I work for a small town fire department. My official title is Administrative Assistant/Firefighter/EMT. I also hold a few other titles within the department but I'm writing a blog not a novel. As the Admin Assistant I spend quite a lot of time behind a computer. Since starting this position I find my self snacking a lot and not moving around enough. I go on the occasional run, take Krav classes, and do Obstacle races but I still noticed that I wasn't maintaining any kind of strength from these events. I realized that yes outside of work I try to remain active but during work hours most days I am pretty stagnate. I spend a total of 50+ hours a week at my job and can honestly say that at least half the time I am planted in front of a computer. With the new year approaching I decided to try to find a way to workout at my desk.
During my search of the internet for things to do I came across a workout called the "Deck of Death". The workout in the post involved a deck of cards and dumbbells. I read into the workout and noticed that this could be used to cater to a multitude of fitness levels, as well as being simple enough to modify to use either equipment around the office or nothing at all. The basic rules of this workout are as follows:
1. Shuffle a deck of cards
2. Assign 4 different exercises to each suit.
3. Assign a value to the numbers and face cards
4. Pick a card
5. Execute the exercise that was picked.
As you will see you can design these in anyway to make it fit your needs.
Keeping those basic rules in mind I have turned my 8 hour shift into the perfect opportunity to get a decent work out in. I am using the Ace as a 1, valuing the Jack, Queen, and King as 11,12,13 respectively. I am also multiplying these values by 5 to add a little difficulty to it. I am going to admit that I think starting with 5 is a little much but if it isn't challenging it isn't helping, with the disclaimer to know your limits if it challenges you to much and you get hurt it will have a negative affect. First thing in the morning I grab a card and complete that exercise. Then on every hour grab a card and complete the corresponding exercise. This gets me off my chair for a few minutes every hour and gets the blood flowing.
I am currently using 2 different exercise cycles running them Monday Wednesday, and Tuesday Thursday with Friday being a Hybrid cycle.
Cycle 1 Cycle 2 Hybrid
Hearts= Burpees / Jump Rope / Planks
Spades= Push Ups / Lunges / Burpees
Clubs= Sit Ups / Squats / Push Ups
Diamonds= Jumping / Planks / Squats / Lunges
Jacks
Jump Rope and Planks will use seconds instead of reps. Some examples a 10 of hearts on Monday is 50 burpees, a 5 of diamonds on Tuesday is 25 sec. of planks, etc.
Another way I am going to try is plotting out a half mile run. Grab a card do the exercise that corresponds and then run/jog the course. Repeat this action as many times as you like. Each time try to get an extra half mile in. So if the first time you run 3 miles that means you also grabbed 6 cards, the next time try 3.5 miles while grabbing 7 cards. This can be done as a group or by yourself. In the group every person can do the same card or everyone draws a card and goes at their own pace.
As you can see this is a great flexible way to get a workout in no matter where you are or what you have for equipment. Remember you don't have to run marathons or lift massive amount of weights to be healthy or fit, all you have to do is get out of that seat and go at your own pace.
Wednesday, December 24, 2014
Tuesday, December 23, 2014
Going for the Trifect
Having completed the beast, on the World championship course, we thought we would be content having missed the super. I mean we knew we could do it and the closest one in New Jersey we already missed. This lasted about three days. Following the Beast I was scheduled to work Monday morning until Wednesday night. I had some time on my hands at work so I looked up all the remaining supers and started checking out costs for hotels near the closest 2 supers. It was a choice from Ohio, and South Carolina. With Airplane tickets being a little to expensive I started thinking about driving which made South Carolina the clear winner being a closer drive. I text my fiancé with this insane plan figuring she would be the voice of reason and talk me out of it. Of course there is a reason we are together and it wasn't because she was my voice of reason. She informed me that the team while at Krav class was already discussing this same possibility.
So the next week we started plotting our trip to South Carolina. There was a total of four of us going and it was about a 14 hour ride. Which currently holds the spot for longest trip to a Spartan Race. I had found a Motel about 30 minutes for the course and it was dirt cheap. There is a reason it was dirt cheap the room wasn't that big the toilet was leaking and I'm pretty sure the neighbor was selling drugs. We continued to do Krav classes and prepare for the final leg of our Trifecta medal. The weeks seem to fly by and before we knew it we were heading to South Carolina. It was Friday at Midnight when we started our journey. My fiancé took the first shift driving with one of our teammates navigating, while Myself and our other teammate slept. We each took turns driving and made to the motel by about 3 pm. After waiting for the attendant for about 30 minutes we went into our room put our stuff down and went looking for a good spot for our Pre Race dinner. We ate at the Texas Road House after dinner we headed back to the motel to sleep.
Sleep was hard to come by, mostly because we were afraid to sleep, but there was that pre race excitement keeping our minds up. Morning came and we grabbed our race gear and headed to the course. Weather was completely different than the beast. The sun was shining and it was hot out. We got in line grabbed our bibs and timing chips and headed into the festivities. We got a quick glance at the course and it said 9 miles and named a few of the obstacles but most of the names where blanked out.
It was our turn to head to the starting line so we checked our bags, got some last minute stretching in, and jumped that first wall to get in line. This race started like every other race, a quick run up and down some hills and a few over, under through walls. I am the slowest in the group but we were making some great times. Miles were flying by and obstacles were dominated. The course wasn't extremely steep but it had it's hills to conquer. The terrain however was a bit clumsy. The venue was normally and ATV park so there was all sorts of divots and tire tracks left behind. About 4 miles in during one of the downhill runs my foot slipped into one of those track marks and twisted my knee pretty bad. It didn't hurt much at first, I was able to keep a good pace and get through the obstacles. As time went on it started getting a little more soar, but didn't really affect me until the bucket brigade. The uphill climb with a bucket full of rocks was the final straw and my knee was begging to rest. Right after the bucket carry was a little swim across a small stream. I thought the cold water and taking the weight off of my legs for a minute might help. I finished the bucket carry and jumped right into the water. It was cold and I did forget about my knee for a second.
I got out of the water and the knee had cramped up, I had to work it out a bit to keep on my way. We had about 2 miles left and I wasn't giving up. I was able to get through it, nailed the spear throw, walked the concrete block, wadded through the clay, then came the rope climb. I managed to get myself up to start but couldn't lift myself up with my knee. I could see the finish line from here and decided to take my burpee penalty and move on. After the penalty we climbed the pallet bridge had a small section of barbwire into a couple mud pits, went under the wall in the mud, and climbed the slippery wall. The only thing standing between us and our trifecta was the fire jump. I was able to muster what we left in my leg we jumped and sprinted to the finish line (3hrs43mins). We set out to get a Trifecta this year and thanks to my team and my extremely supportive fiancé we accomplished it.
I needed to take a good week off from working out to heal my knee up. I have done a couple runs since then and it hasn't bothered me. With that behind us it was time to focus on our wedding plans. We have decided to take this year off from Spartan races until after the wedding. Knowing what we accomplished and how much fun it was it will be hard to sit out this upcoming season of races.
So the next week we started plotting our trip to South Carolina. There was a total of four of us going and it was about a 14 hour ride. Which currently holds the spot for longest trip to a Spartan Race. I had found a Motel about 30 minutes for the course and it was dirt cheap. There is a reason it was dirt cheap the room wasn't that big the toilet was leaking and I'm pretty sure the neighbor was selling drugs. We continued to do Krav classes and prepare for the final leg of our Trifecta medal. The weeks seem to fly by and before we knew it we were heading to South Carolina. It was Friday at Midnight when we started our journey. My fiancé took the first shift driving with one of our teammates navigating, while Myself and our other teammate slept. We each took turns driving and made to the motel by about 3 pm. After waiting for the attendant for about 30 minutes we went into our room put our stuff down and went looking for a good spot for our Pre Race dinner. We ate at the Texas Road House after dinner we headed back to the motel to sleep.
Sleep was hard to come by, mostly because we were afraid to sleep, but there was that pre race excitement keeping our minds up. Morning came and we grabbed our race gear and headed to the course. Weather was completely different than the beast. The sun was shining and it was hot out. We got in line grabbed our bibs and timing chips and headed into the festivities. We got a quick glance at the course and it said 9 miles and named a few of the obstacles but most of the names where blanked out.
I got out of the water and the knee had cramped up, I had to work it out a bit to keep on my way. We had about 2 miles left and I wasn't giving up. I was able to get through it, nailed the spear throw, walked the concrete block, wadded through the clay, then came the rope climb. I managed to get myself up to start but couldn't lift myself up with my knee. I could see the finish line from here and decided to take my burpee penalty and move on. After the penalty we climbed the pallet bridge had a small section of barbwire into a couple mud pits, went under the wall in the mud, and climbed the slippery wall. The only thing standing between us and our trifecta was the fire jump. I was able to muster what we left in my leg we jumped and sprinted to the finish line (3hrs43mins). We set out to get a Trifecta this year and thanks to my team and my extremely supportive fiancé we accomplished it. I needed to take a good week off from working out to heal my knee up. I have done a couple runs since then and it hasn't bothered me. With that behind us it was time to focus on our wedding plans. We have decided to take this year off from Spartan races until after the wedding. Knowing what we accomplished and how much fun it was it will be hard to sit out this upcoming season of races.
Friday, December 19, 2014
Killington Beast
With Amesbury complete I now know where I am in my training for the Beast at Killington. It was clear that I was not even close to ready. There are about 5 weeks of good training days left. We continue our trips to Dave at Train 180, 2 days a week. I can't stress how awesome this was. He had us going all out each and every session. We signed up for the Beast special and were not disappointed. Every session served a purpose to prepare for the next session, but most importantly it was related to something we might see at Killington. I could feel myself getting better. I remember saying after each session "I feel great next session is going to feel easier." I was wrong. Some how the next session I was completely spent at the end of the workout. I told Dave I don't know how he does it but just when I feel I have caught up to the workout's intensity you crank it up on me. This is what we asked for and it was working. I have been in programs before and dreaded going not because it was hard but because it was boring. At no time did I dread driving up to Nashua, I looked forward to every workout. He made it fun, different, but most importantly affective.
The Beast weekend is upon us. We leave work early and had to Killington Vermont. It was a long drive for a Spartan race, but as we will learn later not our longest. As we approached the mountain the excitement grew and the nerves started to tense up. We drove to the start line, and checked out some of the obstacles before heading to the hotel and checking in. Once checked in we drove to our room. It was a little ways down the road from the main hotel in a set of townhouse style buildings. We had a bedroom, kitchen, dinning room, and living room area. It wasn't huge by no means but decent size and cozy. This was perfect for our team pre-race dinner. As you see Guns & Hoses travel in packs. We had a decent group of us running on Saturday and a nice cheering section that came to show their support. So we prepared the kitchen and cooked some Pasta, now when I say we I mean my fiancé. Everyone brought something to the meal it was quite the spread. After a good meal and good conversation it was time to sleep.
Sleep was hard to come by. I felt like a kid on Christmas eve. I don't know how or when but my eyes eventually closed and my mind let me sleep. Morning came very quick, we woke up and I looked outside toward the mountain and I could see a helicopter and also a lot of fog about halfway up the mountain. We packed the night before so all we had to do was some last minute checks and a quick protein filled breakfast. We had a 1030 start time which was good for the sleeping in a bit but not good for allowing a lot of time to complete. We headed towards the mountain and met up with the team. Camel packs filled with water, snacks, gu, a headlamp, and a change of clothes if we get to wet and cold.
We made our way to the starting line it was our turn to go. It started with a small down hill run then you turned the corner and headed up the mountain, the first of about 5 climbs up the mountain. We were making good time, just under 30 minute miles, as we took on each mile and obstacle as the came our way. I was a little surprised to see the bucket brigade so early but thought this is good although it will take a lot out of my grip strength it's still early I can recover as we run. We were approaching the swim and tarzan swing. I was looking forward to this obstacle it was different and well looked like a lot of fun. Unfortunately due to someone chip not checking them in at that obstacle they had to shut it down and search for him. Luckily it was just a malfunction and he was found when his chip checked him in at the next spot, but it was too late for us at this point we had been diverted around it. At this time we started another climb up the mountain. We still were going very strong conquering every mile and defeating every obstacle in our way. My earlier relief to get the bucket brigade over with turned out to be a false sense of hope. We encountered a second bucket brigade, well played Spartan. Everything was going great we were making another climb up the mountain. We had slowed down a bit, and were all a bit soar but at this time we were more than halfway done. At one point we entered the woods and were descending down the mountain, which was turning out to be just as hard as the climbing. The path was small and steep. A couple of us got stuck behind some people which ended up splitting half of us from the team at the worst time. It was generally darker in the wooded area so we had no idea what we were coming out to. Headlamps had been on for about an hour now and we emerged from the woods to find it pitch black out. This was kind of a downer day light was gone and we still had a few miles to go. We pushed on with our smaller group hoping the other group was pushing on as well. We made it to the second sandbag carry which was the hardest sandbag carry ever. This late in the game most of our strength spent legs tired and soar this was a practically vertical climb with a sandbag up and back down. We made it through it was approaching 9 pm and getting close to the time where people would be pulled off the course. We worked to hard on this course to be pulled on account of time.
With not a lot left in the tank we picked up our pace and made it to the cut off spot with time to spare. We were going to be able to finish the race. I can't say exactly how far we had left to go but it felt like a million miles. We made our way to the last half mile and a bunch of obstacles. We made quick work of these obstacles and started the last little climb to put us running down the mountain jumping over the flames and collecting our medals. It took us 10 and a half hours to complete this course. The other half of Guns & Hoses was there at the finish line and so was our cheering squad.
I would not have been able to complete that without Train 180's help. I also know that I could have done a lot better if I didn't wait so long to train.
The Beast weekend is upon us. We leave work early and had to Killington Vermont. It was a long drive for a Spartan race, but as we will learn later not our longest. As we approached the mountain the excitement grew and the nerves started to tense up. We drove to the start line, and checked out some of the obstacles before heading to the hotel and checking in. Once checked in we drove to our room. It was a little ways down the road from the main hotel in a set of townhouse style buildings. We had a bedroom, kitchen, dinning room, and living room area. It wasn't huge by no means but decent size and cozy. This was perfect for our team pre-race dinner. As you see Guns & Hoses travel in packs. We had a decent group of us running on Saturday and a nice cheering section that came to show their support. So we prepared the kitchen and cooked some Pasta, now when I say we I mean my fiancé. Everyone brought something to the meal it was quite the spread. After a good meal and good conversation it was time to sleep.
Sleep was hard to come by. I felt like a kid on Christmas eve. I don't know how or when but my eyes eventually closed and my mind let me sleep. Morning came very quick, we woke up and I looked outside toward the mountain and I could see a helicopter and also a lot of fog about halfway up the mountain. We packed the night before so all we had to do was some last minute checks and a quick protein filled breakfast. We had a 1030 start time which was good for the sleeping in a bit but not good for allowing a lot of time to complete. We headed towards the mountain and met up with the team. Camel packs filled with water, snacks, gu, a headlamp, and a change of clothes if we get to wet and cold. We made our way to the starting line it was our turn to go. It started with a small down hill run then you turned the corner and headed up the mountain, the first of about 5 climbs up the mountain. We were making good time, just under 30 minute miles, as we took on each mile and obstacle as the came our way. I was a little surprised to see the bucket brigade so early but thought this is good although it will take a lot out of my grip strength it's still early I can recover as we run. We were approaching the swim and tarzan swing. I was looking forward to this obstacle it was different and well looked like a lot of fun. Unfortunately due to someone chip not checking them in at that obstacle they had to shut it down and search for him. Luckily it was just a malfunction and he was found when his chip checked him in at the next spot, but it was too late for us at this point we had been diverted around it. At this time we started another climb up the mountain. We still were going very strong conquering every mile and defeating every obstacle in our way. My earlier relief to get the bucket brigade over with turned out to be a false sense of hope. We encountered a second bucket brigade, well played Spartan. Everything was going great we were making another climb up the mountain. We had slowed down a bit, and were all a bit soar but at this time we were more than halfway done. At one point we entered the woods and were descending down the mountain, which was turning out to be just as hard as the climbing. The path was small and steep. A couple of us got stuck behind some people which ended up splitting half of us from the team at the worst time. It was generally darker in the wooded area so we had no idea what we were coming out to. Headlamps had been on for about an hour now and we emerged from the woods to find it pitch black out. This was kind of a downer day light was gone and we still had a few miles to go. We pushed on with our smaller group hoping the other group was pushing on as well. We made it to the second sandbag carry which was the hardest sandbag carry ever. This late in the game most of our strength spent legs tired and soar this was a practically vertical climb with a sandbag up and back down. We made it through it was approaching 9 pm and getting close to the time where people would be pulled off the course. We worked to hard on this course to be pulled on account of time. With not a lot left in the tank we picked up our pace and made it to the cut off spot with time to spare. We were going to be able to finish the race. I can't say exactly how far we had left to go but it felt like a million miles. We made our way to the last half mile and a bunch of obstacles. We made quick work of these obstacles and started the last little climb to put us running down the mountain jumping over the flames and collecting our medals. It took us 10 and a half hours to complete this course. The other half of Guns & Hoses was there at the finish line and so was our cheering squad.I would not have been able to complete that without Train 180's help. I also know that I could have done a lot better if I didn't wait so long to train.
Tuesday, December 16, 2014
The first real test
With the proposal successfully completed it was time to enjoy the next 7 days. Taking a cruise however is not really an ideal thing to do when training for a Spartan. On a cruise they feed you, then they feed you some more, and once you feel so stuffed you can't eat anymore they feed you some more. You don't always make the healthiest of choices while vacationing either. You go for that delicious cheeseburger with Bacon, and cake for dessert. Hungary at midnight go grab a pizza and some ice cream. So in an attempt to counteract the over eating we decided to not take the elevator anywhere and workout everyday. Our stateroom was on the first deck which is perfect for this little challenge we set out. In the end we only took the stairs the entire trip but only worked out the first 2 days.
When we got back from vacation Krav classes had started again. This would count for a majority of my training for the next 8 weeks. With August approaching fast I was still feeling invincible when it came to the Spartan Sprint so my training really took a back seat to my life. March through July I wasn't very disciplined and maybe only ran once a week and didn't eat very healthy. My fiancé's friends have been training in Nashua NH with Train 180. This is located in an old warehouse style building right near some trails. He has a great setup when it comes to obstacle training. The girls invited my fiancé to a Saturday 5k obstacle training race. It was $15 to run a 5k obstacle race around and inside his complex. She came home from this and said we need to step up our training especially if we want to finish the beast in September. She talked to the owner of the gym and set up a private session for us. This was about 2 weeks out from the Sprint.
We showed up to our first session with Train 180. When we got there Dave asked what we expected out of these sessions. We explained that we wanted to be able to finish the Spartan Beast at Killington. I'm pretty sure he thought we were insane. He asked how intense we wanted the workouts to be. We agreed it would be beneficial if he kicked our asses into gear. So he did. He had us running up and down the stairs, flipping tires, long distance lunges, rope climbs, wall climbs, and the list goes on. After each session I felt like I was going to die.
We got 4 sessions in before the Sprint and it was a good thing. Amesbury was 4.8 Miles of absolute pain. Half way through I started cramping up. I had no traction on my shoes, twice I slipped and landed full force on my back knocking the wind out of me and just torturing my back. I am really thankful for my Guns & Hoses team. Not only the ones running with us but our cheering section that came out for the day. Took us almost 3 hours. This upset me for 2 reasons both having to do with my kids. I had them with me and I thought for sure it would be 2 hours max and be able to get back to them. My mom was watching them and it was a hot day. The second reason was I missed their race. My kids were running their first Spartan jr race and I wanted to be there when they finished.
I was not in the shape I needed to be. I was so glad we were going to the trainer, the beast was going to be so much harder.
When we got back from vacation Krav classes had started again. This would count for a majority of my training for the next 8 weeks. With August approaching fast I was still feeling invincible when it came to the Spartan Sprint so my training really took a back seat to my life. March through July I wasn't very disciplined and maybe only ran once a week and didn't eat very healthy. My fiancé's friends have been training in Nashua NH with Train 180. This is located in an old warehouse style building right near some trails. He has a great setup when it comes to obstacle training. The girls invited my fiancé to a Saturday 5k obstacle training race. It was $15 to run a 5k obstacle race around and inside his complex. She came home from this and said we need to step up our training especially if we want to finish the beast in September. She talked to the owner of the gym and set up a private session for us. This was about 2 weeks out from the Sprint.We showed up to our first session with Train 180. When we got there Dave asked what we expected out of these sessions. We explained that we wanted to be able to finish the Spartan Beast at Killington. I'm pretty sure he thought we were insane. He asked how intense we wanted the workouts to be. We agreed it would be beneficial if he kicked our asses into gear. So he did. He had us running up and down the stairs, flipping tires, long distance lunges, rope climbs, wall climbs, and the list goes on. After each session I felt like I was going to die.
We got 4 sessions in before the Sprint and it was a good thing. Amesbury was 4.8 Miles of absolute pain. Half way through I started cramping up. I had no traction on my shoes, twice I slipped and landed full force on my back knocking the wind out of me and just torturing my back. I am really thankful for my Guns & Hoses team. Not only the ones running with us but our cheering section that came out for the day. Took us almost 3 hours. This upset me for 2 reasons both having to do with my kids. I had them with me and I thought for sure it would be 2 hours max and be able to get back to them. My mom was watching them and it was a hot day. The second reason was I missed their race. My kids were running their first Spartan jr race and I wanted to be there when they finished.
I was not in the shape I needed to be. I was so glad we were going to the trainer, the beast was going to be so much harder.
Thursday, December 11, 2014
The Big question.
The last week of February into March We went on a Carnival Cruise. This was our second cruise together. We booked it in June so we had been "patiently" waiting for this day. I however was a little nervous. Unknown to pretty much everyone I decided this was when I would propose to my girlfriend. It took some careful planning and a well timed oil change to be able to secretly get the ring and keep it from being found. Fast-forward to the day we leave. Our flight was wicked early so we left at like 3am to get to the airport, her parents drove us in. I don't know if you are the people that believe the universe gives us signs but I wasn't completely convinced until that day. My girlfriends lucky number is 3. It was 33 degrees out when we left the house. At the airport We boarded the plane at terminal 23, little stretch but the number 3 is there. We land in Miami and it is hot and I am in pants and a long sleeve shirt. This isn't going to work. In my Carry-on was a change of clothes, Shorts and T-shirt, much better. I am a little more nervous now because in the pocket of my shorts is the jewelry box with the ring in it.
We get in a taxi and head to the port. Once there we had our bags checked and again left with just the Carry-on and began the boarding process. If you have never cruised the process is very similar to getting on a plane. You stand in line give your ticket and license to the attendant. After that you head over and place your Carry-on on the belt to be x-rayed and you walk through a metal detector. She went first, no problems. When I went through I set off the alarm. They had me go through again and once again it went off. The security guard asked if I had anything in my pockets. While my girlfriend was getting her shoes and carry on bag off the belt I turned and whispered to the guard "Yes" and pulled out the box and showed her the ring. I admit my mind wasn't thinking completely straight, I'm wicked nervous at this point. Luckily the guard didn't think I was pulling a weapon out or anything. She asked if my girlfriend knew and I shook my head no. This isn't when I planned for my girlfriend to find out but if I had to I would have done it there so we could move on. The guard was very understanding and handled this the best and I am truly thankful, the surprise is still on. What she had me do was stand aside, My girlfriend is a little suspicious at this point and probably getting nervous. The Guard called another guy over with the wand to search me. I secretly handed him the box he checked it out, ran the wand over me and gave me a pat down to make sure nothing else was in my pockets. It was great they did their job and followed the protocols and I was able to keep my secret a little longer. With all that behind us now we make are way up to the waiting area where we got out Keycards and handed a boarding number, it was 3. My girlfriend at each one of these signs turns to me and says "This is going to be a great vacation".
We have to wait for a few hours but I have my tablet and we have headphones and some movies to watch. When it was our turn to board we walked up the stairs and got in line to have the first of many pictures taken of us this week. There are 3 stations set up all with the same background, a picture of the ship. When it was our turn we got station 3. She turned to put her bag down and I got down on one knee. When she turned back she thought it was a joke at first. I pulled out the box and said "Will you marry me?" and opened the box. The photographer got a great shot of it, great for us as we are a little goofy.
She Said "yes"
We get in a taxi and head to the port. Once there we had our bags checked and again left with just the Carry-on and began the boarding process. If you have never cruised the process is very similar to getting on a plane. You stand in line give your ticket and license to the attendant. After that you head over and place your Carry-on on the belt to be x-rayed and you walk through a metal detector. She went first, no problems. When I went through I set off the alarm. They had me go through again and once again it went off. The security guard asked if I had anything in my pockets. While my girlfriend was getting her shoes and carry on bag off the belt I turned and whispered to the guard "Yes" and pulled out the box and showed her the ring. I admit my mind wasn't thinking completely straight, I'm wicked nervous at this point. Luckily the guard didn't think I was pulling a weapon out or anything. She asked if my girlfriend knew and I shook my head no. This isn't when I planned for my girlfriend to find out but if I had to I would have done it there so we could move on. The guard was very understanding and handled this the best and I am truly thankful, the surprise is still on. What she had me do was stand aside, My girlfriend is a little suspicious at this point and probably getting nervous. The Guard called another guy over with the wand to search me. I secretly handed him the box he checked it out, ran the wand over me and gave me a pat down to make sure nothing else was in my pockets. It was great they did their job and followed the protocols and I was able to keep my secret a little longer. With all that behind us now we make are way up to the waiting area where we got out Keycards and handed a boarding number, it was 3. My girlfriend at each one of these signs turns to me and says "This is going to be a great vacation".
We have to wait for a few hours but I have my tablet and we have headphones and some movies to watch. When it was our turn to board we walked up the stairs and got in line to have the first of many pictures taken of us this week. There are 3 stations set up all with the same background, a picture of the ship. When it was our turn we got station 3. She turned to put her bag down and I got down on one knee. When she turned back she thought it was a joke at first. I pulled out the box and said "Will you marry me?" and opened the box. The photographer got a great shot of it, great for us as we are a little goofy.
She Said "yes"Wednesday, December 10, 2014
February 2014
February brought the "Fight for Air Climb". This event is for the American Lung Association and it involves climbing about 40 flights of stairs equaling approximately 900+ steps. For this event there are two divisions. One division is for anyone and everyone interested, this group climbs the stairs in normal clothes (some people wore shorts, some wore costumes, etc). The other division is the Firefighter division, this group climbs in full gear ( Turnout coat and pants, SCBA pack, and Helmets). Of course we are signed up for the latter division. I approached this the same way I did Fenway, I trained a little but nothing huge. I mean I've climbed a million stairs in my life how hard could it be. The answer is very hard. The extra weight really puts a toll on your legs, and the turnout gear keeps you really warm. In the beginning I felt really strong. I had a good pace going and the flights where flying by. They had volunteers in the stair well at certain points cheering you on and to be there incase you needed to stop. I think some of them were misinformed where they were standing as a few of them said halfway there at around the 12th and 15th flights. Somewhere after 20 flights I started questioning my decision making process. I tried to reason with whatever part of my brain that thought this was a good idea, but realized he was right although I am in pain now and feel miserable now it will go away. The feeling of accomplishment and pride that will follow completing this task and the money raised and people helped will live forever. I just had to keep pushing forward, there was no stopping. I made a commitment and I wasn't going to give up. I didn't have just myself to let down if I had quit. I had a lot of people who donated showing their faith in me to finish this and I was going to. In the end it took me 20 minutes and 22 seconds to complete this event, but it felt like hours. I was close to the middle of the pack for firefighters times. I am signed up to do this again. I know I can do better but I need to get better training habits. I'm not going to be satisfied with just beating my time from last year. I want to break 15 minutes. Here is a link if you are interested in donating it is a good cause or even navigate the site and sign up. It is a great day of climbing and then the after party with music food and drinks.
With this event behind me and February almost over the push to Amesbury continues. August will be here before you know it.
With this event behind me and February almost over the push to Amesbury continues. August will be here before you know it.
Tuesday, December 9, 2014
January 2014
So with Fenway behind us the wait for Amesbury Sprint begins. During the wait my running training has died. I was still eating healthier then normal and being active but I wasn't running any more. Mainly because I get very bored with running and my mind is easily distracted from it.
The next event we did was in January. The Blizzard Blast is a fun 5K obstacle course race. This race is a local race put on by SmithFest events. This is the first event we really caught wind of the biggest team award. We were determined to win. My girlfriend and I thought long and hard on a team name. We happened to be at her parents house for the holidays and someone mentioned incorporating our work into the title. They suggested Gun & Needles, since she is in law enforcement and I'm an emt. Although that sounded off we liked the idea. Since I am also a firefighter we were able to transition that to Guns & Hoses. Now that the team was started we needed members and lots of them. Our first stop on the recruitment trail was some people we knew were crazy enough to want to do an obstacle course in the snow. These are the ones we choke, kick, punch and all around beat the crap out of each other for fun. I probably should elaborate on this. We take 8 week seminars of Krav Maga. They are 2 days a week of self defense style fitness training. So needless to say they were on board. After that was just advertising on facebook trying to get our other friends to sign up. In the end we got about 14 members. We thought we were doing good, until we asked what the top team had and heard the number 50 or so. Our dream of largest team was shattered, but we still had a good crew going in. This was a typical 5K obstacle race only with snow. They had some seasonal twists to the obstacles like the keg swing, sledding, marshmallow toss, and of course the Christmas tree carry and throw. Wasn't too cold and the snow flurries really made it a great day. In the end we got our core running team down. No more thoughts of getting biggest team. We are a team, we train together we race together but most importantly we make sure each one of us crosses that finish line. We push each other to the limit and then lift each other up and get us past our limits.
The next event we did was in January. The Blizzard Blast is a fun 5K obstacle course race. This race is a local race put on by SmithFest events. This is the first event we really caught wind of the biggest team award. We were determined to win. My girlfriend and I thought long and hard on a team name. We happened to be at her parents house for the holidays and someone mentioned incorporating our work into the title. They suggested Gun & Needles, since she is in law enforcement and I'm an emt. Although that sounded off we liked the idea. Since I am also a firefighter we were able to transition that to Guns & Hoses. Now that the team was started we needed members and lots of them. Our first stop on the recruitment trail was some people we knew were crazy enough to want to do an obstacle course in the snow. These are the ones we choke, kick, punch and all around beat the crap out of each other for fun. I probably should elaborate on this. We take 8 week seminars of Krav Maga. They are 2 days a week of self defense style fitness training. So needless to say they were on board. After that was just advertising on facebook trying to get our other friends to sign up. In the end we got about 14 members. We thought we were doing good, until we asked what the top team had and heard the number 50 or so. Our dream of largest team was shattered, but we still had a good crew going in. This was a typical 5K obstacle race only with snow. They had some seasonal twists to the obstacles like the keg swing, sledding, marshmallow toss, and of course the Christmas tree carry and throw. Wasn't too cold and the snow flurries really made it a great day. In the end we got our core running team down. No more thoughts of getting biggest team. We are a team, we train together we race together but most importantly we make sure each one of us crosses that finish line. We push each other to the limit and then lift each other up and get us past our limits.Friday, December 5, 2014
It started by chance
It all started one day at the Fire Station in 2013. A group of us decided we wanted to run an obstacle course race, nothing huge we had seen one that was designed around the fire service. What better race to start with then one involving something we already train for so we started the team and I signed up to do my first Obstacle race.
Now I am not exactly the extreme couch potato, nor am I a marathon runner. I played football through pop warner, High School, and a few years at a DIII College, I played Little League baseball and still play now and again on a Vintage Base Ball Club. These sports do involve running but never more then a few feet at a time and then take a break. So the running was my only worry I never ran just to run. I felt in order to run there needed to be some purpose, like catching a fly ball or tackling the quarterback. Needless to say I had my work cut out for me. So I tell my girlfriend (at the time) about this plan (FYI this story doesn't end with her laughing at me and leaving she is now my fiancé, although it probably should have.) Not only is she supportive, but she signs up too. She is a runner, although she will tell you different. We devise a work out plan to get me running, and by "we" I do mean "she." It only involved running twice a week for short distances, to start. It also involved, to my surprise, running a 5K road race. I've never ran 5K, I wasn't even sure what 5K meant.
This whole time, I am constantly checking out the website to see pictures from the previous races, keeping my motivation up. This is getting exciting. The training continues. I finished my first 5K. It only took me 39 minutes or so. I was proud not only about the completion of something I thought I would never (or could never) do, but at my time wasn't that bad. I was later informed that my aunt does 5Ks. Her time isn't too far off of mine, and she walks the whole time. So I'm slow, we can work on that. The thought of all those cool obstacles and the images of the race keep me going. The training continues and gets a little more intense. We are now running 5 miles, which is more than a 5K. I know they both have 5's in them, but one is longer due to the other one being metric measurements. So I am not only getting in shape, I am learning in the process.
Then one day about 2 months out from the race I get an email that says the race is cancelled due to the company going bankrupt. I was devastated. I had been working so hard to prepare for this event and the event wasn't even trying. A few more emails came and I got my refund for the race although most people weren't going to but since I signed up so early I was on the top of the refund list. Then something else happened, I got an email from the sign up website with a code. This code entitled me to a free Spartan race atFenway Park Fenway Park Massachusetts , half hour away from Boston
So I looked up this Fenway Spartan race and was instantly on board. It had obstacles and the "Green Monstah." I signed up and my girlfriend signed up as well. Our training took a back seat for a bit, but we were still active and had a new goal in site. On the morning of the race we woke up early got our race gear on and headed to Alewife to ride the T intoBoston
We get to the stadium and start the sign-in process, got our numbers, signed the waivers and then grabbed our packets. Inside these packets were your bib (this isn't the same bib that you put on your kids before a meal), a head band, a timing chip and a bracelet. We put the head band on, attached the timing chip to the bracelet and then to our wrists and entered the stadium. Of course the first thing we do once we are in the stadium is go check out the field. It was quite the sight. The field had a few obstacles on it. People had already started so there were people every place possible. On the big jumbo screen there was the announcement for which heat should be heading to the starting line. We took some pictures and were on our way to the bag check. Our heat was about to be called so we headed to the starting line.
At the starting line
there was a wall. Not a very high wall, but one that required some effort to get
over. This was a new concept for us, an obstacle just to get in line. This is going to be more fun than a thought. When it
was our turn to go we had to do 5 burpees. (I had heard
about these burpees, I googled how to do them the night before, since I have never really done
one. With my research of Spartan races I noticed that if you missed an obstacle you
had to do 30 burpees.) After the 5 burpees we were unleashed onto the course. It started with a nice
run up a bunch of stairs, not too bad then we had to do a series of army crawls and high knees up the ramps. There was
a water jug carry, some more crawling, monkey bars, walls to climb over, sand
bags to carry, a rope to climb, and a hoist among many others, all while running up and down the seating
area. At one point we were behind home plate, I had caught up to my girlfriend for the last time at
this point. I was able to get through some obstacles faster than her, but she was a way better runner and would pass me and get to them
first. In the open area of the stands behind home plate were rowing
machines. I will compliment the rowing section saying it was a great view
of the field (I have watched a game from here, that was fun) this, however, was pure torture. It told you how far
you had to row and then not much
instruction except to row. I thought this can't be too bad, I have used
one of these machines before. I don't remember how long I was on there for, or how far I had
to go; however, I do remember that I rowed that machine as fast as I could until it said
stop. When I stopped, it said congratulations. I was pumped no burpees for me, time
to stand up and continue on my way. My mind told my legs to get my feet
out of the holders and stand me up. My legs said "no, we can't do that for you at this time.” I had worn my legs out and still had a
good mile and a half left. My girlfriend had to assist me getting my legs out of
the machine and at that time they said "fine let’s get this over with."
The next station was inside the visitors dug out. I went half-assed jogging in because my legs were still complaining about the last obstacle. The moment I got through the doors I was like a kid in a candy store. Eyes wide open, jaw dropped and I just turned around and was taking it all in. Of course when you get in the room there was a volunteer to let you know what you had to do. I think the volunteer had to say it at least 4 times before I came to my senses and looked at her and said "I'm sorry, what did you say". It was push ups, not too bad, only 25 of them. This would be the highlight up to this point. The course continued on bringing us through more sections of the stadium I had never been in, hosting obstacles that would test all different strengths. In the end, we go out on the field, climbed a cargo net, jumped some more walls, ran past the green monstah (I made an amazing jump catch and bumped into the wall.) We made our way towards home plate, where we had to do 25 box jumps, and then run through the gladiators and cross the finish line. Once that medal was placed around my neck it was like a light switch had been turned on. I wanted to do more; I wanted to experience the mud and the mountains. It was like I was knighted into the Spartan family and that's when the love affair began.
My girlfriend finished before me at 58 minutes and I was 10 minutes behind her at 1 hour and 8 minutes. At this time, I was right on that train ride in, we killed that course. I would later find out that she had a right to be nervous about the Spartan races and I was stupid, but that's a story for another day.
Now I am not exactly the extreme couch potato, nor am I a marathon runner. I played football through pop warner, High School, and a few years at a DIII College, I played Little League baseball and still play now and again on a Vintage Base Ball Club. These sports do involve running but never more then a few feet at a time and then take a break. So the running was my only worry I never ran just to run. I felt in order to run there needed to be some purpose, like catching a fly ball or tackling the quarterback. Needless to say I had my work cut out for me. So I tell my girlfriend (at the time) about this plan (FYI this story doesn't end with her laughing at me and leaving she is now my fiancé, although it probably should have.) Not only is she supportive, but she signs up too. She is a runner, although she will tell you different. We devise a work out plan to get me running, and by "we" I do mean "she." It only involved running twice a week for short distances, to start. It also involved, to my surprise, running a 5K road race. I've never ran 5K, I wasn't even sure what 5K meant.
This whole time, I am constantly checking out the website to see pictures from the previous races, keeping my motivation up. This is getting exciting. The training continues. I finished my first 5K. It only took me 39 minutes or so. I was proud not only about the completion of something I thought I would never (or could never) do, but at my time wasn't that bad. I was later informed that my aunt does 5Ks. Her time isn't too far off of mine, and she walks the whole time. So I'm slow, we can work on that. The thought of all those cool obstacles and the images of the race keep me going. The training continues and gets a little more intense. We are now running 5 miles, which is more than a 5K. I know they both have 5's in them, but one is longer due to the other one being metric measurements. So I am not only getting in shape, I am learning in the process.
Then one day about 2 months out from the race I get an email that says the race is cancelled due to the company going bankrupt. I was devastated. I had been working so hard to prepare for this event and the event wasn't even trying. A few more emails came and I got my refund for the race although most people weren't going to but since I signed up so early I was on the top of the refund list. Then something else happened, I got an email from the sign up website with a code. This code entitled me to a free Spartan race at
So I looked up this Fenway Spartan race and was instantly on board. It had obstacles and the "Green Monstah." I signed up and my girlfriend signed up as well. Our training took a back seat for a bit, but we were still active and had a new goal in site. On the morning of the race we woke up early got our race gear on and headed to Alewife to ride the T into
We get to the stadium and start the sign-in process, got our numbers, signed the waivers and then grabbed our packets. Inside these packets were your bib (this isn't the same bib that you put on your kids before a meal), a head band, a timing chip and a bracelet. We put the head band on, attached the timing chip to the bracelet and then to our wrists and entered the stadium. Of course the first thing we do once we are in the stadium is go check out the field. It was quite the sight. The field had a few obstacles on it. People had already started so there were people every place possible. On the big jumbo screen there was the announcement for which heat should be heading to the starting line. We took some pictures and were on our way to the bag check. Our heat was about to be called so we headed to the starting line.
At the starting line
there was a wall. Not a very high wall, but one that required some effort to get
over. This was a new concept for us, an obstacle just to get in line. This is going to be more fun than a thought. When it
was our turn to go we had to do 5 burpees. (I had heard
about these burpees, I googled how to do them the night before, since I have never really done
one. With my research of Spartan races I noticed that if you missed an obstacle you
had to do 30 burpees.) After the 5 burpees we were unleashed onto the course. It started with a nice
run up a bunch of stairs, not too bad then we had to do a series of army crawls and high knees up the ramps. There was
a water jug carry, some more crawling, monkey bars, walls to climb over, sand
bags to carry, a rope to climb, and a hoist among many others, all while running up and down the seating
area. At one point we were behind home plate, I had caught up to my girlfriend for the last time at
this point. I was able to get through some obstacles faster than her, but she was a way better runner and would pass me and get to them
first. In the open area of the stands behind home plate were rowing
machines. I will compliment the rowing section saying it was a great view
of the field (I have watched a game from here, that was fun) this, however, was pure torture. It told you how far
you had to row and then not much
instruction except to row. I thought this can't be too bad, I have used
one of these machines before. I don't remember how long I was on there for, or how far I had
to go; however, I do remember that I rowed that machine as fast as I could until it said
stop. When I stopped, it said congratulations. I was pumped no burpees for me, time
to stand up and continue on my way. My mind told my legs to get my feet
out of the holders and stand me up. My legs said "no, we can't do that for you at this time.” I had worn my legs out and still had a
good mile and a half left. My girlfriend had to assist me getting my legs out of
the machine and at that time they said "fine let’s get this over with."The next station was inside the visitors dug out. I went half-assed jogging in because my legs were still complaining about the last obstacle. The moment I got through the doors I was like a kid in a candy store. Eyes wide open, jaw dropped and I just turned around and was taking it all in. Of course when you get in the room there was a volunteer to let you know what you had to do. I think the volunteer had to say it at least 4 times before I came to my senses and looked at her and said "I'm sorry, what did you say". It was push ups, not too bad, only 25 of them. This would be the highlight up to this point. The course continued on bringing us through more sections of the stadium I had never been in, hosting obstacles that would test all different strengths. In the end, we go out on the field, climbed a cargo net, jumped some more walls, ran past the green monstah (I made an amazing jump catch and bumped into the wall.) We made our way towards home plate, where we had to do 25 box jumps, and then run through the gladiators and cross the finish line. Once that medal was placed around my neck it was like a light switch had been turned on. I wanted to do more; I wanted to experience the mud and the mountains. It was like I was knighted into the Spartan family and that's when the love affair began.
My girlfriend finished before me at 58 minutes and I was 10 minutes behind her at 1 hour and 8 minutes. At this time, I was right on that train ride in, we killed that course. I would later find out that she had a right to be nervous about the Spartan races and I was stupid, but that's a story for another day.
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