OCR America Medal

OCR America Medal

Seven Days.  26.2 miles per day.  A thousand plus obstacles.  These are the obvious challenges that lay ahead for me as I embark on my OCR America journey.  Over a week in June, I plan on running at 7 different OCR sites in 7 days.  When I initially made the plan my top concerns and solutions were:

Can I show up to the event healthy but still put in the require mileage to prepare my body?

IMG_3823Plan of Action: Build mileage slowly trying to stay around 10% increase every week.  Take one to two rest days a week.  Take a down week every fourth week for recovery.   Always wear my Road ID to keep me safe in the event of an accident.

Can my upper body muscles handle that many pull, climbing and carrying tasks?IMG_4383

Plan of Action:  Use BFX events as training not races by holding back on event day and not tapering for the events.  Incorporate Fat Gripz into all my strength training sessions.  Use my homemade rig for exercise specific training using products from Sinergy Sports.

Can I fuel properly to ensure I am always moving forward?

Plan of Action:  Use Hammer Nutrition’s products like Heed, Perpetuem and Gels, which have complex carbohydrate maltodextrin inside.  Combine that with whole foods for variety in taste including Vita-Coco coconut water, trail mix, PB & J sandwiches and chicken/turkey sandwiches.

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BFX Medals from the month of April.

 

While these were my major concerns six months ago when I initially drafted the plan with the help of Brett Stewart and Margaret Schlachter.  After running three BFX events last month here is what concerns me now.

Cuts and bruises:

Sometimes I come off of OCRs looking like I rolled around naked through a briar patch.  My knees become sensitive to the touch and cuts reopen as I move about.  Hands will often develop blisters, lose calluses and just generally feel sore.

Plan of Action: Course dependent, adjust my normal race attire (sleeves, no shirt, shorts, high socks) to incorporate more full body clothing for protective reasons.  Always wear gloves to keep my hands in the best conditions possible.  Primarily use clothes purchased or recommended from Mud Gear.

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Sleep:

After spending 6 to 8 hours on my feet each day, I should sleep like a baby.  Unfortunately, I have found that after my hardest endurance events, I often sleep terribly.  My nervous system is still amped up and my mind is still busy.

Plan of Action:  Use Hammer Nutrition’s REM Caps to promote deep sleep.  Wrap myself in the super cozy Dryrobe post race to keep my body warm.

Logistics and Travel:

Between events, there is anywhere between an hour to an eleven-hour drive.  Have you ever run a marathon then sat in a car for hours?  It is not pleasant.

Plan of Action:  Rent a van for more space and so I can completely lay down.  Ensure my pit crew handles all the external stressors and driving.  Use recovery compression (ex. Normatech boots, 2XU clothing) to promote blood flow in my body.

 

This is what lays ahead for me from 19-25 June.  I am genuinely curious to see what becomes the greatest challenge over the event.  Is it the physical state of my body, the ability of my muscles to contract or the ability of my mind to will my body forward? I guess we will find out.  Check back in daily on Mud Run Guide and on Jay Bode’s podcast “Overcome and Run” for daily updates during the event.  Finally, come out and run a lap or day with me if you can by viewing the full schedule and signing up here.  If you cannot run, then donate a couple of dollars to the charity Folds of Honor via my link here.

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