WWW: How To Become A Spartan

So, after the mud run article I wrote last week, I said I felt like I hadn’t trained good enough. So here’s an article for how to help you get ready to run your own Spartan race. Unless, you’re just naturally gifted and can complete it without training, which a lot of the guys I ran with could.

His Genetics might help him finish the race

So, first of all the endurance factor is a key in this race. Whether you’re running the sprint, super, or beast, you have to be able to endure multiple miles and different terrains. Make sure you can run farther than the actual race is. Also, practice on hills and off road running to help your feet and ankles get strengthened.

The next part is the balance and core strength. This comes a lot with your stretching, yoga, and unilateral exercises. A lot of the race is keeping your core strong so you will stay balanced. This also comes into effect when you’re doing a lot of the obstacles that require your upper and lower body to be on the same page. For example, the transverse wall or the vertical logs. There are so many obstacles that your core has to remain tight while your upper and lower body work together.

Lastly, upper body strength is a key necessity. I, along with many other women and some men, did multiple burpees due to this factor alone. Not only is this just arm strength but pectoral, lateral, wrist, and grip strength. You’re constantly having to hold on to chains or ropes and pull or push your body weight plus added weight of sandbags, cement, or just added water and mud weight.

This happened a lot

An added bonus is mental strength and perseverance. There was so many times in the gladiator pit that I wanted to give up. It’s brutal and it’s one obstacle after another. You’re covered in mud, tired, hurting, hot, and wanting water desperately. However, you can see the finish line. What will get you there? Especially when you fail.

After my first set of burpees due to the spear throw, I got all the way to the top on the muddy rope climb up a wood slope, I fell hard and busted. I tried again, only to hit harder, get scraped up, and told to go do burpees - again. How depressing. What makes you bust those out and continue to the finish line when I could’ve easily not done burpees, skipped them, and finished? My own consciousness, stubbornness, and mental toughness. There has to be something inside of you driving you to complete what you started. You have to think something of yourself and be okay with what you did when you see that medal hanging around your neck. Yes, I failed multiple times, but I never gave up and completed the task that was set in front of me. No, it wasn’t the best, and I needed to be a lot stronger and have better balance, but I dealt with what my genetics and training had given me and conquered what I could. And in the end, whether you do the beast, super, hurricane, or sprint, at the end of the day, you’re still a Spartan. AROO!