Tag Archives: Spartan Race

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.

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.

Today isn't one of my best days so far. Having given this journal too much thought, I found myself unable to sleep. I had grand plans of waking early to get some sprints in this morning. Instead, I crawled into bed around midnight and woke 10 minutes before work. Today will be an average day for me.

With only 123 days left until the Killington Ultra Beast, I decided to create a series of post detailing my preparedness plan, thoughts, and feelings. Although it may seem like 123 days is plenty of time to prepare, I feel like there is a lot of work to do in little time.

A few weeks ago, a bunch of us decided to run one of the hardest races that many of us have ever attempted, The Tri-State New Jersey Ultra Beast. That race truly did a number on some of us, especially me, my knees, and my feet. I decided to take the week after light and signed up for the Ohio Beast and Sprint races. I had done the Beast in 2014 (my third Spartan Race ever) and remember the course being... well... flat. I figured this would be a nice break from the grueling course we faced in NJ and would serve as a nice recovery run.

Spartan has been holding their races in the Tri-State area since I first learned of their series. Through these years, the Super had been the primary focus with a Beast thrown in the mix later. This year, things would be different. This year, New Jersey would host its first Ultra …

When I signed up for the NJ Ultra Beast, I didn't have any idea what I was in for. I mean, you hear about the mileage and the number of obstacles, but you really won't get it until you try it. Also, I joined the best Facebook group on the planet and talked with everyone I could, but having attempted the race, none of that matters. With that said, I learned some valuable lessons that I feel I should share with you.

If you had been sitting by and waiting for the email to come, wait no longer. The fine folks at Spartan have finally released the Athlete guide for the 2016 New Jersey Beast and Ultra Beast. A good majority of the information is standard fare, but the interesting bits are as follows.

The vertical cargo net is similar to the A-Frame obstacle. The idea here is to challenge someone's fear of height by climbing to the top via a cargo net, then transitioning to the opposite side of the obstacle for a decent. The transition is the most challenging part of this obstacle.

Without spending a lot of time on personal details, I am about to endeavor on my first Ultra Beast in the great state of NJ. There is a large community of UB veterans, such as our very own War Paint Waldo, and a slew of competent folks in the dedicated …