My countdown must have been inaccurate. The Spartan I’m flying to on the mainland is only a week away. Not that I’m not ready - I am - but… yikes. Didn’t realize it was that close.
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2 mile hill run during a brief pause in the all-day heavy rain.
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Spartan races are fun. The throw is easy, just keep the javelin parallel to the ground through the entire naturel arc of your throw, with a little push up and through at the end, and you’ll stick the target.
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4/13 Monday
1 mile run to park, then:
10 rounds EMOM of
-5 pullups, alternating grips
-5 burpees
Mile walk back home.
That reads like an OK 20 minute conditioning session but it was actually very disappointing. I had thought I could do 20 rounds of the EMOM. Definitely couldn’t.
I have been feeling absolute shite lately, super low energy, deeply fatigued all the time and especially slow-moving in the mornings. Forcing myself to do this at 6am is the best I can do because of my work and other obligations.
The race is Saturday so I wanted to get burpees going (should have started on these a few weeks ago) and but I also don’t want to beat myself up between now and then.
IDK what’s wrong with me but I would like to feel GOOD for the race (and in general).
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I have been feeling absolute shite lately, super low energy, deeply fatigued all the time and especially slow-moving in the mornings. Forcing myself to do this at 6am is the best I can do because of my work and other obligations
As you have cleaned up your diet, are you using any manner of supplemental electrolytes? Food is a carrier of sodium, and when we eat less of it (and cut out the processed stuff, which has a ton of it), we can become electrolyte imbalanced, which, for a hard training athlete, can result in these feelings.
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Hmm, good food for thought. I don’t have a good handle on my salt intake (or other electrolytes) but I can definitely go smash an electrolyte drink right now!
Maybe I should just intentionally add salt to my food?
Maybe I should just intentionally add salt to my food?
Definitely. In the absence of eating processed food, we need to add salt to our foods. These minerals would normally be in our drinking water or found in the soil of the plants we eat OR we’d get them downstream from the animals that eat these plants, but modern living has removed all of this.
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Wednesday 4/15/26
Put on the 45 or 50 lb weight vest and took a long, long, hilly walk. Over 45 minutes.
Realized I haven’t held a barbell in my hands in WEEKS. That’s not problematic from a spartan-prep standpoint - running, pullups and monkey bars are really all you need, plus a bit of carrying, and should have done some crawling work but didn’t;
but from a general I-lift-weights standpoint it’s kinda messed up.
But my right wrist has seemed, inexplicably, broken since the last time I traveled. So I can’t do anything with a barbell anyway.
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Beautiful!
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4/17 on a plane to the race! I’ll be jetlagged and dehydrated and sleep deprived just in time for it.
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Good luck, have fun.
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Have a great race!!!
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Race was a lot of fun, I nailed all obstacles without any issue except of course the spear throw. They were only allowing a single throw and then of course 30 burpees.
As to the run, I was in great shape for it but did have to stop or slow down several times for my buddy, who was not conditioned for hill running.
Amazingly he nailed the spear on his 1 attempt- maybe thats luck or maybe not, it was amazing to watch while I was shamefully burpee-ing.
I’m stoked for my next race in 4 months.
I’ll be alone, and on home turf so no jetlag/sleep dep/dehydration/travel food.
This trip was truly amazing because we’ve known each other 30 years, but not lived close for 18 years and not seen each other at all for close to 3. A great time all around!
Pics to follow when available.
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Sounds like it was a great time all around. Happy for you.
As for the spear, you could just head up to Kaua’i and practice by hunting wild pigs…
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I feel your pain. I had several shameful burpees myself. Lol. Glad you guys had a good time!
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Random airplane thoughts.
Fitness and spartan race performance are not front-and-center in my life, although they rank highly.
Health and general wellness, like not having pain in my joints etc, ranks higher as i get older.
And my performance on yesterday’s spartan shows I have all the readiness I need, as it is.
But there are a couple things I could do.
More grip and single-arm-hang work, just to make it easier. A lot of the overhead obstacles required me to hang, sometimes for too long, with one hand while swinging the rest of me up into position. Luckily I’ve trained this but one can always be more prepared.
Towel grip pullups would probably help for the rope stuff too.
Long-duration high intensity efforts: I was on the course for just over 2 hours. True, it would have been faster if I hadn’t had a partner, but I’d also have gassed out easier without forced slowdowns.
So some training (not frequently) in that zone - well over an hour, at high intensity of effort- would be good to ensure I DON’T gas out on the last mile or two.
The spear throw is STUPID and won’t improve my wellbeing but if I’m gonna train this hard, I guess i should work on it.
A 6 mile run with 20 or 30 burpees every mile, or perhaps more frequently, would be a really good analog to the Spartan.
Oh lastly- the hills are essential. A big difference between my bff and i was my capacity for pounding up hills. Most people walk up them.
Even with the loaded carries- 2 of them were very steep - i was moving fast. Luckily my neighborhood is all slopes.
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Sounds awesome and glad you nailed it all, fun to be ahead of the longstanding friend I’m guessing?
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Yes indeed, he was always bigger stronger faster etc as kids so it made me proud to have done so well now that I’m an old man!
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Sounds like you had a great trip and a good race. Well done
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