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.