The best gift you could’ve given her was a lifetime of adventures……
Beast in Snohomish, Washington
Well I decided to go for the double Trifecta in Spartan racing so here I come Washington. What is a Trifecta? A Trifecta medal is completing a Spartan sprint which consists of 3-6 miles and 25 obstacles and a Spartan Super which is 8-9 miles and 25 obstacles and lastly a Spartan Beast between 11-14 miles and 30 obstacles all within a calendar year. So the double is now repeat all that again within the year and now you have your double Trifecta medal and you get to sport around a really cool jacket with all the patches you have earned. Is it really for a medal and some cool patches? Not for me. It’s about learning how hard I can push mentally and physically. It’s about inspiring others to help them they believe that they can accomplish whatever they set their minds too. It’s about being on adventure and the unknown of what lies ahead. I love to have challenges and then overcome them in all areas of my life. The Spartan race is just that.
I wasn’t originally going to go for it because I knew that would mean I would have to travel to accomplish it but I said to myself maybe if I can get some other Spartans to go with me I would go because I didn’t want to travel by myself and compete alone. So I threw a text out to my girlfriend Marisa and thought “what the heck the worst thing she would say would be no” now just a little history Marisa just completed her first Spartan race few weeks prior in Pala, Ca and I knew she was on a high from the race so I thought I might have a chance. I called her and said I was thinking about going for my double Trifecta medal any chance you would want to go with me and run another beast? Great news just a few hours later she was texting me flight information. There it was we were going to Seattle and not only that she recruited her roommate Brenda to go with us and run her first Spartan sprint on Sunday. Little did I know the following week at our weekly Spartan Team training I mentioned to the team I was going for my double Trifecta medal and would anyone else want to go. I said “How about you Arlene you could go and earn your double Trifecta this year?” The very next day I got a text from Arlene she was in because her sister actually lives where we were racing and she thought it’s the perfect excuse to travel she can visit family also. We all packed longpants, long sleeves, and gloves and mentally we were ready to hit another adventure.
Let me first explain my experience on the Spartan Beast in Washington. I was checking the forecast about two weeks in advanced before going and all I seen was rain and more rain. I then mentally just started preparing myself most likely we will be racing in rain and it will be cold. It was here race day. We showed up it was 40 degrees outside and dark outside. Our race was starting at 7:45 a.m. but you must arrive 1 hour earlier. We couldn’t see much but soon as the sun came out it was breath taking. The trees were like right out of a painting. There was this really cool fog that just sat below the trees and it was one of the prettiest scenery I have ever seen. I thought to myself God’s creation is truly amazing . We lined up and boom the gun goes off and there I went into the forest. Wow I was thinking in my head “are we really running through the forest on a single track?” Then it starts mud and mud everywhere my feet sank next thing you know I was down to my knees in mud. Several times during the race I was waist level in water and my feet would actually just go numb. Then my mind starts to flood with so many doubts “Why am I doing this?” The next thing that came to mind was our team verse “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” every Spartan race to date so far I have done 12 races and the coolest thing is when your racing and making an impact on others when their struggling I hear people saying our verse out loud and thanking me. Our verse is bold on the back of our team shirts you can’t miss it. So in my head I change my thoughts to I can and I think to myself as I am running through this amazing place “I get to do this!” How lucky am I that my body can do this.
Do we really appreciate what God has given us? What about his beauty everywhere you go. I have realized in life so far and speaking for myself it’s the adventures and the memories that we create that last and make an impact on our lives. The relationships we build and just to enjoy every minute as we never know when it will be the last. As you can see a Spartan race or any adventure that you have is so much more than just a race it’s about testing yourself seeing what your made of testing your mental strength and impacting others on the way and most of all taking it all in and enjoying life.
Be inspired, be motivated and transform your body, mind and spirit.
