This was our first Spartan Race and we performed very average-totally ok. Now we are hooked, and craving more mud, tough obstacles, trail runs, and jumping over fire! Some of the racers clocked this race in at 5.4 miles, and I’d guess there were about 20 obstacles in all. Here’s a glimpse of the race and our experience. It was a blast and one of the most fun, yet physically challenging times of my husband and I’s life! These photos are snapshots taken from the video of my husband’s GoPro camera (he attached it to a bike helmet and wore it on his head the whole race).

Pulling a heavy cement brick by a chain.

One of many up-and -over walls; this is one of the high ones

Rope climb up a steep hill.

This image was from Spartan Race Facebook Page:

Climbing across rope ladder, and oh yeah, there are raging rapids 20 ft. below us.

These images were taken by Nuvision Action Image, and free for download for those that raced:

Of course, the inevitable, crawling through mud under barbed wire.

Speeding through gladiators on an island over the water.

Fire jump near the end. Toasty!

After a quick swim, finishing with my teammate in life.

Victory! Our 3 year old thought we were crazy.

Our next post will be the 10 real-life applications we learned through our amazing experience in the race. Oh, and we are still keeping up with our training for the next race!

-Kandice

The best time to rest is when you don’t have the time.

Nothing will wear your body down faster, than always being on the go, and taking on so much you don’t have time to unwind and rest.

I know you know, I know I know this, but I still don’t always practice rest. Yes, it sounds silly to say you need to practice rest, but you kinda do. Set time aside for it, and make it a goal.

Our minds, bodies, and spirit have a time to rejuvenate and we come back at life with more energy and strength.

So us here in South Carolina have been hit by the plants’ nasty weapon called pollen. Allergies are knocking us out, and though I still powered through working out and life’s daily duties, I was achingly exhauseted each night. So being two weeks till our race, of course it sounds like the perfect time to take some time off… I did though. The past 2 days I rested, as much as a mom can, and I feel remarkably better today.

Enjoy some rest my friends.

spartanrace.com Use our promo code SCSRST001 to get 15% off a race of your choice.

We’re members of the street team, which means we are volunteering our time to be part of the grassroots campaign for the Spartan Races, especially promoting the race in Charlotte, NC (that’s our race, woohoo!).

What this means for you; we have a special promo code for you to use to get $15 off your entry fee. Use offer code SCSRST001 when you Find Your Race & Register. Pretty nice huh? You can also help us out by sharing news of the race, and building your team! The more team members you can pull together, the less everyone pays on entry fee. You can also get people together to raise funds and awareness for a cause.

Visit here to learn more about creating teams.

Challenge yourself, be a part of a team, make some awesome memories, gain some bragging rights, and don’t miss out on this crazy experience you won’t be able to achieve doing anything else.

Word.

So you want to be a Spartan?

Are you Spartan?

Well, I think the title Spartan is earned  and a continual journey  … even Spartans tried to become more Spartan-ish.

Do I want to be in the best shape of my life? Yes!

Do I believe I can overcome anything? Absolutly!

I am on my way to being a Spartan but more importantly, I am being chiseled into the man I was designed to be.

Spartan Code

• A Spartan pushes their mind and body to their limits.   Mind Check.    Body Soon to be Checked.
• A Spartan masters their emotions. Check
• A Spartan learns continuously. Check
• A Spartan gives generously. Check
• A Spartan leads. Check
• A Spartan stands up for what they believe in, no matter the cost. Check
• A Spartan knows their flaws as well as they know their strengths. Check
• A Spartan proves themselves through actions, not words. Check
• A Spartan lives every day as if it were their last. Check

I guess I am more Spartan then I thought. So maybe I can show the world how Spartan I am… SpartanRace.com

Spartan Race is on a mission to get you active, healthy, excited about change, and return to our ancient roots where running through woods, getting dirty, and facing adversity was part of everyday life. Our events are all about challenging today’s perception of normal.

So lets go!   Let’s RACE SPARTA!

Training Update: Working Out While Being a Mom.

Get your kids to be part of your training! If you don’t have a jogging stroller (and your kids are small enough to fit in a stroller) get one. I can’t tell you how instrumental it has been in my fitness and shedding baby weight, and your kids will like riding and going “super fast” outside too. I strap my three year old in, usually after she’s had her own little run down the street with me, and get my dog on the leash and we run off into the neighborhood. I don’t know if some of my neighbors would recognize me if I didn’t have a stroller in front of me and a big pit pull beside me.

Part two of the daily training: kettle bells!

Mommas, I have never looked as toned and thin as I am now after training with kettle bells for a couple of months. These things work. Buy a few different weight sizes and just jump on YouTube. There is so much information and videos out there that you can get for free, it’s amazing. Get some exercises down and mastered, and then find some new exercises in a couple of weeks. I usually hit the garage to workout while my daughter watches an episode of Barney, or sometimes she rides her bike around in the garage, paints, or plays with dolls while I workout. Yes I sometimes have to stop to go assist with the potty, or pick up a fallen bike rider to comfort, but I do what I can.

I really don’t know how I will stack up to competitors in this race, but I know that if I have the endurance to do this training, and do the laundry, dishes, sweeping, mopping, dusting, baking, cooking, cleaning, yard work, blogging, shopping, and of course playing and enjoying the quality time I have at home with my daughter, then I think I’ll manage just fine. Go Moms Go!