My First ‘Big Girl’ Race: Montreal Super Spartan Race

It finally happened!!! I completed my first ever Spartan Race! And it wasn’t just any Spartan Race, it was a Spartan Super Race: 13+ km (8+ miles) and 20+ obstacles.

Without a doubt, it was the best and most intense fitness challenge of my life. The Spartan slogan ‘You will know at the finish line’ strongly resonates with how I feel at the moment.

The thing is, I don’t think I’ve ever thought I could push my limits this far. The notion of a ‘limit’ has shattered. An emotional limbo I was in is finally gone. I know that I am capable of so much more and I am motivated more than ever!

But first things first!

MISTAKES NOT TO BE REPEATED *EVER AGAIN*

1. Not breaking in the new shoes ahead of time: I know, I know, I sound absolutely foolish, but I did it. I mean… I didn’t do it… I didn’t wear my new shoes until 2 days before the race. BIG MISTAKE! I put them on for the first time on Saturday morning to go for a light jog with my pup: 5.5 km later I had blisters on both of my ankles. I think the issue was with the ankle cup. Apart from this though, Reebok all terrain shoes are great and they definitely served their purpose and kept me from falling down in the mud.

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2. Taping & Mud Races: Some of you may be very surprised that I haven’t heard of it before, but for some of you it may be a new concept. When I got a pair of two bloody blisters just two days before my race, I was very very worried. There is nothing worse than a blister standing in the way of running. I was desperately looking for ways to diminish the pain and discomfort. When I came across this potential lifesaver, I happily prepared a band aid and duct tape for the morning of the race. My happiness lasted about 30 seconds into the race. Lesson learned: water and duct tape do not work together. Haha!

3. Uphill running: When your training calls for running on a mountain, find the biggest hill around. Don’t skip on it or try to substitute it for something else! It is the biggest challenge when it comes to the Spartan Race. Just to give you an idea, I had to run up the mountain about 5-6 times, which was about 8 km (if not more) of uphill running. I definitely didn’t expect that! *Silly me!*

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Here is a quick review of the race  just to give you an idea of obstacles that were included in Montreal Super Spartan Race.

According to a runner who participated in the same race, the distance was about 14.3 km and the altitude – 1,126 m.

I thoroughly enjoyed the challenge; and even though I am super-duper sore and can barely move around, I can’t wait for the Sprint in the end of June (5+ km) and the Beast in July (20+ km)!

Here is a few pictures from the race itself.

Anxious and excited me before the race

Climbing 

Rope Climb

Monkey bars

Wall climb

Slippery wall

FINISH LINE!!!

Can you tell I’m a happy trooper?

Unfortunately, I don’t have pictures of all obstacles or breathtaking views from the top of the mountain since I didn’t have a camera on me and spectators weren’t allowed everywhere. Some of other cool obstacles were a spear throw, traversal wall and barbed wire crawl. But just believe me, I had the time of my life!!! Can’t wait to get my Trifecta medal in 2 months!

What was your first big race? What did you like the most about it? Have you had any life changing experiences during one of your races?

xoxo
Olena