I've always loved challenges. When lining up for a race, my eyes would scout out the competition, zeroing on the females who looked like they fell in my age group. As soon as I began running I knew that 5K’s were not enough. I had to try a marathon. Then the idea of qualifying for Boston became my next challenge.
As I've said before, I gave up running because of exercised induced migraines and have just found a medication that has allowed me to run again. Now I have found another challenge. Added to running are the mud and the obstacle Challenges courses.
My first race was on January 27th and was the Socal Super Spartan. Yes, I did not go the normal route and start with a Spartan but had to start with a killer Super Spartan : 8.5 miles of steep mountain trails mixed with 20 challenges. I did this with my daughter, her boyfriend, and one of my best friend Cindy and we had an incredibly fun day just being together. We laughed, encouraged each other through pain, and shared burpees.
The Spartan is a run mixed with a military style type obstacle course: climbing walls, running through mud, jumping over fire, crawling under barbed wire, climbing ropes, carrying 40lb stones, sand bags, or huge buckets of sand up and down mountains, crossing walls, balancing bars, and more. For every challenge you fail, you do thirty burpees that include pushups!
One of the most memorable obstacles of this Spartan was a swim in Lake Vail. Without thinking we dove into the water and begun our swim. After just a few strokes the forty degree water took our breath away and cramped up our muscles. I have never been in water so cold in my life!!
The comradeship along the race was unbelievable. Halfway up the hill carrying my large paint size bucket of water, my back was killing me. I said, “I think I’d rather do the burpees!” Behind me a guy of about twenty-five said, “No, you can do this, Give me some of your sand!” Of course, I couldn’t do that because he was struggling with his own bucket filled higher than mine but it was the thought that counted and kept me going.
The last challenge was to jump over a line of fire, then push your way through a line of guy trying to prevent you from reaching the finish line. But we did it and we received our medals.
All this race did was wet our appetites for the killer race of all: The Beast!!! (13 miles of steep hills with 30 plus obstacles (Cindy and I are planning and training to do the Spartan Beast in November. Another challenge!!!
I have a set of personal challenges coming up in my life right now yet I have a wonderful set of friends who are offering to carry some of my sand. I thank God for them every day and I pray you have friends like these as well.
If you feel like you are running over fire or pushing your way through a group of people doing all they can to prevent you from reaching the finish line, I encourage you to press on. You can do this with the strength we have in Christ. (Phil. 4:13)
Hebrews 12:1-2 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.