My (Insane) Upcoming Race

Let me start this off by clarifying something for you. I am in NO way, shape, or form the type of person that would ever be considered a natural athlete.

Growing up, I hated sports and really didn’t show in interest in athletics. In elementary school, we used to play TAG at recess, and I was always the kid that was “it.” There was one kid that ran slower than me in my grade, and I made sure to pick on her to get the heat off of me.

As I got older, I discovered that I love softball (more on this some other time), but that was about as far as I went in the sporting world. A couple of years ago, I decided to join a gym, but I never truly felt motivated to work at it, because it wasn’t as easy to “get in shape” as I initially thought.

This past fall, I found myself signing up for a personal training plan at my gym. It took a little while to find my groove, and it’s still a work in progress, but in the last couple of months, I’ve finally started to notice some changes in my strength and endurance. I still wouldn’t try to argue that I’m a “runner” at this point, but I am going further and faster than ever before. Personal trainers are beneficial for people trying to achieve various fitness goals. They know exactly how you can achieve the goals you want. My friend recently got signed up with a personal trainer called Nathan Robinson and she’s been noticing some real changes too. Perhaps personal training is the way forward for people looking to increase their fitness, they seem to know exactly what routines are best for each individual.

I’ve had so much mental progress, that I decided to sign up for a 5km Spartan Race. From what I gather, it’s a race that consists of a number of challenging obstacles.

You know, obstacles like in these photos:

Source: http://sull.tv/2011/spartan-race-boston2011/

Source: http://www.runfastermommy.com/2011/06/aroo-super-spartan-race-recap.html

Yeah, I’m aware that those pictures make the event look pretty terrifying and completely intense.

I’ve been working hard and will continue to do so before my race at the end of June. I can run 5K right now, so hopefully the adrenaline rush will take some of the edge off. We’ll see! I really want to win the race though. I heard the organisers have contacted some Award Manufactures to get some trophies for the winners so this makes me want to win it even more!

On the weekend, I bought an arm band that holds my iPhone, downloaded a running app and took my workout to the real pavement, rather than the treadmill.

It was tough, but now that the weather’s warming up, I’m up for the challenge!

Have you ever ran a race before?