Since I’ve signed up for the Spartan Race, my body
has constantly been sore, I’ve gone to bed exhausted every night, & my
laundry has always stank. This may seem like I have made a mistake in signing
up for this race, but in reality, I feel as though I am on track to accomplish
exactly what I had set out to do.
I’m feeling more fit, more mentally clear, &
more confident. I’m getting stronger, & can see the fat starting to melt off
my body. I have more energy during the day & am sleeping better at night. I
am well on my way to becoming a Spartan.
Today I discuss 4 of the main reasons I originally
signed up for the Spartan Race, & look at how I am progressing through the
first 3 weeks of my training.
Health benefits
First &
perhaps the most obvious reason I signed up for the Spartan Race is that I
wanted to adopt a healthier lifestyle. Although I have gone through phases of
healthy eating & exercise over the past few years, without a set goal or
date, I have not fully committed to any exercise or fitness routine & thus
have never made any real progress in terms of health or fitness.
By signing up for
the Spartan Race, I forced myself to re-evaluate the daily decisions that
impact my fitness level, most specifically, my exercise & nutrition
regimens. First, I set a new exercise program that focused on functional strength training & cardiovascular fitness.
Next, I set up a new diet plan that focuses on fueling my body with nutrient-dense whole foods, cutting out refined
sugar & processed foods wherever possible.
Thus far, I have been
very consistent in following both my diet & exercise routines, & I
believe the looming Spartan Race has been a major reason for my consistency. Anytime
I feel like skipping a workout or cheating on my diet, I quickly think of the number
of days left until my race & if cheating is worth it, which inevitably the
answer is that it’s not. As I continue to make these healthy decisions, the
momentum builds & the easier it has become to stick to the routines that I
have set out for myself.
Challenge myself
The second reason
I signed up for the Spartan Race was to challenge myself. My athletic career essentially
ended the day I graduated high school, & in the decade since that time I
have not had anything that pushed me athletically. Although I have followed
exercise plans in that time for aesthetic reasons, I have never had a goal that
forced me to push myself physically day-in & day-out.
The Spartan Race is the perfect challenge for me
because it stretches the limits of my physical capabilities without being so
far beyond my current abilities that the task seems impossible. I had
originally contemplated attempting a marathon or triathlon this summer, however
given that I do not particularly enjoy running or swimming, nor do I even own a bike, the Spartan Race simply made
the most sense. Although the Spartan Race does involve a lot of running, it is
not for extended periods of time since there will be 20+ obstacles spread out
throughout the 10-mile course. I also enjoy the strength & flexibility
challenges that the obstacles pose, making the race more than a simple
cardiovascular test.
Thus far, I have utilized the Spartan Race as
motivation to improve each time I set foot in the gym. Before every set, I look
in my fitness journal to see how many repetitions I did on that set the week
prior, & look to add at least one more repetition. It is exciting to see
the improvements that I have already made so early in my training, & cannot
wait to experience the improvements yet to come.
Health education
I’ve always
thought I knew quite a bit about health & fitness, however when I started
thinking about how to prepare for this race, I realized that most of my
knowledge was handed down from non-professionals my age, & perhaps more alarmingly,
upon further inspection most of my ‘knowledge’ seemed to give off a distinct ‘bro
science’ vibe.
When I committed
to the Spartan Race, I committed to myself that I would research the training
& diet regimens that I implemented, with the intention to find out what
works best for me, & to continue these practices long after the race is
finished.
Thus far I have
primarily focused on the best types of exercises to perform to prepare for the
Spartan Race, however I have discovered good information on practices such as
the slow carb diet, intermittent fasting, high intensity interval training,
heat exposure, cold exposure, & a few other previously unknown topics. As I
continue this journey, my intention is to continue to learn everyday &
improve my knowledge base around health & fitness.
Motivation of fear
Finally, &
perhaps most importantly, I signed up for the race as a ‘motivation by fear’
tactic. On the morning I signed up for the Spartan Race, I knew in my head that
if I were asked to run the race that day I would fail, & fail miserably.
Clearly I had a lot of work to do to get myself in good enough shape to not
only be able to finish the race, but to also achieve a respectable time.
In 2016 one of my
goals (as with half of the population) was to get into great shape, however
with a new job comes new responsibilities, & before I knew it the calendar
had changed to 2017 & I was in no better shape than at the start of the
year. Given that January to March was more of the same, I reached out to fear
to help motivate me to finally get in shape.
I’m happy to say
that nearly 3 weeks into my training, I have yet to miss a workout or vary too
far from my diet. Fortunately for me, just as I was starting to feel pretty
good about myself & my training, I had the fear renewed during my first trail run.
I have found the process of counting down the days very helpful for ‘renewing
the fear’ as I will often calculate how many more times I have to do a specific
workout prior to the race, which often gives me the motivation to beat the
previous weeks’ result.
Overall, my first
3 weeks of Spartan training have been quite successful when measured against the
reasons I signed up for the race in the first place. I have started to feel
some of the benefits associated with healthier eating & regular exercise, I
have pushed myself to achieve new personal bests in the gym & on the
trails, I have learned a lot about exercise & nutrition, & every once
in a while, I will realize how quickly the race is approaching & renew my
fear which doubles as extra motivation. I am certainly nowhere near where I
need to be come race day, however I’m confident that if I continue on the path
I’m traveling, I will crush this race!
100 Day Spartan
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