Why triathletes should do obstacle course runs like the Spartan Race
Triathlons are about the “known” and certain. You know the order of each leg of the race – swim then bike then run (with a few exceptions). You know the distances of each leg. You can preview the course ahead of time and there are volunteers to tell you where to go on race day. You swim in a lake or pool, bike on pavement and run on a reasonably flat and straight course (for the most part). Triathletes are notorious for being creatures of habit and rigid in their training (I know – I’ve been once since 1995). Obstacle course runs like Spartan Race are about...
Read MoreAre you unbreakable? Experience a Spartan Race (twice) in pictures
“Am I unbreakable?” I’m curious to know the answer to this question. I’ve beaten cancer, graduated from the Naval Academy and completed 28 Ironman triathlons, but the Super Spartan Race in Temecula, CA on January 28 and 29 was my first…and second…Spartan Race obstacle course run. After more than 15 years of doing predictable triathlon sequence of swim/bike/run, I find it appealing to start an event like Spartan Race without quite knowing anything about the course other than it’s about 9 miles long, hilly and filled with 25 obstacles that involve...
Read MoreHappy New Year! New me. New you. Start habits not resolutions.
“No one wants to start the New Year and get worse during the year,” said my yoga instructor, Carmen, last week. I agree. We all want to get “better” at some level – at least it would seem that way with all the New Year’s resolutions to: Lose weight Get fit Eat right etc. The sad truth is that most resolutions are doomed to fail - as many as 90% fail if you believe some of the published statistics. Why do they fail? Maybe they’re too broad, too big, too undefined, too drastic. Resolutions can fail for any number of reasons. So rather than set a...
Read MoreHow to survive low moments in an Ironman, other triathlons or life in general
“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.” ~ Viktor Frankl, author of Man’s Search for Meaning ~ “Low moments” in a race — especially an Ironman triathlon with its 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike and 26.2-mile run — and in life are inevitable. So how do you get through them? Attach “meaning” to your race (and this applies to the rest of your life, too). In other words, ask yourself the hard question:...
Read MoreTraining for Rugged Maniac and other obstacle course run races
Looking for something a little different than the swim, bike and run of a triathlon, a few friends and I signed up for a Rugged Maniac race in Lake, CO in October. I had a lot of fun! Rugged Maniac is a 5km obstacle run race “designed by Navy SEALs” and is one of several new obstacle course events like Tough Mudder, Spartan Race and Warrior Dash that are sprouting up all over the U.S. A recent article for Outside Magazine states that last year as many as a million people ran obstacle races in the U.S. last year. So…what exactly is an “obstacle course...
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