The Baack Paack

Over the upcoming weekend I will be taking part in the Las Vegas Spartan Race, which will be held closer to Jean, NV due to some behind the scenes competition with another OCR racing organization.  The NEW Spartan Race location is moving roughly 30 miles south of Vegas.   That means, new terrain, new layout, and new energy about racing this location!  All good things which keeps the race from being stale and predictable.   This race is a Spartan Super distance, so anywhere from 8-10 miles, and 24+ obstacles. (My bet is closer to 30)  Most of the ‘Supers’ I ran last year were in the 8.8 to 9.4 mile range.  I truly expect to see a 3000+ calorie burn for this event on the TomTom, which quickly has become the second most important part of my training gear, with the first being my footwear.  (Got to have GREAT footwear, to endure all these activities).  I will be posting more about the TomTom MultiSport Cardio soon, in a separate gear review.  However, let me just say, it is a great tool to keep you focused on your workouts as well as track your progress, and I am quickly discovering more and more important details are being recorded without me knowing it, which is pushing me to the ‘next’ level of training.. More to come on that topic soon. (I promise!)

Back to the race

This Spartan race in Jean, is going to be very special as many of the BaackPaack members are going after a Spartan trifecta this year, and this will be the second part of the trifecta that they will accomplish.  I say will, and not “might”, as these folks are determined to finish, even if they have to drag themselves over the finish line.   They have been training hard, building strength, stamina and confidence leading up to these races. A lot of sweat and swearing (mostly at me) has been spent in the past few months.  Crossfit workouts, ropes courses, running, trail hiking, walls and spears, burpees (a lot of burpees) and a mix of other strength and cardio events.  It has been an honor to see the changes in confidence as well as skill and strength.  Many of them carry themselves different (although I bet they don’t even recognize it) after finishing the Arizona Sprint race two months ago.  They have a new found inner confidence in racing, that is carrying over to their personal and professional lives.  It is making them stronger, both physically and mentally, and who doesn’t want that?  Four days from now they will join ten thousand (yeah, I heard we have over 10,000 participants at this race this year!) other folks looking to conquer the course and earn that coveted Spartan Super medal.

BaackPaack Podcast!

I will be doing something new as we get closer to the race, some audio podcasting.  I have picked up some new tools to try this out, and while this is going to be totally unscripted, off the cuff, and unedited – I hope it will be able to capture what I I think it can, and be worth listening to as well as subscribing.  While I don’t want to give away too much, let’s just say I have a few ‘colorful’ folks that will be taking part, which should keep it very entertaining.   If all goes to plan, there should be a few episodes recorded this weekend and then posted here for consumption.  I am still tweaking the lead in as well as bumper music, so that might change over the next few episodes.

Spartan Race totals:

For me, this will be Spartan Race #6 this year, any my second Super, having endured the entire course of the 112 degree Temecula Beast in 2014, which had a 40% DNF rate due to the extreme heat and terrain. (Thank God for well placed ice and AZ desert training) I was enrolled into the Temecula Beast race in January of 2015 for free, which allowed me to knock out 3 races and my first trifecta in 2 back to back weekends in the first month of the 2015 year!

Throw in running both days of the Arizona Sprint race, and it brings the total to 5 races completed.

My second Trifecta is slated to be completed in June, in the high mountains of Breckenridge, CO. A mere 2 months away.