On September 14th, I took on the challenge of running the Spartan Race Ultra in Vermont aka the birthplace of Spartan. I heard this is where Joe Desena carried a cow on his back and ran up the Death March…twice, thus creating the Spartan race. (Dont quote me on that) Thats all besides the point.
How it all started
In 2016, I attempted for my first Ultra at the Spartan World Championship in Lake Tahoe, CA. A couple of guys I was training with brought up the idea of doing an Ultra because at this point, we had already completed a couple Trifectas and Hurricane Heats. They also mentioned that you get a buckle instead of a regular medal! Im always up for a challenge and that buckle sounds nice. Needless to say, we signed up and showed up. Long story short, I crossed that finish line, but did not earn my buckle.
I came back in 2017 for redemption, but I DNF’d. I returned in 2018, but was only able to do the beast. Fast forward to 2019, my plans to take on Lake Tahoe Ultra was still on the table.
During dinner with a couple of my friends, one brought to my attention in attempting the Ultra at Killington. After 2 unsuccessful Ultra attempts, I was hesistant to even consider racing in this venue, let alone the Ultra. My friend told me that racing Killington is a very humbling experience regardless of the outcome. I thought it over for a week and next thing you know, I was signed up. I told myself, since it was 2 weeks before Tahoe, I can use it as training even if I didnt finish.
Time to get to work
With less than 6 months to train for what could possibly be the hardest race of my life, I knew I couldnt waste time.
I did a lot of research before I actually did any specific Ultra training. I looked up what veterans were doing for their workouts, nutrition, hydration, and recovery. The Facebook group Ultrabeast Worldwide was very helpful. I also looked back at what went wrong and what went right in my last two Ultra attempts. From there, I slowly implemented these changes to my current workouts and filtered out what didnt work.
Below is a little summary of what helped me prepare for the race.
Workouts
I trained legs 4 times a week, but it should’ve been 7 because everyday is leg day. I was on the trails(hills) and averaged about 25 miles each week. Shifting focus between speed, breathing, downhill running, and distance. I did mainly calesthenics for upper body and didnt really practice technique on the obstacles. I knew I was strong enough to do them, so I mainly focused on stenghthing my legs. Lets be honest, Spartan races are like 80% running/hiking.
Nutrition
My main source of fuel was carbs(and tacos). I had to up my carb intake not only a week before the race, but during training as well(goodbye abs). This way, no surprises come race day and I felt great during training. I start my runs with CarboPro and fueled accordingly with Honey Stinger waffles and Huma Gels.
Hydration
I drink a least a gallon of water everyday. After long runs or heavy workouts, I would replinish my electrolytes with Gatorade Zero or Zico coconut water. The week leading up to race day, I doubled down on the eletrolytes hydration.
Recovery
After a workout, I would take whey protein and BCAAs. I would foam roll my legs after long runs and work on ankle mobility while im at it. I went to a Cryosauna once a month leading up to race day.
The hard work is done
The week before the race, I took the week off. No more training. No more long runs. It was time to let my body recover, but during this time I felt that I was under prepared. I had my doubts going into the race. I felt scared, nervous, and excited all at the same time. I had pre-race jitters which I assumed was normal?
On September 14th, all my training and hard work was put to the test. I knew luck wasnt going to do it. With my game plan all set, the only goal was to finish.
I finished.
It was hard to believe that I been through hell and back just to earn this buckle. #worth I trusted the training and put it all out there on that mountain. It feels amazing when you work so hard towards a goal and you finally achieve it.
My biggest take away from this whole experience is don’t be afraid to fail. I believe failure is important in everything you do. If you fail at something, learn from it and try again. Failure is an option.
Mark
