hill with the log and the course Marshall tells me I have 15 minutes before his cutoff so he wants me to continue, but the next aid station is 4 miles away and I need to show him my headlamp. I pull it out of my pack quickly and I take off uphill where I say didn't I just do this. The Marshall laughs and said he said the same thing during the week on course build and he encourages me to catch up to the two individuals ahead of me. His kindness toward my success and well-being instilled a new energy and I keep plugging away and I catch up to a young lady named Lisa. Her IT band is hurting her and I tell her mine is too, but at my knee not my hip, but I encourage her to stay with me. We reach the top then come to a section that has slippery bridges the one is curved and reminds me of the eucs bridge that I hiked on just two weeks previously at home. Lisa tells me it's snowing. I disagree and tell her it's precipitation not real snow and we continue on through these trees and up more hills. I ask her about the other young man she had been with as we see a light up ahead that isn't moving. She said she didn't know him. We reach the young man. His name is Sean he's wearing at short sleeve shirt and shorts and says he is freezing. Lisa had a emergency solar blanket in her pack, but it served useless. I shine my light on the green flagging marking trail and I'm thankful for my 3 years of "hashing" experience searching for true trail. We arrived to the next obstacle and two volunteers. I asked the volunteer to radio the race director as I felt Sean needed immediate medical aid and warmth. It was at this point my time on the race course ended. I was willing to continue, but I knew I'd hit the nhttp://share.spartanrace.com/x/m8JgA6ext obstacle after the last cut-off time and I'd be alone on the mountain until I reached it. The volunteers and two other runners were being picked up and I wasn't asked if I wanted to go on it was just assumed I wanted a ride back to the festival area so I held my head up high and I went. The ride in the truck was an adventure. The driver Chris was incredibly chivalrous and patient and a great 4 wheelin truck driver. The girl in front of me questioned how I just came off the course and still had energy and was positive. In my mind I'd been telling myself this was a once in a lifetime opportunity, meaning I was only going to do this once, but the truth of the matter is that course didn't defeat me my spirits are still high I had an excellent time. The area was completely unlike anything I have ever experienced. I've already developed a game plan to go back and try it all over again because I didn't like earning my very first DNF.

I got off the plane on my flight home and my legs protested the stairs, but I went to lunch and donated blood because I couldn't think of a better way to celebrate than sharing life with someone in need.

Devote Time to Make a Dream Reality

One week after I finished the Spartan Race Beast course in Monterey I was wanting to find a way to go Vermont to the world championship Spartan Race. At this point it was only a thought not a dream nor a goal.

I talked to my friend who is a sponsored athlete and she mentioned fund raising. I decided it was finally time to have the courage to share my survival story I experienced almost 5 years ago.

Here is what followed. I created a fund raising site added my story to it and created a dollar amount goal. All I wanted was to afford my flight, shoes and hydration pack. 

Here is the story posted on the site.

5 years ago I had a defining moment in my life. I experienced heartbreak for the first time in my life. I threw in the towel and said I didn't want to go on living. All the comforts I knew, the job I had and the roof over my head were taken away in the blink of an eye. I stopped eating, sleeping became a chore and the routine I once knew was non-existent. 4 weeks later and 30 pounds missing from my frame I decided I didn't want that 30 pounds to ever return. I decided to start running. I used a guideline found on a website and I did the couch to 5k program. I ran my first 5k in April 2009 in 32:32 and I was happy. Later that year I would run my first half marathon in 2:36:52. I've run mudmash in San Luis Obispo since it's beginning in 2010 when I helped build my first 12' obstacle wall. In April 2013 I ran my first marathon after learning I had 26.2 days to train for it. Much to my dismay I had to start doing walking/running intervals post mile 16. I've always had a goal to do a 10k in under an hour. In July I did a beach memorial run and much to my surprise I was only 1 min 22 seconds off my goal. August 10th 2013 I completed my first Spartan race. It was the Spartan Beast Monterey which is a hilly 12.6 mile challenging course. It was an emotional race for me. I wanted to give something back so I chose to be a course sweeper with a friend of mine. This meant I would be walking/running the course I had just completed. My friend and I would be supporting the last runner and picking up the trash left on the course. Walking with the last runner learning of his reason for being there was truly touching. Attending this event put a new drive in me. I'm celebrating my 36th birthday September 18th this year and I decided as my gift to myself I want to go take the opportunity to compete at the Spartan Race World Championship. I want to raise funds to help send me there, but I also want to donate any amount that is over my goal to the Didi Hirsch Mental Health Organization. 

I won't be able to participate in the 15th annual alive and running 5k walk/run for suicide prevention as it is the same day this year as the Spartan Race, but this is my way of proving to myself that life is valuable, it is to be celebrated and I am thankful mine was so blessed to take on a new leaf despite the challenges I faced and choices I made those number of years ago.

The day I shared this page my friend donated $22.00 to get me started as that was my daily goal. Her friend donated a dollar for each year of birth I'm celebrating. Many dear friends and loved ones contributed generously and in 3 short days I was 77% of the way to my goal. I scheduled my flight, ordered my shoes and started searching for hydration packs. It has all happened so quickly and I've had to make time in my schedule for my full-time management job, obstacle race training, friends, family phone calls, the running group I am partially in charge of, contacting fluid and clif for sponsorship, hotshots 19 memorial WOD to honor the Arizona fallen firefighters, running a hydration, nutrition, endurance trail run of over 12 miles and mountain biking with my biggest supporter and best friend who is by far more than I could ever ask for in a person. He is a coach, a friend and most importantly a teacher who encourages me to build confidence and believe in myself each and every time we ride together. I'm certain it's mental and physical cross-training.

In less than 3 weeks I will be participating in the adventure and feat of my life and I am so excited and also so incredibly thankful for so much love and support surrounding me. People are AWESOME!

Time to get muddy

A blog post I wrote in January I spoke about talking to a girl I was very inspired by. She continued to inspire me passing me at mile 18 of my first marathon in April. Fast forward a couple months and I receive a message from her asking me if I'd like a complimentary entry into a Spartan Race in Monterey on August 10th. Of course I say yes as I have no idea what this entails. I later learn its a half marathon distance mud run with obstacles. I did a ten mile course over a year ago so I felt prepared. I continued my fitness schedule I've had in place for a number of months and one week prior to the race on August 10th I went with a friend on a hill run and learned to use ropes to rappel down a rock face. I'd later learn on a section of the course that this run and lesson I received would prove very valuable.

The day of the race I was awake at 3:30 am to prepare my hydration pack and needed supplies. I picked up my friend and off we went. We arrived at the parking lot of our destination 2 hours later then had to catch a shuttle to the event site. My friend had a earlier start time so she left an hour ahead of me.

The first obstacle I came to were some dirt mounds to climb followed by mud pits filled with water. After that obstacle I'd face steep uphill climbs a short downhill then get to the wall climbs. Wall climbs have always been difficult for me in previous short distance mud runs I've completed. I was happy I didn't struggle. I climbed over the walls and I looked forward to having a burpee free race. It was then on to a series of box jumps on wooden bleachers those were fun. I came to the monkey bars and was told if I fell off it was burpees. Now I love burpees, but I really wanted to cross those monkey bars. Trust me they were way easier as a child! The muddy barbwire crawl complete with getting drenched by the fire hose was a great time. The most difficult obstacle for most of the athletes was filling the 5 gallon bucket with sand and gravel and carrying it up a hill and back down. I figured out a technique that worked well for me. There were tire pulls, sand bag carries, cinder block drags, more barb wire crawls and my favorite obstacle was the the invert wall. My least favorite obstacle was the suspended cargo net. My left leg experienced cramping and I was scared to cross it. I took it slow and steady and made it across. I failed the rope climb, traverse wall and spear throw so alas I didn't have a burpee free run, but I did have a terrific time.

I crossed the finished line and my friend and obstacle course specialist found me and we set off to sweep the course.

We caught up to the last runner on the course. He was nauseous and proceeded to vomit, but was determined to carry on. My friend and I would learn he was there with his father and 4 sisters in honor of their mother who had battled breast cancer that had since metastasized to her bones. This struck close to home as I lost the woman who was a second grandma to me just over a year ago. This young man wasn't able to finish not for lack of tenacity, mental ability or drive, but simply physically and medically  it wasn't advised.

My friend and I continued on the course picking up trash, taking down course markings and I was excited to pull the men's weight tire and do the invert wall a second time.

This event sparked a drive and desire in me that I've never experienced before. I learned there is a world championship event in Vermont in just 6 weeks from the time this event I participated in took place. I'm simply amazed at the amazing turn my life has taken in only 3 short months.