What was it?
10 miles, 20 obstacles, some mud
Team of 5
How did I prepare?
My training schedule the weeks prior to the event was CrossFit 2x-3x weekly, Dance 1x weekly, and running about 5 miles total weekly. I was also more conscious of the food I was putting into my body the weeks prior, trying to enhance performance and stamina by sticking with proteins and vegetables, little carbs, no alcohol. Something I should be doing more often but life gets in the way (and I make excuses)!
How did it go?
FUN! I think the extra teammates made the event this year. We ran together, we sweated together, we laughed together, we strategized together. Let's be honest, we complained together. You do not need a team to run the event because other people help you along the way. But having one definitely pushed us all forward and made it more memorable because of the bonding aspect.
Compared to 2015 (team of 2), I felt that I personally performed much better. I felt more confident, I had little to no fear over obstacles (even if I failed them), and I ran dramatically more in-between each obstacle. This kept my heart rate up practically the whole time. We weren't counting to the minute, but time was about the same (about 3 1/2 hours).
Some other differences. At home later that night, I crashed hard. Whereas the first time around I went out and partied until late. I think this was more of a product of age than fitness level. On the flip side of that, the first time I was much more bruised, beaten, and sore for days. This time, I was feeling perfectly normal on Monday morning. It seems like "difficult" has changed slightly for me, and I'm able to bounce back quicker.
Looking for the next event to work towards! I signed up for a 10k charity night run in NY the end of October. And maybe a Spartan Race in my near future....
