Obstacle Courses

I recently developed a new interest that I will be pursuing in the coming months of summer...OBSTACLE RACING!!! Yes, this is a type of running/racing event that IS as awesome as it sounds. Monkey crawling under barbed wire through mud pits? CHECK! Jumping and running in, on, and around old junker cars in what is affectionately called "The Junkyard"? CHECK! Leaping (and possibly falling onto) burning hay bales? CHECK! Engaging in hand-to-hand combat with American Gladiator-esque event staff prior to crossing the finish line? CHECK! This type of racing has it all and promises to stimulate my interest and command my squirrel-like attention span through the grueling (but probably necessary) training period leading up to the events.

For my money, anticipating and training to overcome such obstacles is much more satisfying and interesting than simply pounding out mile after mile on pavement, wood chips, or space age rubberized running track. And as my previous blog posts can attest (sigh...P90X...such a shame) I can quickly lose interest in an exercise regiment if I am not constantly entertained or given a reason to push myself. True, most of the blame lands squarely on my shoulders but I feel secure in assigning some of it to my previous exercise goals, mediums, and methods. I mean, seriously, there is only so much interest a man can garner from a DVD pack of workout sessions lead and narrated by an egotistical He-Man (also known as Tony Horton). There comes a point when you can only do so many "Rock Stars" and "Pot Stirrers" on your living room carpet.

An therein lies my interest in obstacle racing and my new goal set. I want to train both aerobically and anaerobically to prepare my body for the rigors of running a distance of between 5-10 miles while simultaneously completing a number of strength based obstacles. This being said, I will shortly post a training routine and schedule I am developing as both a challenge to myself to complete this enterprise (by making it public I will hopefully be more motivated to not only maintain my workouts but also my blog) and a way to document this "adventure".

Wish me luck!