It’s Time To Challenge Myself Again – Spartan Race, Here I Come

Sometime in 2009, our group of radio stations was approached by USA Triathlon about the possibility of radio staff taking part in their event to generate more exposure and excitement.

Reluctantly and not fully realizing what we were getting ourselves into, Kimberly Madison, Scott Shepherd and myself signed up for the challenge. We instantly began training, taking swimming lessons from former Olympic athletes at the UA Aquatic Center and started a series of running and biking exercises with one of the Southeast’s top triathlon coaches, Sherry Colgin.

Now to tell you I was out of shape is an understatement. At that time I had only been a non-smoker for one year and was no stranger to a steady diet of freezer pizzas, hamburgers and beer. During each training session, I found muscles I never knew I had (because they were sore) and fought to stay alive. From the bike rides in 100 degree August weather to the freezing 75 degree temperature of the swimming pool water, I was pushing myself in way I had never known I could.

On September 26, 2010 the triathlon came, we competed, finished almost dead last, but we all finished. In the process of training, I had gotten into much better shape and had lost a little weight.

Soon after the free healthy meals ended as did the swimming lessons (even though we were continually invited back) and the weekly biking and running sessions. I basically sat around, did no exercise and pigged out.

One day in the first half of 2011, just as we were both at whit’s end with our bodies and the state we had fallen into after the tri, I went to Kimberly and asked, “Why did we just give up after it was over?” Her response was simple but still resonates with me today. She said “We’re goal oriented people.”

Ah, that made perfect sense! I quickly said, out loud, “Let’s do the St. Jude Half Marathon in December!” Without thinking, she agreed. I signed up almost immediately, Kimberly did not. That’s where I lost my triathlon competing, goal oriented coworker.

For the remainder of that year I ran countless 5ks, 8ks and even went to Nashville and ran a grueling 10 mile race with the Nashville Striders' Run Club, all in training. My endurance was at an all-time high when the 2011 St. Jude Memphis Half Marathon came along.

Since then I have ran many more races, became a member of the Tuscaloosa Track Club, finished the 2012 St. Jude Half, the Inaugural Tuscaloosa Half Marathon, conquered a Warrior Dash and even prevailed in the Tuscaloosa Krispy Kreme Challenge eating a dozen doughnuts and running two miles.

I came to the realization, after my conversation with Kimberly that I need something to look forward to. I need something to work towards.

In May I signed up for the 2013 St. Jude Memphis Half Marathon as a Gold Level St. Jude Hero and pledged to raise $2500.00 for the hospital.

I’m sure that smaller races and lots of treadmill and neighborhood miles will jam my calendar until then but I couldn’t let this year go by without a few more challenges.

I’m now gearing up to run a Spartan Race! I got an email this morning asking if I wanted to compete and after checking my calendar, yes, I need another race medal to hang on my wall! My entire morning has been eaten up with collecting information and thoughts of training for the obstacle racing challenge on October 19^th!

The Spartan Race I’ll be doing on the coast of Mississippi is a 3-mile race. As participants we must complete a series of obstacles or perform burpee penalty exercises. Here’s the kicker, unlike other companies, Spartan Race does not provide a course map or list of obstacles until race day.

I and my fellow Spartans will not know which of the many obstacles we’ll face until we see them on the race course. That is a bit scary. For the Warrior Dash, I knew exactly what I was going to have to do and even in what order, well in advance of the race.

When running the Spartan Race, we could encounter a fire jump, a crawl through mud under barbed wire, an Over-Under-Through challenge which is where we must climb over a wall, then under a wall, then through a tire or square hole placed in a wall… often repeated three or more times in a row.

We could experience the spear throw, the wall climb and other challenges with names like “Herculean Hoist”, “Tyrolean Traverse” and “Hobie Hop”.

I do know that we’ll finish in the Gladiator Arena where we must pass through the "gladiators" who try to knock us down using pugil sticks.

Whatever, I’m ready and better yet, I have a series of goals to keep me focused and to give me stories to tell. That’s what I want out of this life, my story to tell. I want happiness and a campfire surrounded by friends and family and stories for days of our lives.

"When you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe, then you'll be successful."

If you’d like to run with me you can sign up here.