The Great Wall

stone upon stone upon stone

upon mountains

of stone upon stone

assailed by mongrels

and monsoons,

by warriors, wind and wandering

standing still

stillness standing

in the village

each brick laid by hands

and heart to shelter

and save the spirit

of children protected

by labour from labour

the donkey lies at peace

as the dog, alert, patrols

the straw of his rest

out of love for the hooves

that never, that never…

into the valley of earth

the walls, the world, engulfing, embracing

the small lives of beasts

upon the earth, within

the earth, beyond the reach

of wind, the lash of cold, the fist

of heat

three old men as crevassed as

the dirt beneath their eroding bench

grin, not a tooth among them, and deny the chance

to have their image taken

away

from them

themselves

only themselves

together on the bench

in the sun

in the valley

in the clean dirt

of the earth

sustained

quiet now

the last steps up the hill alone past stages, acts,

theatre of man and woman and child

upon the snow crusted earth of the worn path

towards the old school

the partridge awakes, shocking the solitude

with thunder flight from this moment of earth

then

the ancient walls appear

earth and stone and school,

school no more,

though the chalk on the wall testifies

children once learned here,

learn here still,

that walls crumble and fall

fall down

in a world divided

by a great wall

Become a Beast to Conquor The Beast

Extreme obstacle racing is one of the fastest growing sports in North America.  Imagine racing up to 25 kilometers in the mountains while crawling through mud under barbed wire, hauling 50 lb. sandbags through creeks and over boulders, hurling spears, jumping over fire, swimming across rivers, and battling gladiators.  Pushing beyond limits is what these events are all about.  Just the thing to blast this average forty-year-old teacher and father out of training plateau!

This year I decided to complete the Spartan Race Trifecta, voted the toughest adventure race series by Outdoors Magazine.  The Trifecta consists of three races: the 6.7 km Sprint, the 15 km Super, and the 25 km Beast. These races took place throughout June and July. 

By the end of this journey, I completed all three races, earned my Trifecta Medal, and conquered the Beast with a time of four hours and eight minutes, among the top 5% of competitors.  And in preparing for this trial by literal fire (and mud, and water, and mountains, and gladiators, and barbed wire, and …), I achieved the best physical condition of my life.  Here are the three keys to my survival:

Training

This summer I trained harder and smarter than I ever have before.  I worked out in the gym and spent hours running trails, roads, and hills.  I trained six days a week.  And given the diverse and extreme nature of the challenges presented in a Spartan Race, variety was critical.  Here are three sample workouts I used to become a Spartan:

Workout One:  Trail Torture

I live near a forest trail that runs along the ridge at the top of a steep hill.  The trail is three kilometers long, with bridges crossing several streams that flow in small waterfalls over the ridge.  While running this trail, I stop at each bridge and perform 20 pushups.  I also perform 10 chin-ups or pull-ups on the low hanging branches of several trees along the trail.  And at the end of the trail, I descend to the base of the ridge and then sprint/scramble back to the top.  I complete this loop three to four times in a single workout. 

Workout Two:  Drop Set Destruction

Working out with weights has always been the cornerstone of my fitness approach.  However, to become Spartan ready and to break through a training plateau, I needed to mix things up.  One of the techniques I used to prepare for the burn of the Beast was incorporating drop-sets.  Here is a sample workout, each exercise consisting of a single drop-set:

Exercise One:  Flat Bench Press

(5 reps of 235 lbs. - 8 reps of 185 lbs. – 20 reps of 135 lbs.)

Exercise Two:  Wide Grip Chins

(5 reps holding a 30 lb. dumbbell between my ankles – 8 reps with a 15 lb.

dumbbell – 10 reps with body weight only)

Exercise Three:  Smith Machine Incline Press

(2 reps of 235. lbs – 8 reps of 185 lbs. – 20 reps of 135 lbs).

Exercise Four:  Bent-Over Rows

(3 reps of 235 lbs. - 8 reps of 185 lbs. – 20 reps of 135 lbs.)

Exercise Five:  Skull-Crushers

(5 reps of 105 lbs. – 8 reps of 85 lbs. – 20 reps of 65 lbs.)

Exercise Six:  Barbell Curls

(3 reps of 105 lbs. – 8 reps of 85 lbs. – 20 reps of 65 lbs.)

Exercise Seven:  Standing Overhead Presses

(3 reps of 105 lbs. – 8 reps of 85 lbs. – 20 reps of 65 lbs.)

Note: As grip strength is a Spartan necessity, no straps are used for back exercises.

Workout Three:  50 Shades of Pain

This is a muscular endurance workout that, perhaps surprisingly, also yields a great deal of hypertrophy.  Each exercise is performed until 50 reps are completed, with the exception of the chin-ups and pull-ups.  I perform as many reps as I can, rest for no more than 30 seconds, and continue until I reach 50.  I then quickly move onto the next exercise with no rest in between.

Wide Grip Chin-Ups (25 reps)

TRX Push-Ups (with feet elevated on an exercise ball)

135 lb. Deadlifts

135 lb. Incline Presses

35 lb. One-Arm Dumbbell (or Kettle Bell) Clean and Press (25 reps each side)

Hanging Leg Raises

Medicine Ball Floor Slams

135 lb. Squats

Dips

Pull Ups

These three workouts give you a sense of the training required to become Spartan fit.  However, without rest and recovery, this type of training would become destructive rather than constructive.

Nutrition

The key to making Spartan training constructive is proper nutrition.  Above and beyond the basics (five to six meals a day, 20 to 30 grams of quality protein at each meal, lots of fruits and vegetables), I incorporate the following three “Super Foods”:

Spinach:  In addition to all the vitamins and minerals contained in spinach, two key amino acids – leucine and tryptophan – are abundant in spinach.  Leucine triggers anabolism while tryptophan, a pre-cursor to the neurotransmitter serotonin, supports restorative rest. 

Pomegranate Juice:  High in antioxidants and sugar, I drink pomegranate juice before and after each workout, along with a whey protein shake.

Chia Seeds:  Rich in antioxidants, omega-3s, calcium, and fiber, chia seeds are a perfect food for runners.  They absorb water and slow the release of carbohydrates so that your tank remains full throughout your training.  Chia seeds are also a complete protein source.

Proper nutrition not only ensures maximal physical performance, it also fuels a strong mental approach to the grueling test of the Spartan Race.

Mental Strength

When competing in a Spartan Race, the toughest challenge is mental.  The key is to stay in the moment.  When running down a mountain, each step could bring disaster.  When grinding your way back up, the agony can be overwhelming if you think too much about how much further you have to go.  Keep your mind in the moment, understanding that each moment yields both joy and pain.  This is what you signed up for and this is what you will carry with you long after the race is run.  In Spartan Racing as in life, grit is worth more than speed or talent, pain yields more progress than comfort, and the journey is of far greater value than the destination.  It is only through fire that we are forged. 

So, whether you plan on competing in an adventure race or simply want to bring greater challenge and reward to your current training, following the path of the Spartan will yield epic results!