Here is a picture of June at her classmate's birthday party just before X-mas. Aren't they adorable dressed up as firemen? It makes them all look even tinier! <3 p="">
09/07/26
3 days ago
Friday, February 28, 2014
Firefighter June!
Here is a picture of June at her classmate's birthday party just before X-mas. Aren't they adorable dressed up as firemen? It makes them all look even tinier! <3 p="">
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
We Did It!!
We finished the Arizona Spartan Sprint this past Sunday! For me it was very very hard. I am still sore today (3 days later)...but at least I can lift my arms over my head again. ;)
They like to make sure you don't know what you are in for prior to the race, so all they say is that it is 3+ miles and 15+ obstacles. Well it turned out that our particular race was 4.5 miles, and 22 obstacles. Most of the obstacles were spread out a bit throughout the course, but there were times where you would go straight from one obstacle to the next.
The course was on dirt bike trails (twisty, turny, hilly, rocky & sandy), much more difficult than the fairly flat street running that I am used to. And the obstacles...well lets just say that without Andy's help in sticking by my side, I would still be on that stupid course doing burpees! If you don't know what a burpee is, click here. People were encouraged to help each other complete the obstacles. "No Spartan Left Behind", but sometimes it didn't really matter, because it was an just individual type thing. For every failed obstacle you had to complete 30 burpees.
Disclaimer: all heights, distances, lengths, and weights are estimated, and I am certain if you asked any two people who did the course, the numbers would be reported differently. ;)
Here is the run down of what I remember of the course and obstacles...
First the race started with a long speech about the glory of being a Spartan, etc, etc. Then they put off a smoke flare and we began to run. We ran for about 3/4 of a mile, across the access road, and then up and down some small sandy hills before we got to the first obstacle.
Under/Over: I managed to do this one myself. Two 5' walls you had to go over, and two 2' high boards with nets attached that you had to go under. Pretty easy, although the first wall took me two attempts, and resulted in a fairly large bruise on my thigh. Lol.
U-O-T: Under, Over, Through. Two 5' walls to go over, two walls 18" of the ground that you had to go under, and then there was a wall with holes in it about, three feet off of the ground, that you had to go through.
Quite a bit more running after these two obstacles. Maybe another 1/2 mile up and down a small hill and through a dry rocky, sandy wash.
Monkey Bars: Just like grade school...although my upper body strength wasn't what it used to be back in the day. ;) Andy gave be a piggy back ride through this one. I probably couldn't have done them without his help.
A little bit more running, less than 1/4 mile. Up and down a steep dirt hill.
8' Wall: I definitely couldn't have done this without Andy's full support in giving me a leg up. When it came time for him to do it, he practically jumped right over it. It was impressive. :) I got a crazy charlie horse in my butt/hamstring getting over this wall, and had to walk for a ways to work it out.
A lot more running, up and down bigger hills, and back across the access road. Maybe almost a mile here.
Atlas Carry: Lift a heavy ball (maybe 50 lbs for the girls, Andy guessed 75lbs for the guys). Carry it about 40 feet. Drop it. Do 5 burpees. Pick the ball up again. Carry it back to were you started. The ball was a lot heavier than I thought it would be when I first went to lift it. If it were any heavier I am not sure I could have done it & carried it so far.
Sand Bag Lift: Sand bags tied to ropes on pulleys. You have to pull the rope and lift the bag all the way to the top (maybe 30' in the air), then slowly lower the bag back to the ground. At first I didn't know that there were different bags for girls and guys, so I grabbed a guy one, and tried to pull on it. I could barely budge it. I panicked a little bit on the inside, but then I figured it out, and grabbed a girls one. Whew! The girls one was at least half the weight of the guys, and was pretty easy to do.
Rope Climb: You walk into a water filled trench about crotch deep with ropes hanging down. All of the ropes had some knots. Andy, of course, flew up the rope with no problems. He was already back down by the time I got myself into the water and up to the rope of my choice. I got up one knot, and then the next knot for my feet was at chest height...the only way to get my feet up there was to pull my body weight up with my arms...and that just wasn't happening my friend. I tried, and then slipped back down into the water = 30 burpees for me (in the slippery sticky mud).
Quite a bit more running, maybe 1/3 of a mile up and down hills, and back across the road.
Mud Crawl: You had to army crawl, scoot, slide, roll or somehow maneuver your large adult body through this muddy, gravelly trench, up and down small hills, and through some large man-made puddles. Maybe about 150' in total length. There was barbed wire overhead at about 18" off of the ground to make sure you couldn't just go on hands and knees. I found that rolling was the quickest, but was hard to do up hill. So then you had to resort to other methods. Andy liked the side scoot. Regardless, those tiny pieces of gravel and stone made their presence know quickly, and we both had countless cuts and scrapes on our knees, claves, elbows, and forearms. This was probably the most miserable and memorable obstacles there was. It was also the most time consuming.
Incline Wall: Of course now that we are filthy muddy, slippery, and sopping wet they put a 10' incline wall in our path. You had to climb up the underside of the wall using 2 horizontal 2x4s placed at around 3' and 6'. Andy flew up and over it, of course. Once I got my muddy feet on the lower one, I had to jump to get my hands to the top of the wall. It was slippery, but there was a good handhold. Andy was there holding my wrists to make sure I didn't slip back down. I managed to get my elbows up, but then was kinda stuck. Andy looped his arms under my armpit to hold me steady, and then I swung the heel of one foot up and over the top. This was probably the scariest obstacle for both of us. It was so slippery and muddy, and Andy even thought at one point that he was going to drop me. This was the only obstacle where I felt like if I fell I would get injured.
Sand Bag Carry: We had to carry a sand bag up a rather large sandy hill & then back down. Different weights for guys & girls, with maybe a total of 500' of carry. My bag was probably around 35lbs. Not as heavy or awkward as the atlas ball, but could definitely feel the weight of it up that hill. Andy ran this obstacle, just to see if he could. He was done long before I even got to the top of the hill.
Dog on a Leash: Here we had to drag a cinder foundation block on a chain, in deep sand, up a hill & back down. They let people work in teams here. I drug mine to the bas of the hill, and 1/4 of the way up & then Andy helped me get it the rest of the way up. Then I drug it back down. I could have done this one by myself eventually, but it would have taken for-e-ver. The total drag distance was probably around 200'.
A bit more running here. Not too much, maybe 1/4 mile.
Castle Wall: Here there was a wall that was made of large concrete blocks, 12' high. You used a rope to scale the wall. It was easy with the excellent foot holds & fairly dry/mud free ropes. This was one of my favorite obstacles because it looked so intimidating, but I was able to do it easily.
A bit more running here. Not too much, less than 1/4 mile.
Rolling Mud Hills: One this obstacle there were mud hills with thigh high water troughs in between. Three hills and three troughs. It was fun, but the water was so muddy that it made it difficult to see the uneven bottom. I did a fair amount of falling, tripping, and splashing around.
10' Wall: Same as before, only much more muddy. Andy and I had a system worked out this time, so it went pretty easily. Definitely couldn't have done this without his help though. I guess it took him a couple of approaches before he got over. I only saw the last one, and I thought he made it look so easy.
Quite a bit of running here, back across the access road, and then up and across the largest hill. Probably about 1/2-3/4 mile.
Net Climb: Just like in gym class, you climb up a rope net about 25' in the air, and then you climb back down the other side. Easy for both of us. Andy practically flew across it. There was a lady in front of me who seemed to be terrified of the heights. She was being coaxed along by her husband/boyfriend. But I didn't mind the slower pace because the footing was a little slippery, and heights aren't my favorite thing either.
Some more running. Not very much though, maybe 1/8 mile, and it was all downhill. :)
Traverse Wall: And 8' wall about 15' long, with muddy 2x4s screwed in at crazy angles for hand & footholds. For this you get one chance to get across, and if you touch the ground or grab the top of the wall, you fail. People were allowed to help each other on this one as well. Andy pushed me toward to wall as I went along the wall. Even with his help I was a little nervous a couple of times about losing my grip and slipping off. Andy almost slipped off as well when he was traversing, but managed to regain his footing and made it across easily.
Spear Throw: You grab a 5' wooden pole with a sharp 8" metal rod sticking out the front, and hurl it into a straw "man" set up about 30' away. Andy got it no problem. My throw was straight, but it was too short. If we were allowed more than one attempt, I think I could have gotten it, but on this challenge you only get one chance. While I was doing my 30 burpees for failing this challenge, Andy decided to give it another throw, and just missed it. So he did 30 burpees as well (just for fun!).
Mud Hill Crawl: This was the home stretch of the course. A 10' hill that you had to crawl up, under 18" high barbed wire again. This hill was very steep, so the only way to get up was a side scoot. And it was so slipper toward the top that I was digging in my fingernails because I was starting to slide back down the hill.
Water & Wall: Once over the mud hill, you slide down the other side into chest deep muddy water. Here you have to dive under a wall where the lower edge is submerged, and come up on the other side. The water was so muddy it looked like chocolate milk with dirt and hay floating on it. And although it was cold, it felt good to get doused in water and a lot of the mud from the previous challenges was washed away.
Slippery Wall: Once you wade across the water hazard, you come up to a sloped wall with ropes hanging down. You grab the rope, lean back and scale the wall. It was sopping wet and got a little tricky for me at the top as the rope angle got steeper and closer to the slippery board. Right as I grabbed the top and put one of my feet over, I slipped and was ended up sitting with one foot over, but leaning back several feet from the top, still holding the rope. It was an awkward position, but Andy grabbed my arm and helped me pull myself over. Then once over, you climb down the slats on the back side of the wall.
Fire Jump: You jump over a fire. It was surprisingly tall, and you actually really had to jump. You couldn't just hop or step over.
Gladiator Arena: The final obstacle! This is where there are three people dressed up as gladiators (sort of), and hit you with padded sticks, as you run through between them.
As you cross the finish line you get your finisher medal. Then they give you freebie drinks and builder bars, and cut off your timing chips do they can download and record your time. Then you can go get power-washed in the shower area, and collect your bags, your free beer, and enjoy the rest of the festivities!
For Andy it all appeared to be easy-peasy, especially at the 1 hour and 48 minute pace that I set. ;) So he is looking for more of a challenge now. He is considering attempting the trifecta this year by completing all three race lengths! He hasn't registered for these races yet, we are seeing if the logistics can be worked out first. The races are the Las Vegas Super Spartan 8+ miles April 5th, and the Salt Lake City Beast 12+ miles June 28th. I really hope that he is able to compete in these! I think he would LOVE it!
As for me, it was much harder than I anticipated, especially in the upper body strength department. But it was fun & definitely an experience. While I was on the course, I was thinking that there was no way I would ever do something like this again. It was somewhere during the sandbag carry or maybe after the monkey bars, but I was fondly remembering the 5K road race that I ran in November. The difference between an obstacle course race and a traditional 5K is light years apart. Like not even in the same realm of sport types. Andy knew it, and had been training accordingly with his weight lifting and trail running. But my 5K and even 10K training programs that I have been doing since August were no match for this race. I was literally blown away, and broken down into a mess of sore muscles, scrapes, bruises, and honestly...a fair amount of disappointment in my sorry performance. Sure I finished it, but Andy helped me much more than I thought he would need to, I failed two obstacles on my own, even my penalty burpees were dismal. I felt slow as molasses on the other obstacles that I was able to complete on my own, and I walked much much more than I thought I would between the obstacles when I should have been running.
However, once I was done and thought about it some more, instead of turning away from this type of adventure race and never going back. I decided that I will plan on attempting the Arizona Spartan Sprint again in 2016, after some SERIOUS training. I think I would have a ton more fun if I was at least a little bit more prepared, and no so grossly overmatched by the course itself in both endurance and strength. Next time I attempt that race I know I am going to be better prepared.
They like to make sure you don't know what you are in for prior to the race, so all they say is that it is 3+ miles and 15+ obstacles. Well it turned out that our particular race was 4.5 miles, and 22 obstacles. Most of the obstacles were spread out a bit throughout the course, but there were times where you would go straight from one obstacle to the next.
The course was on dirt bike trails (twisty, turny, hilly, rocky & sandy), much more difficult than the fairly flat street running that I am used to. And the obstacles...well lets just say that without Andy's help in sticking by my side, I would still be on that stupid course doing burpees! If you don't know what a burpee is, click here. People were encouraged to help each other complete the obstacles. "No Spartan Left Behind", but sometimes it didn't really matter, because it was an just individual type thing. For every failed obstacle you had to complete 30 burpees.
Disclaimer: all heights, distances, lengths, and weights are estimated, and I am certain if you asked any two people who did the course, the numbers would be reported differently. ;)
Here is the run down of what I remember of the course and obstacles...
First the race started with a long speech about the glory of being a Spartan, etc, etc. Then they put off a smoke flare and we began to run. We ran for about 3/4 of a mile, across the access road, and then up and down some small sandy hills before we got to the first obstacle.
Under/Over: I managed to do this one myself. Two 5' walls you had to go over, and two 2' high boards with nets attached that you had to go under. Pretty easy, although the first wall took me two attempts, and resulted in a fairly large bruise on my thigh. Lol.
U-O-T: Under, Over, Through. Two 5' walls to go over, two walls 18" of the ground that you had to go under, and then there was a wall with holes in it about, three feet off of the ground, that you had to go through.
Quite a bit more running after these two obstacles. Maybe another 1/2 mile up and down a small hill and through a dry rocky, sandy wash.
Monkey Bars: Just like grade school...although my upper body strength wasn't what it used to be back in the day. ;) Andy gave be a piggy back ride through this one. I probably couldn't have done them without his help.
A little bit more running, less than 1/4 mile. Up and down a steep dirt hill.
8' Wall: I definitely couldn't have done this without Andy's full support in giving me a leg up. When it came time for him to do it, he practically jumped right over it. It was impressive. :) I got a crazy charlie horse in my butt/hamstring getting over this wall, and had to walk for a ways to work it out.
A lot more running, up and down bigger hills, and back across the access road. Maybe almost a mile here.
Atlas Carry: Lift a heavy ball (maybe 50 lbs for the girls, Andy guessed 75lbs for the guys). Carry it about 40 feet. Drop it. Do 5 burpees. Pick the ball up again. Carry it back to were you started. The ball was a lot heavier than I thought it would be when I first went to lift it. If it were any heavier I am not sure I could have done it & carried it so far.
Sand Bag Lift: Sand bags tied to ropes on pulleys. You have to pull the rope and lift the bag all the way to the top (maybe 30' in the air), then slowly lower the bag back to the ground. At first I didn't know that there were different bags for girls and guys, so I grabbed a guy one, and tried to pull on it. I could barely budge it. I panicked a little bit on the inside, but then I figured it out, and grabbed a girls one. Whew! The girls one was at least half the weight of the guys, and was pretty easy to do.
Rope Climb: You walk into a water filled trench about crotch deep with ropes hanging down. All of the ropes had some knots. Andy, of course, flew up the rope with no problems. He was already back down by the time I got myself into the water and up to the rope of my choice. I got up one knot, and then the next knot for my feet was at chest height...the only way to get my feet up there was to pull my body weight up with my arms...and that just wasn't happening my friend. I tried, and then slipped back down into the water = 30 burpees for me (in the slippery sticky mud).
Quite a bit more running, maybe 1/3 of a mile up and down hills, and back across the road.
Mud Crawl: You had to army crawl, scoot, slide, roll or somehow maneuver your large adult body through this muddy, gravelly trench, up and down small hills, and through some large man-made puddles. Maybe about 150' in total length. There was barbed wire overhead at about 18" off of the ground to make sure you couldn't just go on hands and knees. I found that rolling was the quickest, but was hard to do up hill. So then you had to resort to other methods. Andy liked the side scoot. Regardless, those tiny pieces of gravel and stone made their presence know quickly, and we both had countless cuts and scrapes on our knees, claves, elbows, and forearms. This was probably the most miserable and memorable obstacles there was. It was also the most time consuming.
Incline Wall: Of course now that we are filthy muddy, slippery, and sopping wet they put a 10' incline wall in our path. You had to climb up the underside of the wall using 2 horizontal 2x4s placed at around 3' and 6'. Andy flew up and over it, of course. Once I got my muddy feet on the lower one, I had to jump to get my hands to the top of the wall. It was slippery, but there was a good handhold. Andy was there holding my wrists to make sure I didn't slip back down. I managed to get my elbows up, but then was kinda stuck. Andy looped his arms under my armpit to hold me steady, and then I swung the heel of one foot up and over the top. This was probably the scariest obstacle for both of us. It was so slippery and muddy, and Andy even thought at one point that he was going to drop me. This was the only obstacle where I felt like if I fell I would get injured.
Sand Bag Carry: We had to carry a sand bag up a rather large sandy hill & then back down. Different weights for guys & girls, with maybe a total of 500' of carry. My bag was probably around 35lbs. Not as heavy or awkward as the atlas ball, but could definitely feel the weight of it up that hill. Andy ran this obstacle, just to see if he could. He was done long before I even got to the top of the hill.
Dog on a Leash: Here we had to drag a cinder foundation block on a chain, in deep sand, up a hill & back down. They let people work in teams here. I drug mine to the bas of the hill, and 1/4 of the way up & then Andy helped me get it the rest of the way up. Then I drug it back down. I could have done this one by myself eventually, but it would have taken for-e-ver. The total drag distance was probably around 200'.
A bit more running here. Not too much, maybe 1/4 mile.
Castle Wall: Here there was a wall that was made of large concrete blocks, 12' high. You used a rope to scale the wall. It was easy with the excellent foot holds & fairly dry/mud free ropes. This was one of my favorite obstacles because it looked so intimidating, but I was able to do it easily.
A bit more running here. Not too much, less than 1/4 mile.
Rolling Mud Hills: One this obstacle there were mud hills with thigh high water troughs in between. Three hills and three troughs. It was fun, but the water was so muddy that it made it difficult to see the uneven bottom. I did a fair amount of falling, tripping, and splashing around.
10' Wall: Same as before, only much more muddy. Andy and I had a system worked out this time, so it went pretty easily. Definitely couldn't have done this without his help though. I guess it took him a couple of approaches before he got over. I only saw the last one, and I thought he made it look so easy.
Quite a bit of running here, back across the access road, and then up and across the largest hill. Probably about 1/2-3/4 mile.
Net Climb: Just like in gym class, you climb up a rope net about 25' in the air, and then you climb back down the other side. Easy for both of us. Andy practically flew across it. There was a lady in front of me who seemed to be terrified of the heights. She was being coaxed along by her husband/boyfriend. But I didn't mind the slower pace because the footing was a little slippery, and heights aren't my favorite thing either.
Some more running. Not very much though, maybe 1/8 mile, and it was all downhill. :)
Traverse Wall: And 8' wall about 15' long, with muddy 2x4s screwed in at crazy angles for hand & footholds. For this you get one chance to get across, and if you touch the ground or grab the top of the wall, you fail. People were allowed to help each other on this one as well. Andy pushed me toward to wall as I went along the wall. Even with his help I was a little nervous a couple of times about losing my grip and slipping off. Andy almost slipped off as well when he was traversing, but managed to regain his footing and made it across easily.
Spear Throw: You grab a 5' wooden pole with a sharp 8" metal rod sticking out the front, and hurl it into a straw "man" set up about 30' away. Andy got it no problem. My throw was straight, but it was too short. If we were allowed more than one attempt, I think I could have gotten it, but on this challenge you only get one chance. While I was doing my 30 burpees for failing this challenge, Andy decided to give it another throw, and just missed it. So he did 30 burpees as well (just for fun!).
Mud Hill Crawl: This was the home stretch of the course. A 10' hill that you had to crawl up, under 18" high barbed wire again. This hill was very steep, so the only way to get up was a side scoot. And it was so slipper toward the top that I was digging in my fingernails because I was starting to slide back down the hill.
Water & Wall: Once over the mud hill, you slide down the other side into chest deep muddy water. Here you have to dive under a wall where the lower edge is submerged, and come up on the other side. The water was so muddy it looked like chocolate milk with dirt and hay floating on it. And although it was cold, it felt good to get doused in water and a lot of the mud from the previous challenges was washed away.
Slippery Wall: Once you wade across the water hazard, you come up to a sloped wall with ropes hanging down. You grab the rope, lean back and scale the wall. It was sopping wet and got a little tricky for me at the top as the rope angle got steeper and closer to the slippery board. Right as I grabbed the top and put one of my feet over, I slipped and was ended up sitting with one foot over, but leaning back several feet from the top, still holding the rope. It was an awkward position, but Andy grabbed my arm and helped me pull myself over. Then once over, you climb down the slats on the back side of the wall.
Fire Jump: You jump over a fire. It was surprisingly tall, and you actually really had to jump. You couldn't just hop or step over.
Gladiator Arena: The final obstacle! This is where there are three people dressed up as gladiators (sort of), and hit you with padded sticks, as you run through between them.
As you cross the finish line you get your finisher medal. Then they give you freebie drinks and builder bars, and cut off your timing chips do they can download and record your time. Then you can go get power-washed in the shower area, and collect your bags, your free beer, and enjoy the rest of the festivities!
For Andy it all appeared to be easy-peasy, especially at the 1 hour and 48 minute pace that I set. ;) So he is looking for more of a challenge now. He is considering attempting the trifecta this year by completing all three race lengths! He hasn't registered for these races yet, we are seeing if the logistics can be worked out first. The races are the Las Vegas Super Spartan 8+ miles April 5th, and the Salt Lake City Beast 12+ miles June 28th. I really hope that he is able to compete in these! I think he would LOVE it!
As for me, it was much harder than I anticipated, especially in the upper body strength department. But it was fun & definitely an experience. While I was on the course, I was thinking that there was no way I would ever do something like this again. It was somewhere during the sandbag carry or maybe after the monkey bars, but I was fondly remembering the 5K road race that I ran in November. The difference between an obstacle course race and a traditional 5K is light years apart. Like not even in the same realm of sport types. Andy knew it, and had been training accordingly with his weight lifting and trail running. But my 5K and even 10K training programs that I have been doing since August were no match for this race. I was literally blown away, and broken down into a mess of sore muscles, scrapes, bruises, and honestly...a fair amount of disappointment in my sorry performance. Sure I finished it, but Andy helped me much more than I thought he would need to, I failed two obstacles on my own, even my penalty burpees were dismal. I felt slow as molasses on the other obstacles that I was able to complete on my own, and I walked much much more than I thought I would between the obstacles when I should have been running.
However, once I was done and thought about it some more, instead of turning away from this type of adventure race and never going back. I decided that I will plan on attempting the Arizona Spartan Sprint again in 2016, after some SERIOUS training. I think I would have a ton more fun if I was at least a little bit more prepared, and no so grossly overmatched by the course itself in both endurance and strength. Next time I attempt that race I know I am going to be better prepared.
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
Belated Birthdays
Well, I am not sure how I missed these... But now that Lincoln is 5.5 and Cora is 17 months, I figure I better post their birthday cake pictures.
Better late than never, right?
Better late than never, right?
Saturday, January 25, 2014
The Christmas Picture Post
Here it is! The long awaited Christmas picture post of 2013!! Enjoy the antics! :D
Sunday, January 19, 2014
Yep, we did that today. :)
Pudding painting (according to June it is "Cudding Painting"). :)
They really showed off their personalities. June dove right in. Cora watched June first, and then decided she was going for it. Roxy wanted nothing to do with painting, or getting it on her hands, she just wanted a spoon so she could eat it and not get messy. Lincoln even did it for a little while, and he giggled the entire time. :)
They really showed off their personalities. June dove right in. Cora watched June first, and then decided she was going for it. Roxy wanted nothing to do with painting, or getting it on her hands, she just wanted a spoon so she could eat it and not get messy. Lincoln even did it for a little while, and he giggled the entire time. :)
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