May 16, 2016

We’ve had a few brand new folks recently who’ve chimed in to say that this site has inspired them to get off the couch and get out there to join up in a race. I am grateful to all of you who’ve told me this – it makes the work (even though I love the work) of putting this site together totally worthwhile.

And I’m excited for you – the decision to take on an obstacle course race (OCR) is not to be taken lightly – these things can be very tough. But they’re absolutely rewarding, and I think they have one of the best communities around for support and just general friendliness!

This category is being used to share some posts that I think are absolutely key to getting started with OCR and training for one.

If it was me, I would start with the two articles about first time OCR racer mistakes and start putting together a training plan including those items.

Don’t Make These New OCR Racer Mistakes (Part 1)!

and

More New OCR Racer Mistakes – Obstacles (Part 2)

As far as the running goes, such as mentioned in Part 1, above, make sure that you’re running at least 3-4 times a week in some fashion – whether that be long slow distance work or one of the running methodologies mentioned in the Part 1 obstacle above. There’s a reason I mentioned the running mistakes in the first article – it’s the part most people miss in the fun of getting ready for the obstacles!

Pay careful attention to the third item in Part 1: the start-stop running. I would recommend breaking up your runs into three or four sections, using an app like MapMyRun or what have you to let you know when you’ve hit various points in the run, then stop and do a set of something like burpees (burpees would be the best because 1) they work the whole body as a unit and 2) you’re gonna have to do them if you do a Spartan Race).

Part 2 is important, too, don’t get me wrong. Make sure you’re working on grip, full-body movements, and as much obstacle practice as you can. And don’t be limited to what you can do in a gym or on an exercise trail. Game-ify your life a bit!

• See a curb as you’re walking down the street? Balance on it.
• Jump with two feet from crack-to-crack on the sidewalk, and land as carefully as  you can.
• Vault stuff – yeah, run up to it, put your hands down on it, and vault over it to the left or right.
• Neighbors forget to cut their tree branches down over the sidewalk? Squat and bend to get under them.
• Kids having fun crawling around on the ground?  Join them.

Your movement work will make you stronger, more flexible, and more mobile no matter when you do it. Add movement into your life. Avoid the easy way out – if you’re hauling  mulch around your yard, don’t use the wheelbarrow and load up five bags. Walk those bags over individually.  See where I’m going with this? With the right attitude and ingenuity,  your lifestyle can be your training ground.

Let’s not forget diet. The more you cut out things like added sugars, alcohol, junk food, and processed food and stick with real food that you have to prepare in the kitchen (no boxes!) the better off you will be.  Learn to cook a bit. There are tons of resources for that now – look up cooking basics on YouTube or Google for more on that. (If you’d be interested in posts on cooking for training, let me know and I’ll throw some ideas at you!).

Finally, if you don’t have a training partner, get into our message boards and share your questions and experiences with everyone. OCR is fantastic not just because it’s a fun race, but because of the people who are rediscovering just what the human body is truly capable of when we stop listening to “experts” warning us to be careful all the time and start to test ourselves a bit! That enthusiasm is awesome and we’d love to share it around!

Okay, get reading, let me know what your questions are either via email or on the message boards, and let’s get this done!