Preface: As I'm getting around to posting this, it should be noted that we completed this race at the end of June 2019, and yet here I am sixty days later finding time to get it online. Ah, the life of a has-been blogger who is also a full-time military member, committee member, volunteer, part-time graduate student, traveler, wife, daughter of a mom with cancer, and avid Fantasy Football addict... we've had just a couple of things going on lately.
Now, I'd like to start by saying that this race was incredible for two reasons. First, it was Daniel's first race EVER (ever ever!) and I couldn't have been more proud of him for how well he did in it. Second, this race marks my first Spartan Trifecta earned, and I couldn't be happier to have ran a Super in April, Beast in May, and to finish it out with a Sprint in June! I am now part of the Trifecta Tribe--Aroo!
This was also the first Spartan that I did not compete in. You know, I thought that I might be able to train for Elite Spartans and might have a chance at doing OK. And after doing both the Super and Beast as an Elite this year, I think with enhanced training and a different mindset, I just might be able to be alright at this sport as a competitive athlete. But where I'm at right now in LIFE is just not a place where this fits. I am just not "there" (and neither is my fitness level), so while that may have been a short-lived dream, for now I'm just embracing my fitness right where it's at. What am I training for? I'm training to be HEALTHY!
Daniel and I entered ourselves into the Age Group category, which is still technically "competitive," but we mostly did that so we could get a decent start time and hit the obstacles early enough before all the sunscreened hands and wet bodies mucked everything up. That decision was worth it! We started at 0800 and it was a perfect day for a race!
Now, I mentioned before that Daniel has never done a race before in his life. So this was REALLY cool to be able to share this experience with him. We stayed together the whole time and through the obstacles, and surprisingly I even had to tell him to slow it down a bit.
Clearly I'm having fun above, having just completed the rolling mud hills and completely soaking the lower half of my body. Spartans and BEING DIRTY is the MOST FUN!
The race course was laid out in a very cool way. It was set out at the Thomas Pence Ranch in Payette, Idaho, and while the first quarter mile of the course is on flat, low ground, shortly after the start you head up two significant hills and find yourself overlooking the entire Treasure Valley. Now that was cool! Most of the obstacles, minus the obstacle gauntlet along the last half mile of the course, were up on this huge plateau. It was scenic, serene, and so peaceful. Also, not trying to race for my life against other Elite athletes and just taking my time made a huge difference.
This course was very different than other Spartans I have been to. There were not many grip obstacles at all, and I was a little sad to not encounter Beater, the Stairway to Sparta (the new, hard one with the climbing pegs), Twister, Olympus, or some of the other ones that have the potential of either wrecking your hands or making you pay with 30 burpees if you can't complete them. To me, this course seemed significantly easier than both the Seattle Super and Montana Beast. But I guess that's what we get with a Sprint!
Not even an hour after we started, Daniel and I were jumping over the fire and crossing the finish. We had done it... together!
I loved this race for so many reasons, but mainly because it was the first time that I got to share something I absolutely LOVE (running & racing) with the person I love most! It was so fun walking him through the obstacles since he had never done any of them before, hearing him cheer for me as I followed behind him, and it was even fun doing burpees together after we both missed the spear throw. Truly, this race made me so happy and finally checked a bucket-list goal box that I've had to run a race with my husband ever since we met! Now I just need to convince him to do more! :)
The entire experience in Boise was wonderful. We saw so many friends, colleagues, and people we knew. And doing a Spartan in my home state in my home town was so fun--finally!
Earning my Trifecta this year has been a huge accomplishment. I display my Trifecta medal on my desk at work and it receives comments often. I cannot wait to try for more in the future (again, probably not competitively, just for fun). And the journey goes on...
My Trifecta Posts: Seattle Super │ Montana Beast │ Boise Sprint
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