Spartan Summer Training Review

Way back in June, I outlined my summer Spartan training plan in preparation for running my first Spartan Sprint in September. (You can catch the race recap here.) I found that a lot of the Spartan training plans available online were very intense and definitely aimed at an already athletically fit male. So I basically made up my own. I wanted to revisit my plan and let you all know how it went.

Running:

Running went 100% to plan. Coming off of spring race season, my goal was to maintain a 10k distance running base which would definitely prepare me for the 3-5 miles of the Spartan Sprint. Since I was expecting more of a standard trail Spartan, I did do some hikes in a local park to get me more used to "off roading."

Strength Training:

When I signed up for my race, I knew that there were going to be some obstacles that I just wouldn't be able to do but there were definitely some things I could work on. I did burpees/sprawls. I did a lot of hanging exercises to work on my grip strength. I practiced the sand bag carry around my neighborhood. I was really happy to see progress in all three areas over the course of my training. I still failed all of the upper body intensive obstacles but I've got a base to build upon now.

I do wish I had done more burpees/sprawls. I made it up to 60 burpees/sprawls in a workout but it's way different doing them inside in the ac rather than outside in the heat! I think it would be an awesome workout to stop and do 10 burpees every mile or half mile of a run.

Adventure:

I had so much fun doing adventures this summer! This was my opportunity to change up my workout and try something different. Besides the hikes I mentioned above, I also did some CrossFit style workouts, sprints, yoga, 7+ mile walks in my Vibrams at Disney and Universal and a workout taught by a Spartan SGX trainer. I did have to cut back a bit towards the end of the summer as my back to back runs started for Wine and Dine Challenge training but I'm glad I added in some fun workouts.

I also went to a workout with some of the members of my race team. We met up at a park that had exercise stations along a trail. We'd run between the stations and then do different exercises throughout. And if there was a station that didn't seem beneficial for our race, we'd do burpees. It was really fun to meet up with some of the team members before the race. I'd definitely do this sort of workout again.

Recovery:

I definitely upped my foam roller game this summer. I got two new recovery tools, a massage stick and a foot massage ball. The foot ball feels amazing! I didn't realize how tight my feet were until I used it. Now, I do a minimum of 5 minutes of foam rolling after every run with longer sessions after a long run. I know five minutes doesn't sound like much, but I know that even this baby step will benefit me in the long run.

Shoes:

I wanted to run my Spartan race in my Vibram Fivefingers (which was an awesome decision!) but they are definitely not shoes you can just throw on for the first time and go on a long run. I started in April with wearing them for nonrunning activities and I did start running in them over the summer. Going slowly is definitely the best method. Even just for day to day activities, I could tell that my feet were using different muscles than usual.

Once I worked up to being able to wear them all day for a long walking day at Disney, I started running in them. I started with 5 minutes on the treadmill twice a week and worked my way up. My time increased by 5 minutes every other week. If I missed a run, I'd repeat a week to make sure my feet were ready for the next distance. At 25 minutes, I started running in them outside as my midweek runs and continued building from there. One of the great things about Vibrams is that you can feel and grip with your feet but it took some getting used to even when running on the sidewalk and road!

By race day, I was up to 40 minutes or about 3 miles. (It's summer and hot and I run slow! lol) My race ended up being around 3.5 miles and I had no problem with the running part. And the grippiness of these shoes were really helpful on some of the obstacles too!

Overall, I was really happy with my training. There are some things I would have liked to add such as a day at our local indoor rock climbing place, more outside strength training, and trying to find some place to practice specific obstacles like rope climbing and the spear throw. Now that running season has started, I will be shifting my workouts to focus more on running but I will be keeping my grip strength exercises and my monthly yoga in the mix.