With each race series jockeying for the podium, the racers find themselves with more options than ever. OCR has grown into a multi-billion dollar sport and finding a race near you becomes easier each year. Network Television has been booming with OCR coverage and Tough Mudder has announced that they will follow suit. TM will introduce a new race series as well as a broadcast event dubbed Toughest Mudder.

Over the last few years, I have grown quite comfortable with the Spartan Race obstacles. I can tackle most of them without issue. There are the few like the rig, the spear throw, and the Z-wall that usually have me doing burpees. Sometimes it is because of environmental issues (mud), sometimes it is because of grip strength, and sometimes it is just because the Spartan gods have a great sense of humor. In an effort to stay fresh and learn something new, I wanted to see what the Spartan Obstacle Specialist course was all about, and if the money spent on it would be worth the time and the effort.

There is one thing I love to do more on the course than running; it is talking to people. When I run with a group, we tackle the open heat; it is just more fun. I get the great privilege of talking with people on the course; and for many of them, it is usually their first or second Spartan Race. If there is one thing I can take away from most of these discussions, it is that people had little to no guidance before race day.

It seems like there are too many of us dedicated to just one race series. Think about it, imagine eating vanilla ice cream your entire life but always hearing about how awesome chocolate was, and never trying it. That is what OCR seems like. Many of us know there are other races out there, what we don't know is that we just might like them. Some of us that run with the big boys (Spartan, Tough Mudder, etc) have a tendency to forget that there are plenty of other fish in this pond. Unfortunately, many of the smaller organizers don't have the capital or resources to put together 60+ events all over the country or spend a million dollars a month in advertising; if you happen to hear that they are coming to your town, you may want to seriously consider trying them out. Get your spoon out of the vanilla, and think about the chocolate...

To be completely honest with you, I had been pretty siloed in OCR over the last few years. It wasn't until OCRAddict popped up that I was interested in anything other than Spartan Races; it was like wearing blinders the whole time. There had been the occasional hankering to try a Tough Mudder, just for comparison, but outside of that, there wasn't much interest. Recently, when the opportunity to run a Savage Race came along, I couldn't resist. I had to see what else was out there.

Here we are, 14 weeks from Killington and starting a critical turning point in training. This week would be a standard week, but the plans for next week have started already. For the most part, things would remain normal this week, with the addition of a trail run to get some technical terrain under my feet. After all, road running doesn't do much for stressing the ankles. The end of the week will have me at Tuxedo, NY for the Spartan Sprint, no weight training this weekend.

Getting a late start on this week's countdown. The week was action packed with me getting back on the horse. I ramped up the activities a bit during the week in preparation for my first ever Hurricane Heat in Barre, MA (HH-088). Running has become far easier than it has been over the last few weeks, it seems my body is starting to heal a bit.

If you are a fan of the products from Clif Bar, you may need to check your inventory. Many an OCRAddict have become fond of Clif Bar over the years, as they were offered as a finisher's snack at popular organizer events like the famed Spartan Race. Unfortunately, there has been a voluntary recall of three different flavors of Clif products due to a potential Listeria moncytogenes contamination. Here are the details of the recall.

Having completed many Spartan races, things need a little spice once in a while. After completing my first Ultra Beast in the Great Garden State, I noticed that my piece of the pie looked a bit lonely. A black wedge just doesn't look right amongst the blues, reds, and greens of the Spartan World. I decided to start the journey to completing the proper Endurance Trifecta. With that in mind, I signed up for the Boston Hurricane Heat HH-088. Having never done a Hurricane Heat, I went into the event with little knowledge. Here is what I learned.