Pressing Reset

We’ve all had the day when you wake up, start following your usual routine and then it starts spiraling and eventually feels like it is out of control.  Sound familiar?  It happens to all of us.  This was me this morning in fact.  I woke up, went through my usual morning routine of reading and journaling.  Came down to be with the girls while the ate breakfast (an awesome breakfast I might add as Mike took the time to make them pancakes, sausage and fresh fruit - it looked awesome and fortunately I got to enjoy some after my ride!).  The girls were dragging - tired, quiet, a bit grumpy to say the least.  I was plugging away trying to find a car rental for an upcoming trip - frustrated that every time I refreshed the screen a new price appeared.  Heading out the door for school - the challenges of a permit driver - and getting back in the driver’s seat after dropping them to be reminded by the orange light that there is no gas in the car.  Happy morning.  I returned home with everyone off and sat down at my desk feeling overwhelmed by the inbox and the tasks at hand - trying to focus but still felt like I was swirling.  I reached out to my accountability partner - let her know what was going on - that I was heading out for a ride and hoping that I had a fresh start when I came back.  She set a goal for me to report in that it turned out to be a great day.  I opted to pursue that one step at a time!

My riding partner arrived at the height of the swirl.  Fortunately, she too has three kids and had, had a similar morning.  Maybe it was in the water.  Oh, by the way…  heading out the door, I was unable to locate my phone.  Knew it was around as my notifications come through my watch and I was receiving those but couldn’t find my phone anywhere....  Frustrating.  We set out with no specific purpose for our ride other than get the time in and attempt to reset ourselves.  We ended up having a great 20+ mile ride.  Listened to each other vent and talked about all kinds of crazy things.  We arrived back refreshed and ready to go.  A great ride, good company and a much needed restart to the day and we didn’t have to go back to bed to get it!  (we talked about that on the ride)  In the hour that I have been home, I am now back on track and feeling energized.  

I am asked a lot how I stay motivated through all of the training.  How I get done as much as I do.  I am fortunate to have an amazing support crew and a Why that is big enough that it affects how I show up.  I could have let the swirl continue to unravel and end up with a junky workout, nothing completed and feeling even worse or I could opt for a fresh start.  The ride provided the much needed reset.  There was a fair amount of climbing in the ride and when we reached the turn around we both commented on how easy the out had been - that we both felt great.  Apparently venting occurred through our legs too.  And apparently that is what it took to get us back on track!  The ride back had less hills and we enjoyed the reward of our efforts!

My advice for today.  Take it or leave it.  If you feel the swirl starting, figure out how to stop it and press the reset.  It will make a much better day for you and everyone around you!  By the way I found my phone right where I had left it when I returned - and had figured out where that was on my ride.

One Day...One Step!  Enjoy the ride!

The Mindset Roller Coaster

In training for an event of any size or distance, there is a piece of training that is often forgotten. This is the training of the mind.  It is important to have a positive attitude embracing the event and to work on that mindset as you train.  

I follow many practices daily in my mindset journey.  I do may best to read 15 pages of a nonfiction book that will challenge my brain and push me out of my comfort zone every day.  After reading, I write in a journal - sometimes reflecting on gratitudes, other times celebrating milestones, addressing challenges or places to improve and more.  At the end of each entry for nearly a year now, I have written One Day...One Step and Courage to Start.  Strength to Endure.  Resolve to Finish.  These two affirmations have become a huge part of my everyday life and how I move through tasks, activities and responsibilities.  I find the days that I take the time to do these activities flow much better than the days that I decide to skip and press on.  These activities put me on the page that I want to be to start my day.  I am very fortunate that my husband supports this and allows me to spend this time in the morning before I start my day.  

With under 30 days remaining before I toe the line at IRONMAN Chattanooga, I have boarded a mindset roller coaster and it has turned into quite the ride. I have found even more importance in embracing my morning routine and have added many additions throughout the day.  I am experiencing a wave of emotions, questions and thoughts.  Am I ready - physically?  Am I ready - mentally?  What if I don’t finish?  Will I get my fundraising done in time?  What if I don’t finish my fundraising?  Do I have everything I need to travel to the event?  What bag should the following items go in?  Should they travel with my bike and the transport company or with me on the plane?  In a checked bag or a carry-on?  What if I get cold while I am running?  Will I have the clothes I need in my special needs bag?  Can Mike have clothes for me at the end - will that be soon enough?  I told him the other day that I wanted fresh fruit in the hotel room for after?  Will I really want fruit at 1:00 in the morning?  The type A in me has started building the lists of what I want in what bag and I will definitely check the list at least once or twice (ok - way more than that).  I am reading the Athlete Guide like it is The Bible and studying course maps.  And, trust me, this is just the surface of it!  When you are on your bike for 6-8 hours at a time, you have lots of time to generate scenarios!

I am fortunate to have many great supporters.  So many, that I cannot name in one place but I do write down their names as they touch me during the day. Every day it is my husband and family - who deal with me coming and going, always in a bike kit and in need of a shower or smelling like a pond and often tired.  It may be the person running or riding beside me.  The friend that checks in and offers advice or all of the people that put up with my posts and comment on them.  And all of my donors who have supported TeamEdith and the Edith Sanford Foundation who has provided me with the opportunity to race on their behalf.  (To see up to date fundraising information go to www.RunKimRun.com) I appreciate everyone of you more than you know and hopefully I have stopped to show you appreciation.  

I will continue to train my mindset every day as I train my body.  Today it was visualizations at the end of my training run using street signs.  Didn’t know how many signs there were in and around Redstone Park!  I continue to read and write and an open to any other thoughts or input that will provide the confidence that I need to cross the finish!  

Here are some that I am reading every day too.

"I have done my work. I am good at what I do. I am ready to be the fastest I have ever been."

• Thanks Michelle

"We all want to be something: better, stronger, healthier, grittier, happier...But somewhere along the way, we stopped trying. We settled. We stopped giving it everything we had. We’re here to tell you that busting your ass is worth it, that trying is worth it, and that by changing one simple thing about your attitude, you can actually change your life. You can be better, stronger, healthier, grittier, and happier. All you need to do is commit to getting uncomfortable every day."

- Spartan - A Way of Life

Looking desperately for one more that one of my colleagues posted.  I will add it in and continue to read and post as I see them - lots go onto Twitter @kimtwelk.  

In the meantime, I press on One Day...One Step!  

To the Trail Marshall

As I turned the final corner to head up the last big hill on my training run this morning, I called out to one last person that I could see on the trail to say Good Morning!  I try my best any time that I am out on my bike or running to acknowledge everyone that I see.  I do this in hopes of connecting with them, supporting them and in hopes that when the day comes that I am in need of help that they might remember me and will be willing to stop!  The man that I called out to was dressed in golf like attire.  Khaki shorts, a golf shirt and a wide brimmed straw golf hat similar to one that my Dad has.  There is a golf course close by and I think that he is a marshall on the course.  When I called out, he responded “Good Morning!”  and then threw his hands in the air and said “Congratulations, you did it!” and clapped.  I smiled, told him thank you, all the while thinking to myself that I still have this big hill ahead of me and I wasn’t up it yet.  

As I continued on and worked my way up the hill, my memory toggled to two years ago about this time that I was training for my first marathon.  I ran this path a lot in the process of training for my marathon, so much that I knew every curve, every hole, every tree and the people that frequented it.  The marshall was one of the people that I saw on a regular basis and thinking back, he always cheered for me every time that I passed.  Some days at the lowest of lows and some days at the highest of highs, he always had an encouraging word and/or gesture.  I didn’t realize how much I appreciated his support then until today.  

To the “Trail Marshall” (that is the new name that I am providing for him) - thank you!  Your encouragement today made my day, got me up the hill with a spring in my step and brought back awesome memories while providing a boost to my mindset knowing how far I have come from two years ago on that trail!!  Please keep encouraging everyone out there.  You never know the life you are touching and your part in their journey.  

One Day...One Step!  

Loveland Lake to Lake Race Re-Cap

There are days in your life as a coach and an athlete when you wonder if toeing the start line is your best choice.  Are you properly prepared?  Will racing be a positive deposit in my training and overall focus for the year?  Are there barriers that I expect to encounter?  

I signed up for the Loveland Lake to Lake Olympic Distance race pretty early in the year.  The decision was made that it was going to be a TTT Team Race and that parents, family members and coaches were encouraged to participate so I jumped on board.  I had not done an Olympic distance before so decided to take on that distance as a new challenge.  

My training was not race specific but overall I felt that my base training had me ready for the distance and I was excited to challenge myself and test my ability and try to push my speed out of my comfort zone.  I ended up having the opportunity to race the IRONMAN Boulder 70.3 two weeks prior to this race so with that addition my training stayed status quo and the focus of the Lake to Lake became a fun day with good training deposits.  

As race week arrived and the emails from the race started coming in, I started to research the race a bit to learn the course and try to establish expectations.  That’s when the nerves started to set in.  I came to realize that there was a decent amount of climbing in the bike -   something that I had not focused any attention on - and started to worry if a decent ride was possible.  There was talk of an 8% grade and plenty of climbing in between.  I talked to several people - all of whom had done the course before and received mixed responses.  Some said it was a great course and that speed was possible, others said extremely challenging both in terrain and speed.  I arrived at packet pickup Friday and decided to drive the course so I would have a visual in my mind of what to expect.  It turned out that a huge thunderstorm moved through as I was driving.  It seemed as though the course climbed and climbed and that there would be little opportunity to recover.  I decided instead of worry about it to shift my mind-set - accept my training where it is knowing my limitations that I expect and not let the bike ruin my race.  Ultimately I would love to have a 2 hour bike finish but it may be longer if I can’t get my average speed up.  I looked over the map a few more times and accepted it for what it was.  

Race morning arrived.  I was fortunate to stay with friends in Ft Collins so the early wake-up wasn’t quite as early.  I arrived at the race just before 5.  I settled into transition, visited with friends and team members and headed to the swim start.  I spent a bit of time acclimating to the water and met my wave to head out.  

Here are the goals that I had set -

1640 yds Swim - 32:00

30 Mile Bike - 2:00

10K Run - 1:10

TOTAL 3:42

SWIM - 1.5K (watch reading 1859 yards) - 36:20 course time

The swim start went off without a hitch.  I started to have issues with water in my goggles and stopped to tread a few time in attempts to fix the issue.  (Looking back now - it appears to be an issue a lot lately so may be time to address that!)  Spotting was a challenge between the sun and the now choppy water and how far away the buoys were.  I found that once a buoy was sighted it sometimes turned out to be the opposite side of the rectangle - and based on the flow of swimmers around me - it seemed others were having similar problems.  I pressed on focused on the caps around me and trying to keep up or get to the next one in front and worked my way through the course.  

I arrived at shore - my watch time 34:14 - note course time - that was due to the timing mat being at the end of the .25+ mile run to the transition area!  I was fortunate to find a nice man who helped unjam my wetsuit zipper and was in for a pretty decent.  Time for the bike.  

BIKE - 30 M - 1:38:37

A deep breath and take it one pedal at a time.  There were several men that passed as we were getting started.  They were riding aggressively.  I tried hard to focus and stay settled.  Two women passed in full race gear - race wheels - aero helmets - the works.  Next thing I knew I was passing several of these people as they were on the side changing flats.  I continued on.  Nancy M. passed me about Mile 8 shouting some encouraging words as she passed - she continued on to take 1st in her age group!  My watch alerts every 5 miles - I don’t pay attention to it much in between.  My first few splits were within a range that I like to see and I had gained a bit of ground that I hoped would be enough to make up for the time lost climbing.  I continued to ride.  I was passing people pretty consistently but being passed too so hard to judge if I was gaining or maintaining ground.  The hills and climbs were as expected but there seemed to be really good and fast recoveries between them.  I made it up the steep climb to Horseshoe Reservoir and thought there is one more big climb right?  That wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought.  Turned out that was the climb.  I had made a mental note of a landmark to mark the end of the climb and the return to town and the rollers into the finish and there it was.  Candy G. had told me there were 5 rollers on the return road.  I started to count them - realized I lost count - but knew it was either done or one more at that point!  Approaching the bike finish I was feeling good, legs good, nutrition seemed ok although I hadn’t had much and it had been a good fun ride.  I not only made it through but had beat my planned time by 22 minutes!!

A quick transition and feeling energized to start the run.  

RUN - 10K - 1:00:12

I settled into the run and decided to listen to my body as I progressed.  I wanted to push some as this is a shorter distance than I am usually running off the bike in a race but also didn’t want to run out of fuel and energy.  An out and back course so I turned my focus into seeking out people that I knew.  Ran into Ian M. from the Teens team - not who I expected - his comment - “Hey Coach, I think I took a wrong turn!”  - a few extra miles builds character Ian!  I continued on.  Focused on keeping my body cool as I passed through aid stations and focused on running and trying to maintain my pace.  Settled in with a girl for a few miles who liked my pace - we talked a bit and continued on.  Reached the turn around and headed back toward the finish.  Still trying to stay cool and make sure I had enough in me to finish strong.  Saw Joan on the course - she seemed to be having a great day and also ended up first in her age group!  Saw Candy and approached the finish.  I had joked with Bob in the days leading up to the race and again on race morning that he wasn’t allowed to leave me after they all finished the sprint race.  He said they would be done over an hour before me and that there were no guarantees.  I set my expectation on a quiet finish.  As I rounded the last corner approaching the finish, Bob was there to greet me on the course and not only Bob but the whole Teens group including parents and family.  He said since I am here you have to sprint to the finish - so I took off - getting high fives from everyone as I passed them.  It was really cool!  

Finish time 3:19:28 - 8th Place in my age group.  My highest finish to date.  I was extremely excited about my day and how it all came together.  And it was so fun to share it with so many people that I knew.  It definitely keeps you energized knowing that you may run into friends on the course.  

On the opposite end of town, my daughter Abby was racing her longest Tri distance to date at the TriBella Super Sprint.  It was extremely hard not to be there to watch her but I thought about her a lot throughout my race and hoped that she had as much fun as I did.  As soon as I finished I went to collect my phone to get an update from her.  She had finished ahead of goal time and taken 1st in her age group!!  It was fun to talk to her as I drove home and hear her re-cap and share mine with her!  

It is so fun to reflect on the past few years and how triathlon has evolved into such a big part of our lives.  So many friends and such an awesome community that supports you every step of the way.  Onto the next event.  One Day...One Step!

IRONMAN Boulder 70.3 Race RE-CAP

After wavering  too long when entry was open to pull the trigger prior to the race selling out and trying in many ways to gain entry to IRONMAN 70.3 Boulder, on May 10, 2016 at 5 a.m. I opened my email and quickly showed it to Mike; I received news that I had been granted an awesome opportunity. Thanks to Braden and Alison Todd with Glassmith2 and an essay (of sorts) that I submitted, I was selected to receive an entry to the race.  On May 19, 2016 my entry was confirmed by IRONMAN and it was official.  I would be participating in the 70.3 in just 23 days!

The official news sparked a wave of emotions.  I was excited to return to the race that was my first 70.3.  A race that connected me with so many friends before, during and after - and provided so many new connections who have impacted my life and my journey in some way since.   The next emotion was fear - holy cow - I am doing a 70.3 in 23 days!  Do I have enough training?  Will I be ready? Do I have all of the gear that I need?  Will I be ready?  

I decided that I would embrace the opportunity and take it one day and one step at a time!  The coach in me said it will be a good opportunity to see where my training is and where I need to focus my attention moving forward to IRONMAN CHOO in September.  The coach in me also said there is not enough time to make adjustments to my training to impact race day so continue on the original plan and understand that there may be challenges as a result of where my training is right now.  

When race numbers were released I did not have a number and had been informed by Ashlie N. that I would receive my number at check-in due to my late entry.  Also learned that I would not be listed on any of the printed items as my entry was too late for printing cut-off.  Guess I save money on race day gear ;).  

I checked and re-checked my gear, my new TeamEdith(charity I am racing IM CHOO on behalf of Edith Sanford Foundation) kit arrived just in time, made sure my bike was set to go (thanks Grayson B.) and headed to Boulder on Friday around noon.  I stopped to pick up Susan M. (my race day support, hostess and dear friend) and we were off to athlete check-in.  We arrived to Boulder Res.  The temperature read 91 on my car.  Going to be a hot one.  We stopped along the way to the check-in tent to say hi and meet many friends.  At the athlete tent I proceeded to the AWA table and learned that I was number 2500.  In looking around I realized that 2500 was the last number - all of the lines ended at 2500.  Pretty exciting!  I gathered the rest of my items and attended the athlete briefing. I had the opportunity to meet Alison and Braden thanking them for the opportunity to be here and sharing my excitement for the race.  We then headed to drop my bike and scope out transition.  My rack was definitely buried in there and the path to the exit was a bit complicated.  Things to ponder.  

Once my bike was safely stored, we headed out.  Dripping sweat.  Time to continue to hydrate, take a break from the heat and rest up.  My hostess prepared an awesome pre-race meal and my electrolyte cocktail, we walked the dogs and headed to bed.  

I set my alarm for 3:30 but found myself awake before then.  Up and ready, first layer of sunscreen applied and we were out the door.  I was hopeful to get a parking spot close to transition so I could rest in my car for a while.  My hope was granted.  Directly next to transition - even with my bike and ability to be in and out of my car all morning.  When transition opened, I went in and got my things together.  I returned to my bike a few times to check and re-check, walked to the bike mount to determine my course, visited with several friends and then headed back to my car to wait for a bit.  

At 7:00 I put my wetsuit on gathered my breakfast, my water and headed to the swim beach.  Ran into many friends on the beach and enjoyed visiting as the race began.  I was wave 18 so had over an hour from race start until my start.  Fun to watch the race-day excitement.  

This year the race featured a new swim course, a new bike course, a new run course and a new transition location and set-up.  So apples to apples comparison from last year is a bit difficult.  Comparisons provided are from my three 70.3 races to date.  

SWIM:  1.2 Miles - 42:30 (70.3 PR (45:31, 56:00))

I headed into the water for the 8:15 start time.  Funny that I knew several people in the wave but didn’t see any of them as we prepared to start.  I positioned myself a bit differently than normal and decided to see how I would fare in the pack.  I was able to find space fairly quickly - there was some swimming and knocking but nothing too major.  I redirected my course a bit to swim around congestion but all in all was able to move forward with little issue.  As we rounded the first red buoy the course became a bit more congested.  There were different colored caps which meant that we had caught up to some of the groups in front as well as the fast swimmers from the wave behind coming through.  I continued to focus on a clear line of water and continued to press.  Overall swim felt great, a couple drinks of the lovely water as waves came through but no issues.  

T1:  6:53 (slowest T1 for me for 70.3 (5:07, 4:29))

I worked my way through the maze and arrived at my bike.  I struggled a bit to get the last bit of my wetsuit off and got ready for the ride.  I drank about a half bottle of water with electrolytes before heading out and stopped at the sunscreen station.  I headed up the hill to the mount line and was off.  

BIKE:  56 Miles - 2:59:49 (70.3 PR (3:05:49, 3:10:11))

The bike was fun!  Passed Kristina J. on the way out and received a big high 5.  It started out very fast and I was enjoying the speed.  There was some congestion and lots of positioning and passing in the first 18 miles.  I tried to focus on staying hydrated and eating so that I stayed on track for the day.  There was an accident on the course that happened practically right behind me about mile 8. I spent the next 32 miles contemplating what had happened.  I talked to a girl on the course who was there at the same time and we talked it through some.   Hoping the racer has a speedy recovery.  The back half of the course involved some new climbing - I don’t mind the climb but course became congested and that section of road was not closed so made passing difficult.  As we neared the end of the bike, the wind picked up and the heat was really starting to be a factor.  I had done my best to stay hydrated although did not eat as well as I’d hoped.  I had cooling sleeves on but was now struggling to keep them wet and cool.  I saw Susan as I approached transition and headed in to change.  

T2:  5:35 (6:33, 3:38)

I racked my bike, removed my bike gear.  Slipped on my running shoes.  Drank another bottle of water/electrolyte, grabbed my UCAN handheld bottle, stopped to be slathered in sunscreen and headed out.  I passed Joel Z as I was leaving and said a quick hi.  

RUN: 13.1 Miles - 2:40:28 (2:30:10, 2:50:58)

Fun to run through the athlete village looking for people that I knew.  Said hi to Braden and Alison as I passed the Glassmith2 tent and headed out through the field.  At that point I realized how hot I was.  I walked a bit and decided to walk to the first aid station at Mile 1.  At the aid station it was time to help my body with the heat.  This involved water over the head, on the cooling sleeves and ice down the shirt and shorts.  I drank some water and pressed on.  Each aid station looked pretty similar.  I stopped for a bathroom break at mile 3.  Fun to see Kristina J. out cheering on the course and grateful for all of the sprinklers that homeowners had along the way.  I did my best to get my UCAN bottle in before the halfway point knowing I was running directly passed my spot in transition and intending to drop the bottle.  I did grab a few sips of Coke on the course and an orange slice as I approached the halfway.  Coming back into the village I focused my attention on finding people that I knew again.   Suddenly I heard “Go Mom!”  I turned and saw Katelyn, Abby and Mike!  I had not expected to see them at the race and was so excited!  I said a quick hi and continued on - one more loop.  Passed Susan M. and Braden and Alison again.  The second loop was continued focus on hydration and cooling.  The storms started rolling in and I actually was chilled by the wind in a few places due to how wet I was!  I was running more than walking and moving along pretty well.  Talked to a few people along the way.  Saw Kristina and Carla T. in the crowd and made the final push for the finish.  I always get emotional as I approach and this time was no different.  Crossed and worked my way out to family and friends!

6:35:15 (6:33:10, 7:05:16)

Fun to share post race with Mike, Katelyn and Abby, Braden and Alison, Susan, Kitty, Michelle, Kathy and so many others.  We gathered my items from Transition and loaded up the car.  First stop Dunkin’ Donuts (no surprise for those that know me!).  Added benefit is Katelyn now has her permit so I had a driver to get me home!

Reflecting back, I am happy with my day.  I am grateful to my family that supports my adventures every day and so many friends and family both near and far embracing my journey.  I have talked it through with several people and am happy to see how much progress I have made in a year’s time.  Last year - the IM Boulder 70.3 was my “A” race.  All training focused on that.  This year my “A” race is IM CHOO in September.  With that in mind it was a good check to see where I am and where I need to focus my attention.  Bike - longest to date in training this season was 41 miles and not a tempo ride.  Definitely need to increase distance and focus on increased distance at speed.  Run - last 13.1 miles was part of my marathon in January.  Longer runs paired with continued skill runs moving forward. Swim - continue to press on - continue to focus on speed over increased distance.  I am lucky to have access to open water often and need to continue to take advantage of it.  And my transitions...hoping the two shorter distance races that I have in the next month will help to streamline that process.  One Day...One Step!

Spartan Up! Race Re-Cap.

This race re-cap encompasses a couple of events as well as the history leading up to the big weekend.  

After Coach Bob was invited by Clif to participate in the Spartan event in Tahoe in the fall, he returned to eNRG performance excited to share this great adventure with the members and coaches.  The email came out on October 25, 2015 with the subject “It’s Spartan Time.”  What did this mean for me - not one but two races spread over a weekend in May.  One Super distance with the coaches followed by the Sprint Distance the following day with the membership and teens.  It sounded like an exciting adventure and most of the members and coaches jumped on board.  On October 31st, I pulled the trigger and signed up for both races.  A pit in my stomach with the fear of the unknown.  Somehow, the IRONMAN that I committed to for September 2016 now seemed less intimidating as at least there I knew what to expect.  I added the Spartan Races to my TrainingPeaks account and the countdown to the race began.  It seemed a long way away.  

Fast forward a bit.  The eNRG fit classes (typically routine heavy lifting) slowly transformed into Ultimate eNRG with 8 minute challenges that pushed us to new limits and a new class called S.O.S.  (it stands for Strength, Obstacles and Speed - not HELP...by the way! - although there were plenty of times that we were crying for help!)  Push-Ups became the new normal and not just a few 100-250 in any given session and the burpee bell arrived and we burpee’d - a lot!  We carried buckets full of gravel and each other all over the grounds.  We bear crawled and crab walked.  We pushed and pulled and dragged and tugged and jumped and balanced.  We saw new levels of creativity out of Coach Bob and watched as we grew stronger day by day.

We were lucky to have the opportunity to participate in a local Spartan sponsored workout.  Spartan brings in SPX certified coaches, takes over a parking lot and puts on a 2 hour workout - yes we went the entire two hours - to help prep you for the big day.  Team eNRG arrived in force and pushed our way through.  Happy for all the craziness we had been through with Coach Bob as it was definitely challenging but we all walked away having completed it and feeling strong.

About two weeks out from race day, reality kicked in.  It’s here.  No turning back now.  The pit in my stomach grew bigger.   I had just finished reading Joe De Sena’s Book - Spartan Up! - where he discussed the full history of the race and the why.  It was an excellent book, by the way, and a great mindset check.  This Type A personality does not handle the fear of the unknown well and Spartan Feeds on that.  The course on Saturday would be somewhere between 8 and 10 miles and 20-29 obstacles.  Sunday was supposed to be in the range of 3-5 miles and 20-25 obstacles. My last 70.3 had course distance variations that were less than about 3% of the total distance and that made me crazy.  A two mile variance and 9 obstacles..really?!?   The next challenge was attempting to determine what to wear - things you didn’t care about destroying, that would not get caught on things, keep you warm, but not too hot and protect you from the “environmental conditions” as Coach Bob calls them.  

Race morning arrived.  The radio said it was 45 degrees and cloudy.  Not quite the 60-70s they had forecasted earlier in the week.  Coach Bob and I headed into the Chatfield Gravel Ponds in wetsuits and neoprene caps for a quick open water swim with the Teens before heading off to the race - a nice shock to the system (water temp - high 50’s, air low 40’s - awesome…) which I am sure somehow prepared us for the day ahead.   We headed off to Ft Carson about 10:00.  We arrived to wind and cold - I started contemplating if my final clothing choice had been the right one.  No time or alternatives now.  It’s race time.  We did some warm ups and headed to the start.  

The ritual of the start was really fun.  Climb the wall to get to the start line.  Being on a military base, they had Army toys at the start that they rev’d up and showed off.  The announcer told us about our journey ahead - had us chant our AROO’s three times, repeat that “I am a Spartan” and we were off.  

We headed out to the top of the Bluff.  The course started out with a steep downhill, followed by a steep uphill and another steep downhill.  Think we are going to learn these bluffs better than we know.  We were up and over the first wall with a quick team effort - burpee free and on our way.  We reached the sandbell carry.  Women’s bells in one tub, Men’s in the other.  It was light (thanks Coach Bob!) - carried it up and around the bluff, back down and dropped it off.  I was shocked to see people struggling as they worked through this obstacle as we had done this so many times it seemed like a gift.  Headed back to the bluffs still clear of burpees.  We continued to make forward progress for the most part running between obstacles.  The RuckSack Carry and Plate Drag were mastered and we headed back up the side of the bluff to the Ropes.  I didn’t make it - time for Burpees.  Quickly followed by another set in the multi-rig obstacle.  Happy to be out of that and headed back down the hill.  Thankfully my teammates were nice enough to share the love on the burpees.

Back in the bottom of the valley again - more walls to scale but we were getting pretty quick at those.  The atlas carry was definitely heavy but successfully mastered by all.  We headed to the bucket brigade.  The bucket filled past the holes and we were headed up and down a very steep hill.  People were slipping, buckets were dumping and it definitely presented a challenge.  My biggest fear was someone slipping above me coming down that would take us all out.  Definitely happy to be done with that.  Back up a steep section of the bluff and flattened out at the top with some distance to cover before the next obstacle.  

Now it was time for some new walls and cargo nets.  From high on the ridge you could see the barb wire crawl - holy cow it looked really long…  We kept working our way through.  A few hours in now, some of us started to have challenges with cramping.  The only nutrition offered on the course so far had been water.  Definitely not IRONMAN aid stations!  We pressed on - getting through nearly all of the obstacles burpee free.  We arrived at the barb wire crawl - and it was longer in person than it looked from above.  It had to have been at least halfway around a track with a small hill to get up and down in the middle.  I put my body down flat at one point and wondered if anyone would mind if I caught a quick nap.  Next stop, the mud…  I managed to lose my footing immediately and was all in.  Three pits and submerge under the wall.  Out the back side feeling like the muppets with all the mud stuck to my eyebrows.  

I missed the slippery wall climb so added some burpees for the crew.  Onto another wall and the spear throw - which came close but yet so far.  Finally up the last hill.  We were cold now from the mud and damp clothes.  I got to the A Frame Cargo and mindset said we’re done.  Scared of heights and not liking the looks of this one.  I told Jonathan that I was scared of heights and not thinking I could do it.  He stepped up and said we are going one step at a time together and that he would get me over.  And he did.  It was not nearly as bad as I had expected but I never would have tried without his encouragement.  Missed the monkey bars so a few final burpees before the five of us joined hands and jumped the fire to the finish.  - 3:45 - We were all freezing so we didn’t stick around long - ran to the car, changed clothes and headed home.

My Facebook post Saturday evening post race was this:

How we spent our day today! A new challenge, new learning and an awesome experience. #‎TeameNRG rocked it! Thanks for taking me out of my comfort zone again Coach Bob!!

Sunday morning arrived.  I was a bit bruised and battered from Saturday and definitely sunburned.  Overall, I felt ok.  Legs a bit stiff from scaling up and down the bluffs but felt pretty decent.  Not sure whose idea it was to do this two days in a row but we were off again.  It felt good to get moving.  

Abby Lynn raced the kids race when we arrived.  It was cold and windy and the kids course had the mud pit as the second obstacle so she had a big taste of the cold early on.  We saw her face as she slipped into the mud puddle and wondered if she would ever forgive us for signing her up.  She pressed on and made it through the whole course.  They scaled the bluffs up and down twice, had several walls, cargo nets, balancing, carrying and crawling obstacles.  She ran nearly the whole way between obstacles even with the rugged terrain.  A true Spartan to stick with it and a proud Mom to see her finish and push as hard as she did.  

Onto round two - the Sprint distance.  We had 20 people from eNRG - really fun to see the team come together.  We got everyone up and over the wall to the start and stood waiting as the announcer made the speech, we chanted our ARUUs and stated that  “I am a Spartan,” and we were off.  We had decided on groups for the most part before we took off.  I was with a group of 7 and we headed out.  

We practiced our ski turns as we worked our way down the first steep slope and many times again throughout the day.  It was helpful to have been through the course yesterday and I offered tips as we arrived at obstacles.  It was fun working our way down the hills where you couldn’t see everyone hearing the team call out “eNRG” - like Marco Polo.  We celebrated as we completed obstacles with “eNRG” and “burpee free!”  

The ropes was our first burpee encounter - Eric cleared the rope but the rest of us didn’t.  Let the burpees begin.  That was 180 there…  Onto the Rig - the staff was not allowing any assistance so add another 210.  Time to go back down the hill.  Never been so happy to take on a hill…  

We continued through the obstacles with great success and truly saw the strength of our team.  Our methods for getting over the walls improved to a science and teamwork was going in full force.  No slip and slides on the bucket carry - we were all doing great!  

We arrived at the barb wire crawl - sadly it did not get any shorter overnight.  I learned quickly that I had some bruises from Saturday and this must have been their origin so had to modify my technique some.  Once again pondered the nap but was too busy laughing at the conversations going on around me.  Some of the teammates opted to roll which ended in a problem a bit from the end.  We recovered from the delay with a nice wet bath in the mud pits and were on our way.  I nearly lost my contacts this time around and it was definitely hard to get out of the pit when you can’t see.  Not sure who pulled me out but definitely glad they did.  Those pictures from the professional photographer will be priceless.  More burpees with the slippery wall.  We headed to the 10 ft wall and had just about the whole crew over when Mike arrived - there to help us finish up!  

Burpees at the spear throw and then we headed up the hill.  The rest of the eNRG family was standing on top of the hill cheering down to us.  Great fun!  Everyone got up and over the cargo frame (some in similar minds as I was on Saturday but we all did it!!)  Onto the monkey bars which meant burpees.  As we finished up, Barb and I danced to the music of the DJ.  The announcer talked about the great attitudes of the final finishers still dancing and smiling at the finish.  

We joined hands, jumped the fire and celebrated our finish.  - 4:04. - We took our official finisher photos, grabbed our finisher shirts and scattered ways to get warm, dry clothes and head home.  

The seven of us stuck together all day.  We all faced challenging moments but everyone stayed positive and worked together the whole time.  It was an awesome display of friendship, teamwork and milestones.  

We all heard we were crazy to do this and maybe we are, but Team eNRG will return to Spartan - bigger, stronger and ready for the next obstacle!