Friday, December 21, 2018

2018 in review; 2019 in planning

2018 was the year of coaching. I joined forces with Hart Strength and Endurance and thus approached 2018 with more intentionality, planfulness, and strategy than former years. This worked. I trained hard, stayed focused, and had more improvement as an athlete this year than ever before.

Other years have been years of growth -- years where I have tried lots of new things. In contrast, 2018 was a year of refinement. I stuck to my regular races and gave much of my energy to dialing in training methods, with a focus on two goal A-races and other supporting races.

In 2018, I utilized periodization, where I worked out in different ways at different times depending on what races were on the horizon. During the winter, I did base-building and got to lift heavy. In the spring we got ready to lean down to obstacle course racing season and did some speed work and hills to increase my pace. In the weight room it was time for more reps to build muscular endurance. As the summer approached, we added in long runs to train for my longer-distance OCRs and to get ready for my fall marathon. I did grip work, mixed in with my lifting. After racing season was over, it was time for some track and speed work as we decreased mileage and increased intensity. This helped balance out all the heavy lifting (drop sets, yay!) that I got to play around with at the gym. With the year finishing up, I have a couple of weeks of serious cutback before going into 2019.

My 2018 race calendar featured recurring favorite races. My methodology allowed me to use some races as training opportunities or "fun runs," and prioritize a couple of A-races, where I would go all out and do my best.

My A-races were NorAm OCR Championships and the Wineglass Marathon. I am very happy with my results. I kept my band on the 3K at NorAm and ran a PR at the Wineglass Marathon. I identified opportunities to improve at both events. 

My non-A-races were also a good experience. I had some B-races, such as the Fort Hill Brewery Half Marathon, where I ran a PR and got to test some of my new speed going into race season. I had some amazingly memorable experiences with my NE Spahten teammates at Polar Bear, the Ragnar races, and Savage Race. 

If NorAm Champs was the highlight of my season in terms of performance, the emotional highlight will go to 24 Hours of Shale Hell, the last summer race at Shale Hill. Those 24 hours were a joy! Shale Hill is one of my top five favorite places in the world. Racing there over the summer is the most fun I can think of having. I am very sad that there won't be another summer at Shale Hill this year.

2019 is on the horizon. For this year, I have a goal of dialing in my mental game, focusing on mental training and how it can have a positive impact on my athletic performance. I am looking forward to working more with my coach at Hart Strength and Endurance to improve even more this year. My race calendar is shaping up.
I will likely add a few more thing, as I like to average between ten and twelve events a year. Of course, I will only have a couple of A-races. NorAm OCR Champs will be my big A-race again. My other A-race will be the 50K, a new distance for me. I had been looking around for a late spring / early summer marathon and really struggling to find something of interest. The timing of the Vegan Power Ultra 50K was perfect, and at just over the marathon-length distance, it will be perfect for encouraging winter base building. I have always run my 26.2 on the road, so the trail running required for the 50K promises to be a new fun challenge. I am excited to have this race on the calendar. 

In addition to my (currently) two A-races, I also have a goal of dialing in my mental training this year. Last year was the year in which I focused on getting into a good habit of doing stretching and recovery work, and I have been able to really stick to it. As a result, I was able to push myself this year and stay healthy. So now it's time to turn to the mental game. I want to begin to become a more daring racer, willing to try harder paces with confidence and approach obstacles that have challenged me before with a new perspective. My physical strength is there -- now I just need to take the leap. I have five books checked out of the library on the topic of mental training and have been doing exercises each day using the Lucid app. We'll see how it goes. 

In the meantime, I am looking forward to a couple of weeks off at the end of the year. 2018 was a good one, and I want to celebrate. Then I'll be ready to hit 2019 training hard!

Tuesday, November 20, 2018

F.I.T. XI Fall 2018

November 17, 2018, F.I.T. Challenge hosted their eleventh event at their regular venue, Diamond Hill in Cumberland, Rhode Island. F.I.T. Challenge is always a popular event with me. The (slightly over) 5K course is absolutely the right blend of challenge and do-ability and makes this race both an accomplishment and good fun.


F.I.T. Challenge also offers a lot of options for racers who really want to push themselves. In addition to the standard open waves, where racers do one lap, F.I.T. Challenge offers an elite wave with mandatory obstacle completion, a multi-lap variant where racers can do as many laps as they want in five hours, and an ultra option where racers push to complete eight laps for a coveted buckle.

I arrived in Cumberland a little bit ahead of my 9:15 a.m. wave start, paid $10 for parking, and walked over to registration. Parking is on-site and so close to the starting line that you can see it. Registration took a matter of a minute or two, and the next thing I knew, I was dropping my bag in the multi-lap area. I had decided, after many years of doing one lap, that I wanted to try my hand at multi-lapping this year. That being said, by November I was easing into my off season and intentionally hadn't been doing a ton of mileage. For this reason, multi-laps for me meant two laps. That was my goal, and I stuck to it.

At start time, I headed over to the line with fellow NE Spahten friend, Bobby, who was also running the 9:15 a.m. multi-laps. It was fun to have a buddy, and, in fact, F.I.T. Challenge is a great race for this -- I saw many NES friends at the race today and have seen many at past event. There were some brief announcements at the start line and then we were off.

One of the challenges of this fall's F.I.T. was the weather. The Northeast had received about six to eight inches of snow two days before the race, meaning that while temperatures in Cumberland on race-day were in the upper-30s and 40s, the course was a mess. The first waves of the day trundled through snow; the later waves wadded through mud, as racers traversed 1,000 feet of elevation along technical trails.


The course layout was fairly similar to what I had experienced the last time I was at Diamond Hill the previous spring. F.I.T. Challenge is obstacle dense. Race directors Robb and Aaron do an excellent job spacing obstacles well and making sure racers don't run far without something to do. The main stretches of "just running" take place at the beginning and end of the race. The first half mile or so is mostly obstacle free, in an effort to space our racers and prevent back-ups. While I've had some experience with obstacle back-ups at F.I.T. Challenge in the past, it was not a big issue for me this fall for whatever reason -- perhaps it was my earlier starting time, the racers at the event being faster on the course, or maybe the field was slightly smaller due to the weather. Whatever reason, this allowed for faster times in my case even with the messy terrain. Conditions were very slick, and I was glad to be running in my Altra Superior 3.0 trail sneakers. I saw some less experienced racers in road sneakers and was worried for their safety.


The best part of F.I.T. Challenge is the epic and creative obstacles. In addition to having all the basics -- a carry, a rope climb, a crawl, and walls -- F.I.T. mixes it up. The carry also features a set of over-under-thru walls. The rope climb is followed immediately by a peg board climb, right into a suspended cargo net racers hang from and make their way across underneath. The walls are the most interesting part of all. There are two set of hanging walls, which swing off a fixed top, meaning that you'll be leaning backward as you climb. Best of all, are the two Destroyer walls, a pair of inverted walls with an additional wall at the top. The newer 2.0 version even has a set of balance tires to finish up the obstacle (which I slipped right off in the wet weather). Finally, the already challenging Devil's Steps obstacle has an "upgrade" at F.I.T. Challenge -- the Devil's Playground obstacle (see image below). I have made it through the Devil's Steps at F.I.T. before, but I could not make the transition to the top blocks on Devil's Playground, making it my only real failed obstacle of the day.


The course also has a number of cargo net climbs, double-ups, a hoist, and hurdles. Between racers and the finish line is a rig with four lanes of difficulty, right into an inverted ladder and a slip wall. The rig is an absolute blast with monkey bars, horizontal pipes, and all matter of other grips. The hanging/swinging section of the rig terminates into a cargo net climb for an added challenge.

As planned, I made my way through two laps at F.I.T. This was my first serious elevation in months, and I felt it the next day. I had fun, I was challenged, and I closed out my season at one of my favorite race series. My laps took me 1:25 and 1:27 each, according to my watch. I took a few minutes between laps for an overall finishing time of 2:55. I definitely would have had time for one more, but I was feeling good and wanted to have fun at F.I.T. more than try for a challenge. I grabbed my medal, a two-lap pin to add to it, and a hamburger from the onsite vendor before heading out.


F.I.T. Challenge reliably delivers a fun time with a well-laid-out course and quality obstacles. Their twice-annual races in April and November start and end the season for many obstacle racers. I am always pleased to attend F.I.T., and it will remain a staple in my race calendar for years to come.

Friday, October 5, 2018

Wineglass Marathon

I had always figured that the Wineglass Marathon would be my first marathon. That is, until it wasn't. I ran my first marathon in 2016 and ended up selecting the Newport Marathon. Less than a year after that, I did the Vermont City Marathon in 2017. But Wineglass was always there in the back of my mind. The reason being that Wineglass Marathon sounded fantastic -- scenic course up in the Finger Lakes region of New York, a flat course, and cool swag. It seemed like a must-do.

With this in mind, last December, my marathon buddy, Amy, and I clicked submit on our Wineglass Marathon registrations. Sunday, September 30, we were registered to run 26.2 miles.

Fast forward to Saturday, September 29. After a five plus hour drive from Western Massachusetts, Amy, my boyfriend, Ben, and I arrived in Corning, New York, where the race was set to take place. Racers were required to pick up their bibs the day before the event. Wineglass offered both a half marathon and a full marathon option, both on Sunday with start times of 7:45 a.m. and 8:15 a.m. respectively. Since the marathon was a point-to-point, I think they didn't want to fuss about having to get people their materials the day-of.

Registration took place at the Corning Museum of Glass. Part of the appeal of the race was that we'd get to check out the museum. After all, it seemed unlikely that I'd be undertaking a five hour car ride to Upstate New York again anytime soon. Getting to the Wineglass registration area once we entered the museum was a bit of a nightmare. We had to make our way through the huge museum gift shop, then down a narrow hallway packed with Wineglass clothing and products for purchase. Everywhere we went was cramped and packed with people. The narrow back hallway of a museum not being an ideal spot to have a store. From there, we made our way into an auditorium with loud music. Things were were less crowded and seemed fairly organized. Amy and I hopped into line to quickly gather our bibs and swag.

Wineglass really killed it on the swag game. We were handed our bibs and a bag filled with a marathon program (which included information about the course and the bus schedule for getting us to the starting line), a long sleeved quarter zip tech shirt, and some fliers. We were also handed a stemless wineglass. At the end of the registration counter, a volunteer handed us each a small bottle of champagne and a bag of yogurt covered pretzels.


It was around 3:30 p.m. We headed up to purchase admission to the Museum of Glass, which was half off with our bibs. I can say easily that the museum was a highlight of the weekend, even if we were only there for 90 minutes. (The museum closed at 5:00 p.m.) The Museum of Glass featured a wide variety of exhibits that looked at everything from the history of glass to manufacturing and engineering elements to glass as art. I especially enjoyed the modern art section. 

As cool as the museum was, I was not eager to walk around too much. I needed to save my legs for Sunday's race. We headed out to crash at the Airbnb we'd rented for the next two nights. I slept fairly well and woke right before the 5:30 a.m. alarm. Even though the race didn't start until 8:15 a.m. because we were doing a point-to-point, we had to catch a bus to the start line. The last bus from the finish line, where we wanted to park so that Ben could be there to greet us at the end, was at 7:00 a.m. Furthermore, Amy had just taken a new job and moved to Boston. With all that transition, she hadn't been able to do as much training as she wanted for the marathon. As a result, Amy decided to take the bus to the half marathon starting point and hang out for a few hours and then run the last half with me. Amy gets major "good friend points" for this!

When we arrived at Corning it was a bit unclear where to park. We had thought we might park at the museum, but it was about a mile away from where the buses were going to be. Time wouldn't allow for that. We drove around a bit aimlessly, wishing that the details online were a bit clearer or that there were a few more signs. Eventually, using GPS, we came to an area near where it seemed the buses were. I rolled down my window and asked a volunteer where to park. She said there were spots in the lot right behind her, so we drove down the alley and parked. We were right across the street from the buses and (while we didn't know it at the time) less than a block from the finish line. Amy jogged over to the bus to the half way point, and I headed over to the bus to the marathon start. I gave Ben a quick hug and kiss and was on my way.

Now seems like a good point to talk about the weather. When I checked the forecast for Sunday the day before, it had been promising. Sun and temperatures ranging from the upper 40s at the race start to the low 60s at the end. When I was packing Friday night, I had thrown in a long sleeved tech shirt at the last minute. But as the bus rolled down the highway rain started to streak across the windshield. It was just above 40 degrees and raining. This was not what we had ordered.

The bus arrived at the starting line area at around 7:45 a.m., after a brief detour, which is to say that we got lost on the way to the race start. Festive, I know. In just a running tech shirt and capris it was cold. I made a quick trip to the facilities, which were amply provided, before heading up to an old bus garage where we were able to wait out of the rain. I stayed there until the last possible minute. It was rainy and cold. I was shivering and didn't want to get wet waiting and catch a chill.

I headed to the start at around 8:05 a.m. Fortunately, the wait wasn't a long one and at 8:15 a.m. exactly we were off on our 26.2 mile journey from Bath to Corning. I started off at a 10:30 / mile pace trying to get my hands and feet to warm up. It would be around the 5K mark before I could fully feel my fingers and toes.

The Wineglass Marathon course its way through four main towns / villages: Bath, Savona, Campbell, Erwin, and Corning. I had never done a point-to-point marathon before and was curious to see what the experience would be like. My overall impression of the marathon course was that it was not as scenic or enjoyable as I would have liked. Running point-to-point definitely resulted in me feeling like I was going to somewhere, but it also meant we were often running a straight shot along the course, which was a little bit less mentally engaging than I would have liked. Additionally, the course was not as scenic as I had envisioned. When I learned of a marathon up in the Finger Lakes region, I had imaged running along the lake side with vineyards stretched along the sides of the road and mountains with changing fall leaves in the background. In truth, much of the marathon was along main state roads and highway with limited areas that I'd consider scenic. Much of the course was uniform in appearance and not that visually engaging or distracting. Running along the side of the highway also meant that we were running along the heavily cambered shoulder of the road for miles on end, which was not ideal for my gait. Traffic control was good, but a few times we had to run in the exhaust of waiting cars. Finally, a point-to-point is a challenge for spectators. Likely a combination of the bad weather and the point-to-point layout, spectators were limited. Vermont City Marathon had been one endless party with spectators all along the route and lots to see and enjoy. In comparison, Wineglass was a bit dead with 26.2 miles of running in the cold and wet. Not quite the marathon celebration one might wish for.



With the gloomy weather, I was feeling a bit bummed about my run in general, though I was ticking off 10:30 miles at a pretty consistent rate and physically running well. I needed a pick-me-up though, and was really glad to reach Amy at mile 13. She'd been waiting for three plus hours in the rain, and I'm sure was ready to get moving. What a champ!


Amy kept me distracted and the miles ticked by. The most challenging were probably the miles in the late teens. I had been running for three hours, but I still had an hour and a half to go. I understand how the last miles of a marathon can feel like the worst physically, but mentally, I think those middle miles are the worst challenge. All you want to do is sit down, but the end is not in sight. At least at mile 23 you know the finish is coming!

While the first half of the race had taken us along a lot of state highways, the second half featured a few more towns and a section of countryside with horse farms. Even so, this section ran parallel to the main highway. It was as though we couldn't escape those heavily trafficked roads. The last few miles took us into a park and the surrounding neighborhood that was situated just along the train tracks. This was a nice change of scene and meant some interest since we had to make a number of turns. I was pretty spent at this point though, having run for around four hours. I was wet and tired and just wanted to be done.

We rounded a corner and the final bridge was in front of us. I honestly couldn't tell you one thing about the scenery on the bridge because I was just focused on making it to the finish line. Across the bridge, a final left and the finish line was in sight! I started scanning the crowd and almost immediately found Ben right near the finish. Seeing him cheer as I ran across the finish, the race MC announcing my finish, was a huge highlight for me and will rank highly in all of my race-related memories.


In the chute, a volunteer hung a medal around my neck and another draped a shiny blanket around my shoulders. (Fun fact: Ben's friend mentioned that Ben had best keep an eye on me once I got my blanket, stating, "You want to be able to find your personal baked potato in a vast sea of baked potatoes." Hehehe!) I grabbed a bagel and a cup of soup and sat next to Ben outside a store. I was so glad to be sitting and having some warm food. I was done!


I finished the Wineglass Marathon in 4:37 running a 10:35 pace consistently throughout with less than a ten second variation more or less per mile, excluding mile 14 where I had to stop for a minute to refill my water. This consistency is great and a testament to the strategic training I did with my coaches. I was also a PR for me. My first marathon, I was very conservative in pacing and the weather was horrible -- I ran a 5:19 (average pace of 12:12 / mile). At Vermont City, I finished in 4:54 (11:18 / mile). Wineglass was a huge improvement and situated me solidly as a middle-of-the-pack runner.


Wineglass was a good personal success, and I feel awesome about my effort. It's not a race I'll opt to do again -- the course wasn't as scenic or fun as I hoped and not great for spectating. The logistics of a point-to-point were a bit of a bother and not something I want to consider in the short term.

In the meantime, I have no big races on the horizon, just a few fun events to cap off the season. I've done my big distance and my A-races and am ready to chill out, enjoy my fitness, and focus on other things. I have no plans for a 2019 marathon at this point and will likely take next year off in terms of doing a fall marathon, since I didn't love having to go right from North American OCR Championships training into marathon training this year and don't want to do it again. That being said, the chances I do another marathon at some point are decidedly not zero -- I guess I have the marathon bug. For now, I am happy with my 2018 race season and ready to enjoy a relaxing fall and winter.

Saturday, September 8, 2018

Bonefrog Boston 2018

This year, for the first time, Massachusetts native company, Bonefrog, took their obstacle race to Carter & Stevens Farm for the September Bonefrog Boston event. My last Bonefrog was at their home venue, Berkshire East in Charlemont, MA. However, I had taken a year off from Bonefrog, a mix of circumstances based on my schedule and personal course design preferences. When I saw that Bonefrog was coming to Barre I was pleased. I like racing at Carter & Stevens. Some folks state that it's a bit of a ubiquitous venue at this point and has the minuses of being a working farm; however, I am never disappointed when I can tackle a course that involved more running than mountain climbing. Carter & Stevens fits the bill -- it's flat and fast.

Bonefrog offers many different ways of tackling their course. There is the Sprint (3 miles), the Challenge (6 miles), Tier 1 (the 6 mile course followed by the 3 mile course), and the Endurance option (the 6 mile course followed by as many laps of the 3 mile course as you can do before the time cut-off). The Challenge is more or less the "default" option and was what I signed up for. It would allow me to do the full course without pushing too hard, a good idea considering that I'm running a marathon at the end of the month.

I arrived in Barre in advance of my 9:00 a.m. wave start. Parking was offsite with folks getting bused in. I opted to park in non-official parking, walking distance to the venue. I know it's hypocritical, but I don't want to encourage what I did because races rely on parking funds. But the bus trip from the parking lot in Barre to the venue has always made me really motion sick, so I did what I did. Parking was $10 (both for the official parking and the non-official parking I selected). Reviews I heard of the official parking were mixed but overall fine. It seemed buses were running reliably. This is a long-established venue, and, as far as I can tell, parking is usually handled sufficiently. 

When I arrived at the festival area things were a bit chaotic. I made it through registration in a snap, but the lines for bag check and the bathrooms were significant. There were only a few hundred people running Bonefrog (225 for the Challenge with me). With such a limited field, one would hope lines wouldn't be an issue, but they were. I was pleased to see that during my wait in the bag check line, Bonefrog staff began to come down the queue to give people bag tags so we could pre-organize and just have to pay at the front. This speed things up a bit. From there, I moved to the bathroom line, where I waited another 10 minutes. Eight restrooms for 225 racers didn't seem like quite enough. The entire festival area was somewhat minimal with limited vendors -- basically just Stone Cow, which is Carter & Stevens owned, providing beer and not much else. The feel was super different than Savage Race, the last event I attended in Barre. Savage felt lively and hopping; Bonefrog seemed a little dead. I will give Bonefrog huge props though for not having annoyingly loud music. Thank you!

My 9:00 a.m. wave was the first general open wave of the day, after the elite waves and Tier 1 and Endurance waves. I went right from the restroom line to the starting line. I was super pleased by a few things: (1) no loud music, (2) no MC!!!, and (3) we started on time. There was zero fanfare, but that's the way I like it. I hung out with fellow NE Spahten (and best Ragnar Captain ever!), Jess, and we were on our way before we knew it.

The Challenge course measured in at just under six miles with 31 obstacles. The course made up for some of less-than-ideal logistics pre-race. The obstacle placement was good -- things were fairly evenly placed and there didn't seem to be too much unnecessary running for running sake to pad the miles. It's rare I can say that. Bonefrog made good use of Carter & Stevens. Regulars know what to expect there, but Bonefrog did a nice job of taking us on some routes less traveled, I think. (Though I should note I haven't done a Spartan in Barre, so perhaps others found the paths more familiar.) Bonefrog has had some issues with course markings in the past -- I got pretty lost during the fall 2016 event in Charlemont. The Barre course marking were not perfect either, and a group of us got slightly off course at one point. We zigged where we should have zagged but, fortunately, ended up in the same place -- the error was slight and made no difference. As I mentioned before, the course was flat, and, with the exception of a few really muddy spots, I was able to run the entire way. There was some single track that got a little congested, but this was mitigated by the small number of participants. I love a flat and fast course, and appreciate that I can experience this in Barre. I also appreciated that we didn't have to go through water on the course. I am more into obstacle racing than doing a mud run and with temperatures in the low 60s, I did not want to submerge myself into water.


Bonefrog has some solid obstacles. They are interesting, fun, and challenging. The mix is good, though a bit heavy on the rigs, so if those aren't your jam, take note. I enjoy rigs, so I tend to be a happy camper at Bonefrog. Fortunately, the open waves are penalty free, so you have the option of giving everything a solid attempt and moving on if it isn't working out. Interestingly, some of the obstacles on course Saturday were beginning to show their age a bit, which was worrisome at first, until I noticed the care put into doing reinforcements -- everything felt sturdy, so I was not concerned about safety.

The main minus of the course was back-ups. With such a small field, this shouldn't have been an issue, but it was. The first obstacle, Rolling Thunder, had a back-up right away, and I pretty much had to wait a least a minute at a third to half of the obstacles. (Some waits were much more than that, some less.) That's a bummer and had always been an issue for Bonefrog, perhaps because of the challenging nature of some of their obstacles.


Here's a bit more detail about the obstacles at the Barre event.
  • Rolling Thunder: This obstacles features tires on a horizontal pole. It's deceptively challenging and caused a back-up right away. I'm a bit "over" this obstacle which I consider hard and not that fun -- unless you love flinging your body at things.
  • Guillotine: This obstacle was neat! A balance log led up to a wall, which you went over before heading down another log.
  • Dead Weight: Classic hoist.
  • 1st Phase Wall: 6' wall.
  • Normandy: A crawl with jacks and wire (sans barbs). 
  • Rope Swing: For this obstacle, you jumped from a platform, only a foot or so off the ground, to a rope in front of you and swung across. Kind of fun. 
  • 2nd Phase Wall: 8' wall.
  • Siege Wall: Slip wall.
  • Get a Grip: This obstacle is a perennial challenge for me. Hanging from the rig were ropes with plastic handles attached. You had to swing from one to the other to get across. That would have been fine -- I am good at rings -- however, the ropes were looped through the handles meaning that they were not fixed and rotated. I took one swing and the handle rotated right under me sending me down to the ground. 
  • Kraken: Cargo net climb to a cargo net up high that you rolled across and a cargo net down.
  • Swingers Club: Another rig, this time with ropes with small balls at the end. I was able to grab above the balls, which gave me the ability to swing across. This was one I wasn't sure if I'd be able to do, but I was able to make it across no problem, which felt great.
  • Cliff Hanger: An inverted runged ladder.
  • Viking Tables: Also known as Irish or Russian Tables, this obstacle is a horizontal rectangular prism that you have to hoist yourself up and over. 
  • Red Wings / Extortion 17 / Medal of Honor: These were three PT obstacles that had racers recalling fallen servicemen. We did dips, burpees, and pull-ups while reciting officers' names.
  • Night Crawler: Low crawl.
  • Walk the Plank: This was a wobbly balance beam, right on the ground. Stakes were low, but I wanted to make it, so I focused and gave it my best balancing effort.
  • Rope Climb: Standard rope climb.
  • Reverse Slant Wall: Classic inverted wall.
  • Ship Boarding: Skinny ladders. I climbed this from the side and found that I had no problem.
  • The Chopper: What a fun rig variation. There was a ring, which led to spinning horizontal 4-barred "chopper" -- this sequence repeated twice before racers reached the end. I should mention that Bonefrog has done work to address concerns about height accessibility and had boxes at Chopper and other rigs to help shorter racers be able to get up to the handholds.
  • Brute Force Carry / Dry Hole: A carry with a twist. We grabbed canvas bags filled with around 40 lbs of sand which we had to carry along a short loop with three thru walls of increasing height. Kept things interesting!
  • Mike / Murph: You do this obstacle twice -- forward and then backward. The obstacle has a ladder wall with a rope down the back. The first time through, you do the wall first; the second time, you do the rope first.
  • 3rd Phase Wall: 10' wall.
  • Strong Hold: Another interesting rig! I was actually so short that even with the boxes provided, I couldn't reach this rig, so instead I climbed the trussing holding up the obstacle. Strong Hold featured a section of u-shaped monkey bars, which transitioned to two sets of straps, followed up another set of u-shaped monkey bars to a final grip and bell. The reach to the first strap was a bit challenging, and I ended up too low down on the straps to be able to make it to the final u-shaped bars. I think this obstacle could be done successfully with a bit of work, and I'd like to try my hand at it again some time. 
  • Dirty Name: Otherwise known as "Gut Check," this obstacle has a lower log from which you jump and then pull yourself over a higher log. I am not a fan of this obstacle, as I've seen people hurt themselves on it. I climbed up the side supports -- hey, I want to live to race another day.
  • Cargo Net: A huge A-frame cargo net.
  • Black Ops: For reasons I cannot fathom, and despite completing it successfully many times, Black Ops, the perennial Bonefrog finish line obstacle, makes me nervous. This obstacle has you climb up a rope wall and then traverse a set of monkey bars before landing on a platform and climbing down a ladder. Here's the thing. The monkey bars are really high up and below them is just this net. Did I mention the bar rotate. Oh, yeah, they do. I had to climb up the side truss to reach the bars, but I did it and slow and stead -- double-handing each bar -- I made it to the end. 
I finished the Bonefrog Challenge in 1:39, good enough for third place in my age group, making this race a North American OCR Championships qualifier for me, which is pretty exciting. My overall impression of the event was that it was solid -- overall a middle of the pack experience. It was not overly outstanding, but it was decently good. Some of the logistics could use tightening up. I enjoyed the course while wishing some adjustments could be made for fewer back-ups. Bonefrog is a "sometimes race" for me. If it works well with my calendar that's great; if not that's okay too. Bonefrog, I am sure we will meet again at some point. I look forward to it.

Monday, August 13, 2018

North American OCR Championships 2018: Team Relay & Charity Open

The last day of the North American OCR Championships featured two events, the Team Relay and the Charity Open 7K to benefit the Stratton Foundation. My team from OCR World Championships, Tiny^2 + 1, had once again joined forces for the team race at NorAm. Niki and Steve were good teammates from the Spahtens and excellent friends to do the team run with because we all were on the same page -- camaraderie over competitiveness. After two days of racing, we weren't "in it to win it" for the team relay. We wanted to each do our best and have a good time. 


Sunday morning, I woke up to an extremely sore body. I didn't want to move, much less run another obstacle course race. Additionally, the wet weather from the previous day had continued overnight. The rain was unabated. In a way this was a blessing; I had no notions that I would be competitive on my section of the team relay in the wet. I could focus, instead, on having fun. I find three day of sustained heavy competition to be too much for me, both physically and mentally. I like to race on Sunday at NorAm or OCRWC, but it has to be more a "fun time." 

The team race at the championship races, like NorAm and OCRWC, is designed for teams of three, where individuals can specialize in the areas of speed/endurance, strength, and technical. The speed/endurance section is the longest, and focuses on running and climbing the mountain. The racer tackling the strength portion of the relay will be doing the heavy carries and the hoists. The technical person is the obstacle specialist and does the rigs. For our team, Niki would handle speed, Steve would manage strength, and I would do technical. 


After feedback last year about the strength section, it had gotten beefed up for NorAm. There were even some technical elements -- La Gaffe and Skitch -- , an interesting choice, and a band cutter, considering the rain. Speed was left the most obstacle "lite" though a last minute change made runners have to tackle Dragon's Back on the speed course, instead of Rolling Thunder. This was a challenging adjustment for sure and made me supremely happy I was not doing the speed section. The technical portion of the course, covered a little over 3K and incorporated many of the obstacles from the 3K course from Friday.

Tiny^2 + 1 was part of the mixed open wave that started at 10:15 a.m. There was light rain as we headed off to the starting line to see Niki off on course. I knew that Niki would be out for around an hour, since she had some significant elevation to cover, and Steve would be out for around 40 minutes. That meant I had plenty of time to hang out before my turn came. While Niki ran, I spent time relaxing in the athlete lounge, basically an empty (but quiet!) room. I wanted to keep warm. It was raining and in the low 60s, which was fine if you were moving, but rough if you were hanging out in just a hoodie for a few hours.

After about 50 minutes, I headed out to the transition area to wait for Niki with Steve. At around 11:40 a.m., Niki arrived, having spent quite a while trying to keep her band at Dragon's Back, with the weather causing the challenge and, ultimately, making it not a possibility that day.

Steve was off, so Niki and I went in so I could check my bag. Steve's portion of the race featured an endless Wreckbag climb and the farmers carry, which was all pretty easy to see from the main area, so we were able to track his progress. The rain made La Gaffe impossible -- I saw almost no one make it during my wait there -- so Steve moved on. I knew he just had Skitch and then it was my turn. I headed out at 12:25 p.m.

I was cold and stiff. My arms and quads were killing me but I made myself move at a light jog. It helped. The first obstacle was Skull Valley. Going into the technical section of the team relay I knew I would not keep my band. It was a function of the weather but also because Stairway to Heaven was on course. I had lost my band there during the 15K before it rained. I had no hope today. That might have been discouraging, but, in fact, for the Sunday race it was liberating. I could have fun and try my best. My arms could barely move, so I would do what I could do -- no problem.

With this strategy, I climbed up to Skull Valley. I grasped the skulls and moved along. What had been easy enough on Friday with fresh arms felt like torture, as if my arms were being pulled out of my body. During the monkey bars I decided to give up my band here. I wanted to do it on my terms and not lose two to Stairway to Heaven.

Even though I had given up my band, I wanted to put in a solid race. I did the full rope climb, and made it over the Confidence Wall, where you had to climb a 12' wall with a rope. Both of these obstacles were slippery in the rain and no joke as a result.

The course then took racers uphill to Stairway. I had thought the climb would be lengthier, like the section of the 15K that brought us to Stairway, but it was a short hike, necessitating only a brief bit of walking. I was determined to run and move along at a decent speed. I cut my losses at Stairway before moving on to the metal ladders. I like to do skinny ladder climbs like this sideways because it uses way less arm strength. It worked like a charm here.

I ran down the hill to trapeze. Just like Saturday, it was soaking wet. I made it about 3/4 of the way through before slipping off. I did a quick ladder wall before running over to the rig with the rings and low monkey bars from the 3K course. I noticed that some adjustments had been made. There were two hanging rings for you to step in under the monkey bars and a t-bar replaced the third ring on the first set of the rig. This meant, there was a section with two rings, a small ball (which you could skip) and a t-grip. Then there was a section with rings hanging below the low monkey bars, and finally there was the section with four ropes, unaltered from earlier races. I was excited to try something new at this point in the weekend -- it was a nice mix-up for the mind, plus, I was approaching this from a "have fun" standpoint. I made a couple of attempts and kept slipping off the t-shaped bar, but I wanted to keep at it. If I got past that point, I thought I could do it. I persisted and managed to make it to the low monkey bars. I "walked" through, getting to the first rope, which I s-hooked around my foot and stood up. I transitioned to the next rope, where there was a knot. My arms were tired, so I took the opportunity to sit on the knot for a little and regroup before finishing the rig. Excellent!


There were just a few obstacles left. I ran down to the floating walls and quickly made my way through. Urban Sky proved too much for me at this point in the weekend, and I could only make the first section. I ran on. My teammates were waiting right beyond the car obstacle. We met up and raced over to the final slip wall, The Knot. The wall was so slick at this point, I couldn't even make it to the rope (which had, of course, been raised so that it was harder to reach). Steve ended up helping me and Niki make it to the top before heading up himself solo -- nicely done, sir! We crossed the line at just around 1:10 p.m.
 

There was little time to celebrate before the charity run. Technically, the charity 7K started at 1:00 p.m., which was the time that Steve and I had registered for; however, we were promised that we could go off after that -- they would release waves every 20 minutes. We grabbed our chips and bibs and headed back to the starting line. There was no one there, and the rain was coming down. It was 1:20 p.m., so we headed out on course.


Much like at OCRWC, the charity run was a do-as-you-like fun run for us. We had covered over a half marathon's worth of miles over the past few days, and another 7K, with a trip up the mountain wasn't happening. Most of the charity runners I saw felt the same. This was an opportunity to play as we liked on obstacles and meander around the course. 

Steve and I headed out, running into a band of other NE Spahtens mid-way. We walked with them for a while, tackling the inverted wall and watching people play on the Force 5 Rig before heading out on our own again. We goofed around on La Gaffe, which was way too wet to do anything serious on and then walked over to the rig that had been modified for the team relay. There, we ran into Josh and Molly. After playing around on the rig for a few minutes, we jogged to the finish line, having run just over a mile and spending around 35 minutes on course. 

I love that the charity open exists for those individuals who are at NorAm with family and don't want to tackle the full 15K or didn't qualify. For those of us who are on day three of racing, it's a fun way to donate some money to charity and have one last good time with friends. Rain and a desire for lunch kept my frolicking short, and that was just right. A nice cap to the weekend.


NorAm was a blast. I loved the course, which was world-class. I appreciated that it was a smaller event than OCRWC. NorAm felt more intimate and was much less stressful to navigate. Completing the 3K with my band was the culmination of almost a year of training. The progress I showed with my physical and mental strength on the 15K was encouraging and makes me want to work for next year. Running with friends during the team relay and the charity open event were a wonderful finish to a weekend spent with some pretty cool folks doing something I love. 

NorAm at Stratton was the highlight of a great race season. I am super super super hoping that NorAm is at Stratton again. I thought it was a good venue (minus the pricey food -- but parking was great, the mountain excellent, and lodging adequate). The course layout couldn't have been better; even though we all hate a "death march," the one on the 15K was at least reasonable. I was so pleased about the adjustments made so that the course was height accessible, that I ran over to race director, Adrian, when I saw him at the venue to personally thank him. In sum, NorAm delivered. 

What's next? The countdown to hear about the 2019 location for NorAm, figuring out where to make my qualification attempt (F.I.T. in November?), and then training for the big event. I hope to see you at the 2019 NorAm Champs!

Saturday, August 11, 2018

North American OCR Championships 2018: 15K

15K. 39 obstacles. Hard core. The 2018 North American OCR Championships delivered on the difficulty with the 15K race, which had over twice the number of obstacles from Friday's 3K course and what felt like infinitely more feet of elevation.

The women 30 - 34 wave set out early in the day at 9:15 a.m., an amazing privilege, not the least because rain was predicted for the afternoon. The start-of-race experience was much the same as on Friday. Loud music...check. MC...check. The good news was that they didn't keep us in the corral long before sending us on our way at exactly 9:15 a.m. Unlike with the 3K, we didn't do a phased wave start but were able to all go out on the course at the same time. We were on our way!

The course took racers up in a short incline in much the same way as the 3K. We faced the 4' and 6' walls before continuing up the mountain, in a way decidedly not like the 3K course. The hike up Stratton Mountain was intense, and it was lengthy. We climbed continuously until mile 2.25. The climb was, simply put, a beat-down and exhausting. It was relentless. The saving grace was that the weather was clear and cool and conditions were good. We were able to keep moving at a fairly decent climbing pace. The views were spectacular.

At the top of the mountain, we finally encountered some obstacles. I don't quite recall everything between obstacles three and five on the map. I know that Log Runner had racers walk up a short inclined balance beam. The ramp wall would have been an inclined slip wall with ropes, I imagine, but I don't remember that obstacle being at that position. Q Steps was similar to the American Ninja Warrior style quintuple steps, though you were able to put your hands on one set of steps and your feet on the other to move your way though.

I actually think that obstacle six on the map, Pipe Dreams, preceded the previous set of obstacles. Pipe Dreams challenged racers to do a short rope climb to a horizontal pipe, which the racers then had to shimmy along with hands, before a rope down to the ground. (Shale Hill regulars will know that this obstacle is an easier version of the zig-zag obstacle.)

We stayed on top of the mountain for the first rig. I saw a number of folks have issues with this rig and definitely some bands were lost here. I did just fine. The rig featured rings to a horizontal rectangular pipe. There were also some monkey bars and a rope to the final bell.

I grabbed some water from the water stations as I headed down the mountain. The water stations were very intelligently organized for the 15K with many of them being able to be visited twice -- both going and coming on the course. As a result, I was totally fine with bringing no hydration, even though I was out on the course for four and a half hours. Moderate temperatures and well-positioned water stations made this possible.

We encountered a barbed wire crawl on the way down the mountain. The map lists obstacle nine as Rolling Thunder, though I recall that obstacle actually being positioned after the through wall. Regardless, Rolling Thunder is an obstacle from Bone Frog that has tires wrapped around a horizontal board, which racers have to roll themselves over. The tires are about face-level for me, so this is a bit tricky, but I managed to wedge myself between the small space between two tires and get over.

What I recall before Rolling Thunder is obstacles ten through thirteen. The quarter pipe was steep enough that I had to run at it twice. A volunteer encouraged me that I really needed to commit to racing up the incline and leaping to grab the top. To get down, racers had to roll across a cargo net and then climb another net on the other side.


The next obstacle was Dragon's Back. At OCR World Championships, I hadn't been able to get up this obstacle because it was so wet. At NorAm, conditions were dry, and they had added a rope. I climbed up. "I'm not afraid of heights," I thought, "This will be no problem." And I promptly freaked out.


How to describe Dragon's Back? The obstacle is almost entirely mental and requires racers to leap off a platform, onto a board, angled away, and grab a pole. If you really want to understand, I recommend an article I found called, "Dragon's Back Open Letter" (Content note: swearing, discussions of mental health issues). I do not kid you when I say I was up there unable to move. I have never really been afraid of anything during my time as an OCR athlete, and I had no idea what to do. I was extremely lucky that my OCR friend, Niki, came along while I was stalled. She encouraged me, told me I could do it, demonstrated by doing it herself. I really really really didn't want to lose my band here. This obstacle was mental, and I didn't want to lose my band on something mental. Something physical, something where my strength gave out? Fine. This? Not fine.

I had many false starts. I almost jumped and didn't. Until finally, I did. And I made it. And there was one more jump to go. It was farther. How could I make it? I was going to miss and end up splattered on that wall and it was going to be terrible and I definitely shouldn't and okay I could do this, I would do this because I wanted my band and I couldn't lose it this way and and and...I jumped, and I made it. And I burst into hysterical tears while Niki hugged me. To anyone who has stood on the top of Dragon's Back and not made the leap, I understand.

I pulled myself into some semblance of decent shape and moved over to the low rig, a super low structure with hanging loops that requires racers to move through without touching the ground. You have to keep yourself suspended with feet in loops and arms supporting you as you move forward. But I was back in familiar territory with this obstacle, pleasantly so, and I made my way through without too much difficulty.

I jumped a quick through wall on the way back down the mountain. In terms of mileage, we were around half way through. The next section was going to be terrible though -- a hoist, a farmers carry, and a Wreckbag carry with a crawl. (Note: The hurdles listed on the NorAm 15K map were definitely not on the course.) The hoist was pretty standard, with racers having to use a pulley to lift a 50 pound Wreckbag. The rope was skinny, which was annoying, but I used the technique that Rob Butler, owner of Shale Hill, taught me at one of their summer training camps, and was able to get it up. For the farmers carry, we actually only had to take one cloth bucket of sand, so I alternated between hugging it in front and balancing it on my shoulder. I survived, but I was felt myself tiring. The 50 pound Wreckbag carry was twice the distance of the 3K and one of the most horrible parts of the NorAm experience. I struggled. I weigh 120 pounds, so the Wreckbag was 42% of my body weight, a significant increase in mass. My shoulders and spine protested as I trudged super slowly up the mountain. I almost didn't make it to the crawl, but I did. The bag came off my shoulders as I turned to go downhill and under the crawl. Unfortunately, after dragging the bag through the crawl, a new problem presented itself; how would I get the bag back up? I writhed around on the ground, while racers walked by sympathetically offering encouragement. Somehow, I managed to get the bag shouldered and my body moving again. I walked down with a guy who distracted me with pleasant talk. Carries over. Thank goodness. Never again.


I was beat, but there were some technical obstacles up next, and I had to maintain my focus. I ran downhill and vaulted over the inverted wall before heading into the tent to the Force 5 Rig. I had done well on this during the 3K and hoped to do well again. Fortunately, I did. The underhand grip on the rectangular blocks worked well once more, and I made my way through with focus and intentionality.


Next up was La Gaffe and the low crawl up to Skitch, just like on the 3K. I had some time for trial and error on Skitch on Friday and was able to fly through during the 15K without any issue.


I was feeling optimistic at this point in the race. Most of the challenging upcoming obstacles were ones that I have managed the previous day. Up next were a couple other obstacles from the 3K, Skull Valley followed by the rope climb. The 15K course then diverged from the 3K course to take us up to a tall wall with a rope. The top of the wall was significantly thick for added difficulty.

I jogged along lightly uphill until I came along to Stairway to Heaven, an a-frame with steps that you have to ascend with your hands. I had been pleased to do well on this obstacle at OCRWC and hadn't given it much thought since then since I had been doing similar / enhanced training. When I approached the obstacle I felt a bit of concern. The steps that had been easy for me to reach at OCRWC, so I was displeased to see that they started quite a bit higher and that the angle of the steps seemed adjusted with more space at top and between steps. The volunteer was telling racers that we could use our legs to get started. I braced myself against the two boards with my legs and shimmied up until I got my hands around the first step. I did a series of pull-ups to move up the stairs with my hands until I got to the top step. I went to transition and couldn't make it. The reach! Back down to the ground. I couldn't believe it. I had my band. I had done a bunch of really hard obstacles. I had done this obstacle before without any issue! Many times in fact.

I stayed at Stairway to Heaven and tried again and again and again. Over time, my body began to shake with fatigue. I took a break for water and tried again. Then it started to rain. At this point, I made the decision to move on. It was a difficult choice, but, I think, it was the right one. I felt sad as the volunteer cut the band off my wrist. I had done a lot of hold onto this band. I was at around the 12K mark and had obstacles that I had completed before ahead of me. However, with the rain, I knew things were going to get hard. I was exhausted, and I needed to finish. A fellow racer gave me a pat on the back and said, "Good job." I super appreciated that lady's support!

I trekked uphill. I was spent, but I kept a positive mental attitude and moved forward, though I couldn't believe we had to walk up the mountain again. I just wanted to keep moving. After what seemed like ages and ages of climbing, I came to two obstacles. The first was Z-man, a set of horizontal board making a z-shape, shifted 90 degrees. I climbed over no problem and ran over to the next obstacle, top shelf. This obstacle had racers climb to a board using a rope and then climb over a board right above it. Both of these obstacles were fine, even in my tired state.

I ran along until I reached a wall with a rope. I had done something like this at Shale Hill many times, so I confidently made it over the wall. Following that, the course map had stated we'd come to a cargo net, but I didn't see it on course. I continued onward running as best I could on super exhausted legs. I just wanted to finish. I came to the caving ladders, which I quickly ascended.

I knew that from there we had about a mile and a half to go. I had to do this. We met back up with the 3K course, so I knew what to expect. I headed over to Trapeze. At this point the rain was really coming down and the rigs were all soaked. I had made it through Trapeze with zero problem during the 3K but with the rain, I kept rolling off the monkey bar section. I made it about 2/3 of the way through, tried around three times and decided to move on to the rope climb, which proved just fine. Next up was the second rig. The first set of rings went well, but the low rectangular bars were super slick, and I couldn't make it to the ropes, despite multiple attempts. I wanted to save something for the team relay the next day, so I moved on to the floating walls, which I was able to make my way through, slowly but steadily.

I came up to Urban Sky where I made, again, multiple attempts before deciding I was too exhausted and the rig was too wet for my efforts to have gains. I had only missed four obstacles on the entire 15K course, and I had given it significant effort. I was satisfied. I ran up to Car Jacked, rolled over the cars, and up to the final obstacle, The Knot. I ran as best I could at the slip wall, which was wet. I slid down, re-tried, and made it to the rope. I pulled myself up and over and ran across the finish line. I was so relieved to do done!


I finished the 15K course in 4:31 with only four obstacle failures -- one of which I had done last year and three of which I had done the day before in better weather. I had put forth a significant effort and showed improvement. When I had failed an obstacle, I was able to keep a good attitude and motivation and move on. I also recognize that there are definitely some areas for improvement next year. When I posted my results to the tool that I use with my coaches I finished out my post-workout comments by writing, "Brainstorming 15K NorAm 2019 goals... How do you feel about pull-up negatives? ;-)" 2019 NorAm Champs? I can't wait.

Friday, August 10, 2018

North American OCR Championships 2018: 3K

The story of my 3K race at the North American OCR Championships begins with the past. In October 2017, I traveled to Canada to participate in the OCR World Championships. I had trained hard. I thought I was ready. But I wasn't. The course was harder than I anticipated and the difference between my expectations for my success and reality were mentally challenging. I had been convinced I would keep at least one of my bands -- the symbol for having 100% obstacle completion. I was so focused on this goal that, in some ways, I let my enjoyment of the experience slip me by.

I came back from Canada convinced not to let that happen again. My thoughts were two-fold. I wanted to train smarter (since I was training hard enough). I also wanted to adjust my expectations. To this end, in December, I recruited professional help by enlisting Hart Strength & Endurance Coaching. I got a training log and started recording all my workout meticulously. I also did mental work around goal setting and making sure that the goals I created were not too singular. There had to be many definitions around success and incremental levels to track growth.

My target race was the North American OCR Championships. I had qualified for both this race and the World Championships in August at F.I.T. Challenge but with OCRWC traveling to London, I was going to focus on a more local effort. I wanted to do well at the NorAm Champs and put in a performance where I felt I had given 100% effort. I wanted to race and feel good about my results.

The 2018 NorAm Championships are taking place as I write this in Stratton, Vermont. Stratton is only a 105 minute drive from my home, meaning I was able to drive up Friday morning before my 9:45 a.m. wave for the 30 - 39 women. I arrived at Stratton in plenty of time, which was a good thing since it was a bit challenging to figure out where I needed to be. I ended up driving around and asking for directions. The NorAm Champs main area was located right near the heart of the Stratton ski lodge. I found parking and walked around until I found check-in.

Unlike at OCR Championships, the check-in was entirely stress-free. Not only was I able to walk right up to the registration area, but friendly faces were behind the counter in the form of fellow NE Spahtens, Niki and Sandy. I had registered for the Friday 3K, the Saturday 15K, and the Sunday team relay and charity races. I got four bibs and three bands for the 3K, 15K, and team relay.


After getting my packets, I went over and got my t-shirts. I was excited to find that we got different ones for each race. I have three identical shirts from OCRWC, plus one different one for the OCRWC charity run. From NorAm, I'll have four unique shirts with different colors, all marked with their distance. Because registration had been so smooth, I had plenty of time before my wave. I chose to take the time to organize the items I had gotten at registration, try to relax, and check my bag. I am not usually nervous before I race, but this was a race where I wanted to do well, and the result was some stress. I wanted to channel that feeling to keep focused and energized on the course.

A little before 9:45 a.m., I headed over to the starting area. One thing I have never liked is how loud music at the starting gate is at races. It's painful (and bad for people's hearing). I was happy to see that Coach Pain had been replaced with a new starting line person. I am not one for getting amped up with an MC at the starting line, but I was happy to not have to be offended by Coach Pain, who struck me as a bit of a misogynist at OCRWC. 

The 3K was designed so that sets of around a dozen people went out at a time, meaning that the entire wave would start over the period of ten minutes or so. I was fortunate enough to be in the first set of 12 at the starting gate. I was ready to get moving and pleased when announcements were over and we were sent out on the course.


The 3K (1.8 mile) course started with a modest climb. (Note: I logged the course at more like 2.5 miles, but maybe I just did a lot of back and forth?) I was not particularly fast out of the gate, but I persistently jogged uphill passing a few folks. I was in this to complete obstacles, not to worry about my time. I will never be the fastest athlete, but I wanted to have quality obstacle completion. The weather was perfect. It was cloudy with a little bit of a breeze and temperatures right around 70 degrees. It felt like the first nice day in weeks, and I was pleased to be outdoors doing something I enjoy. Soon, I hit the first set of obstacles, a 4' wall, and then a 6' wall a little farther down the course. From there, it was a bit of a downhill jog to the Wreckbag carry. I am not a fan of carries, which I always find super challenging and, which tend to slow me down. It took me a while to shoulder the 50 lb Wreckbag, but, once I did, I wanted to move as efficiently as I could so as to get it off my back. The Wreckbag carry was long enough while still being manageable.

I was a bit tired from the carry, but two obstacles were immediately up next. First, there was an inverted wall. Because it was downhill, I was able to get a good running start and jump to grab the top without too much issue. From there, racers proceeded into a tent where we would face our first technical obstacle of the day, the Force 5 Rig. On my way over to the starting line, I had watched a few of the men come in and tackle this obstacle, and was a bit concerned at how challenging it appeared. It would definitely make or break a lot of people's attempts to keep their band. The Force 5 Rig featured a t-shaped grip that transitioned to a flat rectangular wide grip. From there, racers transitions to a wildly swinging wheel before moving back to a t-shaped grip and then a flat wide grip.


When I approached the Force 5 Rig, I tried to focus and calm myself. I'd been doing a lot of grip strength intensive exercises, and this is where that work could pay off. I climbed the platform so that I could reach up and grab the t-grip. It was a stretch but possible, which was a relief since looking at the rig before I was unsure if the reach would be too far for me. I was happy to see that it was not. In fact, NorAm did a fantastic job making it possible for shorter athletes like me to reach everything. (Note: I am 5 feet tall.) I give race director, Adrian Bijanada, and the OCR Champs team huge props for this. Thank you. I greatly struggled getting onto obstacles that I could have completed at OCRWC. At NorAm Champs, I was given the chance to test myself on these obstacle because the height was not a hindrance.

I took a decent swing, and I was on the rig. I opted for an underhand hold on the rectangular grip, an approach which had seemed to have the highest level of success. It worked. I swung immediately to the wheel, not wanting to lose momentum. From there, I grabbed the next t-shaped hold. I was a bit shaky, so I took a moment to steady myself and kip to get a good grab of the final, most challenging, rectangular grip. I held on with all my worth and smacked the bell. I had done it. I had completed an obstacle I legitimately did not think was possible for me. I felt weak with relief and so drained that I was nauseous for a spell. I walked and tried to regroup. This was still just the beginning of the race.

Up next was La Gaffe, an interesting obstacle with poles that racers had to hang on and move with the weight of their body. I had found this obstacle to be different and interesting at OCRWC and was glad it was at NorAm Champs. I got through without difficulty, knowing from experience, that the obstacle is a lot easier if you keep your center of gravity low on the pole.

I ran over to the low crawl that went up the hill. No fake barbed wire here -- this as the real stuff but not too low. I was quite curious about the next obstacle, Skitch. It had been the focus of much social media attention. I had carefully watched a video in which the NorAm crew talked about technique. Skitch featured two horizontal rods. Racers had to take hooks with straight handles and work them down one pole, while hanging from below, then transition to the second pole and move along it to a bell. In the video on the NorAm site, this obstacle seemed "do-able" but when I came to the obstacle, there was a mass of people in the re-try lane. The transition from the lower to the upper bar was quite challenging, and I had to give Skitch multiple attempts. I kept having my hook on the lower bar supporting the transition slip off. It was fairly hard getting both hooks off the high-up poles at my height, and I was worried about them crashing into my face. I tried Skitch about a half dozen times before I successfully made the transition -- practice made perfect, I guess. Rumors are that there were some injuries at Skitch, such as pinched fingers and people getting hit by falling hooks, so I might guess that this obstacle gets adjusted for tomorrow.

Next up was Skull Valley. This obstacle had bested me at OCRWC based on issues of height accessibility. As a result, I was beyond pleased to see that for NorAm Champs Skull Valley featured a low ring that I could step into so as to access the main Skull Valley obstacle. Turns out, Skull Valley, if you can get on it, is super fun and not too bad. I had a fun time swinging from skull-shaped hand-grips to some short monkey bars to another set of skull grips. Good times.

I was starting to feel as though I might have a chance to keep my band. All I needed was some focus, luck, and persistence. I still had some tough obstacles to go. I had a job to do. Up next was Trapeze, a fun rig featuring a trapeze, uneven monkey bars, and another trapeze. Just the kind of rig that I enjoy. I breezed through.

The stress of wanting to do well at this race had me breathing heavy, so I took a few minutes to walk and recollect myself as I headed to the rope climb. This was your standard rope climb, so I did the s-hook and worked my way up. From there, I headed over to Rig 1, which featured rings and a rope to low monkey bars to another set of four ropes, two of which had knots at the bottom. I took a brief rest on one of those knotted ropes to breath before swinging my way to the final bell.

From there I quickly came to the Floating Walls. This had been my highlight obstacle from OCRWC -- super fun! I made my way through.


As I came down the cargo net on the back on the Floating Walls, I saw Urban Sky. This was the last complicated rig of the day, and it was a doozy. Urban Sky had three sections, with breaks in between. The first section was a wheel to a ring to an angled wheel to a rope. I swag my way across and stopped to shake out my arms before doing the cork-screw section. The last section was the most challenging with a trapeze to two horizontal levers that angled with the weight of your body. I kipped to make a long reach to the last trapeze and hit the bell. I had done it. Urban Sky had bested me at OCRWC but this time it was no problem. I was so pleased. I knew I was going to keep my band, the culmination of almost a year of goal setting and training. I don't consider myself an emotional person, but I felt a bit choked up.


I raced over to Car Jacked, where I rolled my way over two wrecked cars. The last obstacle was in sight, The Knot, a slip wall with a rope. I dashed up and across the finish line. I couldn't believe it as the announcer shouted out about how I was a racer who had kept my band and finished 100% of the obstacles. Other than Skitch, I'd gotten them all on the first try.


Athletics loves to celebrate stories of people who have hard work pay off. It's great when that happens. That's what happened at the 3K race at NorAm Champs for me this year. But shouldn't we also celebrate the process? I learned a lot from the hard work that didn't pay off at OCRWC last year. Some days you win and some days you lose. The wins are great. The loses are not, and the kind of learning it provides isn't fun, but it can pay off. It helped me become very intentional this year with my training, something that I've found to be a joy throughout the process because the effort I put in feels like growth.


Tomorrow, I'll race the 15K course at NorAm Champs. Maybe it will be my day. Maybe it won't. But I'm excited, focused, and ready to give it my all.