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 🙂

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.

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

2015 SoCal Spartan Beast Recap

I absolutely love the Spartan Festival areas. There's always something fun going on and just have a nice community feel to them! — I absolutely love the Spartan Festival areas. There’s always something fun going on and just have a nice community feel to them!

I cannot begin to explain how excited I was to get back to Temecula, CA and run the Spartan Beast again! I ran it in Sept with my friend, NinjaEve, but due to the shortened course, we got to come back and race it again in Jan! This time, my hubby was running it with me and I knew it would be epic. We left Friday afternoon and after dinner near our hotel, we found a Target and picked up a few supplies before the race on Saturday. Our start time was the 10:30am wave, so we were up early and made it to the race with plenty of time to spare. It was super awesome getting to watch the 1st place elites finish the race and I even got to see my OCR crush Isaiah Vidal…shhh don’t tell Jason 😉 J/K he knows! He told me to go take a picture with him, but I just couldn’t!!!!

Anyhow, I’m not a big fan of play-by-play posts, I think it gets boring to read. I’d much rather you give you the highlights. First, let’s just get it over with, here are the obstacles I missed: spear throw (So close! The spear hit the hay, but bounced off) a crazy new obstacle that reminded me of something out of American Ninja Warrior. I think it was called Multi-Rig. It had monkey bars, a long medal rod to shimmy across, and ropes to swing from. Honestly, I didn’t even try it. I just did my burpees and moved on. I also didn’t try the rope climb or final tarzan swing obstacle. So, that’s a total of 120 burpees! Yup, I’m still working on my upper body strength and well, I’m not too fond of heights, but if you follow this blog you know this already (remember: Tough Mudder), so that’s the main reason for not even trying the rope climb or tarzan swing. I’m a chicken and I’m ok with that.

As for the rest of the race. It really was epic. Like the Beast in September, those almost 13 miles of hills were brutal. Half the course was uphill and the other half was downhill. Lots of the new obstacles were climbing. High vertical climbs. They were scary, but I got through them and felt good about conquering my fears! I did not like the slip and slide at all! I ended up sliding way too fast, flipped over mid-way and ended up scratching up my belly pretty good. Kinda bummed about it because I really thought it would be a fun obstacle. My 9 year old son said next time, to put my feet up against the “slide” to slow myself down and I’ll definitely be trying that trick next time. Thanks, son 😉 I was super proud that I passed the memory obstacle. At some point around miles 8-9 or so (I don’t remember exactly! LOL)we came up to this big sign right before the sled pull obstacle. Based on the first 2 numbers on our bib, we had to memorize a sequence that began with a word followed by numbers. At a later point in the race, we would be asked to recite it and of course, if we failed, it meant burpees! I was terrified of this. My memory is not the greatest, but I did my best to chant the numbers over and over in my head for the next few miles and I did it! No burpees for me. YAY!! Don’t ask me to recite it now, though. I’m sitting here trying to remember but all I can recall is OSCAR…867…and some other numbers….Like I said, my memory is wonky! My favorite obstacles are the pure grit ones. Hercules Hoist, Tire Flips, Atlas Rock, and the sled pulls. They make me feel strong and I don’t need help with those. Cuz, I need a boost getting over some of those walls, people! I’m short!

The best feeling ever during the Beast (Besides finishing) was helping a lady with her atlas rock after I did mine. She was so grateful for the help and I was so excited that I was able to give back on the course. Especially, since I’m the one who usually needs the help! LOL I remember during my first Spartan, the Super in Vegas last year, I couldn’t lift the atlas rock from the ground and a girl came over and helped me lift it up and I managed to walk it across on my own. I was so grateful to her and everyone else who helped me out there! At each and every race there is never a lack of support!

It took us 5 hours and 27 minutes to finish. Yea, it really did feel like forever and I was so ready to be finished. I was beyond tired at the end. Tired in the best way possible, of course! We managed to get a few pics after the race, but it was getting cold and we were starving! Dinner was an In-N-Out Double Double! Oh yea!! I dream of Double Doubles during the Spartan race. During most of my races, if I ‘m being honest.

We donated our shoes! They ran some good races, but it was time to retire them.

After our “fancy” diner, we went back to our hotel room, showered, rolled and stretched, and then we just vegged! It was glorious. I put on my comfy socks from the Spartan Survival Kit my fabulous sister put together for me. I sipped on some Sophia sparkling wine and York Peppermint Patty (also from the kit) and watched Terminator Salvation. Quick fact about me: I’m a sucker for the Terminator movies.

Next up, I’ll be doing the recap of Sunday’s Spartan Sprint so come back soon! Now, how many of you have done a Spartan Race or want to? I’d love to hear your thoughts & experiences on Obstacle Course Races! Don’t be shy 😉

Badass Dash | Race 9 of 14 for 2014

I’m officially signed up fro 12 races through September and I’m sure I’ll find 2 more to sign up for before the end of the year. I am kinda surprised at how fast it’s going and how easily it’s been finding races! Thank goodness for living social & groupon deals! LOL

Our Pre-Race Selfie :) — Our Pre-Race Selfie 🙂

The Badass Dash is a 7K obstacle course race with about 30 obstacles throughout the course. My hubby and I signed up through a great Living Social deal and although I had already ran the race last year with my sister, he hadn’t ran it, so I figured it’d be fun to run it together. We also met up with some other running group friends when we got there. Also, some Camp Rhino peeps who’d already ran elite heat decided to run it again for fun with us, now they’re badass!! Having them run with us was a blast and helped push us through the tough parts! The course had a ton of stairs, some water and mud obstacles, tunnel crawl, over and under hurdles, cargo nets and walls to climb. Compared to last year’s race, I think the obstacles were a bit more challenging, so that was a tun of fun! There were no race bibs, but they did provide you with a timing chip at packet pickup along with a tech race shirt. The end of the race had the regular post-race goodies – bananas, orange slices, water, and a sports drink. Oh and let’s not forget the beer! LOL 🙂

Yup, I ended up a little muddy and a few battle scars! But, that's part of the fun! — Yup, I ended up a little muddy and a few battle scars! But, that’s part of the fun!

Have you done any obstacle course races? Do you love or hate them? I’d love to hear from you! xo