Training Log Archive: Funderstormin

Body Pump with Mrs. Tiny.

C • Good luck!! 4

Non-descript run on treadmill at gym.

Early morning run with my sister, which is a rare treat!

I'm putting together a 5K fun run in my office as part of our Christmas celebrations. Was in TO the past two days for a conference and myself and a colleague (who is in the fun run but has never run outside) hit the streets this morning before the conference. She did great!

BodyPump at gym with Mrs. Tiny.

C • Good luck next weekend and ... 2

RPM Class. Not sure if it's because I've been doing these with a cup of coffee beforehand but an otherwise empty stomach, but HR was really high, or I was working harder than usual!

C • High HR? 3

It all started innocently enough last weekend. Stephania had registered for the Tough Mudder Indiana race this weekend and in a moment of curiosity, I said "why don't you send me the information." Since one of the central philosophies of funderstormin' is random, ridiculous adventures, a few days later I found myself on a plane to Chicago. I didn't have an entry to the race yet since online registration was closed, but I had the fistful of cash they were demanding for same day entry ($180.00!) and the hope that there was still space in the event.

For the record, I think events like this - a 10 mile run with 29 obstacles - are kind of stupid. I much prefer adventure racing where the obstacles are set by nature and make a bit more sense. But I'd been judging these events without even trying one first, so what the heck.

The Universe lined everything up wonderfully for us, except for the fact that we didn't realize that the time change in Chicago did not apply to Indiana, so we woke up an hour late and we were worried that we'd screwed ourselves. But we still got there early enough and I was able to get a spot, so before I knew it I was signing a "death waiver" and having a number written across my forehead in permanent marker.

The race was held at some off-road park and consisted of trail running with obstacles thrown in every 1/3 of a mile or so. Some obstacles - like climbing over gigantic straw towers, through mud bogs or underground tunnels were kind of fun - many, like the jump into a gigantic vat of ice cold water or crawling through mud underneath barb wire, were kind of stupid, and one or two, like jumping 15 ft off a platform into a lake and then swimming 50 yards, or the ending, which featured running through a last obstacle that was electrified - were somewhat terrifying. I refused to look at the website beforehand so I really had no idea what to expect. I was surprised to find out how much I enjoyed it though, so much so that I couldn't wait to see what the next crazy challenge was going to be. There was a real spirit of camraderie as most people do the events in teams and there are no finishing times, so anytime Stephania and I needed help scaling a gigantic wall or running up "Everest", there were many people willing to help.

The event was sponsored by Dos Equis (my kind of event) and included a free beer at the finish, but we were pretty cold once we were done (about 10 obstacles included getting wet at least to the waist!) so we didn't stick around for the arm wrestling contest as we had a long drive back to Chicago, where we are now contrasting the muddy morning with a night at the W and out on the town!

C • Any pics? 6

Body Pump with Mrs. Tiny. Good times.

RPM class bright and early. Really good instructor - would definitely go back for this one.

C • Look at you! 2

Raid the Hammer with Mrs. Tiny and Stephania. Slow but steady pace. A couple of small blunders but nothing too devastating. Team decision to go from 13-22 in exchange for 3 hour time penalty. Great day to be out in the woods! Awesome post-race food and banter at the Thirsty Cactus.

Short run after spending day at Royal Winter Fair where one of the horses that I have ridden for many years won the first class of his division. Very happy for his rider and family and proud to have played a role in getting him ready for the event. :)

C • Congrats 2

4 weeks in a row...Mrs. Tiny and I are on a roll!

C • Mrs. Tiny barely made it th... 2

Can't believe I'm going to say this, but sometimes I actually enjoy running on a treadmill!

Hockley Loop with Mrs. Tiny and bugsinteeth. Mrs. Tiny and I had been talking about doing this all season and I was glad we were able to get out before she got too pregnant! Awesome to have bugs' company as well. Day was absolutely amazing and there were no casualties on the trail. Although my calves were tired by the end, I still felt strong and had good energy, which was exactly the kind of confidence-boosting run I needed before San Francisco!

Only disappointment was that the chip truck that Mrs. Tiny and I spent considerable time talking about wasn't open on the way home. Boo!

C • Hockley Valley General Store 6

Have been neglecting yoga for weeks and could feel that my mind/body equation was unbalanced! This didn't seem to fix it entirely, but it was a start!

With a Hockley loop in the forecast for this weekend, I thought I'd swap out my hill training for some intervals instead. Warm-up, then 7 X 1/4 mile repeats, each a bit faster, with equal recoveries. Felt great!

Body Pump with Mrs. Tiny. For some reason I woke up this morning at 3:30 and couldn't get back to sleep, so by the time the class started, I'd already done laundry and watched a documentary on the Mexican drug war. Productive start to the day, but I foresee it rapidly declining!