Spartan Sprint TX 2013

And just as I get done posting about the wikid deal on Warrior Dash, a similar deal goes up for Spartan Race. Amazon Local has a great deal for $30 entry into next year's Texas Spartan Sprint.  Typical entry into a Spartan Sprint starts at $60 and goes up as it gets closer to race time.  The Sprint is the "easiest" of the 3 main courses (coming in at 3-4 miles in length), but still a challenge for many.  Get real competitive and come in the top 3 male or female classes & you get free entry into the next level up, the Super Spartan.

I had promised my wife that I would only compete in 2 races per year simply for economic reasons, and had already mapped out next year to be Warrior Dash in April & Tough Mudder in October, but I am giving this serious consideration given the relatively cheap entry.  Coming a month out from Warrior Dash I'd be fully recovered but still in top shape after training for several months.  hmmmmm, decisions, decisions....

Amazon Local / DFW / Spartan Race TX 2013

Warrior Dash - North Texas - 2013

Just signed up for Warrior Dash 2013.  Saturday, April 13, 2013...10 am wave.  They have a $30 special that ends this Monday, so get in while it's cheap!

Warrior Dash NTX 2013

The first week of my formal training has started off with a whimper.  After feeling strong with strength training Sunday, I quickly realized I was way overzealous & over trained on squats causing minor injury to my back. That sidelined me for a couple of days then the July 4 holiday happened.  After getting fat & happy on Wednesday, I was lulled into laziness for the next two days.  I shouldn't really use any of this as an excuse, but it happened and one can see how easy it is to get off track.  Went for what was supposed to be a 2-3 mile run with interval rest today & it turned into around 1.75 total miles running.  My lack of consistent training coupled with the heat & humidity (84 degrees/47% at 9am!) resulted in me being smoked rather quickly.  Only thing I can do is get back on the horse again & make this a good week.  This will be a more or less "normal" week (i.e. no holidays or special activities planned throughout the week) so I feel it should be fairly easy to maintain consistency.

Couple of takeaways I had from today's session:

1. Hydrate early & often.  On the weekend, I know if I don't get up & get to working right away in the morning, it's not going to happen ever.  I tend to jump out of bed, dress, throw down a cup of water & head out.  I really need to give a half hour of hydration prior to heading out as I'm pretty sure I either sweated or peed out that cup well in advance of my body using it.
2. Find something other than a black colored dry fit shirt to run in.  I've shied away from white ones cause I think they show too much sweat/dirt, but this Texas sun (even at 9am) is killer and the black just soaks up the heat. 

For those wondering, I'm following a training plan I found for the Warrior Dash that mixes in strength training days & running days in a more or less "traditional" fashion...using free weights & body weight training, interval & distance running.  Strength training can be found HERE; running program can be found HERE.  I tweak a few things to suit my own personal training style (for instance, I don't do body squats, rather Smith machine squats) but follow it exactly for the most part.  Also, for training logs, I use an Android app called JEFIT and/or RUNKEEPER (both also available on iPhone). I've used several training log apps in the past & Jefit is by far the best on phone I've ever found, though the web interface could use some work.  Runkeeper seems to be the gold standard in cardio tracking as far as I can tell.  I'll go into more detail about my individual training assistants later.

music: Fishr Pryce - "Cold war Defense System"
This is a mix I have pulled out for July 4 since 2010.  Fishr, a native Dallas hip hop DJ, put together this mix of (mostly) 80's jingoistic rock layered over breakbeats.  Every mix I've ever gotten from him (or his collective, Los Hip Hop Guys) is top notch.  I suggest anyone check this out, but warning, there is some language towards the end, use caution around the kids & grandparents if that sort of thing concerns you.