Let us engage in some high-class potty talk for how to deal with the almost inevitable issue that will be encountered during events that are 12+ hours long: when to poop? Whenever you tell someone you run these endurance events, after the first question of “how” or “why” some of your more brazen friends might inquire about this basic human function.
For some athletes this might mean their markers of inflammation (consider dumbing this down for mass consumption) are elevated, or their connective tissues aren’t healing. For other athletes, this might mean their happy neurotransmitters are going down while hormones such as cortisol are going up. (again – not everyone knows the negative effects of elevated cortisol – a short explanation here might be useful)
I heard a voice in my head notice that she didn’t grab onto that ball-shaped grip the same way I did, and fall completely to the ground like I did. This made me wonder why I didn’t try to cross it the same way? The terrible answer to this is because I now realize that I suffer from Irrational Grip Guilt Syndrome, or simply known to the medical community and abbreviated as (IGGS). Maybe.
Inside the largest YMCA in the country, nearly 100 participants were led by SGX-certified coaches Andi Hardy and Dustin Webb through a two-hour body weight workout. Andi and Dustin were also assisted by fellow SGX-certified coaches – Katie Powell, Patrick Harner, and Tom Burns - as well as by members of the Spartan Street Team and Brand Ambassadors during the event.
Ever run a race in the Washington or Oregon areas and hear a tremendous call and response of, “How Deep? Balls Deep?” Yeah, I have too, and I was completely floored by the movement started by OCR enthusiast Andrew Hooper, called Beasts OCR, the reigning biggest team for many of the Portland, Seattle and Boise obstacle course races over the years!
I don’t think there is an athlete who toes the start line of an Obstacle Course Race (OCR) that is not there to find their limits. After years of endurance racing, I have fallen down the slippery slope that many find of “What happens if I make it one step harder?” For me personally, the last couple of years I have done some unorthodox Ultra-OCR Challenges.
Tough Mudder started off the 2018 season in New Orleans this past weekend with some visible changes. The biggest difference between the 2017 and the 2018 season was the five mile, two loop course format instead of one ten mile loop for anyone doing the Tough Mudder Full. On paper, it didn’t seem like that big of a difference, but on the course, it became clear that it had a very different feeling.
Over the weekend, socials started to buzz with a few posts online about the famed Death Race returning in 2018. For the past couple of years, the precursor event of Spartan Race had laid dormant. While those close to the race always hypothesized the race would one day make a return. That wish is now a reality.
For years Tough Mudder prided itself on being a challenge, not a race until it was a race. However, over the years as obstacle racing has matured so have the race organizations. This year with over $500,000 in prize purses and several competitive series Tough Mudder is here to compete.
As a mother of two, a personal trainer and a competitive racer, I am fiercely passionate about encouraging the next generation of obstacle course racers. So when an opportunity came up at Phoenix Evolution (an OCR gym located in Chandler, Arizona) to coach 25 kids, ages 5-13, I could not have been more excited.
