Spartan Race - 5k Obstacle Course Race

[RockerGuy]

Some general running guidelines: start slow and short. Make sure you have the correct shoes for your running style/fitness level. Pay attention to pain when you start. You can easily injure yourself (not broken leg..but chronic, fatique issues) if you're not patient and aware. For instance, if you give yourself Plantar Fasciiitis (from poor style or shoes that have poor support) you could be off your feet for 6 months, killing your race obviously. You'll be using muscles and putting strain on joints that is abnormal and they need time to build up. Just listen to your body.

Having said that, I'm 30 lbs overweight and I can do 5k's, so just about anybody can I would say. Have fun!

Not every can!
Since it seems like you have prior knowledge of long distance. I am willing to bet you've done a bit of training in the past

[Amazon]

I did the Warrior dash last year, which is pretty much the exact same thing. It was brutal, try and run earlier during the day, the sun will kill you. The warrior dash was a lot of running up and down ski hills, which is killer. Oh, and don't wear runnign shoes you plan on keeping, there's no point, they get destroyed.

There's also the Tough Mudder for anyone who wants a greater challenge. http://toughmudder.com/events/toronto/ it's a 10-12 mile run up and around Mt.St. Louis Moonstone.

[invictus43]

Not every can!
Since it seems like you have prior knowledge of long distance. I am willing to bet you've done a bit of training in the past

I was really mostly a cyclist..road and mountain bike racing. The running thing came later. I started trying 10k's some time ago and got plantar fasciitis in a couple of months. Terrible thing..it can take months to go away. So I decided to stick to 5k's and trying to keep some fitness in running so I don't hurt my feet again. If I could just un-clip this 30lb bag of dogfood I'm carrying around... My last 5k was a 25:12..I figure if I lost 30lbs I could actually have a half-decent time!!

[rmemedic]

5K ain't too had to train up to. When I joined the military, I was definitely over weight, but due to having a very heavy job before that, I did have quite a bit of muscle mass.
In the 3 months of Basic training, I went from finding a km a bit of a breather, and at the end of it, we were doing 9-10 km jogs pretty much every morning.
Just take your time, and enjoy it. You'll find a "rhythm" that you like and then it seems like a breeze for a bit. I have nagging ankle, knee and hip issues from racing them thar dirtcycles, so once I hit about 8km it's nothing but joint pain for me, which I hate because I would really like to go and do a half marathon.

Shoes are important, don't be surprised to spend $150. I spend a few hundred a year on running shoes. When you use them every day, they are shot in a few months. The last pair I bought, I wasn't too keen on the way they fit me. I should have listened because the design of them didn't support my foot properly and I just about sprained my ankle because of it.

If you're doing this spartan race, you need to also train for some sprinting, core and upper body muscle. Cross fit would actually be a pretty good workout to help get you ready, plus it's one of my favourite work outs!

The race sounds like a blast, a few guys at work do them regularly. I would participate but I'm usually off at the track most weekends.

[sauga_rider]

my friends and i signed up back in november, it cost us $35 then

[braveheart]

i cant believe people are paying for this kind of self-torture/abuse.

im tired just thinking about running 5 k

[inferno]

sweet thanks for the input. Will definitely have to get a new pair of shoes soon. Was just looking at the Vibram 5 finger and cant figure out if they are gimmick or not. If not itd be awesome cause i used to love sprinting on bare feet when i was a kid. It didnt matter grass or asphalt.

Already got my eyes on crossfit. Love the workouts and the amount of knowledge available there, but the comments are BRUTAL. Makes my attempts look like child play.
Cant wait to run on sand once summer comes.

If anybody wants to split a voucher with me im all ears. All my friends are lazyy

[Jenerator]

The FiveFingers are fantastic - go to MEC and get a pair now so you can get used to them and train in them. There's nothing like being able to use all of your toes freely to stabilize yourself. They make tougher versions of them that might work very well with events like this, such as the komodos and treksports. KSO means "keep stuff out" so maybe those would work well on a dirty course with mud, etc. Never tried it myself.

Maybe next year I'll be strong enough to complete an event like this - it looks like fun!

[psycho44]

Not every can!
Since it seems like you have prior knowledge of long distance. I am willing to bet you've done a bit of training in the past

Looks like fun! I've done competitve cross-country running that covers almost 10k through High Park, 3km and 1.5km tracks back oh 15 years ago in High School. I'm now old, never exercised since I graduated 10 years ago, got right knee problems that acts up if I sprint but man I'm seriously considering this. 3 months of training hmmm do I want to put myself through that pain again? yes!