Back in March I took advantage of a sweet deal on the Texas Spartan Sprint at Reveille Peak Ranch out in Burnet, Texas. Last weekend, the race pushed both Brad and I to our physical and mental limits.
Parking was in a huge dirt field and a “shuttle” took you out to the race site:
The race let a group of 300 Spartan-to-bes go in 30 minute increments, starting at 9am. Our heat wasn’t until 2:30pm so by the time we arrived at packet pickup, the event was in full swing.
We dropped our bag off at bag check and then posted up at the barbed wire / finish line gladiators to see what exactly we were up against.
It was just over 80 degrees and not a cloud in the sky. The weather was perfect for say, a few beers by the pool or a day out on the boat on Lake Travis. It was not, however, perfect for the journey we were about to embark on.
Around quarter after two we headed to the starting line, where a crowd of people were already waiting. Although I had marked my forehead (and arm, calf, and both hands) with my bib number, I decided to cover it up with a bandana to keep the sweat and my hair out of my face.
The announcer told us to keep our eyes peeled for tarantulas and rattlesnakes, both of which were spotted on the race course on Friday. Um, what? (We didn’t end up seeing any, but heard rustling in the high grass along the dirt trail pretty much the whole time).
After an “I am Spartan” chant, our adventure began! The way the course was set up near the finish, we were under the impression we would run the 3 miles, and then hit all of the obstacles leading up to the finish. This was not the case.
Side note: when we registered for the race, it was being advertised as 3+ miles. When the Participant Guide came out during race week, it was advertised as 4+ miles. Per one of the race officials, the final official mileage was 5.8 miles. Just a heads up…
We started off climbing a steep hill on the trail and after our hearts were pumping hard and we were drenched in sweat, the obstacles appeared. The first one was a set of walls “under the first, over the next, under the next, etc” which were fairly easy. This was the only set of walls I was able to conquer on my own because of the height. Thank god for Brad, who I was able to use as a stepstool and/or personal launcher over the walls, especially the final few which were 8 feet tall.
Most of the obstacles throughout the first few miles were climbing walls and beams:
We also hit monkey bars (which I fell off of, resulting in the need to do 30 burpees. oy), ten stumps of different heights which you had to walk across without falling, a cargo net
cinderblock hauling (which I carried on my shoulder, as did Brad)
crawling under barbed wire
and through a PVC pipe a couple hundred yards long
cinderblock lifting
wading through countless creeks
including one where we had to climb over a set of buoys, under another set, and over the final set. There was someone helping people over the final set and he let me know there was a rock to step on after I made it over. Unfortunately my foot missed the rock, but my lower leg became best friends with it – resulting in a golfball sized lump and a beautiful bruise on my shin.
It’s worth noting that after we hit the first set of obstacles, we pretty much stopped running. It was hot and we decided it would be best to keep it slow and steady in order to finish in one piece. By the time we hit the final obstacles, we were SO happy with our decision. If we had hit it hard, we would have been totally gassed.
This wall (well, the one on the race course – this particular one was at the start for people to practice on) crushed me:
Basically you started at one end and make your way to the other side without falling off. Well, when you have T-Rex arms like me, it’s very difficult. My midget legs weren’t much help either. I ended up using the top of the wall instead of the pegs until about halfway when I couldn’t reach my foot to the next peg and called it quits. And by quits I mean I went off to the side to knock out my 30 burpees for missing an obstacle. Ugh. This wall also tore up my hands, blessing me with glorious blisters that would hinder my progress in all rope obstacles to come.
We then had to carry a sandbag uphill about a hundred yards and back. It felt like a mile at this point. I alternated between carrying it on my shoulder and my head. Following the sandbag carry (or maybe before? memory is a little hazy) were 5 muddy, slippery hills, with 3-ft mud pits in between each one. Basically scale up the hill, slide down the other side into the pool, scale up the hill, slide down, etc. This wasn’t too terrible, mainly because the mud bath was oddly refreshing due to the sun beating down on us. Gross but true.
We were FINALLY in the home stretch! It was time for the tractor tire flip. Each tire was on a peg, and you needed to flip it twice (off the peg, on the peg, off, on). Then another mud hill, followed by a mud bath, and then a rope climb.
I tried wrapping the bandana around my blistered hand but it kept slipping off. I couldn’t get a firm grip on the rope, so I (yet again) headed over to the side for another set of wonderful burpees.
Once Brad finished the rope climb and I finished my burpees, we ran over to tackle the fire jump.
Next we needed to walk across the river on a balance beam, which was easier than I thought it would be, especially that late in the race.
Then was the spear toss. One shot, and if your spear didn’t stick? 30 burpees.
Brad and I both missed, so burpees it was.
Once we were done we took off running through waist deep muddy water towards one of the final obstacles.
A combination of my ripped up hands and the inability to keep my weight in my arms helped me lose the battle with this obstacle. My feet slipped out from under me more times than I can count and eventually I accepted defeat. Burpees. Again. AGAIN!! Brutal.
It was time to assume the horizontal position and roll through 100+ yards of barbed wire.
Then we had one last obstacle to bust through – the gladiators:
Oooh, gut shot. My face says it hurt. Also I was completely regretting ditching the bandana at this point – my hair was allll up in my face.
My bib was desperately holding on by only two safety pins by that point.
Spartan Sprint Success!
This race was TOUGH, but so much fun! I’m still a little achy and have plenty of bruises, scratches, and calluses. Would we do it again? Absolutely. But definitely earlier in the day, and we’d train a little better next time. Next time as in May 13, 2013 – we’re already signed up for the 9:30am heat. What?! It was only 30 bucks!
We’ll see ya next year, Texas Spartan Sprint.
Here we are two weeks post-race, and I’m just getting around to writing up the recap. There’s a reason. If you follow me on Twitter, you already know how this race played out. If not, here’s the short version: the New Jersey Marathon was my first DNF.
Race morning began with my alarm blaring at the ungodly hour of 3:15am. I think I slept about 30 minutes the night before, and 12 hours total between Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. I was up pretty late and my nerves were out of control. Ashley was picking me up at 5am so I wanted to have enough time to eat something, get ready, and spend a bit of time freaking out with my fellow racers on Twitter.
I was having the same feeling I had prior to the Austin 10/20. I wasn’t really in the mood to race. In the weeks leading up to the marathon I went back and forth on switching to the half no less than 800 times. My training hadn’t been geared towards New Jersey; I was focused more on the many half marathons and shorter races. My longest training run had been 17 miles. But I was convinced since I had conquered the 26.2 in the past, mentally I’d be able to latch on to that fact and power through.
Ashley picked me up and we went back to her house for a little bit. It took me nearly 30 minutes to choke down half a bagel with peanut butter. We piled into the car with two of her friends, and picked up another two girls on the way to the start in Oceanport. Everyone in the car with the exception of Ashley and I were running the half. I was a bit jealous when they all ran to the start. A half marathon sounded much more feasible at the time. I should have taken that as a sign.
We checked in all of the half marathoners bags for them and then jumped in line for the portapotties. At this point we were surrounded only by marathoners and I started to get pumped up a bit. Maybe it wouldn’t be that bad. We met up with Ashley’s friend Sky – the two were attempting their first sub-4 marathon. Spoiler alert: they succeeded!!
I ran into my family and Brad on my way to meet up with Libby, who I’d be starting the race with. It’s amazing to be surrounded by such a great support system. It really gives you something to look forward to you and keep you moving along the course. I appreciate it so, so much!
Once I found Libby and Eva, we headed into our corral. We heard the National Anthem and then it was time to get the show on the road. No turning back now!
Libby and I had decided to start the race together since we’d be shooting for a similar pace but if either of us decided to hang back or speed up, no problem. No commitment. Eva stuck to her intervals and was always a little behind or a little ahead of us. It was awesome running with Libby. We chatted the whole way and kept a decent (faster than we had planned on) pace. The weather was cool and clouds kept the sun at bay. It was a perfect day for running.
Around mile 7 or 8 I needed a walk break because of a side stitch, and this was where things started to unravel a bit for me. Once I took that first walk break, I knew I’d need to take them regularly after. This worked out fine until around mile 11. Libby decided to keep on going. We wished each other good luck and parted ways. (Libby ended up with a PR on her 3rd marathon in 3 weeks. Such a rockstar!) I clicked my iPod on and tried to zone out until mile 12 when I knew I’d see my support crew. Somehow we missed each other and Brad ended up having to break into an all-out sprint to catch up with me. He had desperately been yelling my name but Luke Bryan was singing in my ears and I couldn’t hear him.
I stopped with him at a nearby water station while he caught his breath and ate a few of the Shotbloks he handed to me. My family arrived shortly after and we chatted a bit.
After a few minutes I said my goodbyes and continued running. My iPod went back on and I tried to just focus on the music and the scenery around me.
Side note: after I left, Brad needed to lie down on the sidewalk and recover from his sprint session. I’ll turn him into a runner someday! They just happened to be near a hospital at the time and my sister took full advantage of the photo op:
I passed the split for the half and full marathoners and it was hard not to sail into the finish and call it a day. My walk breaks became longer and more frequent. The negative thoughts started creeping in. If I’m walking this much, what are the chances I’ll still come in under the time limit? I didn’t run anything over 17 miles – how can I finish 26.2? I’m exhausted, haven’t slept well in days, legs feel like lead. So on and so forth.
We began the long out-and-back (my favorite! ::sarcasm::) portion of the course. At mile 13, the full marathoners coming at you in the opposite direction were at mile 24. I had nearly 10 more miles before I hit that point, and would have to watch all of the faster runners run closer to the finish line for the next 6 miles before the turnaround in Ocean Grove. It was disheartening.
I tried to draw in some positivity, repeat motivating mantras, pump myself up – halfway done! But nothing was working. I was drained both physically & emotionally, my pace slowing dramatically. I felt defeated. I knew my heart wasn’t in it and didn’t want to push it. I wasn’t ready for the race and my mental game was off too. It was time to make the decision I’d been prolonging
Just past the mile 14 marker I texted Brad “I’m going to stop. It’s not my day. Will you think less of me if I quit?” He replied, “Absolutely not. Where can we meet you?”
I immediately felt as if a huge weight was lifted. No more pressure to finish. But at the same time I was overwhelmed with disappointment. It was my 2012 goal marathon race. And now it was over.
I removed my bib, folded it up, and carried it with me as I made the walk of shame towards the boardwalk where my family and Brad were waiting. I saw Ashley and Sky killing it, well on pace for a sub-4 and looking STRONG!
In hindsight, I probably would have fared better switching from the full to the half at the expo. I should have swallowed my pride and chose the distance I was better prepared for – not the one I was registered for. My DNF was incredibly humbling but thankfully I learned a lot from this race. At least the walk to meet up with my family was scenic.
One thing is for sure – there will be sweet, sweet marathon redemption in my future.
After a 3am wakeup call, two flights, and a minor nervous breakdown in Newark Airport over a lost suitcase, we finally arrived at the New Jersey Marathon Expo at Monmouth Park in Oceanport.
The expo was a bit smaller than expected, but had all of the staples you’d expect to find at many other race expos.
First order of business: packet pickup!
Personally I thought the shirt ran a little small, but the people working the shirt booth were extremely generous and offered to swap out sizes for me without a problem.
Since the race shirt has long sleeves and Texas temps would allow me to wear that oh, mayyybe twice, I decided to invest in a short-sleeved shirt as well.
Due to the aforementioned lost suitcase, I replaced a few packs of Gu Chomps and Shotbloks, and picked up a new stick of Body Glide. Other than that, the wallet stayed shut. I know, I was shocked too.
I almost picked up a pair of heavily discounted Newtons at the Road Runner Sports booth, but unfortunately my feet were a tad too big for the only size they had out on the table. Bah!
And that was that. New Jersey Marathon Expo, done and done. We were in and out fairly quickly, which is definitely a plus. Sure, there could have been a few more booths but I think it would have cramped the space a bit. There were a good amount of vendors for the space Monmouth Park provided.
Side Note: Road Runner Sports, can you please open a store in Texas? Or make appearances with your $50 shoes at Austin race expos, at the very least? I promise to give you lots of money. Thank you!
So last Tuesday Nuun announced the lucky women chosen to run Hood to Coast 2012 on their team.
Sadly, I didn’t make the cut. But I wasn’t completely surprised. The field was uber competitive and the odds were not stacked in my favor, with my not-over-the-top-creative application and lack of a huge blog following.
On Wednesday, the lottery results for the ING NYC Marathon were revealed. After refreshing my bank account 4589764 times and desperately stalking the NYRR website for hours on end, the results were in: Not Accepted.
So now what? After my rejection from NYC, I was on the prowl for a rebound marathon. Or a fall race longer than a 10K, for that matter. I had planned on giving See Jane Run another shot but an email received late last week informed us they wouldn’t be back until maybe 2013. So much for that idea.
There’s not a chance in hell I’d run the 26.2 in San Antonio in November, especially with the steamy temps Texas has been experiencing during our fall/winter months. The same goes for the Chosen Marathon in New Braunfels in October. Heat & humidity – no thank you.
After a quick Twitter consultation and a Google search, I found two marathons I deemed worthy of suffering through another training cycle during the 100+ degree summer:
My next potential victim will either be Long Beach on October 6th or the Philly Marathon on November 18th. The price increase hits May 1st for Philly so I’ll be making a decision REAL soon.
Have you run either Long Beach or Philly? Thoughts on which I should choose? Wanna run with me?
Today marks the beginning of what could quite possibly be the best week ever.
Tomorrow is the day we’ve all been waiting for:
Nuun will FINALLY be announcing the three teams picked to run the Mother of all Relays, Hood to Coast, this August! The anticipation for this announcement has been building with each passing day and the SUSPENSE. IS. KILLING. ME!! I’ve been reading race recaps from both of the 2011 teams and let me tell you – those ladies had a BLAST! Nuun is such an incredible product and as an avid supporter, the opportunity to secure a spot on one of their relay teams would be absolutely AMAZING.
The competition is stiff, that’s for sure. There are roughly 70 applications floating around out there, and an unknown amount submitted via email. If you click through the entries, you’ll find countless creative videos and many inspiring women longing to run Hood to Coast. Nuun has their work cut out for them!
Another big event this week is on Wednesday: Marathon Opening Day!
Oddly enough, I don’t have a fall race on my schedule yet. I don’t think I’ll be able to do a destination race next fall due to other travel plans, so if there’s any time to do one – it’s this year. After going back and forth about a hundred million times, I decided to enter the lottery for NYC. I know my chances of getting in are VERY slim, but hey, it’s worth a shot! If I didn’t enter this year, I wouldn’t be able to again until 2014. So far away! Here’s hoping that 2012 is my lucky year.
So, that’s the big HUGE week. Nuun announcement on Tuesday, NYC lottery on Wednesday. Wish me luck! :)
You can check out my official Nuun Hood to Coast Relay Application 2012 here. And if you’re so inclined, feel free to tweet @nuunhydration and let them know why you think they should choose me {@melissalicia512} for a spot on their 2012 Hood to Coast relay team!
Friday on my lunch break I headed downtown to Luke’s Locker for the Austin 10/20 packet pickup.
One thing I really appreciated about this race was they provided six different dates for packet pickup: Friday & Saturday the weekend before the race and Wednesday through Saturday of race week. This made it super convenient to make it to packet pickup on whichever day worked best for you.
Packet pickup was very efficient and I was on my way in less than 5 minutes. Under Armour was a race sponsor so both the bag and tech tee were furnished by them. Packet contents were nothing to write home about, but when are they ever? I did, however, enjoy the personalized bib and race program.
When the alarm went off at 5am I was overwhelmed with “I don’t want to run today” feelings. I was tired, thirsty (um, never good the morning of a race), and just plain cranky. I listened for thunder or even just rain hitting the roof. Nothing. Deep down I was hoping the race would be cancelled so I could head back to bed. But it was dry as a bone outside and the Austin 10/20 Facebook page mentioned nothing about cancelling or postponing.
I left the house nice and early at 6:20. Yes, the race started at 8am, but I’ll be damned if I’m one of those people whining about sitting in traffic because I left the house late. I was one of the first cars parked in the garage at the Domain and killed some time by tweeting and inhaling a Honey Stinger waffle. Or two. It’s hard to say.
I drank a glass of banana Nuun before I left the house, drank a water bottle of lemon-lime Nuun in the car, and was STILL thirsty. I had citrus fruit Nuun in my handheld as well, and a backup tablet in the zipper pouch for a refill. It was going to be hot, and I was determined to be prepared.
At quarter after 7 I made my way to the starting area and did a warmup mile. It was at this point I realized my headphones were shot. I could hear music but the lyrics were missing. This infuriated me beyond belief – I know, first world problems. I thought my kickass playlist would have helped me snap out of my cranky non-racing mood but nope. Not a chance.
The race started just after 8am and roughly 7,000 runners took to the streets of Austin. I slowed down for my first walk break at the Mile 1 marker. I was angry. I thought about how close I still was to my car. I could run back, head home and get back into bed. Pretend this whole morning never happened.
But I trudged on.
I zoned out for the next mile but when I came up on Mile 3? The rage returned. I just did NOT want to be running. I was taking far too many walk breaks and it was clear my heart just wasn’t in it. I made a command decision to throw all time goals out the window and just FINISH. Oh and maybe you’re wondering about that additional 10 miles I was supposed to run that day. Yeah. They didn’t happen.
I ran when I wanted to and walked a ton. I bumped into a few friends out on the course and chatted it up with them. This helped make the time go by a little faster. It never rained. Well it did, but I was already on my way home at that point. In the end, I’ve ran a half marathon faster than I ran/walked those ten miles on Sunday. It happens. Not all races can be great ones. I FINISHED and that was all that mattered.
Aside from my little temper tantrum, the Austin 10/20 was a phenomenal race. Dare I say better than any Rock n Roll race I’ve done? Yes. Absolutely, 100%. The course wasn’t very exciting but with two bands rocking out on each mile, they kept everyone’s spirits up. To be perfectly honest, I didn’t expect much. It was an inaugural race and 9 times out of 10 anything that can go wrong, will. With the exception of the long BBQ & Beer lines at the finish (and possibly running out of bananas? I saw that on the Facebook page) I really didn’t see any major problems. Here’s what I posted on their Facebook wall post-race:
Incredible race this morning. I was beyond impressed with how everything came together logistically, especially for an inaugural race. Bands were great, volunteers were plentiful, tons of water stops to keep us hydrated, cool towels during the race AND at the finish, awesome presence on FB keeping everyone updated – the list goes on. I’ve run races that have been put on for years and couldn’t come close to the race you delivered this morning. I will 100% be back next year. THANK YOU!!
Austin 10/20, I will be back for redemption next year.
The Brick House Tavern + Tap is quickly turning into our favorite restaurant. It’s located right next to the local Mexican hot-spot Chuy’s, which means the parking lot is always SLAMMED. Luckily when Chuy’s is on a 35-45 minute wait, Brick House is still pretty empty. We’ve been a few times now around 6pm on Friday night and had no problem sitting down at a table right away.
The wine list is a little sparse for my liking but their beer selection more than makes up for it:
AND they have beer bongs. Yes, I’m not kidding.
We contemplate trying a new appetizer every time (there’s so many!) …
… but somehow always default back to their buttery soft pretzels with a trio of dipping sauces:
Oh look at that, I still ordered a glass of wine anyway. Shocking.
Anyway, back to those phenomenal pretzels
So. Damn. Tasty. I’m a sucker for a good soft pretzel.
This particular time I ordered the Steak + Eggs: filet mignon, two eggs any style (I went over-easy), crispy potatoes (sub french fries) & buttered texas toast
I was thoroughly enjoying my dinner, until I took a bite of Brad’s Drunken Chops:
Wow. Incredible. And HUGE!
Once I sampled his dinner, I quickly lost interest in my own. The pork chops were perfectly cooked and the whiskey glaze went extremely well with them. Tip: ask for an extra side of glaze for dipping – you won’t regret it!
Unless I was in the mood for steak I probably wouldn’t order the Steak + Eggs again. There are SO many other options worth checking out.
I’d also highly recommend the kobe, one of the best burgers I’ve ever had:
and their Chicken + Waffles, simple yet delicious
And for the Happy Hour lover, you can get your drink on early or late – with the added bonus of discounted apps!
It’s definitely a restaurant worth checking out. Don’t be discouraged by the parking lot situation – Chuy’s takes most of the business. The food at Brick House is fantastic and the service always excellent.
Sooooo… this weekend is my 20 miler. Let’s not talk about how this should be my THIRD 20 miler, okay? Thanks.
My last long run before the New Jersey Marathon. Seriously I’m still in shock it’s almost May already. How the hell did that happen?
This weekend I’ll also be running my first 10 mile race, the inaugural Austin 10/20.
From the website:
It’s time to run ten and celebrate the distance! Ten miles is tough, ten miles is different, ten miles feels great. It’s an accomplishment to finish and a challenge to race. You can walk and wheel and join the field as the Austin 10/20 hits the streets. Take a detour from the usual race path and check out the cool ten mile distance!
Twenty stages will be on course filled with live rock ‘n’ roll music from local Austin bands and we’ll have a great headliner at the Finish line too! The Austin 10/20 puts a stage every half mile along the route, right up close for our spectators – you! We’ll have some really hot local bands and more music per mile than you have ever seen. Austin is well known for a great music scene, you will see it on the course!
If you’ve put two and two together, you noticed how the race is only 10 miles and this girl needs to be running 20. I’m not quite sure how I’m going to tackle this yet, but I have a few ideas:
1. Run 10 miles pre-race. This seems like a brilliant idea in theory, until you start considering how early you would need to wake up to get those miles in before the 8am start. Also, where would I run? It would have to be somewhat near the race course so I could finish my 10 and then cross the starting line soon after. Hmm…
2. Run 5 miles pre-race, then race, then 5 miles post-race. I’m not even sure why I think this should be listed as a logical option. Post-race there will be celebratory beer! And entertainment! Everclear, to be precise. Did you know they were still together? Because I didn’t. And food! The chances of me actually heading back out for 5 more miles is slim to none.
3. Run 15 miles on Saturday. Then race on Sunday on tired legs, but not like “I’m running 25 miles in a row” tired legs. Still, this would be the highest mileage I’ve ever done on consecutive days. Is this something I want to try 3 weeks out from 26.2? Not sure. But it WOULD let me run “only” 10 miles on Sunday.
4. Run 10 miles on Saturday. Then race on Sunday on tired legs, but 5 miles less-tired than option 4. This is the short-term, low-stress option. It’s also the long-term, high stress option. The “Oh my god I never did a proper 20-miler this training cycle” option. Anxiety attacks ensue. Hyperventilating will occur. But for this weekend? I’d be all, “oh I can knock out two 10 milers, noooo problemo”
Remember the last time I tried to split up 20 miles between a race and a training run? Yeah. Let’s hope that doesn’t happen again.
If you were in my shoes Brooks Adrenalines, which option would YOU choose?
There’s a few wines I generally steer clear of: Woodbridge, Vendange, Beringer, Barefoot, Yellowtail, etc. You know, the ones that come in the gallon jug. I’m more about quality over quantity.
One night while attending a gathering at a friend’s home, I was happily sipping away on a delicious glass of pinot noir which had been poured for me. I was positive it was a higher end glass of red but when I went to refill my glass I noticed it was a 2010 BV (Beaulieu Vineyards) Coastal Estates Pinot Noir. I was shocked, and then impressed.
BV is a super affordable wine, with the pinot noir coming in at $5.99. Seriously, $5.99. I easily would have priced it at $14.99 judging by the taste. It had a bit of a kick at first sip, but finished incredibly smooth and almost sweet. I’d recommend pouring a glass and letting it sit for a bit before enjoying.
This pinot noir would be a great beginner wine for someone trying to break into the red wine world
This next bottle was a last minute add to the cart. I passed it on the way out of the wine aisle, but it caught my eye so I pulled the cart to an immediate halt.
At the end of the beer/wine aisle in Target they generally feature 5-9 different up-and-coming wines they recommend you try. There were a few I picked up in the past which just didn’t do it for me, but I still try to keep my eyes peeled for new potential favorites.
This Joel Gott Pinot Gris fit the bill. The only other pinot gris I really enjoy is King Estate. It’s kind of a rarity as most people prefer pinot grigio. The difference between the two is many pinot gris are from Washington, Oregon or California, while pinot grigio is from Italy.
The Joel Gott from the Willamette Valley in Oregon was a GREAT pick and didn’t break the bank at $11.99. It was fruity and slightly sweet, with a smooth clean finish. It would be best paired with a mild fish such as mahi or halibut, or a crisp spring salad. Hopefully Target move take this from their “try this” area to their regular selections. I will definitely be purchasing this one again.
