Spartan Race Boston Sprint

 So this race is back at Carter & Stevens farm in barre ma. Going into this race I had mixed feelings due to how they handled the super. The super left things to be desired, review here, and then battle frog came in and did a little better, but still have things to learn. So needless to say I was unsure how the day was going to go, but I can happily say I had all of the fun. Spartan stepped their game up for this race. I love hills in a race, they shake things up, push you and you have a sense of accomplishment when you make it to the top, and this venue does not really have any. But there is a small one and we went up it about 5 times, and three of them with weight, sandbags and bucket brigade. The course was wider in more places, the start line was closer to the festival area, Dustin was back at the start line doing great as he always does! The course did not feel as though it was rushed with the design, was done with careful planning. The obstacles were strategically placed, all enjoyable and challenging.

The obstacles in order were: Hay bales, Over Under Through walls, Inverted wall, Monkey bars, Atlas Carry, Rope Climb (1/2 knotted, half no knots, THANK YOU SPARTAN RACE!!! I love a no knotted rope climb) rolling mud pits with dunk wall, Barbwire Crawl, Log Hop, Plate Drag, Sandbag Carry, Stairway to Sparta, Bucket Brigade, 3 Walls (from taller to shorter probably close to 10 ft, 8ft, and 7ft) Hurc Hoist, Spear Throw, Bridge (with cargo net top instead of slatted boards). The Cliff Multi Rig (traverse pipe to 3 short ropes, to 4? rings and bell), A Frame Cargo Net, Farmers Carry ( 2 logs with chain handles), Slip Wall, Verticle Cargo Net, and finally Cargo Net.

The trail running sections were so well done, still plenty technical, and plenty of downed trees and all sorts of things to get in your way and make it hard to run, which was awesome. No walking tight away because of a single track right after the start. Basically any complaint I could have thought of that I encountered at the super they fixed for the sprint. And the course was about 5.2 miles according to my gps, and oh so much fun packed into those miles.
        

And it was not just me, many of the people that complained about the venue were pleasantly surprised by the race. The race was well received by everybody there. I would still like to see a venue with more hills, but if they keep course design with this caliber then I will be happy to come back and race. 

The only problems that I can think of where that the volunteers cutting timing chips off your wrist were in front of the line to get your post race pic taken so if you went back to the venue nobody stopped you. And I forgot because I was in a rush to get to the start line. I went out on a second lap in support of my friend, it was her first race and just wanted somebody to help out if she needed it. It was a blast, after doing these races for 2 years (this sprint in august was my first race in 2013) and I think everybody should do that, it really makes the race more fun! 

Photo Credit Vince Rhee

So my results were unavailable due to the chip reading it twice, Luckily a staff member got it squared away for me, and pretty quickly too, so thanks for that

Also the buses are still have problems, they get to the venue just fine, but take the long way back to the parking lot, and often get lost, it has been the case for each race there it seems, and after speaking with other racers and hearing the drivers on the radio it about getting lost and asking for directions wile driving the bus to the parking lot. I have heard others have had no problem, just to be fair, I may be in the minority, but I had to put my 2 cents in.

Almost forgot, This year Spartan has put a string around the spear so the no longer have to collect them. I have mixed feelings about that. It is nice to not have to wait for all the spears to be picked up. One thing to keep in mind with this is that you need to make sure you put the string in front of the fence otherwise you will probably step on it. I have seen this happen countless times. My beef with this move is that the string is often too short! Luckily when I stepped up to the fence a staff member moved the string to give it more room, and I was about the 1/2 way mark for the elite male wave, I wonder how many may have missed due to short ropes.Keep that in mind folks, WATCH THAT ROPE!!!

Until next time

Stay active

Stephen

The looong lost and crazy run

So just in case you do not live in Massachusetts when you read this, it has been hot, and humid. The temps have been in the 80's and humidity anywhere from mid 70% to 90% and my body has not been coping with the heat all that well. This summer has been this way for weeks, and the past three of them I have been trying to get in a half marathon run in. The one morning it was in the 60 I had no sleep and no time to do a long run, and annoyed me for a few days, running problems! Then this past Wednesday it was perfect out, after getting home from work and errands at 9pm, I got changed and prepped for a ling runand went out in pretty perfect summer running conditions. Only problem is I decided to turn my current long run route into a longer one, it was a longer oval of my 10 mile route. As I went farther, I went into the next town, and I swear there were no sidewalks at all in my neighboring town. And that is scary as hell when it is 12ish and you are at mile 11 something and you are going up an awesome hill (I really hope I can find it again, it went on forever!) and a dwindling battery on my phone, legs getting slower and a spartan volunteer shift in the am. So what was I to do, now around midnight, I called my brother, who was luckily for me, working an overnight shift. I was completely lost, with only a small idea of where i was. I found a few signs directing me back to a route I knew would get me back to my house, but my progress was bad, so I really needed an out. My brother, and managers in the background rightfully laughed and called me crazy. (I still love the being called that as a runner, it makes me feel like I am doing the right thing). I finish the phone call, a few min go by, talk to my brother again on the phone, and then immediately after I hang up my phone dies, about 2.5 miles away from where we were meeting, and a mostly good idea how to get there. Good thing the route was simple, basically just down the road. So by the time I get to the location, a local 24 hour gym, I was ecstatic to see somebody standing out front. The universe was really smiling on me on this run! (For example every street crossing I had the right of way, all the drivers let me go in front, and only one light that was not green in my direction.)  only thing was his cell was dead, but he had a cable to charge it, and as soon as we got let into the gym by his friend he charged it, and after a few min he looked up the number for work and called it for me, so nice, and such a life saver. When I ran up, it was obvious, and he commented long run hunh? So the long run with a goal of a half marathon minimum turned into 15 miles, and a bunch of walking for the last 1.5 miles. So I got picked up about 12:45. Only problem? I had a volunteer shift for 7:30am over an hour away. But that seems to be my luck for sleep the week of a spartan race with build days. Oh well, good thing I have been able to handle it. After the super in barre, this was no where near as bad.

So moral of the story is plan things better, and realize that even if you do not get the performance you want you still have it in you. Summer is horrible for my runs, I still need to get used to that idea, but I still have my speed and endurance, just not in humidity. 

So have faith in your own training, adjust when needed, get out of your head and your own way, the more you believe in your abilities the better you will be, doubt is KILLER to almost all things. 

Until next time

Stay active

Stephen

OCR 102

This is a follow up post. Basically I wrote OCR 101, and went wait I have more to add. That article was also based solely on leading up to the race, here I would like to cover race day stuff, things that might not seem obvious, or race day hacks to make things smoother.

Flip flops: keep these in your bag, you will want something that is not a race shoe to change into post race. And this lets your feet breathe, also depending on distance and your feet, swelling may make a normal fitting shoe uncomfortable. 

Trash bags: or even the plastic bags you get at the grocery store. Just something big enough to hold your gross clothes, and shoes. You can go the fancy giant zip lock bag, but I use the grocery bags because they are free, and still do the trick. I usually have plenty in my bag in case I forget to add them between races.

Towel: pretty much every ocr I have been to has garden hoses to can rinse off with. Nothing fancy, and definitely cold, but it is better than nothing. You do not need to go the extra mile and bring soap and shampoo, you won;t get everything off, and lines are always long. Plus it is just one more thing to carry in a bag that I have more useful tools in. Also everybody expects that you will be gross, and nobody cares. And you will want a real shower when you get home/hotel or where ever. 

Snacks/drinks for recovery: almost every venue will have food and whatnot they are selling, and some venues may not allow outside food or drink, but they do not search you. And they may not have what you would be used to, it is usually just sponsor giveaways, which is not bad. But things like gatoraide have so much sugar and what not, so I go for pedialyte, it does not have nearly as much of the junk you find in sports drink. But it has the electrolytes you need to replenish. Some people prefer coconut water, as it has good stuff in it, it is all preference, and what works for your body. Some sort of recovery snack would also be good, again, most races have sponsored bars and what not, and bananas, but if you are weary of ingredients bring your own, just something to tide you over until you are at a restaurant, or home again. 

Sunscreen: so most races will have you under tree line for a bunch of the trail running, depending on venue, so you might forgo it. But it does not take long for a sunburn to take effect. 30 minuets can pass by quick when talking with friends, or checking out times, snacks, and whatever else is around. I always have a package if sunscreen in my bag. 

Bug spray: depending on time of year, and venue, it may not be needed, but I would rather have it and not need it, than need it and not have it. And hell if you are in mutated bug country it may not even help. But bring it, because at least then you will have done all you can. Otherwise you could be eaten alive. Also if you wind up inplaces like carter and stevens farm (hosting both spartan races, and battle frog) they have ticks, so keep an eye out. They certainly are not the only place, but just a heads up, many races you will go through tall grass at some point, and most courses also have poison ivy, it just happens people, so long socks, or calf sleeves what ever you got, otherwise learn how to deal with or treat poison ivy and bug bites.

In the days leading up to the race, you should be hydrating as much as possible, starting at least on wednesday, you should drink all the water, and pee all the time! make sure though that you are also keeping up you electrolytes up the day or two before the race as well, as too much water can dilute them in your system and you may cramp earlier than expected.

As far as food goes, this is a 2 part question.

First, the night before, add some more carbs, but do not do anything new, you will want more fuel for the next day, but you need to know your system. For me I could eat pasta all day everyday, I love the stuff. But if you find that too much carbs can bog you down, that is just as bad as too little energy, so as with everything, test it out! 

Second the morning of, every morning for several years I do a bowl of oatmeal with a banana and some cinnamon, a protein shake, tea, and water. This works for me, my body loves it, and it fuels me for almost anything. You will again want the carbs in the am, but make sure you have the time you need to digest your food before running. again, only way to know is to test it out. I can eat and run about15 min later, if it is the right food, but then I have other foods that can take longer to digest, it varies from person to person, based on body and training.

The second part is race day nutrients. So I can do guu, or the like, or the mashed food pouches, like baby food, but starting to gain popularity in the big companies, Cliff has them, and I love them (you can even get one pouch that is pizza flavored, and yes it tastes like a margarita pizza). You need to figure out what your body likes when running, I use different ones depending on how long I am running. for ultras I prefer the pouches, but shorter runs I can use the guu, it all depends on the day. They also make the block type energy gel things, that are basically just sugar, and when you need a quick fix it will help. Keep an eye out for the electrolyte ones, they come in handy as you will be sweating a bunch in a hot sun, or even if there is no sun, you louse more than water when you sweat!

So now a few neat hacks that will come in handy if you so choose:

Those orange home depot buckets, like the ones you carry on race day, are about 5 bucks. They are a good investment for post race clothes if you have a few friends and get real muddy. you put some laundry soap in, and fill the bucket half way, then post race you put your clothes in and the get to soak and with the turns you make driving your car you wash them a little. For me personally if it is one change of clothes it is not that big of a deal, and I have made my race clothes wait until monday. However, they could stain or retain the smell, I think I have a shirt on the way out due to smell starting to form, and discolored on the inside. I personally like the idea if it is at least 2 changes of clothes, weather it is friends or if it is a multi day event, or multi lap and you feel the need to change clothes, it has to be a long event for me to want to use that. This orange bucket trick came in handy with the 24 hours of shale hell such a fun event, and I changed my clothes almost every lap.

Another post race tip that will come in handy is for when you rip your hands. Those wonderfully built up calluses can rip off on oh so many things, but fret not my friend for vit e oil will do wonders for your hands. It is an old gymnastic trick I learned years back and needed reminding of last year. so at night before you go to sleep, put the purest vit e oil on your hands and then out on gloves, I use cotton, like 3 dollars at target or anywhere, or plastic gloves will work. Hell in a pinch you can use a sandwich bag, just cover your hands to keep the oil there and not everywhere else, It can easily shave days off of healing if you do it daily. You can do it during the day as well if the rip is bad or you have another race the next weekend, and I speak from experience saying it will make your hands usable by then, not fully healed, but to the point you can climb a rope, traverse a wall without fear of your hands opening mid race.

I hope this helps, and keep in mind that the barre, ma races are flat, fast, and filled with pot holes, ticks, pricker bushes, and cow poop, it is a working farm after all!

Another thing to keep in mind, recently there have been incidents popping up about people getting sick or hurt at races. Some of this can be avoided, for instance, when you go into a mud pit, or water pit, or dunk wall, close your eyes and mouth. Same goes for when you do a barb wire crawl, just use common sense, try to not let mud get in your eyes or mouth. I have been doing these for 2 years and not gotten sick (knocks on wood) but seriously it will minimize your risk of getting sick. Also if something pops up talk to somebody. Lets say you get a rope burn on your skin, use disinfectant, mud has bacteria and germs, as does the rope itself, if you do not clean it, bad things will happen when you let it go without taking care of it. Calf sleeves are great to help with rope burns, or high socks, or tights, Just cover your legs where you will be climbing a rope, problem solves. 

Also, DO NOT FORGET TO STRETCH!! I often forget this, but it makes a world of difference bothe before and after the race.

As always I hope this helps!

until next time

Stay active

Stephen

One pot curry tuna recipe

So a wile back when I first started this blog I said I would put in recipes and general ideas for healthy living through cooking because I am not that great at writing recipes. I posted my stuffed pepper recipe, a wile ago. It received some notation on twitter, now for my next one. This recipe is something I created a few years ago when I wanted a lazy meal, One pot, about 30 min, and easy cooking.

I start this off with boiling the rice first ( I used a cup of rice with 2 cups of water) after about10 min when the rice is mostly cooked I add yellow curry sauce (you can use a different sauce if you prefer soy sauce, or anything else that goes with whatever main protein source.) I chose to use tuna, (but to make this vegan you could use chick peas, or other legumes.) You could also use other fish, chicken, or turkey, just chop it up and throw it in, as long as it is already cooked (remember this is a quick meal) For this I use 2 cans of tuna, 5 oz sizes. And each meal is not complete without a vegetable, so for this one I usually use spinach, as I always have it in my freezer. So, after the sauce has been in the pot for about a min, I add the spinach.towards the end, by then most of the water s gone and it is only another min or two. Now bear in mind that the pictures that I posted here are backwards, but it still works. The difference I have noticed is that you need less of the sauce when put it in with the rice, if you put it in later the extra sauce to coat everything is negligible, but if the sauce is near the end, or you want to make the sauce last, or just do not have enough left in the jar.


So some other things to note, I used white rice due to time, that way I can make this is a pinch wile making breakfast before work and have lunch. This has happened more times than I can remember. If you want to take it up a notch you can use brown rice. Also, if you like you can add black beans (this forms a complete protein, another way of saying all the proteins that your body does not produce on it's own) even if you want to add meat to it, it helps make it more filling, and more nutrients. The way I make this, and with my appetite it makes for 2 servings, one meal for two or lunch for 2 days.




So I hope this helps point you in the right direction and keeping up a healthy life style, and realize that healthy meals can be quick, easy and inexpensive.

Until next time
Stay active
Stephen

24 Hours of Shale Hell Review

So for those of you who do not know, Shale hill is a top nitch upper body destroying ocr course in vt, well worth the trip. Not just for the obstacles, but the owners are awesome as well, they get to you, and your name very quickly, which is amazing! This course is also the reason that when somebody tells me be careful that race is hard, upper body heavy obstacles, I usually chuckle, I have yet to be on a harder course, but it is also a world of fun. Don;t let the difficulty scare you away, you don;t need to be elite to go there, however, if you want to complete every obstacle, then yes, you need to be elite. But they have journeyman division so you do not have to feel bad about not having penalties, it is there so you try your best, and sometimes you just can not get across the great wall (think traverse wall on steroids, 5 panels, longer than spartan, strung together with balance boards and overhead grip boards. It will tear open your hands, trust me, it happened on both my hands at this race), the difficulty is the point though! For example, almost every race, you get the discussions about what obstacle you were able to complete but could not before, It feels great seeing nt only your own growth but that of everybody else's as well.

 

So this particular event is just as it sounds, as many times as you can make it around the course from 9am saturday morning to 9am sunday morning. They very kindly let us camp out fr free the night before, right next to the start line, which is great if you wanted a nap inbetween laps, or did not want to walk to far to do so. Parking as always is a short walk from the start/finish line, and you could bring your car up to drop off gear, then park at the parking lot. They had a giant bonfire at night, which was great, because even in the summer with 90 plus temps it was pretty cool at night when you stopped running. The penalties were different for each lap: first 2 were 30 spiderman push ups (50 at the tarzan ropes), third was half so 15 (25 at tarzan), 4th was 7 (14 at tarzan), 5th was penalty free, but still had to try everything as much as possible. They had different penalties for 6 and up, but I only got to lap 4, and did not expect more than 6 anyway. There was also an 8 hour version, which was the same thing, run as much as you can in 8 hrs, if you were not back by the cut off, or only a few minuets over then the lap did not count, that went for both times. They also had a relay team, only one person per lap counted, the team could run with but their time would not count (and the Canadian team really kicked butt out there, so jealous). You could also have a crew with you, but for each person crewing they had to fork over some money, I usually go alone on these kinds of things, plus knew enough people I could ask for help if needed. The support crew could not help you on any obstacles, they could carry gear, give advise, and run next to you at night when it is dark, and that was cool, also with those fresh legs they helped pace people to move a little faster, and it was nice to see everybody helping each other. Racers were allowed to help each other on obstacles, and man did that come in handy as the laps racked up. There were no timers, just a race clock, and a white board that you recorded your own times.

start of fireman's tower

Second half of fireman's tower

(see picture to the left) I only got 4, I really wanted to make it an ultra and get 5 or 6, I like several of my friends could have done it (I may beat myself up for a bit, reguardless of knowing I made the right call with a long drive back to ma from vt) but considering how my calves felt, I knew it would be better for the healing process to stop at 4, even though I just missed the penalty free lap, so bummed. Speaking of which, as I write this my : forearms, triceps, biceps, calves, and core are beaten down, been a wile since my whole body has been beaten like this, and it just proves that I had all the fun, with so many friends. Friends who were awesome to run with, and chat with before, during, and after the race. Doing a night lap with one of my friends, realizing that as I ran with another that the balance beam around the herb garden was not getting done easily alone that lap, and another lap that I would not have made nearly as far on the great will without being pushed. That is not normally how I run, but it can be just as fun, and it was needed on a course like that. The only real things that could have made it better was reflective trail markers for the night time laps, for the bucket carry (bucket brigade for you spartan folks) was hard to stay on course, we did a bit of wavering on and off course, but it was mostly on course. Also there were a few places were tree branches were blocking the course, ad one of those walls on the anaconda with the 2 metal bars moves a lot, but those are all I really noticed for things that need improvement. They really take care of everything up there, and it shows when you run the course, and I could not be any happier, I mean unless  actually got that 5th lap that is. But the whole running with the best ocr team, New england spahtens makes things like that more palatable.

zig zag of awesomeness

zig zag of awesomeness

The two that run this place are always checking in, going around course, seeing how you are doing, I know Rob has given me pointers wile on course more than once. And they know their course, and what it does to its racers. At one point I got to the fireman tower, about 2/3 of the way through the course. There was a volunteer hanging out, and said hey, and asked what lap I was on, I said hello, and blanked on the lap question, then like 30sec later, realized he asked a question, apologized for ignoring his question. His answer you may ask? "That's ok, Rib said people would be delirious around lap 3 and 4" so good job on them both!

This is also a great idea if you are training for worlds toughest mudder, as they also do the 24hr event for that as well, but if you are not, it also helps with endurance and just a real fun weekend! think in 2 to 3 hours for each one, just amazing!

Tips for the future:

• gallon sized zip lock bags are great to store each change of clothes in for each lap, and when doing something like this, you will want to change a few times, you will be covered in mud!
• you will want a second pair of shoes (or more if you have them) you can quickly hose off and dry them wile you are running, it makes a world of difference
• changing socks at least evey other lap is highly recommended, if not every lap, take care of your feet or you will regret it!
• Trail toes, or some kind of foot care lube is a great idea, it really helps when you are putting down milage in this kind of terrain
• when you rip your hands on an obstacle (lets say the great wall, because of my 3 new rips on my hands) vitamin e oil, as pure ass you can get in liquid form helps shave a day or so off healing time, and helps speed up the initial barrier to prevent the raw skin feeling. and use glove to keep it on, at night it is perfect, and helps if you can get away with gloves during the day as well
• Work on your spiderman push ups, you'll need to know em!

Bottom Line, like I have posted about shale hill in the past on my blog, it is really hard, and really fun. Definetly a must for ocr enthusiests of all abilities. Unlike the big names you get way more of a challenge, more fun obstacles, they greet you by name with a smile, and are always thinking of new things to do. If you have not been here stop slacking, you don;t even need to wait for a specific race, they do training as well! which I will probably take advantage of before the ultra beast, because I need to work on some things!

Also for information there cite is here, check them out, it is worth the trip

Until next time
Stay active
Stephen

Battle Frog Boston (Barre)

I have a decent selfie game, Thanks Nicole

So ever since last year, In NJ, at one of the first Battle frog races, I heard, read, and saw awesome things about this race company. Hard as hell, with really cool, and unseen before obstacles. And they kept that reputation going strong from last year, now I know nobody wants to say they have an easy race. Especially when you have the image of the navy seals you are portraying. But when you have awesome obstacles, that people struggled with, and athletes on facebook telling you how great and hard everything was. I really expected more from them, a LOT MORE, but that is because they flooded the market with their name, and the image of a harder race. So I am okay at these races, faster than some, slower than others. But This race really did not live up to the hype in my opinion, There were a bunch of excuses that I heard third hand, so I can not repeat them. The RD is pretty cool, and after talking to him, I am even more bummed that I can not make his other races, because he seems to know how to have fun at a race. But there were some things I just can not look past. For instance, the rope climb, really early in the race, between 2 trees, only one set, and at most it felt like a foot apart from each other, Now when you have so many ropes close to each other and have so many racers, you wind up hitting each other, several times each rope. They really should have spaced them out and put another set up between another set of trees, or put them somewhere that they could build a standing structure. The issues I had with the obstacles continue, For example the wreck bag carry was 50lbs only, nothing lighter for the girls, and I saw several women out there that clearly barley weighted 100! and what about the kids that are running the adult course! The last obstacle, the tip, which consisted of A frame walls, connected with 2x6's to walk across, and you had to traverse by hanging ropes, then finger grip at the top of the walls. So I like the obstacle, and it was an example that they can give you a challenge, but they need to work on it. So I weigh about 180, Tall, and when I was the only person on the wall, the middle support 4x4 on the ground lifted up, I knew I was fine, but the amount it moved for a little person like me, it would have been scarier for people that weighed over 200, and I heard that it was scary for people bigger than me, proving that they need to work on proper building, the quality NEEDS to be better. The penalty they give out for failing an obstacle are 10, 8 count body builders (see video below) which I like, I had to stop myself from jumping, but I like that they do not tax you as much as say 30 burpees.

2014 (thanks Nicole) vs 2015 (Thanks fellow spahten)

This is cool, From the battlefrog FB page

They also did not have a whole mess of obstacles that they had at previous ones, warped wall, traverse ropes, monkey bars, traverse walls. They did however have tire flips that I like, but seldom see at races. They have 3 sets of incline or decline walls, fun, and different from just solid walls, I like the idea to do something different, They had a decline "wall" that was climbing up several metal poles across, which was different and fun. Barbless barbwire crawl, which is great because it was less than a foot off the ground, except for the ditches they dig, but it was nice to not have sharp steel to avoid.

Pro's:

•  Fun course (even if it was not as challenging as advertised
• Huge swag for biggest teams (buff, extra beer, free parking for1/4 of us, bracelet, and shirt and sleeves to be mailed at a later date)
• BFX bracelet got you to the front of the line at all obstacles, the volunteers knew this and told you to go to the front and nobody said anything about it, nice touch
•  barb wire crawl had NO BARBS, pretty low, but nothing sharp! It is nice to not get scraped in the race
• No full submerge in mud, I truly feel like it is not needed in an ocr, and is a nice change of pace
• The course was seriously well marked, it was obvious where the trail went ,they had plenty of arrows, and way more of those tiny flags, seriously, you really would have had to tried to get lost

Con's:

• Portapotties, wile clean, and nice, were placed uneven, and in almost the same location as Spartan race put them in the super the month before at the same venue. to the point that i almost fell off often wile sitting down
•  BFX was not explained well at all: nobody knew where we were putting our drop boxes, no one looked over them, the fact that we were able to skip obstacles was explained at the last min, The wrist bands were not given out until the meeting before the race
• signing up for BFX means signing up for elite, then making several phone calls, and paying more fees, so it was an absolute pain in the but to reg for it. there were issues with people being reg'ed for it, ect
• very different from last years races, they are dulled way down, and there was a bunch of contradicting reasons from staff of all levels (much easier, except that the rig was "the longest in the world" dulled down slide, and generally easier obstacles, with various different reasons as to why. The company Is changing direction, but not advertising it, so they are still saying they are a hard race, when in reality they are a starter race, with a few of the harder obstacles
• The "tsunami" Obstacle from last year was much cooler, and harder, It was a warped wall to a warped slide down, Which looked really cool, and just an example of the shift in the company
• the rope climb had too many ropes too close to each other, to the point that everybody kicked, kneed, or somehow hit the people on either side, and got hit as well with nothing a racer could do about it
• barely any shower space at all, luckily there were not that many people there that day, but for the BFX people they had run out of water, major bummer
• Start line Announcer left a WHOLE lot to be desired! Elite started early no countdown, no anything, just odd, and very unhyped, and left a whole bunch to be desired. However, Coach pain Dewayne, announced for BFX, He did great, but he seemed to switch rolls shortly afterwards, He should have been the one to announce all day, the other guys was bad, and I heard they had several start line announcers at the start through the day.
• Bag check was not marked, and so few people that I was waiting for like 10 min with nobody next to me right in front of my bag, missed several times by the volunteer and the employee working bag check. They zip tied the bags together, and onto a metal fence wall inside of the tent, which was odd, but it worked, to cluster the bags by bibs, and no bib numbers on the outside of the tent
•  The womens changing tent was next to drop box area for BFX, and they did not fully close off the tent, I hope nobody else noticed!
• 16k course, 15k medals, they still have the old medals for the new course, not a huge grip, but still, kind of disapointing considering the fact that they are trying to be a big name in OCR, trying to be with the big boys (Spartan, Tough Mudder, Warrior Dash). They have a differnt medal for just the 8k, and a pretty badass one for BFX
• No mile markers anywhere 
• The buses were really far apart, I heard several friends complain about the long wait, I do not know if that is just the venue, or what, but it seemed longer than most races I have done

Now I am being kind of hard on them, but they kind of asked for it. They have been hitting social media really hard ever since their inception, to the point of high annoyance, way beyond just getting their name out there. And they pushed for the whole really hard race, and did not live up to expectations. On race day it was explained that they are changing the direction of the company, and I had heard about a whole mess of layoffs, that being said, they never pushed their re branding anywhere. So going into it, I, Like may other people expected a lot, and felt as if they over promised, and under delivered, by a lot. To be fair, BFX was fun, even if getting registered was a pain, and disorganized (much like a bunch of festival, and pre race morning) and I am sore in the shoulders and upper back from running  3 laps, but they still left me wanting more from them. When they changed the race from 15k and 5k races on the same day and went with 8k or 16k, It really changed the dynamic of the race, and being told to run twice if you kept your original 15k, at least there was a route around the festival area so you did not have to deal with the start line. You did have to deal with people being on your course, because it was minimally marked, and 2 of the three times I had to go into deep grass, and not know where my footing was, because people were waiting for friends to leave the showers, and nobody explained to them, and I was too busy focusing on getting around them to say something, but they were most likely spectators that had no idea what was going on.

So They also just opened up reg for next year, and sent an email to participants with a 50% off code, wile offering 40% off from before memorial day to just before this race. This is just another thing that makes me weary about this company. Super hero scramble did the same thing at amesbury last year, wile the race was great, it was their last one, I do not think Battle frog is as bad, but they do not inspire confidence, I may do another race again, but I will have to volunteer, as I am concerned about paying in advance for one of these races. If they are around next year, and have a better venue, I may do it again, but I am on the fence.

Until Next time
Stay active
Stephen

Tri Obstaclon Review

So, This event, is very unique, and awesome. It is basically a triathlon, and a challenging one at that. So you start with a 7 mile bike ride, part of it was on the farm, fairy narrow track, and very challenging due to the soft ground, and the inclines, there were a few places that most people had to walk their bike or fell off of it. Then around the roads for a while, some if it was paved, most of it was not, a whole bunch of dirt/rocky roads. A whole mess of hills on the course, and man, those hills were hard! The hills are so bad on the roads, that I was beyond pleased that I was able to stay on my bike the whole way through, It got really rough on my quads. Now to be honest, I work on my quads, but it has been a wile since I rode my bike constantly, and it was generally agreed that the bike riding portion was ridiculously hard (so glad it was not just me!). Then the last bit of the bike ride was through a back yard, very technical, and oh so challenging to do. It rained a bunch the night before, and the woods just before the water was super muddy in places (the ocr course was super dry, except for the places that are always muddy). Also some of those down hills in the woods were pretty scary for decline, all rocks, and what not, so several places I walked my bike. But I realized it too late, I fell off my bike twice going to the lake, and once more coming back up the wooded area. Luckily I was not really hurt, but absolutely covered in mud (when I get those pictures I will post them on my instagram, and update to this blog)

So as you can imagine, after taking that spill, I was completely covered from the mud pit that I could not ride through, as was my bike, which made shifting my gears all the harder after those 2 spills. But then you were at the spot where you drop your bikes, check in, and go a little farther with your bikes, and that was a very STEEP decline, and pretty slippery as well. So like I said, my biked was covered in mud, the shifters would not easily shift, so, only one thing to do, take it to the lake! And everybody told me I did not need to bring my bike, EVERYBODY, but when they looked at my bike, and realize it was a good idea. So when i entered the water, I just threw my bike in and shook off the worst of the mud, It helped me immensely, but walking my bike back up to the drop area was pretty hard. The good thing about the swim though, was that you could wade through it, which I did, I really can not swim well, I am barely in the water. So If you are thinking of doing this race, but can not swim 300 meters, don't worry, it was waist deep for a 6'1 guy, so for most people, no higher than chest deep, on the deeper end. But still deep enough that you can swim, I tried, but could only get a few strokes, like I said, I need to work on it. Also it was cool that a bunch of other people were wading through the water, the guy standing at the entrance to the water was commenting on the fact that it was a swim, and a bunch of people were wading through the water. Then it was back up the hill after checking in with the volunteer, and there was a bunch of walking your bike until you. There were a few points that you could ride your bike, but then it was up to walking your bike again. Next it was the 7 miles back the way you came, back to the farm. It is important to note, the roads were open, but it is a quite are of Vermont, and I think I saw about 6 cars, and the roads were marked with race in progress, and volunteers at every turn, and a few more at the straights, and cross roads, they were great! They told you were to go, and gave you the all clear when you got near, as well as directions. Things to keep in mind, It will most likely be muddy when this race is done again next year, and your bike will kick up mud, you may get it in your eyes, which makes going about 20ish mph down a rocky road pretty scary with one eye open, So maybe a cheap pair of shades to keep you eyes clear would help in that area. The trails were mostly clear, I did not run into many issues there, but there were several small branches that hit me wile trying to avoid pot holes on the trail, minor grip, but need to be mentioned. They didn't really hurt, they were small, but it would have been nice to but be whipped by them, again small grip, and was the only negative I noticed.

GPS of bike/swim Curtsey of Paul Jones

GPS of obstacle course Curtsey of Paul Jones

Then you go back to the farm, where the start line is, and you drop off your bike on the rack, a quick change of shoes, quick snack, and electrolytes, it was off to start one of the hardest ocr courses out there. This is a great course, I loved the polar bear challenge, and the link will give more detailed info on the course/ But basically, harder than almost any other ocr, and this course does not have to many hills, I would love to see what they could do with more hills. There are definitely some super steep parts, but they are short compared to a mountain.

Things to note. Shale hill has several levels for this event. They offer Journeyman division, so when you fail an obstacle, and trust me you will, this course is really hard, and has 70 obstacles, You only had to do 10 jumping jacks. Also you had the option of doing the 5k course, It cuts out some of the harder obstacles, but you still get some challenging ones, I think it is still like 50 obstacles (hard to tell, I have not done it, and they are always adding obstacles. Then you could do Power class, Which was one lap around the 10k course (ish, I think It was 6.6 or so, I think that RDs from VT do not know how to tell distance, or any other RDs for that matter, ocrs are never what you think) and has about 70ish obstacles. Elite was 2 laps around the obstacle course, and instead of a 300 meter swim, it was 600, 2 laps around the swim portion. For power and elite division, you had to do 25 spiderman pushups for each failed obstacle, but the tarzan swing you had to do 50, and 25 for each section of the great wall.

New obstacles, The coffin was just put in, right after the great wall. It is a box, long and narrow, uphill, with a slick back. You get finger holes that only allow about 2 fingers (unless you are tiny) to pull yourself up through the box. I ripped my palm there, nothing too bad, but just be warned, It is tough. Also it has become an area for spiders (daddy long legs it looked like) were taking home there.
Another new one, currently unnamed, It is after the firemans pole, where their used to be tires to run through. It is a traverse, you can choose baseballs, hanging tires, or a taught chain. The tires are easier, but, It is a robsatacle, and it is not as easy as other races. The baseballs are just like ninja warrior stlye hanging, and really hard to do. The chains are super really hard to do, and not recommended, as the chains can easily rip up your hands, so be careful and forewarned. The tires are doable, and then the last few are more challenging with the distance between them.

Side notes, I finally got the great wall, that thing is hard, Like the new spartan z wall, but it was standing long before spartan angled their traverse walls. Also it is 5 walls connected by boards, either by one you walk on, or one that is overhead, and you have to move backwards (I find it easier) by shuffling your hands up 1 by 6 boards (I think, not fully sure on the dimensions) So yeah it is hard. I failed the lincoln logs, (exactly what you think, a hanging giant lincoln log you have to climb, and touch the top of the support structure) my quads would not let me grip the log. The fireman's tower, I also could not grip the pole to climb up. The new obstacle, I made it to the 2nd to last obstacle. Monkey bars, they are also longer than spartan, or other ocrs, I was like 3 away from the end, and then I was not making the uphill ones. The uphill ines are farther apart, and UPHILL, so yeah, I failed those. Then the one thing I am hoping to get, but really need stronger biceps, are his tarzan ropes (not sure if that is the real name) A whole bunch of ropes to swing across (think longer than anything else you have seen easily more than 20 ropes, and finally a wall to climb before you can touch the ground.

Awards ceremony, I got 3rd, in 18 to 35! Photo credit Paul Jones

Prize pack for 3rd, plus a few credits

So on a more personal note for this blog, this race was epic, and for me personally, I am more than pleased at a few things that happened that day. First, I podiumed!, first time ever!!, I placed 3rd in my age group Power 18-35. I also qualified for ocr world championships (I think for a second time, but never got confirmation about another race, but was assured I did). But almost more important, I spent the race focusing on how I felt, destroyed, my quads were destroyed on the ocr course, I cramped several times, and my leg completely ceased solid once. So I did not have confidence in my abilities that day, But I did well, and sometimes you need to take a step back, ignore what is in your head, and just go for it. I was told I was doing good for a bunch of the course. Complimented on my bike ride, and placement on course, I thought nothing of it, I felt bad, could not run much, yada, yada, yada. Eventually somebody told me that I was in the top 10 (which at the time included elite division, I was in Power, but both were competitive, so I guess it counts. It is just hard to think I was doing well, as there were just under 40 people (as my friend says, "don't screw up a good story by giving away too many details"...... oops) But apparently It was a good day for me, and my 5hr 11min ish time was good enough to place me, I got 4th overall in Power, A complete surprise when I was told.

Until Next time
Stay active
Stephen

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Isn't mud fun!