#DoEpicFit Challenge Recap

So this past Saturday I ran the course in Cumberland Rhode Island, at diamond hill park. Great Park, awesome trails, I honestly wish I lived closer to this park, it is pretty cool. This was FIT Challenge's 4th challenge, I ran all but the first, and can honestly say I do not ever want to miss one of these events. They really do take the feed back and try to get better, and he has made improvements from race to race. This is the second time this race has been at this venue, and it was better and harder than the October race. The day was awesome, and as in typical fashion, I did not really notice the vendors much, hell I missed saying hello to a bunch of my friends that day, but I set a goal for myself, FIT Challenge posted that they were giving put placards fro finishing 5 laps, and I told the RD in October that my goal was 5. I only did 2, I did not prepare for the laps like I should have, I did not figure out payment beforehand, and the rain prevented me from doing too many laps. So by the time I had payment figured out, I had cooled down it had been an hour and before I knew it, my body said no, too cold to warm up. So this time around I was determined to get those laps! It was longer and harder than before, and I got my 5 and my placard!

This course proved something, It proved that OCR united can work, I saw OCR world championships there, they gave out their shirts, FIT Challenge is a qualifying event. I saw ABF Mud Run, they put up a rig in the short course area. The rig was: a rope climb, to monkey bars, to traverse rings, to rope ladder, monkey bars, to traverse pipe. Right after that there was over under walls, and double up bars. followed up by the crossfit section, which was great! it started out with burpee broad jumps, then to an atlas carry, and overhead press push with a 35lb bar. 50 reps for elite, 30 for open, and let me tell you I was ecstatic that the number dropped after elite, it was a long hard day. those were all in the last mile! the course was set up so that the spectators got to see everything, the only thing that they could not see was trail runs, It was a nice set up. There was a backup at the rig because it was 2 at a time, amidst the other obstacles in the short course area, that was a hard section, so it is understandable, just hope that it could be expanded in the future. Also the wreck bag carry up the hill, they ran out of 25lb bags during mid day, also after the mile trail run at the start there was a back up, it was a giant wall. All minor grips, and did not effect my pleasure with the day.

Registration was great, it was next to start/finish, which made it easy to get to and the two women i talked with between each lap were wonderful! It was painless getting new bibs and matching them to the waiver was easy, the had me fill them out before I started my first lap, smart!I did have an issue with matching my bibs to my times, my names was spelled a few different ways

This is how I felt mid way through the last lap

So as to how I felt running that day, well it was great! the elite wave I pushed, and did decent 55ish min (out in data if i can find it), then with 3 laps just over an hour, and my last around 1:30 to complete. I felt strong going into elite, and good going into the other laps (except the last) The first lap i ran on my own, for the next 2 I ran with my buddy, Then the fourth i ran mostly on my own. I saw a few friends going for the 5 laps as well, through the day. The last lap was hard, another friend I saw I had bring a drink and 2 snacks, to the reg table, i gabbed them just in time to make the cut for the last lap to start! That is when I started to question weather i could finish the last lap, I had on several starts cramps in my legs (quads, and hamstrings). But on the last lap, the cramps were as big as a baseball! luckily they faded away after the first 1/4 mile. And to make matters better, the same guys that were going on for the 5th lap saw me struggling, waited for me and gave me some mustard. It all helped, and was great! so my last lap was pretty slow for me, but with great company, and I achieved my goal!

Now for: Rest, Rehab, Training, and Prep for the New Jersey BEAST!

So until next time
Dont give up, and keep training
Stephen

Savage Games April.......

Seflie station

Planking station was fun

So, This competition is the same as last month (insert link here) with a little less, for a bunch more. They marketing it to the ocr crowd, which is fine we get to play on obstacles for 2 hours, which was a full 2 hours of competition this time. which was an improvement. Within the last  week they posted that the  new time for the event was changed to 730am instead of the previous 8am start, so we got a walk through for about 30 min, then we did some warm up stuff (burpees, squat jumps, mountain climbers, etc) but the problem is that they took away some of the obstacle, no more traverse rope, no more cargo net climb, and changed almost everything again, so almost nothing has been the same for each event. which is not a bad thing, but in this case it kind of is. and it is because it is what they replaced them with. they kept the selfie station, which is kind of unique, not bad, just odd mid workout, but it fits with the environment. I found it weird that they had a station that was for haiku, and a squat jump station, a somersault station, and a few other things like that. it works to get you moving and a good workout, but if you are trying to make it an ocr style event, do not take a way obstacles and put in a haiku please. Or even worse, a needle threading station, yes you read that correct, a needle threading station, you had to thread 4 tiny needles to earn a point. Not exactly the obstacles i had in mind when the price went up! Also this month was 10 dollars more than last, which was a 5 dollar increase over the first one, it feels like a bad trend for a new thing like this. Plus the day of reg price is 45 to make matters even worse. I was informed of the email that was sent out that addressed the price increase, and it just does not add up in my book.

Thank you VERY much for emailing me about your concerns over the Savage Games price. I definitely understand your concern and happy to explain why the price has been slowly increasing.
Since the games started, it has grown a TON. We went from about 20 people to now 100 each month. One of the main reasons we have needed to increase price is for the staff. Now that we have been bringing in 100 people (possibly more going forward) we have needed to bring in more staff to keep the event running smoothly and make sure we have a good participant/instructor ratio. Another reason for the price increase is because we have been needing to repair and/or replace some of the equipment we use for the games.

As the games continue to grow we also have plans to make them even bigger and better. Starting next month we are looking to host a Savage Games After Party with food, drinks, local vendors, etc!
If it helps, we don't foresee the games getting too bigger so needing more staff wont be needed. We also got together and agreed that $35 for the games seemed very fair considering everything that goes into making it successful.
I hope the increase in price does not discourage you from attending the games. I also want to bring to your attention that we are now offering 2 rates, pre-registration for $35 and day of registration for $45. If you and your teammates still plan on going (and I hope you do!), I want to make sure you guys save some money by register before the day of the Games.
Again, thank you VERY much for the email and please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns!
NOTE: SAME DAY REGISTRATION $45 $35 beforehand.

They said it will not go up any more, but with three increases in as many months, i do not have faith. But lets say for arguments sake it does, they say it is cheaper than a race. But here is the thing, they are not the only gym to do things like this. Unleashed does competitions as well, they did it the same day for  25 (30 day of) and you get a shirt, they have less obstacles, and it is in Rhode Island, but it also benefited leukemia and lymphoma society check the link here. So my point with unleashed is this, there are other gym type competitions, that do not cost nearly that much, that can be just as fun, and just as competitive. FIT challenge does gym workouts as well, and they know how to run a work out, i have been to several, and they never disappoint (side note, i love the race, and am looking forward to the next one this Saturday) and they never charge that much! Also they said that they needed to pay for more staff. Well that again is bogus, last month the stations were mostly run by volunteers, this month, a few more were run by staff, but, every other obstacle was empty, and every otherish obstacle was manned. several were still not (note selfie station does not need to be staffed, nor did the haiku. But the stairs with bear crawls, and the squat jump, were not manned, and i think i forgot one of them). The frayed cargo net rope, and drooping traverse rope were taken down. Also one of the "obstacles" they used was crawling through their bench with minimal room, yet another disappointment when the email said the money was going to improvements, it just makes me wonder how that these additions were called improvements.

And did i miss something about the ego needed to be a ninja warrior? because the two people that manned those stations had such a demeanor of self importance, and spent their time discussing the private fb page for ninja warrior competitors, and not paying much attention to the event like all the other people running the obstacles. when they did tell us that something did not count, it was told with a negative demeanor, and an attitude that sapped some of the fun (good thing I was with friends and we were able to laugh anyway). At least the parkour people were really nice, as usual!

Kevin can hold a handstand for over 2 min fyi

They still had the 30ish obstacles, so at least they did not cut them down. They no longer had a photographer this month. They spoke about free bananas, and that they had coffee and food and vendors and such. The problem with that is when i got there, no bananas were left, and I know several others did not get any, I did not see people with more than one, not that it did not happen, but still. The coffee looked like a new partnership, they had a full blown coffee stand inside the gym. and some people selling pastries, one place that sampled treats but i could not tell because it was so much to cram into one small room. And here is another beef with that, it is customary to pay to be a vendor at an event, so why use that as an excuse to raise your price? So bottom line, it is a fun event, and if you have a membership and it is free, go to it, but do not miss a race for it! The main problem is that they are pricing it to basically compete with an ocr, and it is cheaper but a whole different animal, and unfair to compare the two. I must say that i still had a blast, it is still good with friends. But to recap, the things they needed to replace, they dropped, took extra money, and offered us the opportunity to spend more on coffee, and pastries, so kind of a let down.

Until Next Time, Keep training (it is race season after all, and FIT Challenge is right around the corner)
Stephen

P.S. 

I forgot to thank my friends that i went with, they truly knew how to embarass me for my birthday, which was the dah before! They made the team name happy birthday stephen, screamed it a bunch through the workout, and told the woman leading the event so at the end i got a big happy birthday song, nice touch all around!

Ramped up week

So I had a long and crazy week and want to share, so that one day I can look back and remember, be inspired, and maybe to inspire you who are reading my little blog. This week has been one that i started to shake off the cob webs that grew in winter. And to remember that even if you do not get to do the intensity, or frequency that you want to for some time, all is not lost, just hop back on that routine, and start over. Try and compete with the person you were yesterday, which is way easier said than done. Now there is also something to be said when competing with friends, and pushing each other to do better, just remember, do not beat yourself up over others being better, trust me their will always be somebody better. 

So after carry the fallen last week (insert link here) I worked the next day, an 8 hour shift on my feet. Luckily I was not bad (or so u thought) monday I returned to my normal group training night. Tuesday a rest/rehab day. Wednesday was the day of our awesome, that i want to repeat all the time. I woke up on hardly any sleep, and ran at 530 and 630 group runs at harvard stadium with November project. That was another eye opener, my body reminded me that i had not run those stairs in a few months. It felt way harder than it used to, and felt way slower than i have and could do. The best part was how heavy my entire lower body got on lap 2, 3/4 of the way into it, my quads, glutes and it band got so heavy, filled with all the lactic acid, so i fast walked the last bit, and ran on the last up of the stairs. Promptly feeling drained at the top, and also happy of what I achieved, and of course grinning from ear to ear. 

I got a pr that day 26 min even, which considering i have only been two times before is not that hard, and also easier because of the snow we only ran 3/4 of the stairs up and down. The bottom 1/4 was covered in snow still, and a bunch of black ice in some points.

If you have never heard of them november project is an awesome group of runners that meet every monday, Wednesday, and friday. Monday is a workout that changes each week and the location is given out a few days before. Wednesday is stairs at harvard stadium. And Friday is hill repeats in brookline.

Then work for a few hours, weights and 2 miles at the gym on a bike. Finished up with a great run at the boston marathon sports team rwb run, I dis about 5.5 miles. Hey I am doing ragnar in under 2 months. And I need to get that hurc hoist at spartan races this year, they are supposed to be heavier. I only have a few weeks before the nj beast after all! 

I finished it up with a spartan workout tour at reebok hq, man do i envey everybody that gets to work there. That campus is absolutely amazing. All the gear they get to test, and the gyms, outside they have spartan obstacles (when not covered in snow look awesome) basketball courts, weight room, crossfit, showers, running tracks, and so much more (including a great cafeteria) man I think I started in the wrong company! So on saturday, Andi Hardy really knows her stuff! That was an intense workout! If was my third workout tour i think they started them last year. They are promos for the races, you get a shirt, great 2 hour workout, cool bracelets, and discount codes for races. And they also help people realize that anybody can do an ocr, ANYBODY!!!  

She ran us through warm ups, explaining her 5 basic exercises that will get you prepped for a race: squats, push ups, pull ups, lunges, and burpees (of course).   We did animal movements : bear, crab, alligator, and ape. A whole bunch of running in place to keep up heart rate, and jacks. Planks when "breaking" and finishing up with hit (kinda of like amrap rounds). 4 min rounds with partners, each doing a workout for 4 sets. We would do something like one person does push ups the other does jumping jacks. Another was lunges and mountain climbers. I forget the other set, and naturally finished up with 4 min of burpees. I was happy because i got 74 in 4 min!! Last year when i started getting serious in training for ocrs, and joined the new england spahtens, i did 68 in 5 min, and that was at the start of the workout. It was also wen spartan started the 30 days workout, and we were doing burpees, so i was doing good at them. But now, so happy i did that, and trust me when i say my quads were shaking from early on when we were doing squats, i did good, but burned out and could barley hold my planks, or lunges. The doms i get will be interesting, especially when you consider i have another hard workout on monday. 

The mantra i have been adopting in the spring is this: the weather is getting better and so will I. 

I hope if you have read this all the way through, that it helps inspire you that you too can shake off the cob webs from winter, and get rid of this winter blues. Get outside, get active, ignore this snow we have had the last few days, it wont stick anyway! The weather is good enough to be active outside and absorb some sun!

Until next time

Keep training

Stephen

Vegan Stuffed Pepper

So a wile back in this blog I said I would be putting up recopies up here..... well oops I forgot, until now. So to save time as a single guy that works, and works out, and then is pretty lazy the rest of the week, I prefer to make one giant meal for the week. It is also good practice for the future (parties, holidays, pre-race get together meals, or when kids enter the picture) . This week, as you can tell by the title) is vegan stuffed peppers. Now a vast majority of my cooking consists of what do I have in my house that would go good together (even though I work in a grocery store) I swear you can come up with some of the best combinations this way. But as far as planning I try to keep meals typical, protein, grain (or starch like potatoes) and vegetables. A recipe that I fall back on is stuffed peppers, depending on budget (or if I want to cut back on meat for the week) I use ground meat of any kind really, I generally use beef or turkey, or quinoa! quinoa is often over looked, but it is a complete protein, one of the few non meat ones. And quinoa also has plenty of nutrients packed into it, as is typical of seeds, yes they are seeds, look it up. Whichever protein you choose, I usually use the tops of the pepper, onion (or shallot if you are making a smaller batch), mushrooms, peas, spinach (any leafy green), and jalapenos (it has been a long cold winter, I like spicy food, and it helps keep the body warm). Cook all that on the stove top (I love cast iron) season it however you like (I prefer garlic grinders, small bits of dried garlic that get ground very fine. freshly ground explodes with the flavor, and the smaller the pieces the more flavor you get, thanks mom!).

 I then use pasta sauce as a base, I say base because I always add freshly ground pepper, garlic (can not get enough) thyme/oregano, chili powder, and what ever else you like, no sauce from a jar has enough flavor. after it is cooked, the peppers (that you sliced the top off of) get stuffed with the delicious mixture, then baked for about an hour at 400f. depending as to how you want the pepper to come out, I like softer over crunchier. My vegetable this week is asparagus, i have a grill pan, and just use coconut oil, pepper and garlic until it looks good (I almost always cook by look, barley time). One of my favorite ways to cook potatoes (usually on the grill, kind of like healthy french fries) is mini potatoes (about the size of a golf ball) quartered with pepper, garlic, and rosemary (I seldom use salt in my cooking, weird considering I am a runner) I know this is not in precise detail, sorry if you need that, then i failed on this post. This is more of a guild line showing that healthy meal prep for about 5 days can be done in an hour and a half. Another good thing, this meal will freeze very well, I have done it several times, just make sure when you microwave that you slice the pepper in half so you do not get that cold center from the microwave. So keep in mind next time you go shopping, it is pretty cheap, (especially if you skip the meat) and very healthy. just make sure to get peppers that can stand on their own, it makes baking them much easier.

Hope this helps to inspire a healthier meal plan
Until next time
Stephen

Carry the fallen Recap

Before I get into what I did this weekend, please allow me to just sat THANK YOU! to every body that has helped me raise money for this charity, it means a lot, I honestly did not think I could raise as much as I did. My posted goal was 250, I figured it would push me to try, I got 310. If you donated through my link you probably already saw this, but for those that did not, this is the personal touch I put on my donation page:

Hello,
A little bit about me in relation to the armed forces. My grandfather and uncle both served this country. I have a rather large number of friends that serve in or have served in various armed forces. A number which grows each year, and this is the least that I could do for them. I can not even imagine some of the things my friends and loved ones have gone through. My grandfather fought in WW2 (he got a purple heart) and my uncle was in Vietnam, his platoon was the first in to Cambodia and the last one out.

This was an amazing experience, the day started off incredibly early, the check in was scheduled for 515am and I only got four hours of sleep, which amazingly was way more than most of the people i talked to that day. We started off a little behind schedule, but it was fun chatting with my friends that I do not often get to see. Before we set off on our march, there was a singing of the national anthem, and short bit about the reason we were all gathered there. We were gathered to raise awareness of an incredibly high suicide rate of veterans, 22 a day. PTSD is serious and many can not get the help they need. We set off at the start line of the Boston marathon around 7am. As we marched we had a police escort for a little bit (and a bunch of the route) and as forecasted it was snowing for a wile while we were marching, but it did not really accumulate, so that was a plus, and most of the day was at or below freezing, the high was about 40, and that was great!There was about 114 at the start, and I think most of us made it to the finish line. There were several designated stops along the way, we all went as a giant group, and got a bunch of those awkward stars, and questions, but that was the point! There was a great support group for us, with a rented rv, one pick up truck, and one small car. The support group all had a wonderful attitude, and had so much food, and a bunch of drinks. they even wrote lovely notes on the bananas.

Our route had us stop off at a donut shop to rest and get coffee, a stop in a natick vfw for snacks (about mile 10). Then the next stop was lunch at a grocery store, and break at a firehouse on a corner of the route in newton. and a few stops for the bathroom as well. point being we did walk a marathon, but this was an event that anybody in decent shape can do! there were a lot of blisters and other issues due to people carrying a whole bunch of weight in their backpacks .

 But that was the point (mine was between 40-50, and i am sure many of the people were carrying more than I was). so with plenty of breaks and such it was doable, that being said rucking a marathon is no cake walk, it was hard, and i was happy to drop my ruck when it was time to do so, but that is what the rv was for if it got to heavy. At the vfw there were personal stories told, and names read to honor those lost to suicide, they were very moving, and served as a reminder as to why we were all their that day.

 One of the most touching things to me was once we finally hit Boston. shortly after entering the city, we had a police escort again, this time it was 3 police cars, and they drove ahead and blocked every street for us, we only had to stop at one intersection for a walk light. But the real kicker was just before taking a left onto boylston st, they shut down the street, and we marched down the street. Once we turned onto bolyston st you could see nothing but blue lights, every street had a cop car blocking off entrance to bolyston st. the fire house had about a dozen firefighters out front cheering us on, the hotels and restaurants had people out front as well, giving out high 5's, hand shakes, applauding, and cheering us on. Heck even in front of the bars, were packed with people cheering us on. as we started down boylston st we started chanting.

ONE TEAM! ..... ONE FIGHT!

and

WE! ..... CARRY THE FALLEN!

Video of the last 1/4 mile down boylston st

Hearing the police and everybody cheering us on, friends and loved ones at the finish line, signs, and everything, yeah, it was an emotional event to say the least. Even writing these words I am tearing up a bit, it was a powerful moment in time. At the end, the leaders that made sure we were safe, and stayed out of the way of traffic, (and that they stayed out of our way), and guided us, kept us smiling, made sure we had all that we needed. They handed out the patches.

Also, as a surprise, marathon sports, which is right next to the finish line, offered up a box of cliff blocks, and guu type stuff for us. They also opened up there store so we could use their restroom, and had foam rollers and recovery sticks (hand held rollers) they truly were wonderful! Every aspect of this event was truly memorable. I look forward to the opportunity to do this one again (and maybe even run the Boston marathon for real, hopefully i can raise the funds and get a bib)

So until next time I will leave you with this thought.
Imagine a world where kindness is bountiful, people are humble, but also know that they are important. And I hope this post finds you and lets you know that there are many ways to help people, but all you really have to do is try. So try your best everyday to make a difference, one step at a time.
Stephen

C5k and a ruck!

This past weekend was a great one! My favorite 5k road series came back with craicfest. Cambridge 5k really does have an epic finisher party! All the beet you could want from 3 vendors and a cider option as well. The people are so nice, you will see so many awesome costumes. One guy was dressed as a pot of gold, and several people wore Celtics jerseys, and finally the coolest one i heard was a guy that dressed as Larry bird, and dribbled a basket ball the whole race! I went as superman again. They had to change the route due to snow, and made the after party indoors, and what a great idea, as the forecast was for cold temps and snow, the snow did not start until after the after party, but was there for the ruck! I was admittedly concerned about the snow, because Cambridge has been piling up the snow as much as Boston, it is pretty bad out there, but the new route was great, no issues. The swag you get from c5k is great, the beer, the food (California pizza kitchen) and they always have cool shirts! Make sure to sign up early, they usually have perks and a cheaper price, i got a hat as well because I registered early, (next year i think i will get the season pass, hindsight is always 20/20 right?) the next race they are doing if you are one of the first 250 you get a cooler shirt. Parking was in the mall and it was free, they gave out 5 free all day parking passes in the swag bag, as well as a coupon book for a bunch of the stores in the mall. If you are a new runner I would highly recommend this race, they have people that are really fast, I think the winning time was in the 17 min time frame, but there are plenty of people over 30, and over 45, and everybody is there to have fun, dance, and dress up. I went into the race hoping to get another pr, my last 2 c5k races I pr'd so I figured it was good luck. I did not, that being said, for my first 5k of the season I am not complaining, just shy of my pr, (I ran a 22:50, pr is about 22:40) so I still have my hope of hitting a 20 (or sub 20) 5k this year! I also learned some things about where you are in the starting corral and what it can do to your head! (I will probably elaborate in another blog post later on)

Next up goruck, they are a company that makes military grade bags and things, great gear, with great customer service! They also do events that are full of pt, carrying heavy stuff, a whole lot of team building exercises, a bunch of marching around a city (they are a national company)  they also have historical stories they share, related trivia, and personal recounts of stories. The people that run the event are called cadre, and they are pretty friendly people, granted they are recanting war stories sometimes and pushing you to do the task at hand. They have several levels of events with varying time frames and distances rucked. They did an H/C/L (heavy/carry/light) the light, more info here. The event was st Patrick's day themed (hence the green on the loges that they had to carry for a very long time, nut as a team and shifting people through). The weather was brutal, and not many came out to do the whole H/C/L and if you did way to go, that is really hard stuff! I have only done a light and am not sure about the upper levels and my training or comfort level. I decided to shadow this event (exactly what it sounds like) i knew a few people that were doing it, and a few of the other shadows. This was a tough one, because fairly early on into the light it went from rain to hail to snow! I was not dressed properly to stand in snow, but that was my fault I have the correct gear. I watched until just before the end and was very happy for everybody that did it, I could see some people hurting, and pushing through, which is always a good thing. goruck is great for getting you out of your comfort zone, and a good bonding experience, watching my friends do it made me nostalgic. I wonder which one I will do next, probably kill that 5k

So until next time 

Keep training

Stephen

Savage Games

So almost all of the people that find their way to this blog have run at least one ocr, and have heard of spartan race. Last year spartan race had three free workouts, the second and third ones were held at Brooklyn Boulders in Somerville . This is a pretty cool rock climbing gym. they are pretty close, not far off of the pike, and there is a free parking lot around the corner from there (20 dane st) it is about a three minute walk, but get there early so you do not miss a spot, the lot is not that big. pretty recently they have started a new monthly event, taking place the first Saturday of every month. I just did the March one and it was a blast! You register online up to the day before, and it is 25 dollars, at the facility it is 30 dollars, then do the typical wavers and check in. The event goes from 8am to 10am, and they run down what obstacles they have, how to do them, and explaining the point system. they have volunteer counting points, and give out a prize for first place. You compete in teams of four, as best as can be accommodated, and you choose your teams when you get there. Us Spahtens had 10 people so we were the only two groups that had 5 people, so they scaled our points down 20% to make things even with everybody else. There were close to 30 stations (obstacles) and they had different influences, some were parkour, some were ninja warrior, and some were ocr.

some of the obstacles were:

• Ninja warrior walls (4 hanging walls with grips near the top and you have to transfer to all 4)
• Cargo Net Climb
• Short walls (run down and back going over 3 foot walls)
• Getting your team up on a small platform without touching the ground
• Parkour monkey bars (it had a pipe traverse and monkey bars and such, no touching the ground)
• Parkour wall set up (going over various heights of walls)
• Balance beam type metal contraption
• Tire Hoist
• Tire Flips
• Handstand (free standing got 1 point, against a wall for 30 seconds equaled a point)
• Yoga block pass (lying on your back, gripping with your feet pass end to end each round to the start is a point, and this was for all 4 people)
• Rope Climb (knotted and no knots)
• Rings (spaced far apart, and kind of high off the ground maybe 6/8 total)
• Buddy Carry
• 2 person Heavy Carry (100 lb dumbbell)
• Hop up stairs, bear crawl down
• Selfie Station (with funky wigs and costume pieces)
• Up a rock climbing wall
• Spear throw
• Broad jump
• ninja warrior short leaping walls (usually seen at the beginning of the first level, but smaller)
• Traverse Rope
• Salmon Ladder

 (Photo Credit: Kay Norm)

I am Sure I am missing some of obstacles, but you get the idea, loads of fun! they are still early on in creating this kind of an event, and they are making changes from previous ones from what i heard. But it was so much fun, and for me it is much closer than it would be to go to an ocr, and much cheaper, and you can meet new like minded people there. I forgot to mention that each station you only get 3 rounds to get as many points as you can. They encouraged you to help out your teammates as needed, and explained what you could do and what was against the rules. Overall it was a very fun, and well pit together event, full of a unique mixture of fun and challenging physical activities, one that i have not seen elsewhere. If you ever find that you do not have a race to go to on the first Saturday of the month, as long as this is going on you should give it a shot, i know ill be going back next month. My team came in third, and we had such a blast, laughing the whole time, and still challenging ourselves. That is also a part of the appeal of this event, The woman that was explaining to us all what we were doing was wearing a funky plastic tube wig on her head that lit up. So think Goofy, Challenging, Parkour, Ninja Warrior, OCR, and an A.M.R.A.P. style workout/challenge and you have a fairly accurate summery of Savage Games. And it is worth it to check it out.

Until next time
Keep Training
Stephen

Blog Update:

So i just saw a slew of photos uploaded to the Brooklyn Boulders Facebook page. From what i remember they only had one photographer and she did an absolutely amazing job. So many photos, all free, and awesome! Here are some of the ones of me that I found.

Yeah, I am really pumped about doing this one again, So happy i found out about this place!

Update April was not as good as i had hoped, read about it here