SPARTAN RACE TRIFECTA: ONTARIO 21KM BEAST
Spartan Racing is not my specialty and often compromises my performance in triathlon, but still I do it.
Why?
- To spice up my life and training by doing something different and fun.
- To get a sense of competition.
- To get outdoors and explore new places, new cities, meet new people.
- To get an extra mini-achievement under my belt, which also brings experience.
At the beginning of this year of 2019 one of the goals I set was to obtain Trifecta Medal.
What is Trifecta?
It’s a special medal that comes in three pieces. A member of the Spartan Trifecta Tribe has to finish three Spartan races distances, a 3 mile Sprint, an 8 mile Super, and the 13 mile Beast in a calendar year, anywhere in the world.
By this point I have completed the first two distances and even managed to come in first in my division at the 13 km Super. The Beast is what stands in between me and Trifecta.
My last opportunity this year to do this race is on September 1st, in my home province of Ontario.
I didn’t skip on this opportunity and Trifecta is mine!
Below is the picture of how it look like. It’s a combination of three magnetic pieces that combined make up the medal:
Triathlon is my main area of focus. Specifically the Ironman 70.3 races. I dedicate all my time, money and effort to getting better at swimming, cycling and running.
Ironman 70.3 Lake Placid, New York is my next endeavor and it’s coming up in a week, on September 8th. 6 days separate one race from another. For the past couple of months I’ve been training my bumm off for this race and I really want to do great.
I signed up for the Spartan a few months ago, but the closer to the race I got, the more hesitant to do it I became.
21 km with 30 obstacles?…
Reasonable Sasha spoke
Are you kidding me?
There is no way you will have enough time to recover after Spartan “Beast” and perform well in Iron.
Cancel the freaking Spartan Race and focus on your main goal Sasha!
… but I will not push too hard.
Ego interrupted
I will just do it for fun.
It will be a good cross training…
I didn’t push too hard on the beginning and was running at about 70% of my max. I passed a lot of people at this point and felt pretty good mentally. Until I caught up with two men on the course… I am alway down for a healthy competition.
200 lb of lean muscle were pushing ground away and in instant something flipped in me. I got a taste of competition, my ego got challenged.
The other Sasha woken up and took over. I was chasing these guys for about 5 km and when I passed them, I never let them pass me.
NUTRITION
I wanted to touch a bit on nutritional side of the race and express my opinion on something I see a lot, especially at OCR Races. Fueling (eating during exercise) is extremely important in sport of triathlon and I learned a lot from my own experience.
You don’t need that backpack.
I see so many people wrapping their bodies around with all kinds of backpacks, hydration packs etc… You don’t need it!
Take off this extra weight, unload all that cookies your mom cooked for you and other crap you set yourself to eat on the course. Running the race does not give you permission to eat all that crappy foods guilt-free. You don’t need it!
DROP THAT COOKIE!
There are usually enough hydration stations along the courses. I’ve been racing in such hot climates as South Texas, Arizona, California and yes, you might want to bring your own hydration, but c’mon we’re in Canada. It’s okay to get thirsty, you won’t die. There is also no need to stuff yourself with your protein bars, trail mixes and other simple sugars. They won’t make you faster! Trust me.
You should’ve been paying attention to your nutrition and more importantly hydrations days and days before the race. On a day of the race it’s already too late. Even the night before is too late.
Have one Shot Energy Gel 10 minutes before the start and another somewhere halfway through. And yes, I am speaking about longer distances only, such as Super (13 km) and Beast (21 km).
There is absolutely no need to munch of your favorite cookies during such short races as sprint, or even Super on my opinion.
DO THE WORK FIRST
EAT AFTER
My nutrition strategy was simple:
A big carb-dominant breakfast, with no fiber and proteins (1.5 hours before).
I prefer rice, potatoes or some fruits.
And of course a COFFEE! But be careful to not overdo the caffeine, otherwise you might learn where adrenaline is coming off, on the race course =)
One Cliff gel somewhere at the midpoint during the race.
RESULTS
First my age group and second overall.
I have no idea how that happened, but I’ll take it. I am really proud of myself and grateful for my body that allow this to happen. Remembering where I’ve been two years ago physically and now proves once again that EVERYTHING IS POSSIBLE!
You, my friend, reading this post should never doubt your abilities.
If you don’t believe in yourself, then no one will.
After you done coming up with excuses and feeling sorry for yourself, pick yourself up and do the work!
Don’t think of the future, focus just on what’s in front of you.
One day at the time!
Small steps.
This is how I did it, and you can. I am no better than that thousand people behind. I have the same body, made from bones, blood and a bit of poop. The only difference is that I am persistent. I put in the work day after day, that’s it. I know what I want, and you should too.
Win the race and win your life. The skills you acquire in training and racing essentially impact all aspects of your life and the lives of others.
Get to the podium.
Stand on top and take it all without guilt. You deserved it with your hard work!, sweat and tears!
When the ceremony is done and you filled your cup, step back down and help others.
Give back!
Share your energy, knowledge and experience.
