So we line up on race day and I am nursing a tender hip flexor that only gets more painful as I run and foot pain that was ridiculously bad, even just walking up to the start. Luckily, Nana was so awesome and walked/limped along with me for the whole thing and didn't even fuss when I complained. They have a pretty inspirational speaker at the start and I got all pumped up in the corral, getting excited to have some fun. We take off and I realize that I was running well early, but the pain was not going to let me run the entire thing. I got cranky about this later because this is a RUNNERS course. Yes, it's hilly - but the terrain is so easy to run that I know I could have really killed that thing if I had been healthy. I tried to just let it go though, and enjoy the race I was running that day.
So fresh and so clean...
The obstacles early on were stretched out pretty far. I felt like we ran a good 1/2 mile between the first few, which felt like a pretty good distance. We hit a mud crawl first, followed by the inverted walls and then I think the ice bath was next. Again, it felt like we ran a LOT before we got to that 3rd obstacle. We still haven't figured out why there were beer bottles in the ice water?
Then we hit a lot of the standards - water crossings, monkey bars. climb over barrels in water, walls, couple of steep inclines that required climbing, nothing too crazy, we were having a really good time. We ended up running a lot of the race with a couple of guys from Arkansas that helped us over some of the walls and stuff, which was awesome. Then we hit the Miles of Mud obstacle, which was HILARIOUS.
It was basically 8 trenches full of water and mud and dug in a way that made it virtually IMPOSSIBLE to climb from one to the next on your own. So we were basically like this big chain gang of people pulling and pushing to get through it. I would boost a few people, then they would help pull me over while someone else boosted me, then I would stay and pull a few people - repeat 8 times. This seems like it's all about the mud, but this WORE US OUT. We were both ready to lay down after what felt like an HOUR in those trenches. The side effect was that we were head to toe covered in mud. Another funny part of this type of obstacle is that you get pretty up close and personal with strangers - all that pushing, pulling and mud leads to some accidental feels, for sure. It was really fun, though - we were laughing about it for a while.
Not too long after that was Walk the Plank, which gives you a chance to clean off - it's a big climb to a platform and then a long jump into water. I did this at Savage Race for the first time and because of my fear of heights, it's always a little tricky. I used my tried and true technique, which is...don't look, just jump. The water felt great and did help clean us off a little bit - but not much. Up next was one of TM's signature obstacles, Everest. This is a large warped wall with no ropes that is difficult to get up without a little help. There were people up at the top and if you could get their hands on your jump, they would do everything they could to pull you up and over. Bless their hearts, I can't even imagine what their arms looked like after that day. It took me 2 tries - the first time I didn't see a big hole in my path, which slowed me down too much for the jump.
At this point, we knew we were getting close to the end. Final mile count on this one was a little over 10, I believe. It was awesome because it was the furthest Nana had ever run/walked - believe me, we were walking a lot at the end. My foot started to feel better, but my hip flexor was on FIRE. I tried to jog a little, but I was overcompensating too much and didn't want to hurt something else. Nana was great though, and just hobbled along with me. I was so grateful. We were coming up back toward the festival and the last obstacle, which is Electroshock Therapy.
Here's the thing. I don't get the point of this obstacle. It seems like it's just there to inflict pain, which isn't really why I run these type of races. I've done some shock obstacles before, but nothing like this. It's a bunch of wires hanging from a wooden frame with water trenches underneath - water? really? - and the goal is to RUN THROUGH AS FAST AS YOU CAN. But you see, there are these trenches! I mean, come on. You can skip it if you want, and I thought about it, especially after watching a big 250 lb dude run through and get knocked on his ass. I decided to go for it and a big group of us just took off. I slipped in a trench about 2 rows from the finish and took a jolt right to the face. It felt like I got punched in the face. Seriously. I hit the ground with my head and rolled off to the side, out of the wires. Someone came over and was asking me if I needed medical, which I didn't, but I was trying really hard not to cry. It felt like my face was on fire and my mouth was bleeding. I finally got up and walked to the finish line to get that damn headband. I am not sure if I'll do TM again - but if I do, I will skip that effing "obstacle". I managed a smile for the finish pic.
I'm orange because I just went face first into a mud trench.
Final thoughts on TM: I still prefer Spartan Races. I had a good time, they definitely get points for organization, medial assistance/flagging, nutrition/water stops and swag, but there's something not quite there for me that I get at Spartan Races. Not to mention, that I don't like that TM talks smack about Spartan and other races - literally, there are signs on the course that talk smack. Something about sportsmanship that I prefer. I might do another one. I will say that if there are beginners out there that want to try a longer distance but aren't ready to commit to Spartan, this is a good place to see how you feel about the distance. The noncompetitive nature of TM is something that would appeal to some people that I know, for sure. I think that if I had friends sign up to try it, I would go out and do it with them for fun. I will NOT do the shock therapy again. Ever.
The other awesome thing that came out of TM? Nana liked it so much, she decided to sign up and do the Spartan Beast with me a month later....speaking of, that race review will be next!
No comments:
Post a Comment