Savage Games November Edition

So, depending on how long you have been reading my blog posts, you may know about Savage Games at Brooklyn Boulders in Somervile. In case you have not, I went there in the spring this year, reviews are here for March and April. (Feel free to read them and catch up) This has a completely different feel than they had in April, way more thought and effort were put into it! Many of the issues are no longer a problem at all. I will try to address the problems vs the solutions in this post as best I can. I was pretty hash, and was upset with the moves that had been made, but I feel as it was my honest opinion, and I will keep the trend of how I really feel, and summarize the morning as best as I can. Also, I must note, that I went back after receiving a request to come back and give them another shot, they were very nice about it, after reading  my blog, and asked me in October if I would come out for the event, I had to push it off because I had work in October, but here is how November worked out. (they gave me a free entry to try them out again, that being said, it did not effect my thoughts on the morning)

They started it like before with a warm up for a bit, it absolutely got the blood flowing, this after ensuring that all people were on a 5 person team.

 THE OBSTACLES:

cargo net, one at a time go over it

This does not even show how high the rope goes

Jump over boxes

Parkour! No ground allowed

There were no more problems with obstacles! seriously, any for problems I wrote about having before are GONE! no more louse rope traverse, no more threading needles, no more haiku station, selfie station way gone too (that was actually kinda fun, all the goofy things you could use). No more bench crawl, basically, they really knocked it out of the park with these things, and probably did a little wile ago. the team I joined had been there a few times, and enjoyed it, never once complained about something being off, or disappointed, just fun, and it really was! There was only 1 ninja warrior style obstacle, and it was a blast, harder than when I was there in April. There was no more negative attitude from a "volunteer" at the the obstacles (see before about the attitude from the ninja warrior section in April). As always before the Parkour guys are awesome! I hit my knee on a box we had to jump to, did not notice until I was told I was bleeding, I blew it off, and thought I was not anymore, and about a minute later, I was given paper towels, bandaides and a antibacterial wipe for my cut, seriously they were awesome about it. The Parkour obstacles were great again, climbing over and through a metal contraption. Rope climb is back, and I really love rope climbs, especially when they put up the high rope climb, they had a 45 ft high rope I believe they said it was, and 2 others that were maybe 10/12 ft high, I did not ask about those, but they were kinda normal hieght for like an ocr.

Parkour! ground allowed, there was a wall to jump at the end as well

Tires!!!

Several stations to climb the walls, various levels of difficulty, and, a challenge area where it was capture the flag! There was a "spear throw" you had to knock yoga blocks off of orange road cones. There was one they called the Arnold pose, think just above parallel squat, on the balls of your feet, heels off the ground, really works on those quads! then a peg board that is crazy hard. A jump section where you jumped from dense rubber mats wile holding for about 3 seconds on each (or the last) box. Tire carry, as a group you carried a giant truck tire along the path made by smaller regular car tires. (before it was a tire flip, they added, bran new tires to it, careful of the nubs when you carry, they may leave a mark) Tire pull up, think Hurc hoist, single pulley way above your head.

Ninja warrior, don't fall, I love this thing!

Tire pull & Bar hop

Stand on the slack line throw a tennis ball

race to the flag

Fancy juice and snack

seriously, try this

Also this time around they had plenty of time to go to every station, and have a cool down. They also had a chat about upcoming events, and put out a pole for when they should do the next event, which is smart, this is fun, and can only do so many people at once, I am glad they are thinking it through, just check dates as now it is no longer a set Saturday of the month. they discussed classes and specials, and how some of the people there were personal trainers and were willing to take on new clients. afterwards there were free snacks were provided, they were good. freshly made juice (fancy ones too like kale and other stuff) and pudding made with chia seeds, almond milk, and fresh fruit! they had somebody set up a massage table, and a beer vendor giving out samples of a local, Boston brewed beer, they were good, lager based company. I am happy to see local shops serving goodies, and beer, and a few other things I noticed, it got kinda crowded quick, and I had to be to work, so I did not stay long. But it was a fun environment, all changes made to vastly improve the whole experience! If you go just make sure you sign up online as it is still 35 in advance and 45 day of, still pricey for basically a 2 1/2 hour workout. But they have a competition side, you can earn a free month membership, and there are snacks and stuff, so it is not too bad. If you are interested, their web site is here.

So until next time
Stay active
Stephen

F.I.T. Chllenge Do Epic fifth challenge

So for the fifth race from this company, another race at diamond hill park in RI. So as each race passes that they put on, the harder it gets, and in such a good way. All the hype leading up to this race is that it would be the hardest 5k ocr course you will do! This is highly possible, it certainly is the hardest 5k ocr I have done to date, so yes, it is true, at least until the next one that is.

So they have the typical walls through the course, of various kinds inverted, 3ft, and up, over/under, through. ect. But the exciting wall is the bran new to OCR Floating wall! so cool, and unique. I loved it, but it has work to be done to make it more secure. It was an incredibly windy day, and one of the supports came louse and was fixed before the day was over but still needs to be noted, I do not believe anybody got hurt, but it still needs to be tweaked. They also had atlas stone throws, bars to raise over head, wreck bag carries, rope climb, double ups, peg board, see saws.

They also had a hurc hoist, but as the day went on, maybe 1030 or 11 am, the buckets broke and had to be taken down, It seems that people had been letting the buckets slam, so just one thing to work on I guess.

One of the special additions to the race, something I had been looking forward to playing on for a wile now. The Destroyer! Yes the obstacle that was at OCRWC, and really cool, and really hard! For the elite wave they were not allowed the foot blocks, but after they went through the open waves were able to get the help.



Another notable thing is the rig that they created, you had 2 options. The left side, started off with rock grips, maybe 5 ft across, then monkey bars for another 5 ft, then Tarzan ropes, then 2 more bars, and then up and over a cargo net. The right side had just monkey bars to straight bars, on a chain to the cargo net. All that just before the end!!! after this, short sprint to a angled slatted wall, then the finish line.

The rig set up

The course was tweaked for this race, so the one hill, the highest point of the park, we went up maybe 4 times, I forget, it all blended together, but the course was almost exactly a 5k, my watch got 1/10th of a mile difference, and it is not 100% accurate, and elevation gain was said to be about 1000 ft per lap.

The fun about this race, is that you are encouraged to run as many times as you want to! untimed laps are free, but if you want timed laps, it is only 10 bucks per bib, (which is better than the big name race btw). Also, if you did 3, 4, or 5 laps then you got an award for it. and they were cool! I wanted to get 5 again, (I did in April) but 4 left me feeling just as bad as the 5 did from before, really rough course.

Those double ups can be hard,  good thing you can get help

Over shoulder stone throws

Awards for 3,4,and 5 laps

Also, for this race, there was mandatory obstacle completion for elite waves! I love that stuff, except with the destroyer, and the rig, I am so happy I ran this race open! So if you failed you had to do a penalty and then try again. For example, just before the rig, there was the stone throw (over your shoulder) and if you failed the rig you had to go back and throw the stone. The destroyer, it was immediately after the wreck bag carry, and if you failed you did the wreck bag again! (it was a steep hill). I only paid so much attention to the rules for elite as I knew I would not be running the wave, but you get the idea!

Also he has a great sense of humor!

So all in all, this is a blast, and easily harder than a spartan sprint, especially in the northeast region, and if you push for multi laps, then it is harder than supers, and some beasts, trust me on that! I felt worse after 4 this fall than I did after 5 in the spring, and worse than I felt after the NJ Beast, and certainly the spartan sprint/super in mass. Also remember, can't do an obstacle  no problem, want to get help, no problem, this course is hard as hell, but also oh so much fun! So why are you not doing this race, or #Racelocal yet????

So until next time
Stay active
Stephen

Fenway Spartan Sprint 2015

Look how awesome it is in the LOCKER ROOM!!!

Dugout Slefie!!

So last weekend was the fenway spartan sprint (11/7 and 11/8) This year we got races on both saturday and sunday. Spartan came back to Fenway stadium, for one of the most fun races around. Keep in mind that the stadium races are different than the regular trail ones in that they are shorter, more expensive, but still a boat load of fun! Last year one of the annoying things was the ab wheel that you had to roll strapped to your feet, the scrapped it after the first or second open wave. This year instead of something to strap your feet into it was a little 6" x 6" square with wheels on it, but the same idea, put your feet on it and walk to the tape. They also had the typical obstacles of various walls, slam balls, weighted jump ropes (with bands around ankles), sand bags, hand release push ups in the dugout, box jumps, water jug carry, cargo net a frame on the warning track and money bars, hurc hoist, rope climb, and spear throw and the bridge they have at most races, and ending with the heavy bags again. Also plenty of access to areas you never get to see. So much fun all around, just keep an eye out for groupon and early bird pricing for it, but if you are looking to have fun, and snap a few selfies in the dugout, or locker room, it is a blast. The z wall was also slightly changed this time around. The new twist is that the mid section is now visable, and the blocks were pretty hard on some of those walls, even I, at 6"1' had a hard time reaching some of the block grips! but hey I like a challenge, bring it on. I almost forgot the bungee cord crawl up and down the concourse through the stadium.



One of the things I love that they did this time around was 20 reps for every thing, except burpee penalty, and the 5 burpee after atlas carry. It made it easier to remember when you are in a race things can be easily forgotten, and distracting, and sometimes you may not hear a volunteer or whatever.

Also the timing chips were replaced with bands, these bands were horrible, everybodies time was off, from elites to open waves. I initially had over 10 min faster, it was fixed quickly, but if you pinch the new timing bands, which is easy when you do the ab walk, then you will not have an accurate time! so be careful, and hope they fix the issue with the times!

One thing to keep in mind, when you run through the chairs, BE CAREFUL OF THE CUP HOLDERS! Every time somebody gets hit in the quad, I got it, it is always a big risk when running through the seats, especially when it is stadium as old as fenway, with not much leg room

so much fun

Wave times are usually behind to prevent backups on course, and it helps, it is a small course, (I clocked in at 2.15 miles) The waves are shortened to about 15 people every 60 seconds, and it is always great to be sent out by Dustin at the start line.

One thing t keep in mind, PARKING, on saturday it can be hard, get there early, you can feed meters on streets in the area, but at a 2 hour cap, it is not much time to plan a start and then back, you can do it but it is not worth it. Good news is that there are lots that circle the stadium that are only 10 bucks, be sure to check online beforehand, and a few sites or apps let you reserve it for just a few bucks. Which is great because some of the lots a little farther away were still about 30 bucks to park, pretty steep, but this is Boston after all! That being said,  if they come back for sunday you can park for free on the street, I parked right on landsdown street very easily, and for free, just an fyi. Also, this is fenway, It is right off the green line and the commuter rail, if you are not running elite, it could be worth it just for the ease and lack of searching for a spot later in the morning.

Buddy carries make things more fun!

Until next time
Stay active
Stephen

The Boston Marathon part 2

So after my last post, I had a few people contact me about possible charities. That was awesome, and discouraging, after looking into a few bibs, it seems pretty pricey, so I will keep on looking for another way into the race for this coming april. I filled out an app, at the town I live in

you can check here for a listing of charities, BAA lists some of the charities on their web site, for a list of others you can check here.

http://www.charityteams.org/#!faqs-boston-marathon-runner-process/c49h


Some things to keep in mind if you are thinking about applying for a charity bib. First, you will need to pay 350 for the application fee. Second, it is common for some of the teams to charge that varies from team to team. Third, there is a processing fee that is 50 bucks, some let you apply that fee for your goal. Fourth, There is a timeline of how much needs to be raised by what dates, and the charities reserve the right to charge your card to get the amount required. Fifth, money matching contributions that companies offer may not be applicable, check each charity, but it seems that they do not apply. Sixth, there is a cut off date for you to back out, but you still may be on the hook for raising money, check the fine print. After the first of the year it  seems that you are hooked for all that money, so be careful.

Also it  seems like the majority of the bibs are application process. The lottery style seems to be the minority, like through the towns and maybe other special type bibs out there.

Panic in the Dark 2015

 
So this race is more of a fun run, and it takes place in Lowell after dark, with some well paced zombies. (This is one of the last race local events of the year) The makeup on the zombies is awesome! The race was not a full 5k, but that did not seem to matter to me, It was still fun even if it fell a little short. This year the venue was moved about a week before hand, we got an email with advance warning so we knew where to park. They bus you from the building to the start, and then from the finish to the festival. They provide your head lamps so you can run in the dark, you can use your own, but you do not need to, and they are bright enough to not have any issues seeing the trail. They have safe words n case you get scared and the zombies will leave you alone, this year it was biceps (a little joke about the FIT challenge owner). I have to say that the story before the race was not as good as last year, last year it was a bit of a story before you get on the bus, then when you get off the bus you had more story, and a person was shot with a paintball/air-soft gun, and then the race was off. Just before you left the "solider" leading you away shot a zombie, so still fun, just different. The festival are had free chicken soup, or chili, free bag check, a band playing, and a bar. One of the cool things about this race is that for the biggest team perks other than the sectioned off area, was the back of the shirt was our (New England Spahtens) logo on the back, instead of the sponsors, really a nice touch! The medals are pretty cool too, the eyes show light from behind the medal, nice touch!

Until next time
Stay active
Stephen

The Baystate Marathon 2015

So last year about this time, I posted to facebook (I have a several friends who run marathons, and therefore know more than I do about the different ones) asking for advice on a first marathon. I was told by several friends, all experienced runners, that Baystate would be perfect. It was a very memorable experience, and I was very happy to have done it! It is pretty flat, especially coming from a trail running/ocr beginning. Now it did not have high hills, but they had a few inclines, my gps is not the most fancy, but it was just under 300 ft gain/loss. So this course was one down and back, one loop around a river and then back to the start. They had a 1/2 marathon option as well, but for the most part they were on separate routes. The left side of the course was the one that had small hills, and then the other side of the river was as flat as can be, great intro to the distance. Also the mileage was marked on the street, water/gatoraide stations all over the place, perfectly placed for the distances, and one of the stations gave out Guus! I saw a wile ago somewhere on facebook, a post that said running is as much a spectator sport as well. I had never given it much thought before the marathon. Now having run a marathon, I could not agree more! All the happy faces were amazing. From the awesome volunteers, (seriously, in costume and having fun, and cheering you on was great!) to the people gathered at good vantage spots, like the bridge where you turn to loop back. I saw pure awesomeness in the form of signs from spectators. One of my favorites was something like at least your not Walkin, with a picture of Christopher Walkins face. There were plenty of other great signs, and great energy around. At one point where you turned back from the farthest point in the race, you run past residential houses, there were people all dressed up, one in a bee suit (and a themed sign) and another in a lobster suit as well (again with a cool sign I think) they had water as well. I have said many times with endurance events, you really need to focus on the smiles, it really helps make everything better! They had signs all other the place with words of encouragement, my favorite though, had to be at mile 20, it was a painted brick wall on the ground and bricks flying and it said push through the wall. Now for those you you that do not now, the wall is when you body just stops running, and everything becomes hard. I chuckled and grinned, as I had not hit the wall...... yet. Then mile 21 came, and man I had to walk! I made great time going up to the half (1:58) and then slowed down each mile after, but man when 21 hit, it was bad. I walked and instantly felt my legs get 3 to 4 times heavier, and dam near impossible to run or keep decent pace. I was able to keep moving, and kept trying to run periodically, which I did not do all that well. I had the energy to randomly run but never more than 1/10 of a mile at a time. So that meant whenever I past volunteers, or spectators I ran, and then walked,I felt defeated, I had a lofty goal of 4 hrs, and a cap of 4 1/2, I got 4:48, I am happy I finished, and happy I learned a lot from this race. I learned that I can carbo load right, and that I do not need nutrition for marathons ( I will still carry some just in case, better to be prepared). I had 3 Guus in the first half, and they never sat right, and then some blocks, again, never sat right. All the training, all the racing it all paid off this year. Now to keep up the hard work and run a charity bib for Boston, and hopefully shave off time from Baystate. Now to figure out how to push that wall back about 5 miles, and work on my distance speed! Another thing about this race the tracking options from ireslutlslive were cool, they offered email or text updates, the texts were behind, but the email were accurate, the text may be off for me because my cell died and got weird reuslts from it, and did not get finish until a wile after I plugged my phone in. The splits were crazy detailed: The timing locations will be located at marathon miles 3, 10K(6.2), 8.5, 13.1, 16.3, 30K(18.6) & 23; and at half marathon miles 3.7 & 9.9.  [The odd looking splits are due to the course loops]. I was bummed that they dropped the unlimited pasta dinner post race but they still had bananas, water, thermal blankets, pbj (on white or wheat) soup (vegan or not) and chips.

Also a few other points, picking up your bib before the race is key, Lowell  shuts down around the route, so getting your bib is harder, and makes it easier, plus get there early because it will take a lot of time to park and use the bathroom, and bag check if you want it. Also Pro tip (not that I am a pro by any stretch of the imagination) take the next day off from everything you will not want to leave your bed, legs did not want to work wile I was at work.

Course map

So now to take what I have learned, improve, and apply it all to my next marathon, hopefully Boston, I know I will be hunting for a charity bib, I have looked at a few places, just waiting to hear back, fingers crossed.

So until next time
Stay active
Stephen

The Boston Marathon

So, a wile back, after doing carry the fallen I decided I HAD to do the Boston Marathon! I had played with the idea in my head for a few years, but never decided because it was only in 2015 that I started to take the long distance/endurance stuff appealing, and more importantly, doable.

Now I have tried a couple of ultras, I have dnf'd my first 2, but had a world of fun, and am determined to complete one, and then continue to do at least one a year, it is a great environment, great people, and shows you what you can do. So, seeing as how ultra marathons are very different from marathons, they require different running styles, unless you are just that good, I am not, at least not yet. I say this to emphasize the fact that my only fear going into the Boston marathon has been raising the money. I have on more than one occasion done a marathon distance in a day, but by no means at a fast pace, but the distance got done. To prepare for Boston, I am doing the regular training thing (by no means by the books training with schedules and such, but getting in runs each week, and increasing my long runs when the weather agrees. Hoping that with my training for the ultra beast in killington, and as many miles in the racelocal competition and regular training runs I will be ready for Baystate, and then gain speed over the winter for Boston. 

So now my thought goes to bibs. I do not believe that I will qualify on my first marathon, that is not my goal, qualifying times are ridiculously fast, I wish I was fast enough. So that means charity bib (unless any of my awesome readers have an entry kicking around they want to give away, doubtful, but some things you just have to say) and they can be hard to get, and cost a bunch. Luckily if you live in a town that the marathon goes through then you can request one at your town selectman's office. The BAA gives out bibs to other organizations that you can get in other ways, not fully versed in how it all works, still really new to this concept. I know of some charities that I may get try to get a bib from. One thing is that they are just starting to come out, most organizations do a lottery style to dole out bibs. 

So now, I start looking into what charity has bibs, and start applying for them. I really want in, and now to hope I luck out and get a doable number to raise. I was told of one charity that I could apply to, and the minimum they ask for is $7,500. That number is waaaaay out of my comfort zone the thought of not meeting the goal, and the money coming out of my pocket is really scary, luckily I have a few ideas, but not a lot of faith in my ability to raise that much.

So keep me in mind when I get the bib, if you have any extra money, or fund raising ideas will be more than appreciated.

Until next time
Stay active
Stephen