South Carolina Spartan Beast

So this past weekend I ran the South Carolina Spartan Beast with my good friend Chris and completed my Spartan Trifecta for the third year in a row.  This was my second time running the South Carolina Beast.  I ran it two years ago and found it to be a challenging course due to all the hills.  This year did not disappoint.  The race organizers were very good at utilizing the uneven terrain and natural water features of the course.  Within 2 miles you were wet and muddy and, if you are like me, had many tiny rocks in your shoes (I think I will be buying a pair of gaiters next year).

My friend Chris and I were well prepared for the race and were able to knock out the first half with relative ease, completing all obstacles with no burpee penalties.  I didn't have to do my first burpees until I hit the traverse wall.  I slipped off after only about 3 steps in and was forced to do burpees.  Chris however, had to do burpees on the next obstacle, the Spear Throw.  Now I am about 50/50 on this one but this time I nailed it.  Once Chris finished his burpees we were on our way and we cruised all the way until we hit the rope climb.  Now I am can climb a rope on dry land, but they don't put it on dry land.  They put it in waist deep muddy water.  So by the time we got there the ropes were slick with mud and it was dam near impossible to get a grip on it.  I usually employ the S technique and let my legs do the work, but with the rope so slick, my feet could not grip the rope.  Splash, down into the water I went and off to my second set of burpees.  Chris fared better than I did on the rope but still was unable to complete it.  He was dealing with a calf cramping issue and he completed his second set of burpees.

After that we were able to complete the rest of the course without penalty and we cruised to the finish.  The last time I ran this race I finished in roughly six and a half hours.  This time we completed it in 4:21:54.  Not too shabby.  I'm looking forward to possibly completing another trifecta next year however, I am trying to expand my trail running Ultra marathons so I am not sure if I will be able to fit too many Spartan Races in my schedule.  We shall see.  I have 2 more races this year.  The Chicago Turkey Trot and then the Huff 50k.  Once my season is officially over I will start to plan for next years budget.  Recommendations are welcome for Trail Ultras that are worth running.

Chicago Marathon Recap

Two more races in the books for October.  I completed the Chicago Marathon on October 12th and the Spartan Race South Carolina Beast on October 25th.

The Chicago Marathon was amazing.  This is one of my favorite races because of all the support that the City of Chicago shows the runners.  Not only are there thousands of volunteers that come out to help and support the runners, but there are hundreds of thousands of spectators lining the course cheering you on and providing support in some areas.  Last year was my first attempt at a marathon and I was disappointed in my finish at 5:04:35.  This year I managed to shave 20 minutes off my time and finish in 4:44:05.

I was able to finish faster this year by training harder and learning to pace myself better.  While I am not where I want to be yet in terms of speed, I found that being able to pace myself better helped tremendously.  I found, late in my training, that I was able to maintain a steady pace better if I ran without any music.  I found that when running with music I tended to subconsciously start running to the beat of the music which would change.  Without the music in my ears, I was better able to time my breathing and running so as to maintain a more steady pace.  Since I only figured this out a few weeks prior to the Marathon, I wasn't able to reap the full benefits of the training but now I know for future training.  Next year, I am looking for a sub-4:20 marathon.