Free Spartan Race Entry

I was the fat kid in middle school who wore a shirt in the pool to cover my man boobs and had love handles that could have been wrapped around into a custom flesh belt. I clearly remember an instance where I was sitting in math class and this chick, Lauren Cathers, poked my fat roll with a pencil from behind me during class, needless to say my Union Bay adjustable waist husky cargo sweat pants needed to be retired or burned. Being fat was counterproductive in my attempt to be cool in school, and definitely hindered any shot I had at a legitimate varsity high school sport, which surprisingly enough was still a goal I had since playing soccer from when I was 6. Ironically enough, playing fullback, because that’s the position the fat slow kids play. It wasn’t until I reached high school and found the sport of wrestling that changed who I was physically and mentally. The sport of wrestling teaches mental toughness, self discipline, importance of pain, strength conditioning, and hard work. I’d like to say the self discipline portion of it helped me shed the pounds, which technically it did, but the whole starving myself to make weight, coupled with the high intensity physical abuse, is really what created an overwhelming physical change. I wrestled 112 pounds as a senior in high school exuding confidence with a true understanding of what hard work was and what the fruits of your labor could produce. Also my senior year I ran cross country in the fall and track in the spring, prompting the start of a long love/ hate relationship with running, and the realization that even though I was once fat, deep down inside I had some talent for something. Upon graduating I decided to move from suburban Pennsylvania to Tampa, Florida. Paradise. I walked onto the University of Tampa cross country team and soon became a part of the “freshman 5”. The group of five freshman who pretty much ran the team, scoring at all the events for the university. I ran two years for the team before the fraternity world got the better of me and I traded in my spikes for a beer bong. I took a considerable amount of time off from running after college and focused on gaining size and getting my max bench up. After some dabbling with performance enhancing drugs and getting my bench to 365 and my body weight to 185, I realized the only people I was impressing were the juice monkeys in the gym grunting and throwing weights around the room in cutoff sweatshirts and spandex shorts tea bagging each other spotting themselves on flat bench. My physique looked like shit and my cardiovascular endurance I spent so much time building in college was totally non-existent. Then my old college roommate, Justin Ferrante, challenged me to a half marathon in Palm Beach. Over confident and under trained I got my ass kicked. However, the beating I received did motivate me to get back on the saddle and it has been a hell of a ride since. In my tenure I have done a tremendous amount of races with a wide range of events, distances, and terrain. I have met some pretty amazing people and have forged lifelong bonds. From 5k road races to obstacle races filled with barbwire and fire, marathons to Olympic distance triathlons I have pretty much done it all. However there are a few things on my bucket list I am still in the process of accomplishing. For instance a full Ironman, the Boston marathon, and the Death Race to name a few. December 29th I run the Jacksonville Marathon where I will qualify for Boston, which I will sign up for and race within the next 2 years (yes I am that confident). And although I am not sure when the Ironman will be, the precursor to the Death Race would have to be a Spartan Race. Which coincidentally enough will be showing up on my home turf on February 15th. Even though I have run 100’s of trail, obstacle, and adventure races in my lifetime a Spartan Race has eluded me. I was even signed up for one in Miami a couple years ago and couldn’t go because I got sick and I had just opened a gym at the time that didn’t afford me the ability to leave in its infancy. Needless to say I am more than pumped for my shot at competing with some of the best OCR racers in the world. To say that Spartan Race has a reputation in the community is an understatement. Any event or organization that people actually get tattooed on their body is pretty legit and with runners like Hobie Call, Miguel Medina, and Hunter Mcintyre within their ranks the race seems borderline mythical. And to add to its badassness as the preverbal cherry on top, it’s now affiliated with the special ops. Although it’s only a sprint, which the elite frontrunners will ensure the pace will stay, this race is slated to be one of the best of the year and probably one of the most exciting spectator events since the Buc’s started sucking and people started dying at monster truck shows. Spartan is really taking the spectator aspect to the next level and have become leaders in the new wave of OCR experiences. They have been able to garner big name sponsors and media attention worthy of professional sports teams and even have the world championships televised on NBC Sports. On December 7th, a date also synonymous with Pearl Harbor, the Spartan Race World Championship will be a battle for the ages and will bring the world of OCR racing right into the living rooms of America. This mainstream approach will ensure the legitimacy of the sport within the athletic community and allow those new to the concept to toy with the idea of one day stepping onto the battlefield and running in the footsteps of the elite athletes they just watched on TV. I know not only am I excited to run the event but I am also just as excited to toe up on the line with those elite athletes I train my ass off everyday aspiring to be like. In celebration for the viewing event and upcoming race liveintheskinny.com will be giving out several free race entries for the event in February. Each comment, like, subscription to our blog, and share on social media of this blog will put you into the running for the free entry. I look forward to standing on the start line, and looking over to see you right there waiting to kick some ass.

upcoming race schedule….kinda

Well after spending a half a day in 3 different email accounts, the MRF app, numerous fb pages, and active.com I think I have put together a pretty comprehensive list of what my next 6 months or so will look like as far as race schedule. I decided to post in the blog so you can always come back and reference this list, because if I make just one other persons life a little easier when finding an upcoming race they want to do my wasted afternoon would be that much more worth it………see ya thurrrr my people

Upcoming race schedule-
10/19/13 Spartan Challenge (University of Tampa)-5k
10/19/13 Savage Race-OCR
10/26/13 FL Roc (Flagler)-OCR
11/1/13 Richard’s Run for Life (Ybor City)-5k
11/9/13 Mile of Pain II (Winter Garden)-OCR
11/16/13 Superhero Scramble (Waldo)-OCR
11/17/13 Hog Wild Offroad ½ Marathon
11/28/13 Turkey Trot (Clearwater)-5k,10k
12/1/13 Santa Speedo Run (Ybor)-Fun Run (1pm)
12/7/13 Hog Wild Ugly Sweater Party
12/13/13 Masters of all Terrain (Central Florida)-OCR
12/21/13 Say NO to Drugs (Clearwater)-5k,10k
1/12/14 Kiwanis Adventure Run (Dunedin)-5k,5 mile
1/25/14 Armageddon Ambush (Hialeah)-OCR
1/29/14 Clearwater Marathon
2/1/14 Best Damn Race (Safety Harbor)-5k,10k,1/2 thon
2/2/14 Chilly Willy Duathlon (Ft. Desoto)-duathlon
2/15/14 Spartan Race (Tampa)-OCR
2/21-2/23/14 Gasparilla Race Weekend (Tampa)-5k,8k,15k,1/2 thon
3/1/14 Zombie Run 5k (St. Pete)-5k      
3/16/14 Citrus Trail 50k (Inverness)-50k 
3/29/14 Oldsmar Taphouse 5k (Oldsmar)-5k
4/12/14 Escapr From Fort Desoto Tri (Ft. Desoto)-sprint tri                                     4/26/14 Monster Challenge (Clermont)-OCR
5/10/14 Superhero Scramble (Clermont)-OCR

TBD Xtreme Nation
TBD Savage Race
TBD Atlas Race

No mas Tough Mudder

Why I will never do another Tough Mudder.  By Scoot “Caged Animal” Fountain

First of all, is Tough Mudder really that tough, or does the name itself portray some element of false advertising?  Tough is a relative term thought up by probably the most untough looking, soft handed, Harvard grad on earth.  And although most participants would probably agree that the race is probably the hardest thing they have ever done….you have to take into consideration most of who say this are pencil pushing, suit wearing, midlife crisis suffering dudes that feel the need to have a pissing contest around the water cooler from week to week in an attempt to obtain the coveted honor of coolest sheep in the office.  Nothing looks “cooler” in a Mercedes than a dude in a shirt and tie with an orange headband on advertising a race they probably gladly paid too much for.  So, let me digress, back to my original thought…..is Tough Mudder really that tough?  No! Grueling?  Maybe.  Mentally tough?  Really only when you’re trying to keep your mind busy while waiting in line for an obstacle for an hour.  What makes this Tough is the mileage.  Which, let’s face it, most people that run this race never actually adequately train for.  Making their lack of preparation the real tough part.  But hey, they do a good job at making it seem tough.  Aside from the obvious reference in the name, they make you sign a “death waiver”, mind fuck the shit out of you on the website, and make you sit in traffic for hours to even get to the event.  Then when you think it can’t get any tougher they bend you over and pull ten dollars out of your back pocket and point you to your parking spot, ashamed and beat down, unable to make eye contact with yourself in your rear view mirror. 

Secondly, it is an untimed event.  Some may argue it is the accomplishment in finishing the event, or the camaraderie involved in skipping through the finish line holding hands with your best friend.  I say, kudos to you Tough Mudder for opting out of the added expense of actually chip timing an event and making it competitive, so you can add additional zeros to your expanding bank account.  Thanks for taking advantage of a society where we award meritocracy with a medal and a headband, and a sense of accomplishment in nothing more that completing a task, like a million other people did.  But if getting awarded for simply accomplishing something you started is your thing, then by all means.  However I tend to try and push myself to my absolute limits to compete with my peers to take my game and theirs to the next level. 

And finally, I am all about being an entrepreneur and creating a successful business, but when the business becomes more than the concept of what you’re attempting to represent, then it becomes borderline irritating.  What I am saying is I have no problem paying for what I am getting and supporting business but the cost of an event should never surpass your overall experience.  In the afterglow of finishing the race and pounding beers with 100,000 of your closest friends, it is easy to overlook the fact the two beers in your hands cost more than your average 5k road race.  The “free” t-shirt and headband, which is probably made in some small, third world country by some 4 year old that would scoff at your concept of tough since working in a sweatshop chained to a table for the last 5 years, in reality cost closer to $200.  At the end of the day it is the cost of accomplishment that really sets the race apart.  If you’re advertising an untimed race to appeal to the everyday person looking to do something extraordinary and that is the product you’re pushing, why would you price yourself on the verge of excess, to simply take advantage of your consumer, driven by good intentions to try and better themselves.  Seems kind of asinine. 

In conclusion, I will never run another Tough Mudder for a plethora of reasons, mainly because I don’t want to support an event that doesn’t really care about the consumer that is driving the business forward.  In the past few years, obstacle racing has experienced a rate of growth that may be unprecedented in the history of participatory sports.  An estimated 1.5 million people will participate in hundreds of events this year around the country.  Rather than buy into the Wal-Mart of obstacle races support your local races and race directors.  Savage race is one of my favorites and has become increasingly competitive since the inaugural race.  Hog Wild always puts on a brutally satisfying race and one of the messiest on the circuit.  Monster Challenge is incredibly technical, has a great venue, and is very family friendly with one of the best kid’s courses I have ever seen.  From a spectators perspective Rock On Adventures was well worth the trip and one of the most interactive and engaging family events I have been too.  Beach Beast which is a breath of fresh air in a clustered mud race market, utilizing fun, beach locals for their events.   Superhero race which is always on the cutting edge of OCR racing, offering competitive, money waves and national venues, recruiting the best in the country to participate in their events.  And one day I hope to get down on a FL ROC race, their attention to detail, homemade awards, and love for the game make this race a something I am looking forward to in the near future.

Top ten skills an elite OCR racer should be able to perform and why it is relevant

Top ten skills an elite OCR racer should be able to perform and why it is relevant –
1. Box jump at least 36” – Many obstacles require the ability to jump, grab, and pull yourself up or hurdle over. A box jump works on explosive power giving a participant the added reach to grab something overhead or to maneuver over an obstacle on the ground. Runners often times encounter low walls that they need to explosively bound over and larger walls or bar sections they need to jump and grab for.
2. Swim a quarter of a mile without assistance – With race directors constantly looking to create tougher events, the concept of swimming in races has become more and more common. A swim mid race will make or break an elite athlete, and if someone isn’t prepared for it will often times cause a disqualification for the entire race if the obstacle isn’t completed. Plus what kind of elite obstacle racer can one be if they can’t complete a water obstacle without floaties.
3. Bear crawl 100 yards – The ability to bear crawl will shave important seconds off a race if used in the right context. Many times race directors will set up low lying obstacles (barbwire, rope, barriers, etc.) to slow down the forward momentum of a racer. These obstacles are rarely overly difficult but do require someone to slow down from a run to a crawl. And although some of these obstacles are low enough to require a full on army crawl, many are set high enough off the ground, to avoid injury to racers, to use the bear crawl method to maneuver under.
4. Perform 15 pullups without dropping off the bar – Not only are pullups the best upper body exercise someone can do, working the back and shoulders, but the ability to pull your body weight up is imperative to complete many obstacles including monkey bars and walls. It also builds necessary hand strength to call on to complete an obstacle when the lower body is fatigued. Plus it’s always a boost to walk away with a free towel from the army guys for banging out a solid 15.
5. Climb a 20 foot rope with no knots and a controlled decent – In almost every race there is some form of rope climb. Whether to traverse a half pipe and grab the coping or a straight vertical climb to an elevated platform it is important to be able to climb a rope to at least 20 feet and then lower yourself back down, if need be, in a controlled fashion. Nothing will slow down a competitor quicker than a gnarly rope burn at the beginning of a race if they can’t control their decent.
6. Perform 25 burpees in a row without stopping – With so many races out there now, race directors are constantly looking to set their event apart and bring in talent with the introduction of prize purses. Yet without penalties at obstacles it is difficult to keep all competitors on the same playing field. The solution; burpees. More and more directors are requiring a competitor that cannot complete an obstacle to perform a burpee penalty before attempting the obstacle again. For a person that isn’t well versed in burpees this can be the end of their race, and a loss of position in the standings. A competitor needs to have the ability to run to an obstacle, complete the obstacle, and then turn-over back into a stride to work their way to the next. And if that obstacle was not completed have the mental toughness and physical ability to complete the penalty as quickly as possible to maintain their position in the race.
7. Complete a 5k in under 20 minutes. – Let’s face it, the reason cross fitters are not good obstacle races is because this isn’t an event that is based entirely on upper body strength achieved from short high intensity workouts, the foundation of any OCR event is RUNNING. Without a solid background as a runner you won’t get far in a 6 – 12 mile race on your ability to do a 100 pushpresses in a minute. 3- 5 miles is a pretty standard distance and a sub 20 minute 5k is a good benchmark for someone trying to take it to the next level in OCR racing. BTW a sub 20 minute 5k requires someone to be able to run a 6.26 mile.
8. Hang on a bar for 2 minutes. – Like pull-ups, the ability to simply dead hang from a bar is one of the most important things for any OCR racer. Many times in races someone will encounter an obstacle that will require their upper body to complete. Although strong legs are hugely important in any event, having a conditioned upper body will give you an advantage not only completing the obstacle quicker and more efficiently but also giving you a short rest for your legs before the next run section, if you can count on the upper body for most of what is required to complete the obstacle. There will probably never be a obstacle that requires someone to hold a bar for 2 minutes but having the ability to do so will ensure that when you’re tired and beat up you can count on your upper body to not fail when it is needed most. This skill set is used in obstacles from zip lines to monkey bars, and is something that will undoubtedly be encountered multiple times in every race.
9. Carry 60 pounds for 100 yards – In almost every race I have ever run I have come across at least one section that requires a participant to pick up/ carry and run with/ and drop off an inanimate object. Whether it is a cinder block, tire, bucket, log, or sand bag the ability to run with a weighted object for a period of time is paramount in any race. You must be comfortable with loading the object on your shoulder and running with it from point A to point B as quickly as possible. When training for this, I would suggest running in sand. Not only is it less impact on the body and joints but it also provides an element of reality to your training since more often than not this portion of the race will be run on soft sand or even through waist deep water or mud. You always want to train for more than what you expect, so that when you’re there you already know you are capable of doing it.
10. Pull yourself up and over a 10 foot wall – The most tried and true obstacle at any race, the OG of obstacles if you will, is the wall. Every single race you will ever enter will have some sort of wall a participant must go up and over. And although you may not encounter many walls over 8 feet it is important to know how you will make it over one if you encounter one. The ability to traverse a wall is the culmination of many of the other previous skills that are brought together to complete a single obstacle. The beauty of this type of obstacle is that it requires both an explosive lower body and a strong upper body that must work together. And the decent is just as important as the ascent. Once over you must be able to control the “fall” and continue without injury to the next obstacle.