Spartan is back!
With a few COVID modifications, of course.
I can't say I miss the dunk wall. At all. LOL.
I do think wearing masks outdoors is stupid, of course. Hopefully the voice of reason breaks through eventually to follow the science. Which says that there is absolutely ZERO chance of catching a virus outdoors even if you continually cough and sneeze on someone for at least 10 minutes straight. But whatever, I'm sure Spartan along with every other race series out there has to bend over backwards to the venues to prove that they couldn't possibly be the culprit of spreading even one case of cold virus.
Jacksonville is my absolute favorite Spartan venue. The real obstacle on this course is wading through at least a mile total of swamp. Along with a lot of muddy cow pastures, completely with smelly, fresh cow pies.
Which made me laugh even more seeing a lonely bottle of hand sanitizer available after each obstacle. Everyone is basically covered in mud and poop but yet should be worried about a desperate virus clinging innocently to a rail on the monkey bars. Please.
I flew in on Friday morning and went almost straight to the venue to race the 10k Night Trail Run. This course avoided almost all of the swamps and took us on a tour of cow pastures. We got to watch the sun set and the full moon rise, and soon the lights of headlamps were winding their way around the forest's edge. I hadn't run at night for a while and really enjoyed this. I tried to run faster than the mosquitos hanging in the still, 80 degree air. 10k in 1:01:16.
Back again 12 hours later for the Super, which is another 10k. The deep swamps were out in full force today, along with all the hardest Spartan obstacles. Since I hadn't raced a Spartan for a year, I was unsure of my possibilities of success. But, with no dunk wall, I could keep my hands and gloves dry. My only fail was the Olympus Wall. Hate, hate, hate that thing. Luckily the penalty was a running loop, so no burpees!
Spartan, for the first time maybe ever, near the end of the course, made us wade through a fairly clean pond, then finished up the course on sand. I looked almost clean when I crossed the line. What is up with that? I also didn't see ANYONE trip in the swamps and do a faceplant. Sad.
Finished 3rd in Age Group in 1:26:02.
Jim flew in to do the 5k Sprint with me on Sunday morning. The worst obstacles were taken out, no Olympus wall. Yay. Now to just get the spear throw again. I hadn't picked up a spear in 7 months at least.
My heel hurt a little, although my competitors were complaining of aches and pains too. I determined to stay with my friend Andrea from the start. We took off quickly and even ran through some of the mud and water sections, which feels like sprinting honestly. I ran a little at the bucket carry and kept a few women in sight. At the spear throw, a few others missed (I MADE IT!) and at the plate drag I found myself in the lead. I truly redlined then, not wanting to give up an inch to the women now chasing me. I was breathing so hard even the guys started getting out of my way!
The rope climb right at the end took every ounce of finger strength I had left but yay, 1st place in my Age Group! I have never done that at any length race but an Ultra. Felt amazing.
Some of you have complained that my shorts aren't bright enough to pick me out of a lineup, and have asked that I find something more colorful to wear.
I'll try.
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It's all fun and games until you lose a shoe in the very first mud hole.
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The Super on Saturday was run in perfect conditions. We took a stroll down the calm Virgin River, which thankfully was not flooding like the last time we raced here. I scraped across the Olympus Wall by the skin of my teeth, and lost a little skin on my knees there as well. We didn't have to crawl through a sloppy cow pasture like a past race here, but to punish us for that blessing, the barbed wire crawl was up and down on the hills of the motorcross park, rock hard like gravel. I gained a few bruises from rolling through it, and a noteworthy gash from the barbed wire on my shoulder that made me look bloody tough. Ha. 
