Spartan Race Mexico – The Race and Beyond

Posted on May 20, 2013 by Dirt in Your Skirt
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It’s hard to believe that the entire trip to Mexico was under three days long. The friendships created over the last couple days not only flourished but those existing grew stronger. It is true that most race trips I go on the actual race is the minor detail in the entire trip and this trip to Mexico was no exception. After the longest pre-race “rest” day in the history of Spartan Race it was finally race day.

 

IMG_3413We assembled in the lobby at a quarter to six AM and waited for our driver Artoro, the same guy who got us lost most of the day on Friday to escort us into the van. One of the guys said they heard that Artoro had come down with vertigo, seriously I thought it was too funny to be true and figured it was a joke after the antics of the day before. But no soon Miguel came upstairs looking stressed saying yes Artoro (now known as Vertigo) had indeed come down with a bad case of vertigo. He would be unable to drive us. Soon Artoro aka Vertigo appeared in the lobby looking wobbly and green in the face, speaking with Miguel (the only one of us who speaks fluent Spanish). Soon Vertigo would be walked to the bathroom with the aid of Hunter and another and proceed to violently vomit in the bathroom. It was time to figure out Plan B.

 

As the minutes ticked away as a second plan was hatched, most of the guys started to stress a little about making it to the race on-time factoring in traffic, a long rustic stretch of road, and the getting lost factor. However, Chris Rutz of Tough Training took a more laid back approach as he fell back asleep on a couch. We waited, phone calls were made and around 6:30AM a new plan was made, Chad from Hotseat Media would be our driver. If he could drive in China he could drive in Mexico! We boarded the van and soon found that Chad’s right foot had been replaced with a lead weight as we sped down the road faster than we had in the last couple of days.

 

Driving in MexicoAs we sped down the roads of Mexico and had to make a U-Turn off the highway to get on our exit. Yes the U-Turn was the only way off this road. We were making record time but as it happens when you have a van load of over hydrated athletes we had to pull over to pee along the way, something we did throughout the entire weekend. I think we peed at more strange places over the weekend and roadsides than I have in the last year. As we all peed near the road turn-off to get to the race site, we say a large bus turn down the dirt almost two lane road and all groined. But we had Chad driving and he was sure to get us around the bus. As we passed vehicles around blind turns and cruised down the dirt road, every was laughing and excited to race. We reached a part of the road which was cobble stone and instead of slowing down Chad sped up and said ”It’s like one of those Japanese magnetic bullet trains” as we glided over the stones. We reached the site in under an hour and a half and thanks to Chad had plenty of time to warm up before the race.

 

IMG_3416The men set off first, with much anticipation on how the American’s would fare. Hunter the reining champion, had many challenger both American and Mexican after his title. The Mexican athletes were out in force with several pro-triathletes racing as well as a two time New York City Marathon and former Olympian running in the men’s heat. A stacked field of professional athletes. We watched them take off and Andi Hardy and I finished our warm-ups and headed to the start. A few times we were stopped for pictures as we entered the shoot. I knew a few of the women would be good before the race began and heard the MC talk about a woman and the whole crowd cheered, one of the many times I wished I spoke Spanish over the weekend! I figured she was someone of interest but it didn’t matter I was there to race too.

603384_626457287382499_747510058_nThey counted down and we were off and running. It is important to note that I live at 4,300 feet and very often train at 6,000 – 8,500 feet. However the start of the race was just about 9,000 feet and would only go up from there. I cautiously was optimistic that at least I no longer live on the east at around sea level. As I took off nearly instantly I noticed the lack of oxygen while at the same time noticing A LOT of women passing me. It was a long race and I knew I would catch them later. We ascended and descended down some technical trails, through shoe sucking mud up to your waist, and over up and around traditional Spartan Race obstacles. As I ran I felt the burn in my lungs and kept pressing forward. It is safe to say this was the hardest race, not in terrain but in lack of oxygen. My legs burned and I willed them to move faster, using the downhills as recovery and bracing myself as each uphill climb prevailed. I had a faint sense the entire race that at any moment I might vomit, but kept moving forward, the faster I moved the faster the race would be complete. The obstacles I breezed through and was excited as each one came. As the race progressed I picked off more and more women but had no idea where I was in the overall standings. The last half mile was out in the open and made another pass, but didn’t see any other women in front of me, as I reached the last few obstacles I would pass yet another woman, my face was white as a ghost as I crossed the finish line. Dave Huckle handed me my medal and told me he thought I was at least top 15 maybe top 10.

 

945737_10100157592230777_252985728_nI would later find out I was 9th but bumped to 8th after a DQ of the 3rd place woman for skipping burpees and possibly skipping a whole obstacle. I applauded Spartan Race Mexico for taking a firm stance on the rules. At the awards I would find out that the winning female for whom I was about 15 minutes behind the same women I mentioned was recognized at the start as she represented Mexico in the Beijing Olympics for Triathlon. Some serious professional athletes as I said before showed up in Mexico!

 

As we waited around for the afternoon, the festival area was great although the footsteps of over 5,000-6,000 who were there for the day created a lot of dust as the wind kicked up. We all had a solid layer on us as we walked around. We were all tired from racing and ready to head out, we headed back to the van to find it unlocked but yet the keys were not there. Causing a new twist to the day best described in the video below, taken by Brad Fredricks:

During this time, it started to downpour rain. We huddled under the registration tent as more video was shot by Brad, and bottle of tequila was introduced out of Miguel’s bag and was passed around among some of the racers. As the Mexican volunteers laughed at the crazy gringos, I chalked this one up to experience and reminded the group as Brad says in the video, “the race is not over until you get to your own bed”. Never was this further from the truth. As the rain calmed Chad appeared on a four-wheeler with Leo the other camera guy and we loaded into the van and left the race.

 

IMG_3422Part way down that cobblestone, dirt road, bumpy trail I had to pee. It came on fast and hard and I was doing my best to hold it. As we rounded each narrow turn it went from level 1 quickly to level 3, the kind where it hurts you have to pee so badly. We pulled off a corner and I darted out of the van as did the rest of the troop. We got back in the van and headed to the hotel in Valle de Bravo to pick up our stuff and continue on to Mexico City. Upon returning to the hotel Vertigo, seemed to be better and would now be driving us back to Mexico City. Artoro/Vertigo has a special place in my heart as he really created all the stories of the weekend. We drove back to Mexico City without getting lost, stopping to pee a few times along the side of the road, finally pulling into Mexico City and our hotel around 8:30pm.

 

We all cleaned up and headed out to dinner around our hotel in Reforma. We had a great dinner full of laughter and stories. Chris Rutz and I returned to our hotel after dinner around 11pm as the rest of the group headed out to the bars. As I laid down in my bed I had never been happier to rest and sleep after a race. The day had been long and the race was a tough one.

 

IMG_3428The next morning, Andi and Hunter left early to make their planes. Brad, Dave and I all headed to breakfast and found a fitness festival outside our hotel. It was an amazing site, people on bikes, running, rollerblading, doing Zumba, practicing yoga, police painting the faces of children, and free medical testing doing preformed. It was amazing to see the positive energy around the area. You could feel the positive vides radiating from the area. Not the picture many paint of Mexico City. After breakfast, Chris, Dave and I walked around part of the city, seeing more and more people out and enjoying their Sunday. It was amazing. As we departed and headed to the airport our adventures were just about over, returning to the US and then to our homes.

 

IMG_3436It’s hard to believe that everything happened in such a short period of time. Overall, in the race the Mexicans showed us just how tough they are and we all gave it our best finding out elevation can be a killer. Thank you to the people of Mexico for being so inviting to a group of Americans, thanks to Spartan Race Mexico for treating us so well, and thanks to all the hard work that happened behind the scenes. Thanks to a fun roommate for the weekend in Andi Hardy! I definitely will be going back to Mexico to race in the future as it was one of the best overall trips I have had abroad with a great group of people.

 

 

 

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Race Prep Learned the Hard Way

Posted on May 20, 2013 by Ambassador Keri
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The Tough MudderIt’s probably a good thing I started racing when I lived in Florida because I hate being cold.  I’m not sure I would have continued racing if my first one had been on a cold, miserable, day.  My first race outside of Florida was just one of those days.  October 2012, Tough Mudder in Tooele, Utah.  Horrible.  It’s the first time I’ve felt hypothermia.  Never wanted to feel it again, but I was pretty close on day two of the Colorado Spartan Sprint last weekend.  Unfortunately, those are the only two races I’ve talked my sisters, Valerie and Alison, into racing with me.  Maybe it’s them.  Maybe they bring the clouds.  Hmmm. 

Anyway, I’ve learned that for me, temperature is my biggest obstacle.  I slow down when I get too hot, and I slow down when I get too cold.  Every time I’ve been miserable, including the two races I talked about above, it was because of improper preparation or from wearing the wrong clothing.  I try to be prepared, but I seem to be one of those people who has to learn things the hard way.  I wanted to share some of those things.

Cold Weather: There is a huge difference under armourbetween clothing made for the cold and for the heat. Invest in some good cold weather gear if there is even a remote chance of your race being cold.  I prefer Under Armour cold gear.  It has worked great for me in Spartan races where temps were in the 40′s and 50′s.  For the Tough Mudder I wore CW-X compression capris which I love.  I found out later they were made for hot weather to keep you cool.  They worked!  I now keep cold gear in my race bag just in case.  (Except for day two of Colorado.  Forgot that day and the temperature unexpectedly dropped 20 degrees.)

36933737-IMG__0201aHot Weather:  Wear as little clothing as possible.  Don’t wear cotton or a black shirt. Eat a lot of salt leading up to the race so you retain water, bring fuel and water, wear a hat, sunscreen and sunglasses.  And if you know you’re going to be running in a hot race, train in the heat, not in an air conditioned gym.

Shoes:  The first shoes I wore to an OCR were Nike Shox.  Bad!  Felt like bricks on my feet.  I’ve gone through three types of shoes since and have been super happy with my Inov-8 X-Talons.  I’ve heard they’re great for people with low arches and wide feet who have worked down to a minimalist shoe.  Me!  Everyone needs tox-talons find the right shoe for them.  But keep in mind that pretty much every athlete that runs, no matter what sport, wears cleats.  We can’t wear cleats, but take a look at the nubs on the bottom of the X-Talons some time.  They grip everything.  If you don’t want Inov-8′s find something similar. I see so many people sliding down hills at these races in their old tennis shoes or Vibram five fingers.  

 

Sunglasses:  I wear contacts.  I wear them to every race.  They’re fine but I’ve found that if I wear sunglasses my eyes don’t nemesiswater as much in the sun or dry out in the wind and it helps keep mud out of my eyes.   I wear super cheap safety glasses that I buy in bulk online for $3 each so I don’t cry if I lose them.

Race bag:  My bag seems to be getting heavier each race.  What do I take to the race?  Cold gear; sunglasses; hat; 2 towels; 2 garbage bags, one to stand on while changing and one to put my muddy clothes in; a change of clothes including bra and underwear (I’ve forgotten many times); shoes and socks if cold, flip-flops if warm; layers of outerwear including a hoodie to wear after the race; pre-race and post-race fuel and electrolytes; baby wipes; eye drops and extra contacts; feminine products (hopefully you won’t have to race during that time of the month, but you probably will!); duct tape (I like to secure my timing chip.  I lost it once, and two of my teammates lost theirs in Colorado); hand warmers and gloves for before and after the race just in case; cash for parking/shuttle, bag check, food and gear; and my ID.

I know as we get into the summer months, we won’t need all the cold weather gear.  The weather is so unpredictable though.  I just saw a picture of a Tough Mudder in Canada where it was snowing.  In the middle of May.  It snowed here in Utah on May 1st.  I’m not in Florida anymore!  

And thanks for doing Colorado with me Valerie and Alison.  Love you!  Just bring the sunshine next time.

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Expanding Compassion

Posted on May 19, 2013 by Dirt in Your Skirt
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As I slip further outside of the traditional view of what adult life and norms should be, I encounter more and more people that would be referred to by many as characters. The type of characters, that have the fantastical stories, that add color to a dinner party conversation or you tell your friends over a few beers about this person you know, and all awe at the lifestyle they lead. As my life path changes, a lot of personal reflection time has been added into my daily routine without consciously thinking about it.

 

With this personal reflection time comes realizations and truths. Once we are focused to look at ourselves we start to see, maybe we aren’t as compassionate as we think we are. Maybe we aren’t as accepting of others as we could be. We judge others too much and too harshly when really these judgments are only reflections of our own insecurities. It is true we all could probably be more compassionate, more loving, more accepting, and less judgmental. This I know to be true. It is only now that my own life is one of which others may judge that my own judgments on other peoples lives become more apparent.

 

Who am I or anyone else to say that one human is better than another. Is the person with the brand new house and all it’s gadgets better than the friend who lives in a teepee, or the other friend who lives out of her RV? Why is it we are so quick to judge those who decide to venture down a different path from our own? We see someone dressed differently from the norm and say, “wow look at them that’s so weird”. But are they truly the weird ones or are we for doing the same as every other person around us.

 

We look at the child who has picked out there own outfit, the one full of die tie, plaid, and in a variety of colors and find amusement in their individuality. However, when we are adults we see another adult dressed a similar outfit and wonder if they got dressed in the dark. We call them a freak or wonder what motivates them to be so outlandish. But are they really that outlandish? What happen to self-expression, does it die as we grow older. We are told throughout our lives there are rules, written and unwritten we must follow to be a proper adult. But who made the rules, the traditions, the norms, who is to say we can’t make our own rules!

 

I look around at my friends, a much different set of friends than I had four or five years ago. Many of them are far outside the norm, working in jobs not because it is advancing them up a corporate ladder, but because they went a different direction and followed a passion. What if we all followed our passions in life instead of worrying about the money we make. As I watch my friends straying from the prescribed path, I see most of them living a rich life, not in wealth but in experience. They put happiness first, some live very comfortable lifestyles while others live more Spartan. Whether they have several homes, or live in a small room, they are all living life to the fullest.

 

It may sound like I have a bunch of hippie friends who don’t work and just run races, or do something else. However, these friends are some of the hardest working people I know. They work hard not because they have to and someone tells them to, but because if you are following your passion all of a sudden a 12-14 hour workday doesn’t seem bad if you love it. I am reminded of Alan Watts who questioned people in a speech, “what would you do if money didn’t matter”. He goes on to talk about what would you do with your life if that was taken out of the equation. It’s a powerful statement that I talk with many athletes I have worked with and friends in the last couple of years. I have seen a pattern over and over again of people who have figured out the answer to that question, then set off the find they can make their answer into a reality.

 

These tend to be the people we envy, that ugly green emotion, when we hear about their lives. These tend to also be the people who live more on the fringe, the ones with the expressive outfits, hair, tattoos, makeup, and lifestyles. The ones who have dumped it all to live in a station wagon with their dog and take photographs instead of sitting in a corporate office. Or the ones who took a new idea and turned it into a multimillion dollar company, because they say something when the rest of us could not.

 

It seems to be time for us to collectively look around us and look within us. Are we too quick to judge those around us because they are different from us. Just because we don’t understand their life choices doesn’t mean they are wrong. Through my own personal reflections I have found that the more compassionate, less judgmental, and more accepting I am the happier life is. Take people for who they are, not what they look like and I promise life will be less stressful. Judgment causes stress! I am by no means perfect, no one is, but work to add more compassion for others into my life, and listen as my boyfriend tells me to embrace my friends who have strayed further from the norm, and celebrate them for have the courage to be their own person. Because at the end of the day we are all just people, living our lives breath to breath, and experiencing life in our own unique ways.

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