Gearing up for Tough Mudder Las Vegas | Tough Cookies 2.0

Here I go again…getting that same nervous, anxious energy I felt before the Spartan Super earlier this month. This time, I’m gearing up for my second Tough Mudder event coming up on Sunday! If you are new to the blog, you may not know how Tough Mudder changed my life, but it really did. I won’t bore those how already know the story, but you can read my thoughts on Tough Mudder HERE and HERE!

I've been having a real hard time practicing this obstacle at Camp Rhino. Not sure what my problem is,but I know it's all in my head. I start running towards the ramp and then stop myself halfway. It's really annoying! I did it before, I can do it again and this photo proves it! I will get up Everest again. — I’ve been having a real hard time practicing this obstacle at Camp Rhino. Not sure what my problem is,but I know it’s all in my head. I start running towards the ramp and then stop myself halfway. It’s really annoying! I did it before, I can do it again and this photo proves it! I will get up Everest again.

I’m excited to be taking on my second Tough Mudder with 2 really good friends of ours! Last year, our friend Veronica couldn’t do it since she’d just had a baby a month before, but we convinced her hubby, Ernie, to join our team. This year, Veronica is joining team Tough Cookies and the 4 of us are ready to take on the 10+ mile course full of crazy obstacles that will really test our stamina and mental grit! We’ve been training at Camp Rhino and it’s been very helpful to give the obstacles a try. We’ve been calling our training sessions “double dates”! Yea, that’s how we roll! I encourage you to find an obstacle training gym/facility in your own city and if you’re from Vegas, you gotta check out Camp Rhino!

New obstacle - Fire in Your Hole. Like Wet N Wild, but with fire &muddy water at the bottom! — New obstacle – Fire in Your Hole. Like Wet N Wild, but with fire &muddy water at the bottom!

I’m so happy we don’t have a 2.5 hour drive this year to get to the event, since it’s being held at Lake Las Vegas, just 30 minutes away. I’m also anxious to try out the brand new Legionnaire Loop, which is only open to repeat Mudders and has some pretty challenging & fun looking obstacles. My sister will be coming along is the official Tough Cookies photographer and her hubby will be a spectator too! This is the first time he’s gone to any one of our crazy obstacle races, so it’s gonna be a real treat for him & hey, maybe he’ll even join us for the next one (Javier, are you reading this?!)

It’s really going to be fun having them encouraging us along the course! I just hope they’re nice to us for the Family Feud obstacle 😉

Getting knocked down by spectators during the Family Feud obstacle. This actually looks like fun!

Let’s do this!! Hoorah!!

Spartan Super Las Vegas | Race 4 of 14 for 2014

I did it!! I completed my first Spartan Race and I must say, it went better than expected. I completed the Spartan Super in Las Vegas. I don’t want to do a long recap of each obstacle but I will say that I totally missed the Spear Throw, Traverse Wall (my foot cramped), and Rope Climb (honestly, I didn’t try hard with this one because sadly I made up my mind that I couldn’t do it). I also had some help with the monkey bars, bucket brigade, tire pull and of course, getting over those 8 ft walls! I’m super proud I was able to do the Hercules Hoist, Tire Flip, and well, basically just get through the whole thing. I’m wearing my bruises with pride 😉 I’m also super proud of my little guy. He did the Spartan Jr. He’d been running and “training” for his race too and seeing him so happy complete his 1 mile race and get his medal was just awesome!

I had a great team of guys and I will admit, being the only girl on the team, I was a bit nervous that I’d either slow them down or that they’d leave me behind. I’m glad to say that neither of those things happened. They helped me with obstacles when needed, we encouraged each other, and stayed together as a team. AROO!!!

Huge thanks to our support team who kept up on the spectator course to make sure we had enough water, coconut water, and even snacks!! Special thanks to my hubby for taking pictures throughout the course & my sister who always supports me in all I do! I love you so much xoxox

The final obstacle - Fire Jump! Then free beer :) — The final obstacle – Fire Jump! Then free beer 🙂

I got done just in time to go see my son do his Jr. Spartan Race! So excited and proud of him!

I am quite tempted to go for the Trifecta, complete the 3 Spartan Races in one year – Sprint, Super, and Beast! I signed up for the Spartan Sprint in Southern California this September, but logistically speaking I don’t think I”ll be able to make it to one of the Beast events..we’ll see 😉 I’m really excited for the Sprint in Temecula, not only because it’s wine country, but because my hubby will be joining me on this one and the wives of 2 of my teammates will be joining us too! I’m calling it the Couples Spartan Retreat 😉

My Thoughts Before Spartan Super Las Vegas…

What did I get myself into!!! I’m really excited to be running the Spartan Super tomorrow in Las Vegas, especially more so since I won the entry via the awesome Confessions of a City Eater blog! With the excitement however, comes major knots in my stomach and feelings of doubt and nervousness. I’ve been training hard, but of course, I could always train harder. There are some obstacles that down right scare me and I really hope my team doesn’t leave me in the dust! Today is not the day for self doubt, however. Today is the day to get pumped up and ready to give it my all tomorrow. I’m putting my big girl panties on, along with my mega cool funky leggings my sister found for me at Khols. OH YEAH! You won’t miss me on the course with those cool things! I’m geared and ready to have a good time. Tonight, I’m gonna carb up with a nice big plate of pasta (not Paleo, it’s ok, I’m not 100% all the time). I’ll also be taking my own advice from my post, 7 Tips for Conquering Your Next Obstacle Course Race, and packing all the essentials! Here’s a bit of what I’ve got to look forward to tomorrow! AROO!!!

7 Tips for Conquering your next Obstacle Course Race

I’m 10 days away from my first Spartan race! I’m doing the Super Spartan on April 5th and I’m super nervous and excited. I’ve also got my second Tough Mudder on April 27th. I’ve been training hard with my trainer twice a week and getting my Pure Intensity Training classes at the gym too. I’ve even taken it up a notch by joining Camp Rhino. This place is pretty cool and I should do a full blog post about it soon, but for now, just know that it’s an obstacle training facility that offers a ton of training classes, drop-ins, and a ton more!! So, do I feel prepared? Of course not! Not sure I will ever feel prepared before any obstacle race. But, they really do push your limits and get you out of your comfort zone. The feeling of accomplishment afterwards is surreal!
Anyhow, today I want to share with you a few tips that will help you be ready come race day.

1. Don’t wear cotton. I’ve said this before and I will say it again! Don’t wear cotton!! It drags, it stays wet, and drags you down. Stick to dry wicking fabrics. This includes everything from socks and underwear too, not just your shirt and pants! Trust me 😉

2. Ladies, invest in a good maximum support sports bra with light padding. You’ll be wet pretty much the entire time during the race, you don’t want your girls exposed 😉

3. Wear long pants. I made the mistake of wearing compression shorts for the Badass Dash and let me tell ya, never again! My knees and legs were so messed up from crawling under barbed wire and banged up and burned from climbing walls and ropes. Protect your legs and wear long form fitting pants that won’t drag when they’re wet!

4. Tie your sneakers tight. You’ll be running in and out of water and mud and want to make sure you don’t leave your sneakers behind!

5. A change of clothes & deodorant. You’ll be muddy, wet, and gross. The last thing you want is to get in your car back home or to eat afterwards in that. Most races should have a shower and/or changing area so bring a towel. Clean, dry clothes will feel amazing after being in wet cold clothes! Don’t forget a clean pair of shoes too! Flip flops work great 🙂

6. Garbage bag. You’ll need a place to throw in those dirty wet clothes you just got out of 🙂

7. Have fun and take pictures! Obstacle course races are designed to test your physical and mental limits. They’re tough, but also a lot of fun and you’ll want to snap a few before and after shots 🙂

xo,

Jessie

Training for Obstacle Course Races

I will begin this post by clearly stating that I am no expert on obstacle course races (OCR), nor am I a personal trainer! I’m just an average girl who really loves to push her limits and see what she can do. Last year, I did 3 OCR, including Tough Mudder and this year I’m signed up for Tough Mudder again and Super Spartan. I will probably add a few smaller ones too by the end of the year….what can I say, I really do love OCR!

So that being said, I thought I’d share with you a few tips that helped me complete (read: SURVIVE) Tough Mudder last year and what I plan to do in these next 2 months leading to my obstacle course races in April.

Eat Clean! They say a good workout can’t out-exercise a bad diet and I really believe this. I’ve noticed that when I allow myself a lot of “cheat meals” my workouts suffer. I’m more sluggish and slow and of course, I don’t see the results I want. So, eating clean in the month(s) leading up to your OCR will help you get lean & strong!
Focus on Building Upper Body Strength! This was huge for me. Most of us ladies tend to have weaker upper body strength and a lot, if not most, of the obstacles you’ll encounter will require strong arms. Army man crawling, pulling yourself up walls & ropes, monkey bars, etc.. these all require strong upper body strength. Find a workout that is best for you and work on getting those muscles! Push ups, tricep dips, and pull ups (Disclaimer: I have yet to master 1 pull up. It’s on my to-do list!)
Run! You’re not training for a marathon, but you should be able to run at least 3 miles nonstop. Work on sprints and hills to really get those legs ready for the 10 + mile course.
Interval Training! You’ll be doing all sorts of things on an OCR from jumping over fire, crawling under barbed wire, and balancing on boards. You’ll have to build up your endurance and agility. Tabata, HIIT, Boot Camps, these are all great examples of high intensity training. Get lots of lunges, high knees, mountain climbers, and frog hops done!
Burpees! I don’t know anyone who loves a burpee, but everyone agrees they get the job done. And if you’re planning on doing a Spartan race, just know that the penalty for not completing an obstacle is 30 burpees..Yikes!!
Stretch! Don’t forget to stretch after your runs and workouts! This will aid in recovery, flexibility, and help prevent injury!

Also, do some research and check out what you’re up against. Go to YouTube and look for videos of the OCR you’ll be doing, specifically in your city. This will help you visualize what you’re going to be facing and get you pumped up! Tough Mudder has this great Boot Camp Training on their website where you can build your own workout circuit based on your fitness level and it’s designed to get you through their toughest obstacles! I’d also recommend checking out a training facility in your town. We have Camp Rhino here in Las Vegas and it rocks. We went last year and plan to go again this year. They have a beginners class where you can try out the obstacles, plus they give you tips and techniques for conquering the race. Lastly, have fun training 🙂

So, which OCR are you signed up for? I’d love hear about it and how you’re training!