Tag: training

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!  

 

Take Control | Don’t Give up

So, who signs up for a half marathon and celebrates by eating a donut?!? This girl, that’s who!  I just had to get that off my chest, it’s not really what this blog post is about.  Ok, so moving on… 

It’s been a stressful week at home, mostly just stressing over work stuff.  Lame, I know, but hey, I’ve got kids to feed! Maybe I’m being a bit dramatic but the point is I’ve been stressed out.  I skipped my training session on Tuesday and I almost skipped going today too.  Why? Because yesterday was a bad day and I woke up still feeling in a funk.  I just wanted to stay in my PJs all day and do nothing.  But, I started to feel bad, remember I missed Tuesday, so I put on my workout gear, tied my sneakers and I made it to the gym.  

I started out feeling sluggish, but then somewhere in between my 2 minute interval on the Stairmaster (level 10!) and bicep curl lunges, I remembered what someone once told me.  I was told that you may not be able to control everything that happens in your life, but you can control what you put in your mouth and how your body looks.  Aren’t those words of wisdom?  At that point, I was like, forget feeling sorry for myself and worrying about things that are out of my control.  My problems and anxieties will still be there when I’m done with this workout but right now is “Me” time.  It was time to push my body to the limits, it was my time to sweat, to get out of my comfort zone and work it.  If only for the next 45 mins of my workout, I felt powerful.  I felt in control and it was awesome.  

Am I jumping for joy and feeling euphoric right now? No, I’m not.  Let’s keep it real! I’m back to reality, but I do feel a little bit better.  I feel focused and ready to tackle whatever life throws my way! I feel empowered because I didn’t let life’s annoying problems get in the way of my goals.  So, I’ve said it before (specifically in this blog post —> HERE) but I’ll say it again: Don’t give up on yourself and your goals!!  Making exercise a part of my regular routine really helps me deal with the stresses of life and I’m confident it will help you too.  So, go on a walk today around your neighborhood, pop in that workout DVD, or go to the gym, whatever it is, make some time to take care of you.  Your body will thank you.  xoxo

And, if that’s not enough, click on the picture below for 100 other reasons you should workout today! 

Let the Training Begin | Rock N Roll Half Marathon

You know when a new store is about to open and sometimes they have a “soft opening”?  They open quietly without the bells and whistles and work out any kinks they may have.   Then they have the big Grand Opening a few days later with a bunch of balloons out front and all the hoopla!

Well, that was me last week.  I decided to kick start my half marathon training without any big announcement.  I really just wanted to get an idea of where I was in terms of my running endurance.  The most I had ran nonstop and without obstacles up to that point was about 3 miles.  Last week I ran 2 days and had 2 personal training days and 2 P.I.T. (pure intensity training) Classes.  I ran my usual 3 miles on Tuesday and Friday I ran 5.45 miles on the treadmill in 1 hr.  That was quite the accomplishment for me.  I learned a few things that day.

  1. I don’t like the treadmill.  
  2. My feet will go numb from running farther than 4 miles.
  3. Running makes me sore. Very sore. 
  4. I’ve got a long way to go. 
  5. I will get blisters. 
  6. I can do this. 

So this week, I start training for real!  I’ve got my playlist ready and the training schedule is on the calendar.  I’ve also started a running board on Pinterest.  You can check it out HERE!  I will be using a modified version of Hal Higdon’s Half Marathon Training Program.  His is a 12 week program, but I felt I needed more time than that to get ready, so I’m working on a 16 week program.  Most weeks I’ll be running 3 – 4 days, with one of those days being a long run.  My first 4 weeks will consist of 2-3 mile runs, with my long run being 4-5 miles.  The milage will be increasing more in Sept. & Oct.  I’ll have 2 strength training days and 1 – 2 P.I.T classes a week, as well.  I’ll get one rest day a week.  I’m tired just thinking about it! 

Like I’ve said before, I don’t consider myself a runner, so I’m really hoping these next months will change that and I hope will find the runner’s high I hear so much about!

xo, 

Jessie

 

I'll definitely be taking this advice! 
I’ll definitely be taking this advice!