Iron Warrior Dash in Review

April 3, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Iron Warrior

Red Frog Events hosted their first Iron Warrior Dash March 16th in Smithville, Texas.  This race was made up of 15 miles of rolling hills, mud, sand, water and tight trails. They also had some unique obstacles that had not been seen before in obstacle racing.  Steve Messana was one of the lucky ones to experience this race and take on the 24+ obstacles.   He has generously offered to share his experience with us.  You can read his Iron Warrior Dash blog below.  Be sure to check out Steve’s blog to follow his training and other races he’s covered.     http://playitharder.blogspot.com

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Tough Mudder New Partnership – “I’m Loving It”

April 1, 2013 By Leave a Comment

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As the news of the Reebok Spartan merge becomes old news an commonplace throughout the world of Obstacle Racing, another big name in obstacle racing has announced an unlikely partnership that will leave you wanting more.

Tough Mudder, that touts itself as probably the toughest event on planet has just published a press release that links them to the largest burger chain in the world – Mc Donald’s.  Now before you start flinging your Big Macs out the window, it may not be such a bad partnership. [Read more…]

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Spartan Reebok Mash Up

January 18, 2013 By 3 Comments

SR_Reebok_Round_Logo1

Spartan Race made a huge announcement today – Reebok will be their title sponsor of Spartan Races in a multi-year deal. This will open up so many more avenues for Spartan to take their brand further than they have before. Joe De Sena, Founder of Spartan, says it will help them continue to expand globally as well as help make obstacle racing an Olympic sport. You would think that this would had obstacle racers doing flips at the thought of bringing their beloved sport into the mainstream.
Read press release here.

So why are Spartan die hards so upset?

For a long time I have struggled to figure out the secret behind the loyal following of Spartan. This is something that I haven’t seen in any other racing series. Their fans will tell you Spartan is the only way to go in obstacle racing and that every other race pales in comparison. It usually includes some colorful words to go along with that sentiment. In an industry that is growing faster than mold on bread, what makes Spartan so special?

Today I think I finally understand. [Read more…]

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5 by 5th Virtual Run Series – January Check In

January 2, 2013 By 2 Comments

As 2013 rolls around many of us start to think about what goals or resolutions we should set for the new year.  As I mentioned before I decided to take part in the 5 by 5th Virtual Run Series.  This was set up to help people get moving and move towards a more active lifestyle.

As I woke up on New Year’s Day I knew I wanted to log my miles on this first day of the new year. Daniel and I decided to go out to Placerita Canyon, which is a short distance from our house and an area full of great trails.  The trail we chose to do was a 4 mile out and back trail with a couple inclines along the way.

I brought my camera along because I love all the beauty that can be seen while hiking in the canyon.  This area in particular dramatically changes with the seasons and becomes very green with just a little rain.

Oak groves line the paths at Placerita Canyon.

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Acknowledging The Pain In My….

November 20, 2012 By Leave a Comment

About six months ago I was just getting into the groove of running. I was slowing building up my endurance and increasing my speed. I went out early one morning and decided to do a 3 mile run around my neighborhood. It was going to be relatively easy terrain mostly on the sidewalks with a gradual hill in between. I took the uphill area slow and made it up without walking.

Coming back around I was feeling really good about my pace and decided to pick up the speed. I did this as I was coming to the downhill part of the street. I starting going really fast down the hill and felt the sting of the pounding sidewalk under my feet. After about 40 feet I started to feel a shooting pain in my back. [Read more…]

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VNA Monster Mash Obstacle Race Review

October 30, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Way before the sun came up Saturday morning we were packing up the car again and prepping for our next race.  This time we were heading 2 hours east to Victorville, CA for the 1st annual Monster Mash Obstacle Race.  This was to be a 5K Halloween themed obstacle race to benefit the VNA of California. [Read more…]

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Run For Your Lives! Obstacle Race Review

October 25, 2012 By 9 Comments

Here’s the scoop on Run for Your Lives: Race waves run every 30 minutes with about 500 runners per wave. Runners wear a flag football belt and 3 flags. Throughout the course you must avoid zombies who are after your life (flags). The goal is to make it to the end of the course with at least one flag to be considered a ‘survivor’. If you lose all your flags, you cross the finish line ‘dead’.

 

Run For Your Lives Southern California 10/20/12

Early Saturday morning, before the sun rose, we packed the car and began our trek to Vail Lake for the Run For Your Lives obstacle race. During the two hour drive we worked on our strategy to outrun zombies and devised a plan to get some great photos and video of the race. [Read more…]

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Running Ain’t The Half of It

October 17, 2012 By Leave a Comment

So when you think of obstacle racing usually the first thing that comes to mind is running through mud.  Yes you will be running.  And yes, there is usually mud.  But there are lots more to these events than just running.  I think people new to these events (if they are going to train) focus a lot on the running and nothing else.  But this is just a small piece of the pie.

Strength training is the other part of the equation that will help ensure a successful race.  All of the obstacles that you will encounter may use muscles you never knew you had.  So because of that it’s a great idea to include core and strength training into your training routine.

I’m not talking about bulking up body builder style.  But by using your own body weight alone can help you attain lean muscle mass that will get you over the highest walls or army crawl through mud with the best of them. [Read more…]

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Training in Unlikely Places

October 12, 2012 By Leave a Comment

When I’m not running trails or crawling through mud, you can usually find me in a theme park.  Yes, Daniel and I are admitted theme park addicts.  We are the proud owners of more than one season pass to Southern California’s best attractions.  We are proudly turning our three young ones into adrenaline junkies one day at a time just like their parents. :)

Two of our kids enjoying Space Mountain at Disneyland.

Without even thinking about it we can log six miles on the pedometer in one day at a park.  This is a great way to keep the training going even in the most unusual places. [Read more…]

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Training Tips For Beginners – Tip #2

October 5, 2012 By Leave a Comment

So you are probably thinking, “Okay, I know how to run now.  How do I take it to the next level?”

Once you feel comfortable in your running shoes and you feel confident in your running skills, it’s time to bump it to the next level.  Whether you’ve been a stroller strider, treadmill champ or sidewalk soldier, take to the dirt!

Your journey begins just off the paved road.

If you are training for a obstacle race or mud run, guess what?  Your event will be in the dirt!  I’m sorry if I scared you.  It’s not so bad.  I think you will actually enjoy it once you get out there and get a little dirty. [Read more…]

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