XMan Race Quebec 2015

The end is near..

No I'm not being a fatalist, nor do I believe we're in Mayan 2012, however my OCR season is drawing to a close.

And I'm perfectly fine with it. Mainly because I'm still tired from the previous week's Killington Beast, and just plain tired from the season that began in mid-May. I've looked at my training programs and they are dated April, so it's been a pretty long haul.

It is the last race in the XMan Race series, and just like last year it is in Ski Le Relais near Lac-Beauport. Beautiful site, the fall colours starting to appear, the guys happily setting up..This time around the Triple Crown medals are ready to be handed out.

I'm not really going to say what I've already said before about XMan Race, but Saturday morning was chilly and damp - we spotted a frozen layer of moisture on the incline walls! During our walkthrough with our volunteer section leader, we learn that the racers have to go through two water dunk obstacles before getting to the incline walls (which are obstacle #9).

A slightly chilly selfie with the amazing Éli, my section leader

A nasty surprise has awaited the elite heat - an egg to carry until the first water station! About 100 eggs do not survive the short voyage from the start to the drop off point. Sandy Hendrick - our resident New Yorker who's logged hundreds of OCR miles and many more on the road - didn't hear when to leave the egg and finished the whole race with it.

Initially I am assisting racers over the incline walls, however as the morning goes on I realize that I should try and save a bit in the tank for the last wave. Oops.

The sun eventually warms us and after a quick lunch I head off to get ready. On my way back to volunteer HQ I spot a gang of people dressed as superheroes assisting a wheeled warrior named Samuel. I run over to take a selfie with him and he breaks into the biggest smile. (Hey, XMan is fun, especially surrounded by superheroes!) Meanwhile, Canadian ninja Alex is resplendent as Thor, complete with Ultra Beast medal and complimentary belt buckle.

Action shot of the superheroes at the bucket carry! Check out Samuel's smile!

The superheroes paused long enough for a group shot

Before I enter the start corral I spot another character - Sexxy Eddie! As usual, he is sporting his tiger-stripe Speedo.

We go off and I think I am ok for the first little bit. The volunteers tell me to slide headfirst down the pipes for the second water dunk obstacle (Les Égoûts aka The Sewers). Brrr, that water is chilly. However, the fatigue manifests itself pretty quickly and I need to ask for a small boost up the second incline wall. It doesn't help they are on a gently rising slope...

Typical XMan obstacle madness with barbed wire crawl, hay bales to climb, log and sandbag carries, O.U.T walls...more fatigue shows when I am having trouble balancing on the teeter totters, especially on the way down.

The guys are up to their usual tricky ways when they have the cement block carry lead into a short stretch of muddy barbed wire crawl. Alex Thor is happily moving four blocks (they have small handles) through the mud.

Behold the mighty Thor

Even though I am still enjoying myself, part of me can't wait to cross the finish line. I'm so tired - I do not succeed SuperXMan (the trampoline obstacle, more on that a bit later). Adam Kwitko is tagging along on the sidelines - he's already ran it twice - and is gently encouraging me at SuperXman. (Thanks, Adam.) The last obstacles are a blur - somehow I plod through them - and once I'm up and over the warped wall, cross the finish line and grab that coveted Triple Crown medal. Ooo, chrome!

The huge, feel-good moment of this XMan Race is when Samuel and the superheroes cross the finish line. The look on his face says it all!

Bravo Samuel!

The damper leading up to the event - Thursday morning, the guys found the hay bales near SuperXMan had been set on fire and the damage was enough to destroy the trampolines. I am not sure if the authorities have caught the perpetrators (security cameras filmed 3 people carrying gasoline cans), but it was nice to hear concerned racers asking about the obstacle during registration.

The other hilarious moments that we possibly couldn't have scripted happened during my volunteer shift:
- a guy leaps his way over the 2 incline walls and we see he is wearing a tank top with bananas printed all over;
- another racer in a later heat is in a full banana suit;
- later in that same heat, 3 girls wearing minion onesies make their way over the incline walls. They are having a great time and we ask who is Dave, or Stuart, or Bob. We proceed to tell them the guy in the banana suit is farther up the hill!

Once again Nic & company have delivered a great OCR experience with the 3rd and final XMan for this year. Update: for the 2nd year in a row, they have won 3-Seconds' Race of the Year, as voted by the racers! Great job guys!! See you next year!

Triple Crown medal and t-shirt

Read Sandy Hendrick's review about XMan Race Quebec here
See what Adam Kwitko had to say about XMan Race Quebec here

Spartan Beast - Killington, VT (The break-ups and mustard power!)

I plead temporary insanity. Again.

After surviving a very long ordeal called the Vermont Beast 2014, somehow I sign up for the 3rd year in a row. What makes us come back to something that's scarier than the boogeyman and that'll make us question our sanity (or our willingness to inflict self-harm)?

This year the world championships are not being held in Killington, however Joe and Norm have promised us it will still be very, very hard. Already I'm worried about DNF-ing.

In the week leading up to departing for Killington I am packing and re-packing the snacks and essentials in my hydration pack. It already feels heavy and the water supply hasn't gone in yet! If we're supposed to snack on something every 30 to 45 minutes, and I'd guessed I'd be out there for at least 9 hours, maybe I should track down a hardy donkey to carry my load.

I am staying with friends (Caroline, Jess, Brandy, Steph, Yannick and Nuyanne) at a rented condo nearby so the fridge is well-stocked with our post-race meals - pizza, eggs, bacon, cheese, chocolate cake...Some last-minute packing has some of us worrying about enough Shot Bloks, and making peanut butter and honey sandwiches - perhaps the only real food we will be eating while out there. (I have also slightly salted the peanut butter...too much sweet over the whole day would be tedious.)

The morning of is cool but not like last year (which was less than 60 degrees Fahrenheit at the base), and once the sun comes out we're feeling alright. The elite men take off after about 15 minutes' delay...

...and the inflated start line arch somehow deflates and falls over. NOT GOOD.

While the Spartan Race crew scrambles to get the arch up again, the female elites and the first wave are all raring to go. The anxious minutes stretch on endlessly and finally the arch is back up. Over the wall, to the start line, we trot off at an energy-conserving pace and none other than Norm Koch spots us and offers us a few words of encouragement: "Yeah! That's a good pace to keep!" Jen Milligan also gives us a shout out as we go by.

The first set of obstacles start off innocently enough (2 large hay rolls that are wrapped in plastic with a large log on top make for some primitive hurdles), incline wall, a wall of hay rolls to jump over..But this is Killington, isn't it?

Bring on the hill climb.

The warning was "be ready" (aren't we!??) and a steep, direct march to the top reminds me of last year's death march (that came at mile 11). We end up at the very top, where the gondolas usually drop off riders. I recognize the same spot I sat in when it came to fastening my bindings on my snowboard. Hey! Visiting Killington to snowboard, now that's a good idea! Who decided to climb up without use of the gondola? (Temporary insanity.)

Group selfie en route to the top

The first spear throw station has 3 very small hay bales clumsily stacked on top of another, threatening to tip over if the volunteer decides to so much as sneeze. Despite many targets, the lineups are pretty deep early on. Not far from the back of the lines is a lot of trees and some very steep downhill terrain, so racers are squeezing towards the front to avoid any catastrophes.

The worst was beginning to take shape when we reached the first water station almost 5 miles in, and the volunteers are telling everyone that there is no hydration bladder refilling at this one, but at the next one. I'm caught a bit off-guard (a lesson learned from GoRuck - always keep the hydration full) but continue on. Unfortunately, we are told the same thing at the 2nd water station! I don't have enough to continue on and, using Caroline as cover, fill up my water supply.

Mercifully this year, there is only 1 bucket brigade but it's every bit as nightmarish as I remember. This year however, after previously thinking my arm span wasn't long enough, realize that I can wrap my arms and hug the bucket to me. Argh! The line of racers waiting for a bucket is growing.

We find more of the large log & plastic-wrap hay rolls as obstacles (so far at least 4); the sandbag carry loop is in the same location as last year, but since it's before mile 6 and not at mile 12, it doesn't seem so bad. As Yannick and I near a small plateau before the last part of the uphill, race tape is being drawn in front of us and a crew member yells at us to turn and continue (not up, but on the way back down!)

The racers who have made their way up see this, and the amount of swearing and cursing that follows would make John McEnroe look like an angel. The line of racers waiting for sandbags is huge.

We come upon a series of walls (at least 10 stretch out before us), it appears as if someone took a bunch of O.U.T walls, shook them up Yahtzee-style and dumped them out in random order. Not the most original setup, and we've long realized that the race directors had less of a budget to work with.

(I may have gotten the order of obstacles all wrong; forgive me.)

Jumping over a random rock

At the log carry, there are no distinctions between the sizes - they all fall under "awkwardly cumbersome." Somehow Brandy finds the dwarf one that she tucks under her arm and saunters off along the course. Another line that's rapidly growing, but not moving, has formed off to the side and I join the gang that's already waiting. (This is not a good sign...) A bunch of us also call out a couple who are displaying an interesting choreograph of pseudo-burpees (no jumps and no chest to ground, yet they are completely in sync). One of them sneers back: "What's a burpee look like?" Also, the heavy carries were mandatory and couldn't be avoided with burpees.

Racers are all holding open their empty hydration bladders and it appears the volunteers at the water station are scrambling. We hear that filling up is not allowed, but at this point desperate, grumbling and cranky racers are filling up nonetheless. Finally, one unfortunate soul has the hose and is the designated one replenishing everyone. A Spartan crew member looks to be there to put out fires between volunteers and racers, and impatiently informs us that all the water is near the start line, and that they didn't expect people to be filling up 3 litre hydration bladders. Close to 45 minutes later, we're all topped off.

Brandy is the enthusiastic distributor and champion of the mustard packets (as cramp busters); initially we're a bit skeptical, but it's not as bad as we think (and less of a mouthful than a gel). Paired with a bite of jerky, we tell ourselves it's sustenance. And...good golly, mustard works! So long, gels.

Unfortunately, this edition of the Beast was somewhat lackluster when it came to obstacles; it was log after log after log (large log as balance beam; a second log carry; 2 logs with chains acting as a farmer carry, another Atlas carry except a log instead of the stone...enough with the logs!) The terrain was still brutal, and only a very small water crossing where the Tyrolean traverse used to be. I have lost count on the makeshift log plus hay bale hurdles, and am tired of hearing "You're almost done!" (Please...'almost' does not mean 3 miles left!)

The daylight pretty much fades when I get to the 3rd and final barbed wire crawl - it endlessly stretches beyond, and many a tired racer is either rolling or painstakingly crawling along. Admittedly, in the darkness the fire to jump over looks spectacular - it is just a wall of flames that span the width of the finish line area. And no accelerants! That means no roiling smoke clouds!

We eventually find each other at the finish line and exchange some tired and relieved hugs after a bunch of letdowns. But they didn't end there - there are no more double trifecta medal holders for the day (for Brandy & Steph), and even though we've gotten a beer ticket with our race packet, there's only Bud Light left.

The end of a long race day

The other thing that had many a participant in a tizzy was the lack of water. Fine, I get arriving prepared; people did heed the warnings about a tough race, and the warm weather forecast meant bringing more water. We read the racer's guide, which indicated 6 water stations with the option to fill up at some of them - only to find 4 on course. Not sure how many people were treated for dehydration, or cramps. One social media user's comment: "Be glad no one died today.."

I wasn't sure if I was going to continue Spartan Race next year, however after this year's Killington edition, it is final - I am closing the chapter on Spartan Race. The break-up letter may go like this:

Dear Spartan Race,

When we first met, it was a different time. We were both young, inexperienced, and starry-eyed about the world yet to unfold, the grandeur of which we could never have imagined. We grew together, had many enjoyable moments, and I couldn't wait to see you again. Several years later, you've changed. I get the impression that you care less about our relationship. You have become practically unrecognizable from your early self, and not in a positive way. I know the only constant is change, however this is very difficult for me to accept since you've grown cold and rather unforgiving.

I believe we have reached a parting of the ways.

May you go on changing the lives of others, and hopefully in a positive way. But I don't want to hear about the times you will disappoint people, or disregard their well-being in order to put yourself in a better light.

See you on the flip side,
DH

XMan Race Sherbrooke 2015

Fun fun fun fun fun fun fun times ahead!

After a week and something off the next goody in the calendar rolls around - XMan Race #2 of 3, this one being in Mont-Orford (about 90 minutes' drive from Montreal)

I do believe I've blogged about the Sherbrooke XMan Race before and will not go into too many details about the obstacles. However, the guys had been on site for a week and went totally bonkers - the course has 61 obstacles!

Saturday my friend and myself get assigned the Spydex obstacle - in previous editions it was a Tarzan-style swing on a rope into a cargo net, but it seemed the frame holding up the cargo net was something of a hazard, so it has been removed. Most of the day we spend coaching people at the obstacle and untangling the ropes. It is also positioned near the end of the race so we see a lot of tired looks and many a remark on failing grip strength.

Fellow Mudd Queen Karoline just coasting along

We hear over the radio news from the staff following the last runner, and eventually we spot a bunch of volunteers (we are easy to find with our bright green shirts this time around) and many core staff members, all chatting with the last guy, Martin, on course. Everyone is patiently coaching and helping him along and letting him sip his water (he'd cramped up at some point on the way) We can all deduce that he's very, very tired but would like to finish; the course closer has vowed to drag Martin across the finish line by his leg if need be.

Making sure Martin gets up the warped wall! (I am near the upper right-hand corner)

 

Once Martin is up and over the warped wall, we fan out across the finish line and applaud and cheer him on. What a beautiful moment! The last runner does deserve the same amount of noise as the first place finisher.

Also worth mentioning was the attention to detail for the volunteers - the section leaders would pass by at regular intervals asking how everything was and bringing us water throughout the day, plus our boxed lunches. At some point too many spectators were wandering on course, so after a radio call to section leader Seb, a couple of crew members show up with pickets and tape to mark the boundary. That's efficiency!

Next day I get to volunteer in the morning before I run. I also get to be an impromptu photographer for a couple of race buddies I spot on course - one being Sandy (hard to miss with pink hair) who trekked from New York state to run some Canadian OCR's this year.

Sandy mugging for the camera at L'ArchAnge

When it comes to my start, I make the mistake of taking a raspberry-flavoured gel and get nauseous for a minute. It's somehow making my stomach juices bubble with some gas, so as was the case with the Ottawa Beast, I am burping artificial-metallic raspberry. Yuck!

With 61 obstacles on course they come in bunches (log carry followed by monkey bars, incline walls followed by seesaws...) The guys were also tricky in combining the sandbag with O.U.T walls first, then the sandbag loop and the usual crawl (with sandbag, of course) under a fishing-type net. The bucket carry is found at the very top of the mountain; on the way down there is a small water crossing after a technical downhill.

The trails and climbs seem a bit harder this year, I think I am doing ok until I get to Koalex (XMan's version of the tyrolean traverse) and massively cramp a calf. At some point I thought about taking the other gel in my pocket but something in my system told me no way.

I'm a bit frustrated with myself this season for getting stuck at the Platinum Rig; when I think back I could maybe have gotten across, but sometimes when it's hanging bars that require going from one to the next I hesitate. That, and I have to work on swinging with my hips versus dead hanging.

Great weekend as usual, with never a dull moment at XMan race. The guys are always finding ways to challenge racers in different ways and some of the obstacles are becoming classics. This edition was remarkable with the volunteer experience at the end of the day on Saturday. Can't wait for the 3rd and final XMan in Lac-Beauport!

Trying to hide in the Platnium Rig with awesome section leader Seb

Spartan Beast Ottawa

After much delay (it's end of September as I am adding this), we shall resume events in the calendar..

It's here.

It's finally here...the Beast!

The Ottawa Beast is a bittersweet weekend - the longest Spartan distance in the eastern calendar, but it also marks the end of the Spartan season on this side of the country. New this year is the Ultra Beast, recall in a bout of temporary (lasting several months) insanity I signed up for it, but ultimately opted out. Maybe next year.

I've been feeling pretty physically burned since the end of July (BattleFrog Xtreme and a lap of Shale Hill will do wonders) so even if I wanted to train something I had no desire to do so, and settled for 5K runs almost every day of the week leading up to the Beast.

We are staying very close to the venue and we have a lovely view of the Gatineau river. But first, some last-minute switches on the contents of our hydration packs.

Show and tell between 3 of us: "Cherry Shot Bloks? Check."

Another roommate, Karine, has these little baggies that she's filling with electrolyte powder. I decide to try the same thing (with Skratch Labs' formula). Between the baggies of white stuff and salt pills, we look like we're street dealers...

It's electrolytes and salt tabs, I swear!

Morning of, we have breakfast and head out...and see complete chaos at registration. A long line of anxious-looking people snakes out of the lodge, and we see drop boxes on the ground. The Ultra Beast runners haven't been checked in yet due to an unforeseen error...yikes! This in turn delays everyone else running the first wave.

Quick bag drop and I run to the start line with Tracy; we're about 5 minutes after the official start of the 9am heat. The hill climb is to be expected, with a couple of obstacles to hop over on the way.

There are parts of the course I recognize from last year; the lovely mountain bike trails we'd descended previously have now been planned in the other direction, ie we slowly run our way up.

Needless to say I was not having as good of a race as I thought, wasn't feeling completely up to snuff. Sure, I avoided 30 burpees by completing a lane of the Platinum Rig, but at around 15km my on-and-off Achilles flared and hated me with every step. Ow. Ow. Ow.

Run through the pain, some say? Mind over matter? At some point, when it feels like someone's shoving a shard of glass in your heel with every step even during a slow trot, it becomes hard to ignore. That and your running pattern is about as graceful as a 3-legged chair.

Plus, it wasn't all about steep hill climbing, the trails were great and I would have enjoyed them ordinarily, but due to feeling "meh" and the foot, I am waiting for this ordeal to be over. I'm telling myself, "Nope...don't want to do this twice!" At other times, The Nights by Avicii is buzzing through my head:

He said one day, you'll leave this world behind
So live a life you will remember...

"I remember that $@#% course plotter nicknamed the Luzzinator and @#$%&& burpees" (not true, we love you Dan!)

I thought I could succeed at the slackline, but halfway through I over-balance and head over to the penalty area. The volunteer is going on non-stop about burpees being our friend and how we like them. She's driving everyone crazy! The guy next to me becomes my burpee buddy as we both try to keep count.

The infamous monkey bar & infinity bar combo looms as we exit the water crossing, and I stand on the hay bale and...fingertips brush air. 30 burpees, then the traverse wall I fall off of so another penalty. Then the creek crossing with water cold enough to numb your feet and just deep enough to hide the rocks that lurk beneath the surface.

Monkey bars appear and I get about 2/3 of the way across when my tired hands let go. The fandangled obstacle is longer than we've seen in past races. Well played, Spartan...

...and the spear throw is next! I miss and am fish flopping during my burpees. My quads are cramping up and screaming at me, guess that's what happens when you whiff 4 obstacles in a row.

Slip ramp and fire jump to the finish line, yay it's over! Collect 3rd pie piece for the trifecta!

I'm so tired!

The girls finish their race and I wait at the finish line to hand them their medals. There is nothing quite like the hugs at finish lines!

I would have loved to see a few people finish the Ultra Beast, but we didn't stick around too much - who knows if we would have fallen asleep standing up once the sun went down?

Despite the less than ideal race experience, it was a great end to the Eastern Canada season. Met so many people, laughed a lot, grumbled a bit and learned a thing or two (no more raspberry flavoured gels - I kept burping out artificial raspberry flavour, yuck!)

Fellow Mudd Queens Jen, Genevieve and Ruth all got their coveted glow in the dark UB medals! Wow!!!

Now for a week off before the next treat in the calendar - XMan Race Sherbrooke.

A new journey, a new family - GORUCK

Howdy!

As I'm typing this my post about the Ottawa Beast sits unfinished. It will be up soon along with perhaps a quick bit about XMan Race Sherbrooke. But while this is still fresh in my mind...

On my bucket list this year, that I can now cross off is having done a GORUCK. For those of you who haven't heard of this, it is an event that is based on Special Forces training, led by current or former leaders in the Forces. Besides carrying weight (usually in bricks) in a rucksack, there are also teambuilding exercises and a bunch of other physical tasks involved to push anyone out of their comfort zones. Sounds a bit like OCR's, doesn't it?

Our fellow Mudd Queen JoLo who's quite known in the Canadian GORUCK scene has been encouraging us to try one and had a lot of good things to say about her past experiences. When I got to catch up with her a bit at the Ottawa Super, she gives me a mini tutorial about fireman's carries, and what not to pack. Good to know..

Originally the location on Saturday was in the Old Port, but due to traffic, parking and the weekend food fest the start was somewhere on Mont-Royal. Uh-oh. 

We've learned there are 5 attempting the HCL (GORUCK's 3 main events: Heavy, Challenge, Light) so a couple of them are trying to recharge their batteries under the shade of a tree. They've been at it since Thursday!

Looking around, everyone (including people who are newbies like us) all have GORUCK GR1 rucksacks. Gee, feeling left out here with this enormous-looking rucksack (compared to the sleek GR1's). 

We meet the two cadres who will lead us during the event. I'm sure they can be very scary individuals when they are in their zones. It isn't long before the welcome party - Cadre JC asks for us to put all our food in a pile, which he then confiscates. Then we dump out the contents of our rucksacks...and get surprised when asked to pack everything back in 30 seconds. This is where I realize I had too many little packets (oh why did I leave that dry bag at home?) A hangnail on a finger is getting worse every time I stick my hand in a compartment. Ugh.

More welcome party madness and eventually I end up with a heavy rucksack (which doesn't exactly smell like roses, but its owner is on his way to an HCL, so all is forgiven). Another GORUCK surprise.

I'm not going to reveal everything as it would spoil the GORUCK experience (yes it's an experience, not just an event). I also find out that I'm bad at dragging heavy objects.

The other leader, Cadre J-Train, talks a bit about patrolling & attention to details, and walking quietly. As we all try it out, he zips ahead of us, taking a few photos along the way. That man MAKES NO NOISE when he walks. 

We draw many a curious stare, some applause and a few random comments ("Those people are training for the 3rd World War..."). 

I guess someone found out one of the cadres liked Gummi Bears, because many packages are pulled out of the food bag when we catch a breather. We eagerly gobble them down since we've been pretty much sipping water at this point. Surprisingly, I'm not that hungry or low on sugar (then again maybe I like chomping on one too many Honey Stingers)

Once we're ready to go, we head in a direction I'm all too familiar with...

...towards the stairs.

For those who have run on Mont-Royal, you know this is shaping up to be no good.

For those who have not yet run on Mont-Royal, you have to try the stairs at least once.

For those who do not plan on running on Mont-Royal, at least try walking these stairs.

Of course, being a military-themed event we are not empty-handed, so there's some extra bulk getting lugged up and down. Cadre JC has called this part 'Gluteus Maximus'. 

This part also has us really pulling together as a team, as one of the HCL's rallies us to do the last down-up of the stairs at a certain pace to avoid other sets getting added on. As our screaming legs plod ever upward, the girl in front of me (it's her first GORUCK and had been told that she couldn't do one) is struggling and muttering, "I can't..." I end up talking to her and gently pushing her up the stairs. She's not the only one getting a little help from the team, as everyone's pretty much gone silent.

The shadows - people who are following the event and taking photos - are whispering words of encouragement each time we make it to a landing.

More team-building as we are heading to the start point, "chasing the sun" as Cadre J-Train put it. Along the way are more buddy carries, and I choose to lug a jerry can most of the way in hopes of getting the extra practice for Killington.

The event winds to a close (not without a few finishing touches - burpees - of course), and us newbies get our very first GORUCK patches! 

Caroline & myself with our new patches...only the first one

But the real props go out to the 5 who stuck it out through the whole ordeal. How they're managing to stay upright and be coherent is beyond me. 

We pile into a sports bar downtown in our post-GORUCK glory (as one of the Shale Hill racers once said, "I am odiferous") and enjoy some grub, beer and chat with our cadres and fellow team members.

Looking back from this Saturday - and it's been 24 hours since the event ended - it was an experience that I didn't think could be so awesome. I can see why it's called a GORUCK community, as everyone is very supportive. 

The cadres have suggested we try another Light before moving onto the Challenge - something to look forward to achieving in 2016!

24 Hours of Shale Hell pit crew

The action is nonstop - not long after BattleFrog is 24 Hours of Shale Hell!

I felt some kind of peace of mind once I switched to the Beast. I can stop fretting about certain things now! 

I've heard that Shale Hill is an OCR destination in Benson, Vermont, with some crazy hard obstacles that'll make most other obstacles pale in comparison. I saw a bit of the madness while volunteering at the 8 hour Polar Bear Challenge back in February. The penalties were formidable, to say the least.

New this year is the 4 person relay team, so initially I was going to pit crew one runner (Jen) but since she joined a team I guess they inherit me as well. 

As I usually do when traveling through Vermont, I suss out a craft brewery en route so this time I do some sampling at Otter Creek Brewing (Middlebury, VT). The bites I've ordered on the side blew my mind - brie with strawberry habanero jam on crostini! Whaaat!!

I arrive on site and the owner and creator of the Shale Hill madness, Rob Butler, gives me a warm welcome. Whoever's arrived has started to set up camp; I meet Paul Jones, one of the main players of the New England Spahtens, and he's already chilling with a drink. The space eventually starts to fill up with tents (from 2-person ones, to a 1970s behemoth we dub 'The Green Monster', and a couple of 10 x 10 EZ-Up tents overhead), as well as camping gear, coolers, water jugs galore and enough food to last for days.

The guys' tent with a little accessory

The evening starts off with a meal at the restaurant (The Wheel Inn) in the village, and we end up meeting a number of New England Spahtens. One of them, Sandy, had completed a 30-day stint at Shale Hill so I immediately ask if I could accompany her on a lap the next day, since she'll be full of tips and info. 

There's also a blue moon in the sky - now I wonder if there's something rare and unexpected that will happen (maybe we'll spot a unicorn! Or the Trix Rabbit!)

I haven't been camping much, but I absolutely love waking up when the sun comes out. The camp comes alive and amongst the camping stoves here and there, only 1 kettle can be found. Hm, will have to be strategic with my timing when I brew the coffee. 

The team is awake; Alex cannot be missed as he is in his trademark Pac-Man pj bottoms, though I'm told he's in the zone when he's wearing them. 

At the morning brief Rob explains how the event is going to go and how the penalty (30 spider-man pushups) for elites will be counted as the rounds go on (by the 5th round, failed obstacles means zero penalties) His zigzag wall has more than 1 section and the penalty will be multiplied by the number of failed sections. Yikes! 

The racers take off at 9am and the sun is already hot and blazing overhead. I hope it won't affect too many people.

After less than two hours the first runner, Evan, comes in (he'll eventually win the event with 10 laps completed, and he never really stopped for the whole 24 hours!); after 3 hours or so quite a few have finished their first lap and many have started cooking their 2nd breakfast - the aroma of bacon is everywhere. 

An amazing pit crew, Bill

We figure out how to fire up the older-model Coleman stove that was sent along with the team, and Alex cooks himself up some bacon and eggs and takes off on a lap after eating. He ends up running a penalty-free lap and has earned the title "The Canadian Ninja" from fellow racers! 

It isn't long before I get ready to go out on a lap with Sandy and 4 other NE Spahtens. I've pretty much brought a full set of gear to do a run, all I'm missing is my hydration pack (hey, I wasn't really expecting to be sweating up a bunch). I really don't know what to expect; up until then; I had never been on the Shale Hill loop (about 10km with 51 obstacles). I'm feeling some slight trepidation - will it be hard obstacles that I'll have a lot of difficulty doing?

Not long into the loop we see Rob's edition of teeter totters - the 2nd one is longer than most, so it takes a bit of shuffling towards the middle before the end drops down to the ground. 

I'm not going to reveal much on the Shale Hill course (come and try it for yourself!), but one of the obstacles I really liked was the Lincoln Log. It reminded me of the tree climb (with the rock climbing grips) at the 2013 Montreal Super Spartan. On another climbing obstacle (Abacus) I whack my shin on the descent, and it stings. 

Up I go on the rope ladder

There are a lot of obstacles that are grip heavy (hello, hoists!) and some involve a bit of tricky climbing against gravity. There's also an inordinate number of hay bales to jump over. Several obstacles I chose not to attempt (the tyrolean traverse, for one) since I was pit crew and I had to be coherent and functional (ie no blistered hands) just in case. 

We make a small detour to a taco stand that has homemade frozen fruit pops - mostly frozen crushed fruit, some have a bit of cream mixed in there - that are almost as long as a giant Mr. Freeze (but 3 times wider). It was totally worth it! 

4 hours later (we walked, after all), my new racing buddies and myself finished our lap and rang the bell at the start/finish zone. I am POOPED. The evening goes on and I'm trying to stay awake in case if my teammates need me to run with them (safety reasons - it's an extra headlamp) while they go out on a night loop.

9:45pm feeding and I STILL fell asleep despite the coffee!

(The take-out spaghetti tastes fantastic and curiously enough, the noodles don't seem to be traditional egg noodles. I can see myself tucking in a large bowl of these swimming in chicken broth on a winter's day.)

I tell the guys I'm going for a power nap, and expect to be woken up later on. 

&&& I wake up 5 hours later. Must have been exhausted (and probably overtrained, at this point) after that lap.

It's about 3am and some runners are still trickling in and out. Turns out Alex is on course, and teammate Andrey looks like a ball in a sleeping bag in the tent.

The sun comes up just before 6am and I make my way back out. The fire that has been going pretty much all night is shrinking, and Rob has been hanging out with other racers around the fire. We spot a figure in bright green running the last section (Anaconda) and we guess it's Andrey.

Heeeere's Andrey! Ringing the bell for the team's 8th lap

After making sure Andrey won't fall asleep standing up by having him drink a complimentary chocolate milk (a bonus for Shale Hill racers - the chocolate milk is AMAZING!), the morning winds away and the event's 9am finish approaches. There are pops of champagne corks here and there in the camp; people are eating their breakfast and simultaneously sipping away at the bubbly. My kind of event!

Another Spahten, Hannah, has a table of plenty which includes a large bottle of bourbon whiskey. Ok, where do I sign up for the next race?

Not long after the event officially ends, Rob proceeds with the awards ceremony.

The Canadian contingent wins 1st place with 8 laps completed! 

Writing's on the wall...now who named them the Ottawa Titans? Awesome

What a great weekend, met lots of cool fellow OCR runners (aka New England Spahtens - thank you Sandy, Steve, Tora and Sue for letting me tag along on a lap) and I will definitely be back at Shale Hill for at least training weekend and a few events. Another frozen fruit pop won't hurt, either!

What a team! Photo courtesy of Jen Milligan 

For a racer's perspective of this edition of 24 Hours of Shale Hell, check out Jen Milligan's post

BattleFrog Xtreme New England and a big reality check

Time flies now, doesn't it?

While the weather outside is still indicating that summer isn't completely here yet, I've blinked and it's already the end of July.

...it means BattleFrog is finally here!

I'd been hearing a lot of things about this event and those of us registered are chomping at the bit. I've decided to try the Xtreme - originally the 15k course followed by up to 3 laps of the 5k course - but the format changed and now it's multiple laps of the 8k course, with racers not allowed to start another loop after 3pm.

Obstacle order was changed that day..

We're a bit skittish about how we get there (parking then shuttle to the venue) but it's a very short distance (less than 5 minutes) so we start to settle in. There is a tent for the Xtreme participants, but what has me a bit hesitant is, it's just a tent with a couple of tables, chairs and giant trash cans (also bananas and water). There doesn't appear to be any personnel guarding the tent or having it racer-access only.

Pre-race chaos in the BFX tent

Half an hour before the BFX wave starts, there is a short briefing on how the event is going to go, with instructions on where to run in order to start another lap and not accidentally cross the finish. Simple enough, right? We are also told it's the biggest BFX wave to date. Big emphasis on not doing burpees at BattleFrogs, but 8-count bodybuilders (basically a glorified push-up)

A helpful race packet

The elite men take off, and the elite women are all lined up with Coach Pain giving his usual motivational pre-race speech - he is very, very good at delivery. As he's talking to the ladies, a figure appears over the 7 foot wall to climb (before the start) and tries to inconspicuously weave his way through to start the course. It's PlatinumRig Dom, but with his bald pate, lumberjack beard and orange Platinum Rig shirt he can't hide from anyone!

The BFX wave starts and there is a general idea to take the first lap easy and gradually ease into the rhythm. Me, the turtle crawling in peanut butter, at some point I'm trailing the group but that usually happens. Call me a creature of habit, but I also hadn't had a single drop of coffee prior. Not far into the course, someone calls my name, and it's Sara catching up after a slight delay at the start. Yay, a race buddy! I hope I don't slow us down too much..I end up chasing after her for most of the race, which is good training for me. I'm a little faster than I give myself credit for.

One of the first obstacles is a rope climb - gee, this will be fun as the day goes on with more mud caking the ropes and the grip failing. It's a bit shaky as the ropes are strung up in the trees, and I may regret not having worn longer socks as the rope chafes my shin on the way down.

We run some neat trails in and out of the woods, find an 8 foot wall and an obstacle I haven't seen before - 60 Degrees. Picture an incline wall, but 5 metal bars to climb over instead of wall. The turnaround at the top is a little tricky but quite doable. Sara is in love with this obstacle.

The trails lead to piles of rocks that Sara gracefully skips across and I pretty much plod through - note to self, work on stride so I don't keep crash-landing on my feet with every step.

Jerry can carry - ladies get 1, men get a larger one, and compared to the Ottawa Sprint, this one is much lighter. The loop is maybe 600m and goes up a small hill, with a photographer at the top, clicking away. He'll be seeing a lot of us as the day goes on. We dodge cow-pies along the way (hey, it's a farm after all)

On our 3rd lap

More trails, more rocks to skip over, and then we turn the corner and find something...fragrant? Mounds of Grounds is next and at first glance appears to be some mud hills and trenches, but it's giant piles of ground coffee. It's still slippery when we try and climb up, and the water is not as shallow as it appears in some spots. The mess the wet grounds leave on socks is incredible.

Footsteps are heard behind us and not long after a blur with red hair streaks past us - Allison Tai! She's flying on the course, but turns around long enough to say hi, then zooms off.

Trail leads to some waist-deep puddle crossing, then the obstacle I've been dreading since I signed up: The Dirty Name, aka Gut Buster, aka Sternum Checker. It's terrifying! I don't quite make it over, and hence begin my 8-count bodybuilders.

On my second lap, I figure if I jump a little farther and a little higher, I'll make it over, right? I throw caution to the winds, and leap..

...whoosh!

SLAM! Land on my back, on the ground.

It happened so fast I didn't have time to brace myself. The guy who jumped after me also slid off the same way (we basically clotheslined ourselves) and it didn't help there was a girl who was getting carted off. Only later on did the organizers put hay at the bottom to cushion falls. Dangerous much?!

I get up and figure I'm ok (maybe it does pay to be an athletic therapist as I run through a quick checklist in my head) and I can tell I'm going to be bruised on my back end. I hope I didn't scare Sara too much. I'm fairly certain there's a package or two of squashed Shot Blocks that (slightly) cushioned my fall.

Ryan and Corinna debunk the Dirty Name (video courtesy of BattleFrog)

Onto Normandy Jacks - the 'jack' part looks like wooden jacks and there's wire strung between them. But it isn't barbed wire and is done in such a way where racers still have to duck low to get under but don't have to worry about snagging hair, clothing or hydration packs. I get to keep my shorts for another week!

12 foot rope walls are next - picture Spartan's slip ramp except it's a straight up wall (with a few beams acting as footholds). This should be interesting once the grip is failing as it's a lot more upper-body reliant.

Wreck Bag carry - 50 pounds of Wreck Bag, 600m loop, 4 foot wall as part of the loop. On the first lap I toss the bag over the wall before jumping over, but like most everyone later on we perch the bag on the wall and hop over it so we don't have to burn energy picking it up again. I'm glad I got a practice round with mine, figuring out how to set it on my shoulders. At the 3rd lap the volunteer asks us to drop the Wreck Bags in a giant bin which is taller than either of us! I also am not sure how my legs would handle a 4th loop of this carry.

Slant wall to jump over after some trails, I think I'm getting the hang of this one. And then it's a big, bad, long Platinum Rig traverse (that even Dom gets stuck on! Hahaha). I make it maybe 1/3 of the way the first time around. Sara flies through the obstacle and everyone around me has become an admirer. I did say she was the climbing expert!

Unfortunately a number of us were given the wrong directions from a volunteer and were steered to the BFX tent after the Platinum Rig and back to the start line, even though there was still about a mile to run with 5 obstacles mixed in. As of the 2nd lap we were directed to a tire flip obstacle.

What we wound up missing for two rounds was the 12 foot delta ladder (picture huge wooden A-frame to climb over), OUT walls, a revamped Tsunami (not the original slip ramp run, but it has now become a giant slide), a 6 foot wall, an incline wall to run up (I get a bit discouraged after 3-4 tries but maybe I shouldn't have stopped), two 12 foot ladder walls to climb. Lots of climbing and jumping, and as we ran the last section we were wondering why we weren't seeing the finish line.

Tip of the spear - just when the grip is pretty shot, it's some incline walls with ropes, finger grip holds and more ropes to shimmy across. My hands are pretty toast and I find it hard to get across the first part of the wall. More 8-counts.

We mug for the photographer as we cross the finish line, and the volunteers have armfuls of different medals for the racers. "8k or 16k?" one of them asks. We answer with "Xtreme", and out of another bin she unfurls the lanyards to reveal the hugest medal I've earned to date. We also go to get our 3 stars, even though we feel it's an incomplete merit.

Ok, I put the stars on the wrong side initially!

Morgan McKay ends up being the female BFX winner, so awesome! After the race we end up exchanging notes on pre-race coffees. Turns out she was late for the BFX pre-race brief because she was at Dunkin' Donuts getting a cuppa joe, and we're giggling nonstop at this.

Our race mates Jen and Alex have gotten in 5 laps (5th star awarded is a silver one), maybe next year I'll get in 5.

BattleFrog Xtreme was a good challenge and fun at the same time, but some of the obstacles we were looking forward to were not on this course. I hope that situation gets rectified and we get a crack at the original Tsunami. It is also a good test for the upper-body strength needed for obstacles involving grip. The format (minimum 3 laps to earn that gigantic medal) is also a pretty good indication about training for a Beast.

Can I get a 'HOOYAH!!"

During the weekend I got to talk to Jen and Sara about their Ultra Beast experiences and I'm grateful they were very honest and straightforward with the facts, including me being told at some point that my current pace likely wasn't fast enough to make time cutoffs. Had I gotten in 4 laps of BFX I would have figured I'd had something of a chance at the Ultra Beast, but after 3 I realized I am just not ready this year to take on such a huge event.

I've still got a long way to go, and I wonder if I'll ever get there.

Check out Allison Tai's blog at http://yomamasofit.com/ and see what it's like to be a mom and an OCR runner

Spartan Sprint Ottawa Weekend July 4-5

Hello again, Ottawa area races.

Ever since I've become a Mudd Queen, in 2015 alone I've driven west on the 417 more times than I have in my entire life up until last year! 

Perth Kilt Run was a charming, lovely event (bonus - the kilt!) that I may consider next year. The Warrior Division sounds rather enticing. Now who would kindly show me how to properly hammer throw and caber toss without causing bodily harm to myself, or the volunteers?

Most people who ask me about my event calendar know that of all the Spartan Sprints, Ottawa has been my favorite, still is. I wasn't really planning on running both days, but with a season pass and most of the girls running both days or some only on Sunday, why not? It's a good test (of what, I'm not sure...my insanity?)

Friday had some of the Ottawa Senators' prospects run the race as part of a relay with open participants. Not going to lie, I felt a surge of pride as the Mudd Queens swept the podium on the womens' side. Unfortunately, Jen's relay partner injured his ankle on course and DNF'd. The other funny tidbit the girls told me was the Sens players limping to the podium. Guess it's not every day they get to run an obstacle course race!

1) Sara 2) Crystal 3) Patrice Way to go, ladies!

I heard the race was a bit shorter than the other Sprints so far (since when is 8+ km considered a Sprint?? Only here haha) so this could be a bit more enjoyable. 

Saturday morning starts off cool but once the sun is out it's great. Finally get to pick up my season pass chip and bag drop bag. Another familiar sight is the emcee - tall guy wearing full Spartan costume (I heard he's a runner), been seeing him at Spartan Races since 2012. 

Wall jump to start line, then soon enough off we go, and the familiar hill climb to kick off any Spartan Race. It isn't long before we get to some hay bales and a large log (that could pass for a balance beam) to jump over, and some OUT walls.

Soon the monkey bars appear and there's already a lineup. I haven't had a big problem in monkey bar crossings this season, but somehow, using the swing approach, I feel myself stop and don't get far at all. After 30 burpees I look at the set up and they appear to be angled slightly...uphill?

Some nice trails and not long after the spear throw comes up. I'd been practicing my release (it's hard to throw that in a straight line!) and I somehow end up sticking the spear partially standing up  with the point in the bale. Hey it counts, right?

Other fun oldies but goodies included Atlas carry, parallel bar traverse (right after a muddy crawl!), incline wall (again, hands full of mud), tire flip - I think I picked one on the men's side but it was fun to flip nonetheless. The pancake carry went through some awesome trails that I'd love to run all day. The slackline has become my new nemesis, barely took 4 steps and had to step off (didn't help they were set up on a downhill!) Linda has completed the traverse, but the bell is strung so high she can't reach it!

Downhill towards the rope climb followed by the Platinum Rig (ooo! Sneaky!), I almost make it through but do not have enough momentum to reach one of the rings that are higher up. There is also a volunteer who is doubling as burpee police - going up to every racer and asking, "Where you at?" <answer a number between 1-30> "Keep going!" Tough love, held everyone accountable, no malicious intent. Hey, can we clone this guy and put him at all the obstacles that have high burpee yields?

No I'm not cheating, my left hand was stopping me from initially bashing into the beam

I almost fell off the zigzag wall but held on and massively cramped my left calf, enough to have me running funny on the last section towards the jerry can carry (also suspect lack of adequate hydration). Genevieve and Andrea are finishing up; Gen has a few words of advice: "Take your time. It's at least 50 pounds..." Oh, lordy. Shades of Killington Beast difficulty with this carry, as the loop seems to go on forever.

The only thing that I missed on this course was the spraying of the mist (aka snow making) which would have been refreshing, but that's a small detail. We'll see if tomorrow I'll succeed where I'd failed.

Sunday Sprint

Seize the day!...just let me have some coffee first.

I'm not really sure if today I'll run for fun, or try to beat my time versus yesterday. Thinking about yesterday's cramping episode, I chomp 2 eLoad eDISCS before the start. I get maybe 3/4 of the way across the monkey bars but fall off again. I whiff my spear throw as well, it went straight (at least) but shot through the bottom of the supporting frame.

On the downhill towards the finish, we notice the slacklines have been removed. I later found out there were too many ankle injuries at that obstacle..I somehow find myself counting how many pulls it takes me to climb the rope (7) thanks to a little chat with Sara, our climbing expert. The Platinum Rig has been changed and I lose momentum and have to burpee out. (I'd been told by an observer that I dead hang too much and don't swing enough.)

Zigzag wall - fell off at the same spot that made me cramp, ugh. The jerry can carry has been shortened by perhaps half the distance, but that thing is still bleeping heavy.

Barbed wire fun

Cool item added this year in the festival area - Protinis snacks! Good way to try these much ballyhooed chicken snacks that feature Hayley Wickenheiser on the TV commercials. They're tasty!

I also pick up a Wreck Bag, but the one I'd paid for is on the Platinum Rig truck which is nowhere to be found on Sunday. Claude Godbout helps out and eventually I get one from the display pile (with one corner of the box mysteriously covered in what appears to be blueberry yogurt). Oh right, I have to get this back to my car...!

As I'm weaving my way out of the site with the box perched on my shoulder I realize I'm carrying the cardboard, rectangular equivalent of a BATTERING RAM. The box measures about 3 1/2 feet long and feels awkwardly heavy as I trod on. Claude had asked if I was ok carrying it, but now I'm wondering if everyone around me will be fine as I try not to kamikaze them with my new toy.

Reflecting on this race weekend, I realize that there are still some things I need to work on and master in order to improve my times. I won't chalk up any excuses on my obstacle failures, as each one was doable. That, and I probably could have run a bit faster on some stretches.

Next up BattleFrog Extreme New England!

Down and Dirty Obstacle Race - Hartford, CT

Anyone been to Hartford, Connecticut?

Not me. I asked around and no one's been. Hmm, it's a city that used to have an NHL team, so how come no one's visited?

Subaru Down and Dirty Obstacle Race (formerly Merrell Down and Dirty Obstacle Race) has been on my radar for a couple of years. This season I finally get to cross it off my race bucket list.

There are two distances, 3 and 6 miles, and the extra challenge called the Brick Division - participants bring an empty backpack, the bricks are provided, and the choice to complete either the 3 or 6 miles with those bricks.

Of course I wanted to try 6 miles with bricks, hey it's perfect prep for GoRuck, right?

Hartford is about a 5 1/2 hour drive, but I get to drive through Vermont! Funny side note - telling the border guard exactly the nature of my visit gets him all curious. When I get to the part about the bricks, he's clearly amused. "Niiiiiice!" he answers.

Once I'm on site to pick up my race packet, I try not to look at the obstacles set up but invariably the camera comes out. It's also super humid (about 30C with humidity) so tomorrow should be a hot one.

Race packet includes a Brick Division finisher shirt (orange! yay), bib and small goody bag - Subaru buff, snack-size Larabar, two sample size Paul Mitchell leave-in hair treatment (whoa).

Pre-race fueling habits of a couple of my teammates are rubbing off on me, & thanks to Chowhound I find a cool burger place to check out - Plan B Burger (several locations in Connecticut), plus a decent beer menu.

Undecided about which burger to choose - 3 slider option!

Shout out to Mr. Lew and his burger quest, I think he may approve of their classic burger offering - freshly ground hormone and antibiotic-free beef, topped with lettuce, tomato, onion & their house special sauce. Simplicity rules!

Next day is race day, and interestingly enough the 6 mile heats are all before 8am. The venue is Riverside Park, a large and beautiful park that's pretty flat terrain-wise. I also check out a few of the activities happening before I load the pack.

A carnival game!

Anyone participating automatically gets a Subaru paracord bracelet (with another bracelet going to a member of the armed forces) As I'm mentioning to the volunteer that I can't sign in with a Canadian address, a guy nearby who overhears this mentions he's originally from Laval. Small world!

More freebies found in the Subaru VIP tent: lip balm, sunscreen, eye black stickers, Subaru lanyards..The bonus here for Subaru drivers is a parking lot just for owners (even a Subaru owner yes/no on the registration form!) The Subaru VIP's also got some snacks, coffee, and a Subaru-branded towel. (Wow, I just said 'Subaru' multiple times in the same paragraph! My English prof would have had my head for repetition)

The Larabar tent has 2 different flavours to choose from in bite-size format, as well as stickers!

As the start time comes closer, I finally head to the brick pile:

Men get 5, women carry 3; they weigh 5 pounds each. Participants were also advised to bring duct tape and packing material. Bricks get taped together, and like my rucking training - wrap them in towels (not the best move, as I'll find out later) to secure them and soften the edges.

There aren't many runners in the Brick Division, and since I haven't done an obstacle course with a weighted backpack yet I'm hoping I don't look like the rhino from Jumanji.

Brick Division participants get a head start before the open 6 mile runners, so it starts off with a short, grassy hill climb, then quickly back down to the first obstacle, the Mud Pit (first of two). Anyone with a backpack has to take it off and push it in front of them as they crawl under the banners.

The terrain is mostly flat, wide (enough to allow 2 runners to run side-by-side) and quite agreeable, so I manage a slow trot. Open participants start to pass and I wistfully think for a second, "If I wasn't carrying this rucksack with bricks..." then I'm forcefully reminded to run my own damn race (thanks, Solo. Now how do I get your voice out of my head? Hee hee)

Along the way, I get shout outs and encouragement from the runners, some think I'm crazy for wanting to run with 15 pounds strapped on me. When Brick Division participants pass and cheer on one another, there's a small bonding moment, as we call each other "brick." "Good job, brick!"

Behold the course map!

From an obstacle standpoint, none are very complicated or extremely difficult, and several involve variations of a cargo net climb.

- Low Crawl: crawling in a pool of water under a net. Again, the rucksack comes off, and it is dripping with water once I'm out. Uh-oh, the towels have soaked up the water, adding weight to my load. Suddenly the towel idea isn't looking bright in the least.

- Give me 20: just like in the army, drop and do 20 push-ups. Did them all on my toes, with the bricks :)

- Plank It: set of parallel bars that participants had to cross while in a push-up position (me on XMan's version) This was probably one of the harder ones simply because of the bricks. The girl next to me is grunting and groaning with effort.

- Marine Hurdles: like wall climbs, but looks like we're jumping over balance beams.

- Balance Beams: it's hard trying to stand up on it with a shifting weight on the back. Thanks to some kind and attentive volunteers, I get across.

- Cargo Climb: Classic cargo net climb.

- Monkey Cross: quite the original obstacle https://flic.kr/p/jnxRmC
(Pulling on the rope overhead means whoever's on the far side has less rope to work with)

- Tires: tire crossing but some are random stacks of two to prevent racers from running across. A neat twist

- Jim's Jungle Gym: variation of cargo net climb https://flic.kr/p/ngru3C
The footholds have enough real estate to plant and push with a leg to get up

- Ladder Wall: climb up one side, climb down the other. Located after a small, small hill climb.

- Military Walls: not quite a five foot wall, and as a little bonus we grab a slam ball (different weights for men & women)  to toss over the wall before we hop over. I try the usual of planting hands and jumping to get myself over - nope, not when I'm about 20 pounds heavier. Note to self: practice getting over smaller walls with rucksack.

- Tunnels & Original Hurdles: the "tunnel" looks like a fabric tube found in an indoor playground. Cannot fit self on all fours with rucksack in opening, so off it comes. Original hurdles = not quite five foot walls to jump over, and again need a boost for these.

- Sand Bag Haul: different weights again but not super heavy, short loop to carry

- Heavy Hoist: like Spartan's Hercules Hoist but with sandbags

- Chill Out: also found a few ice chunks floating near the surface

- Rock Wall: rock climbing handholds on wall. Pretty cool, however I'm getting fed up with the bricks and opt out of the highest wall

- Slippery Mountain: at first I thought, "Why is this so small?" when I saw it the day before.

Turns out it's covered in soap and we have to pull ourselves up while on our bellies. Nice!

The second mud pit is next and the water is GROSS. Light brown in colour, it leaves us stained that same colour, and I almost tip over backwards when I put my soaking rucksack back on. The second water crawl doesn't help much with rinsing off.

Finally, we get to the last obstacle, the Monster Climb: same thing on the way up & down

Finisher medal looks like a large, painted dog tag.

There's body wash provided at the rinsing stations. Yay! Smells like coconuts.

Finally get rid of the bricks, and two guys who are also emptying their rucks congratulate me on finishing. I mention I'm practicing for GoRuck but not sure how the actual event will turn out; one guy answers while grinning, "If you're crazy enough to do this with bricks, you'll be fine!" 

I figured I'd swing through downtown Hartford to grab a coffee (not Dunkin' Donuts) for the road, and find that everything's closed. It's close to 11am and no signs of life anywhere. The small town of Brattleboro, Vermont has more charm and character! (Except for the microbrewery not yet open when I arrive...)

Final thoughts on Down and Dirty Obstacle Race: glaring absence of photographers on course. Racers were invited to share their photos on the Facebook page, but not even one camera at the finish line? Minus 1.

I'd qualify this one as an entry level, and the 6 mile option is for someone who wants to test the waters of a slightly longer run with obstacles. I can already think of many fellow racers who would hit the ground running at full speed and never look back, since the only slowdown at some of the obstacles was the wait. Add the challenge by choosing the Brick Division, so at least there's some effort involved.

Would I do this again? Maybe, maybe not, but I realize the next day that my rucksack is beyond filthy even after a quick rinse after the race. It takes me almost half an hour to clean every single corner, seam, and compartment (many of which I discover while hosing the whole thing down multiple times) So I'd hesitate knowing the cleanup that follows...even as I'm posting this, I'm still finding hidden dirty spots.

Results are posted the next day, and I find there were 18 female Brick Division participants. Did I end up like the Jumanji rhinoceros? Well, close enough, as I'm second to last. Some people just took off at the start despite the weight, so that's something I'm going to have to practice. 

Crossed this item off the race bucket list, now next is another item - Perth Kilt Run. Will there be a Guinness record set that day?

Mud Hero Ottawa - the epic birthday shenanigans

Good Sunday morning, everyone.

I take a look at my legs and spot a few more bruises and scabs that I didn't see yesterday. Oh well, at least today we're in it for fun.

Up until now I've never run Mud Hero, and I've only heard good things about it from people of all fitness levels. That, and everyone is always sporting huge grins in the finisher photos and they are extremely muddy. 

I also get my first dose of Bridgehead coffee, hmm this may be my Ottawa go-to to fuel my caffeine habit.

We all gather and await the birthday girl and her entourage - we know something huge is coming up, we won't expect anything less. Plus, they've been very secretive. At some point we spot sombreros...

...they have dressed up as the 3 Amigos! I'd almost walked by them until I spotted someone wearing a team shirt (thanks, Justin)

We mug for photos along with mustaches before heading out to the start line. Already people are noticing the detailed costumes.

One of the plans is to push Tanya the birthday girl in the mud while she's not paying attention. Or perhaps engage her in a mud fight.

Since the race is being held at a paintball site, there's plenty of background decor for shenanigans. But first, some small incline walls to jump over, then some mud and water crossings. Someone gets the idea to ambush Tanya as she emerges out of a wooded area by throwing mud at her. Surprisingly, it holds its shape, almost like a squishy snowball! 

The volunteers are great - full of energy, always encouraging, and of course (un)willing recipients for muddy hugs and high-fives. 

Gotta love paintball terrain settings

Standard obstacles like cargo net climb, Kong (part ladder, part cargo net) climb, seesaw run, Car Park - the one I've been looking forward to, which is jumping across parked cars. And then with about 2km to go, behold the mud crossings.

I've done quite a few of these obstacle course runs where getting muddy is guaranteed, or advertised as "muddiest (insert distance in KM)", but this stretch was maybe amongst the longest mud crawls I've ever encountered. It was either squishy mud that sucked your shoes off, or swampy crossings (where some of us ended up armpit-deep)  

The birthday girl realizing she may be in too deep

I was actually reminded of my first-ever Spartan Race (Tremblant 2011) where the mud crossings were something like what we saw. It's laborious, we hear sucking sounds everywhere, people fall in including Tanya, who somehow blames me because I'm the closest!

The mud doesn't stop and then we get to the huge waterslide. So much fun, enough of a drop to gather speed before we hit a giant pool of water. (Somehow, someone's sombrero stayed on)

Keep your hands inside the ride at all times

Once we think we're de-gunked, then there's a huge mud pit crawl (under some wooden beams) to the finish. Combined with yesterday's event, I don't think I'll be properly clean for a week.

SO. MUDDY. There's even mud bulging in my side pocket!

A cool bonus is swapping the timing chip for a beer - Beau's Lug Tread! Yeah! Another cool bonus - at least 15 of us from the same team signed up so free Team Mud Hero buffs! Yeah yeah!

One of the best weekends so far in my race calendar - I do believe this edition of a birthday run may be something of a benchmark in terms of shenanigans. As for the rest:

- This song, and this song from the Rock Band party (now which one got stuck in your head?)

- en route to Ottawa, Jen remarks, "I think our stuff's beginning to smell now", but we also happened to be passing cows grazing