Badass Dash Las Vegas Race Recap

This past weekend I ran the Badass Dash for the first time at Sam Boyd Stadium. I ran 2 other Badass Dashes a few years ago, both were at Silverton Casino and they were lots, so I was looking forward to checking this race out. I ran with a team of 4 others, 2 girls and 2 boys, plus me! The Badass Dash is a 7K (4.4 mile) obstacle course adventure race.

We had a 9am start time and by then it was pretty warm outside and we were ready to get started. Unfortunately, they don’t stagger wave start times the way Spartan Races or larger marathon events do. So, there were hundreds of people lined up for the 9am start. They couldn’t let all hundreds of us go at the same time since that would cause major congestion on course, so they let us go about 50 at a time every 5 minutes. It worked out great because there was no bottlenecking at obstacles however we waiting in the sun for almost an hour and that was no fun. I would suggest they give us staggering or wave start times, so we don’t have to just wait in line for so long! That would help us prepare a lot better and we wouldn’t have to wait an hour in line!

The Badass Dash is not intended to be a super intense race like the Spartan Races or Tough Mudders. They are geared towards having fun and are a great introduction to obstacle course races. They have over 40 obstacles, from super easy to difficult, throughout the course which is nice! I felt like the walls were challenging but also achievable for most, so that was a big plus! Being in a stadium, I was totally expecting the stairs to be part of the race, and boy did I feel the burn on those! Once we got through the up and down of pretty much the entire stadium stairs + all the ones outside, they set up the last 10 or so obstacles in the middle of the field. I really thought that was pretty neat and totally different for me, since I haven’t ran a Spartan Stadium Sprint yet. Lastly, they cooled us off with a fun car wash/spider web obstacle before crossing the finish!

Once my team was finished, it was then time for the kiddos to race! They were running with their friends which made it super fun for them. Both Diego and Elysse did the 2K (1.2 mile) Kid Dash. Remember those killer stairs I mentioned? This was also part of their race and I am so proud that they pushed through on those! The rest of the kid obstacles were also all in the middle of the stadium. They did most of the same last 10+ obstacles we had during our race as well. All 4 of them finished strong and had a great time, even if they did complain a bit about the heat!

I would totally recommend this race if you’re new to obstacle course racing and even if you are an OCR junkie! It’s challenging and fun 🙂 Go out there and give it a try. You just might surprise yourself 🙂

Las Vegas Spartan Super | Race Recap

Spartan Races are some of my favorite races ever! I’ve done more Spartan Races than any other race, with a total of 9 races – 2 Beasts, 4 Supers, and 3 Sprints! I love the Spartan Races because although they are challenging and tough, there is a great spirit of camaraderie and fun too! And you can’t beat that feeling of accomplishment when you conquer obstacles you trained so hard for. Plus: free beer at the finish!

I hadn’t planned on running the Las Vegas Spartan Super this year because I’m a wimp. The race was scheduled to be at the same location as last year and the course was super sandy and I remember how much I did not enjoy trying to run 4 miles or so in sand. But, when a friend of a friend found out she couldn’t run it just 2 weeks before race day, I jumped on the opportunity to have her race deferred to me! I couldn’t resist. The 8 + miles wouldn’t be a problem because I’ve been training for the Zion Half Marathon coming up April 1st. The obstacles and sand however, were a whole other story! Although I knew I couldn’t get myself in top shape in just 2 weeks and I knew my upper body strength was nowhere it had been, I didn’t think it would be so hard. But, yikes did I struggle! It was especially sad to struggle on obstacles that I don’t normally struggle with. I had a lot of help from my teammates and fellow racer on course. Like I said, all that help and support from fellow Spartans is what makes me love this race series! My teammates and I finished strong and for 3 of the 5 of us, it was their first Spartan Race ever. Seeing my friend conquer obstacles she didn’t think she could was so awesome and really made that race special for me!

This race was such a wake up call for me. Like I said, I finished the race and I had a ton of fun running it but deep down I know I can perform better. So, what do you do when you don’t run your best race? You literally wash off the mud and sign up for another one! In my case, you sign up for the Spartan Beast + Sprint coming up in October in Big Bear Lake, CA and aim to get that Trifecta one more time. Let the training begin! AROO!

Have you ever ran a Spartan Race or OCR? What’s your favorite race series?

Spartan Race | Las Vegas Super 2016

Posing for the camera with a few of our Endure Boot Camp pals

Earlier this month, Jason and I completed the Las Vegas Spartan Super, which was actually in Mesquite, AZ about 1.5 hr outside of Vegas. This was my 6th Spartan Race and Jason’s comeback race. After breaking his ankle in the January 2015 Spartan Sprint in Temecula, he was off racing for the year. His plan was to run the Spartan Super last year to complete his first trifecta and he was super bummed about not being able to run it. So it made perfect sense for him to call this his “redemption” race. Not only was this his comeback Spartan Race, it was his first race since the accident.

We had a start time of 12:30pm, so we didn’t have to leave too early in the morning. My sister, nephew, and my nephew’s friend came to cheer us on and take photos along the way! Huge thanks for the pics!! Since we were both running, we decided to leave the kiddos at home with my parents this time. I’m glad we did since they would have been bored and whiny, especially the little one. It was pretty warm that afternoon and we didn’t see my family until we were almost done.

The first half of the course was pretty flat but super sandy (Get it, super sandy..) The second half was not as sandy but had us going up and down the side of this huge hill, that may as well have been a mountain about 3-4 times. Up and down we went. We had all the tried and true obstacles Spartan Race is known for. I knew that with all my marathon training, I’d not been focusing on upper body strength, so I fully expected to need lots of help over walls and monkey bars. Thanks to the hubs I made it over all the walls! I was so proud of him for getting over those walls without assistance, beast mode status! I will admit though, that I was a little nervous the entire time and probably asked 50 times if his ankle was ok or how his ankle was holding up.

It's always so much more fun going downhill than up! — It’s always so much more fun going downhill than up!

I always like to pretend I'm walking through a field of chocolate frosting during this part of the race. It's just the right consistency, but sadly, not quite the same smell!! — I always like to pretend I’m walking through a field of chocolate frosting during this part of the race. It’s just the right consistency, but sadly, not quite the same smell!!

After 8 miles and lots of obstacles later, we finally made it to the finish line. Our time was not fast, but we finished together with a few scrapes and bruises, but no broken bones! Success.

That kid up there is my 15 year old nephew who is gonna rock the Spartan Race when he runs his first race with, hopefully this year ;) — That kid up there is my 15 year old nephew who is gonna rock the Spartan Race when he runs his first race with, hopefully this year 😉

So have you ever ran a Spartan Race? Love it, hate it? What races do you have planned for this spring season? Can’t wait to read all about it.

2015 A Year in Review: Travels, Races, and Family Fun

With just a couple of days left in the year, I thought it would be fun to revisit 2015 today. The year started off rough and we had lots to deal with as it went on with Jason’s injury and following surgeries. There were days that we just could not see the light. But, we aren’t the type to let our lives be dictated by our circumstance. Sure, things were not ideal, but we knew they could be much worse. So, we made the best with what we had. We kept positive and moving forward with our lives.

Even with the ups and downs, we had such a full year. We got to travel to some fun places with our family and Jason and I even got away without the kiddos to San Francisco+Sonoma County. We took the kids camping in Utah for the first time. We spent a super fun weekend with our family in Huntington Beach, CA! The kids and I hiked to the Colorado River. We got to go boating in Lake Mead. I ran my first trail half marathon in Red Rock Canyon and my 3rd Tough Mudder. I won a free registration from Pace Per Mile to Walt Disney World’s Wine & Dine Half Marathon, so we all went to Florida for 8 days! The kiddos ran the Disney Kid 1 mile race. We visited all 4 Disney parks and visited with friends that are like family. I also ran the Disneyland Half Marathon to complete the Coast to Coast Challenge. I ran 3 Spartan races (2 with the hubs) and got my 2nd Trifecta. The kids ran the Spartan Kid race too. Lastly, I won another free registration to the Run Laughlin Half Marathon in December, which turned out to be a great race.

I’m looking forward to starting 2016 with new goals and plans. I’m looking forward to fun adventures with my family and taking on new challenges. But, for now, I’m happy to look back and reflect on all the good things that have taken place and not to dwell on what could have been or feel bad for the huge curve ball life threw our way. Today I choose to be grateful for all the wonderful things and places I’ve been. I’m grateful for my family’s constant support. I’m happy to be where I am in life. It may not be exactly where I want to be, but it is a lot closer than I was before. And for that, I am grateful.

What’s your favorite memory of 2015? Are you looking forward to 2016? What goals do you have for the new year?

Tough Mudder Las Vegas 2015 | Race Recap

Here I am, a little over a week after Tough Mudder and the scars are healing, bruises are starting to fade, and my face has already peeled from being sunburned. I guess you could say, recovery is going great 🙂

Tough Mudder was my first OCR (obstacle course race) in 2013 and it will always have a special place in my muddy heart! There was no Team Tough Cookies this year and neither Jason nor my sister could come to cheer me on because they both had to work that day. I jokingly told Jason, you know you’ve done too many races when no one comes to cheer you on 😦 But, it seriously turned out to be a great race and I had a blast! I teamed up with Britt, who I met at boot camp. This was her first Tough Mudder and she was really excited about it and had trained hard for it. Come Saturday morning, we were ready to take on the course and just have a good time. When we got to the race, we met up with my pal, Eve, and she ended up running the course with us too! Our other friend, Kelly, was there supporting another team but she cheered us on too and took photos for us along the course, which was a really nice surprise.

Tough Mudder promised there would be mud in Las Vegas and they did not disappoint. There was tons of mud! It was that creamy, soft mud that looks like pudding or frosting! At least, that’s what it LOOKS like, but don’t be fooled because once you’re all up in it, it does NOT smell or taste like chocolate frosting at all! Take my word for it 😉

It took us about 3 hours to complete the 10 miles and 20 obstacles. We were in the 3rd group to go out so the course wasn’t crowded and we didn’t have any real bottlenecking at the obstacles which was great! My teammates and I were determined to try every obstacle and we all gave it our best. I failed at only 2 obstacles, the Funky Monkey and King of Swingers. Honestly, those are 2 I didn’t really try. I knew I wouldn’t make it far on the monkey bars, I mean, someone had to give me a boost up just to reach the first bar! I felt bad for not trying and seriously was ready to do my 30 penalty burpees, then remembered this was Tough Mudder not Spartan Race, so I moved on. For King of the Swingers, I actually did climb up to the platform but I just couldn’t get over my fear of heights this time. There was no one there to push me over the edge, so once Britt jumped I just climbed back down in shame 😦 Maybe next year….

Most of the obstacles had been redesigned and were a lot harder than previous years. It took me 3 or 4 tries to run up Everest 2.0 with its higher, curved edge, but I was not going to give up! It felt so awesome when I ran up and finally made it on my last try! I think having to slide into Arctic Enema 2.0 made it easier to just get it done and over with but it felt colder to me than the previous years. Maybe they had recently added more ice? I don’t know, but it took me a long time to get my toes to move again…YIKES!

So, as a Legionnaire, meaning I’ve done another Tough Mudder before, I didn’t have to do Electroshock Therapy again. But, like I said, this was Britt’s first Tough Mudder and I didn’t want her to have to go through that alone. So, I sucked it up and we went through it together. It was just as awful as I remembered from 2 years ago. The pain is real. I’d say it is maybe similar to being shocked with an electric socket or like when you rub your feet on carpet then have to touch a metal door knob, but times 1000! The shock goes through your entire body and just knocks you down and paralyzes you for a few seconds. It doesn’t last long, but just seeing those wires hanging in front of you and knowing what’s coming really did paralyze me out of fear!

But, the feeling of accomplishment after you conquer those obstacles is indescribable and it makes you forget the pain or at least makes the pain worth it in the end! Tough Mudder is all about team work. Their obstacles are designed to be tackled together and I’m so grateful to my teammates, Britt & Eve, for their help getting though some of those obstacles. Thanks for the boosts up those Berlin Walls, the pushes over that crazy mystery obstacle with it’s revolving cubes, and thanks for all the encouragement throughout the course! I’m so proud to have you ladies as teammates and friends. Ya’ll rock! XO

Have you ran a Tough Mudder before or another obstacle course race? Love it? Hate it? Tell me all about it in the comments below! I love to hear other people’s stories! XO

Spartan Race | #WhyIRace

Spartan Race started a new campaign recently asking folks to share their story. Everyone has a story as to why they race. Below is my reason. I race for many reasons. I race to keep myself motivated in my fitness journey. I race to be a good role model for my kiddos. I race to push myself beyond my comfort zone. I race for those who can’t. I race to prove that I can. I race because it’s fun. But, mostly to be stronger than I was before.

I’ve never been athletic. Running was not something I did for fun. Running wasn’t something I did. Period. Finding this new passion in running and obstacle course racing has been an amazing addition to my life! It’s woken up a spark in me to be stronger, healthier, and better than I was before.

What’s your story? Why do you race? Share your story HERE!

Las Vegas Spartan Super | Trifecta Tribe 2015

Woohoo!!! Saturday I completed my Spartan Trifecta for 2015 by finishing the Las Vegas Spartan Super. The Trifecta is simply earned by completing each of the Spartan Race distances, the Sprint (3-5 miles | 20-23 obstacles), Super (8-10 miles | 24-29 obstacles), and Beast (12-14 miles | 30-35 obstacles) in one calendar year. Gotta say it felt great to walk around afterwards with my 3 medals just clinking away!

On Friday afternoon I picked up a teammate from TeamGrinderGlam from the airport who flew in from Austin, TX to run the Super with us! We then drove over to Red Rock Canyon and met up with another teammate who had flown in from NY earlier in the week. It was the first time we all met in person and it was like we were instant friends, no longer just “instagram” friends 😉 We had a blast hiking, climbing the rocks, and taking lots of selfies at Red Rock before it was time to meet up with the rest of TeamGrinderGlam for dinner at Bucca Di Beppo on Friday night to carb up! It was a fun evening with yummy food, drinks, lots of laughs, and conversation.

Saturday morning came way too soon, but I had no problem waking up and getting ready! I was full of nervous energy! The venue was about 45 minutes outside of Las Vegas, almost at the California stateline in Jean, NV. There was no on-site parking, so we had to park across the Gold Strike Casino Hotel and then be bussed to the actual location. The lines were long but they moved quickly and the buses were constantly coming and going. Once we got to the venue, it was crowded. I’d already signed my waivers, so I went straight to my packet pickup line. It was a long line and it moved slowly, but we arrived early and had plenty of time to grab my packet, get the kids race packets too, put our bags away, and chill for a bit before our start time.

In my opinion the course was way better than last year’s Spartan Super here in Vegas. Aside from the first hilly incline and one other steep mountain side at the beginning of the race, the course was pretty flat and rocky. I was so grateful for all the trail running I’ve been doing because that rocky, uneven terrain is what I’m used to running on. The obstacles were the same Spartan obstacles I know and love! I felt really good out there on the course and got through most of the obstacles on my own and with a helpful boost over those high walls! My calf cramped up on one of the first walls, which was not fun but after some mustard and a bit of stretching it, I was good to go. I didn’t try the rope climb or multi rig obstacles and I failed at the elevated spear throw. Out of principle, I didn’t even attempt the tarzan swing. I mean, when your hubby breaks his ankle on that thing, I think it’s ok to skip it 😉 My goal for the next one is to train and practice a lot on the rope climb and face that fear and work on getting over those walls without help!

The kiddos ran their races while I was still on the course, so I didn’t get to see them run their Kid Spartan races. I was kinda bummed about that, but it was awesome to hear the excitement in their voices as they told me all about it. I could tell they were proud of themselves for doing it and of course, I was proud of them too! They rocked that kids’ course and they’re already asking when they’ll do the next one.

Huge shout out and thank you to my hubby! The guy woke up early to drive us to out there, stayed and entertained the kids while I ran the race, took pictures of the kids racing, and of me and the team. He even too pictures of my sister officiating the Spartan Wedding!!! Yes, a couple got married after running Spartan and my sister, who is a part-time officiant for Peachy Keen Unions, got to officiate the ceremony. It was pretty cool and yea, my husband did all of this with his foot in a boot because his ankle is still healing from being broken in January. Yup, the man is a trooper and I love him.

I just can’t explain how awesome it feels to run out there, face your fears, and get over those obstacles. Seriously, if you’ve never done a Spartan Race or any kind of obstacle course race, I suggest you give it a try! You may surprise yourself and love it, just like I did! xo