SPARTAN COMPLETED 5 weeks after Appendectomy!

Smiling thru the pain and cramping!

Wow!  Gruelling, challenging, difficult, painful, CRAZZZZYYYY!  All these words describe the Spartan Beast Race that I participated in on Saturday.  The race was close to 15 miles long and had 28 obstacles.  For every obstacle failed you have to do 30 burpees.  I ended up not completing 3 obstacles so I had to do *only* 90 burpees.  Spear throw, traverse wall and rope climb were the trouble makers:)  You climb over 2800 meters then down then up then down!  And let me tell you ~ your calves really hate you after (and, well, during) this type of event.

Getting ready to rock it!

In terms of gear: I wore the same gear I wore last year but I added knee pads (just a cheap used pair of volleyball kneepads) and wrist sweatbands that I wore on my elbows (because my elbow bones kill me when I army crawl).  I also wore a "waist slimming belt" ~ it was made of neoprene ~ I repurposed it though cause trust me when you are running this race you aren't worrying how slim you look!  It was something that could easily provide support and protection to my 5 week post appendectomy body.  When you are carrying the 5 litre bucket full of dirt on the down hill it was nice to have that padding on my stomach where the bucket was pressing.

Thank goodness that is done!

The weather was awesome ~ no snow, no rain.  It was sunny and a little windy at times.  The water was freezing and muddy ~ but you really don't mind that because your legs feel glorious getting an ice bath!

Overall, it was a super crazy ~ when you are climbing these extreme inclines for a long time and then running down then climbing back up then padding back down you sure have time to question what the heck you are doing up there!  I loved the obstacles this year ~ very challenging and for a non-runner like myself I love how the obstacles really add variety to the race.  Prevent you from overthinking about your sore pelvis, cramped calf, etc.  It took me 4 hours and 49 minutes ~ I never stopped for a break during this time ~ that was go-go-go.  I love the trails because your brain is actively planning out your steps and it sort of feels like parkour!

Time for a celebratory Caesar I think!

I think any racer is hopeful they won't get injured and when I completed the race pretty much injury free I was elated!  Today, 2 days post race, I am sore and tired but so so so proud of my body and my mind for accomplishing what I did.  I think I will probably do it again next year since it is cheaper and way more accessible than the Mudder.  Tell you what though ~ I am going to set up a spear throw area and a traverse wall in my back yard so I pass them with flying colours next year!!:)

You gonna give it a try?!?!  You should!

Things to keep in mind to prep for an obstacle race:

• Cut your toe nails so they don't press against your shoes ~ cause with wet, muddy, crazy inclines, declines, climbing and jumps your feet move around!
• Drink electrolytes well beforehand ~ day leading up and day of ~ I cramped more this year and I know that is most likely the reason.  I slacked off the day pre-race.
• Pack gels or gummies to refuel along the way ~ but make sure you try them in advance so you know how your body reacts to them.
• Pack a camelpack!  Water stations were few and far between ~ I find I huff and puff so hard that whole time that I need water constantly ~ little sips though :)
• Shoes meant for trail running and a LOT of impact should be a priority!
• Dress in layers ~ polypropylene for a base.   Dry wick materials are great.  
• I padded up and wore gloves ~ this saved my knees and elbows ~ increased my speed thru the trenches for sure.  I took my gloves off for monkey bars.  They are handy when climbing logs, doing army crawling, rope climbs, cement brick carries, plastic 5 L bucket carry, and when you have to do burpees.  They attached to my camel pack straps when I was not using them.
• Windbreaker or light packable rain jacket if it is a rainy or snowy race.
• I love my BUFFs ~ I wear 2 when I race ~ then I can ninja myself up if the weather turns horrible.  Keeping ears warm, head warm and breath (wear it like a western bank robber) warm come in handy.
• Eat good fuel food days leading up the race ~ I also eat a pasta meal the evening before.  Lighter breakfast on day of race ~ this year I did oatmeal with fruit and some juice.  PLUS LOTS AND LOTS of water!
• Try to go bathroom before the race ~ trust me.
• Pack really comfortable socks and shoes to wear after race ~ your feet will be in rough shape.  

In addition to being stiff and sore post-race I also get sores in my nose!  Yeah I know!  Happened last year and this year ~ supposedly it is just the way my body responds to serious stress and trauma like cold sores.  The heavy breathing, change it altitude, huge stress physically and mentally all contribute.  So I have to take pills right after the race ~ 2 sets of 4 pills 12 hours apart to stop it.  Not that this will happen to you but you know how your body handles stress so my point is to be prepared for post race "stuff".  Maybe book your massage or chiro appointment too;)  

Either way this race is a doozy!  I think everyone should do it once in their lives to see just how amazing your mind and body can be.  The swag is already up on my vision board and next year I hope to do that much better.  I hope my family comes up to see me cross the finish line next year because that would be very special:)

For more information on the race go to http://ca-en.spartanrace.com/about and for an amazing place to train for an event like this check out http://excelfit.ca.  I would never even consider doing this race if it wasn't for my awesome training at Excel!  Hope to see you up there next year!!!

The Unexpected: Recovery Time

Hours after surgery ~ that's a morphine smile:)

Holy smokes!  Did my life get a little turned upside down over the last couple weeks ~ hence, a long overdue post!  Ok ~ long story short :) Well...sort of:)  About two weeks ago I began to have stomach pains.  It was like a dull cramp (whole stomach) and when I laid down and pressed on the lower right side, I would get these super sharp pains spreading across my stomach.  On day 4 I went to the walk-in clinic to see what was up since nothing (and I mean nothing) would relieve this 24/7 dull pain.  Doc told me to take tylenol and advil and it will probably go away.  He said it could be numerous things like ovarian cyst, appendix, digestive system, etc.  And pretty much time will tell.  He also booked me for an ultrasound for September 12th which was waayyyyy to long for me especially since it was greatly impacting day-to-day life with my kids.

That night I had a feeling that I needed to do something about the pain.  I went to the ER and waited 3 hours to be seen ~ by the time I was seen it was late so they told me to come back in the morning to have an ultrasound.  So home I went with some painkillers.  The next morning I headed back with my husband and received an ultrasound which confirmed my appendix was abnormal.  That was around 10:30am ~ I was in a hospital bed on morphine by 1:30pm and waited for my turn for surgery.  At around 11:00pm I had my appendix removed and was awake by 1:30am.  They make 3 incisions and fill you with CO2 to balloon you up so they can move around your insides & see things clearly.  They go in with a camera and some tools and end up pulling out the appendix via belly button.  I was able to have this form of surgery because mine had not ruptured.  Tell you what though the pain from this was incredible (my emergency c-section with my daughter had nothing on this!)

My top half is to the left:)  Both the lower incisions were on my c-section incision ~ my poor lower torso:)

The surgeon said it was EXTREMELY close to rupturing so I feel sooooo lucky we caught it in time!
The next day was pain killers, sleeping and a tiny bit of eating.  That night I was discharged and off home I went.  Saturday was ok (had my son's 2nd birthday to celebrate as I missed it on the Friday as I was in hospital all day!  Had a little dinner, cake and presents with a small group of family and friends).  Sunday I had to head back to the ER because I had a bad reaction to the painkillers I was on (nausea and vomiting ~ oh lovely:).  Another 3 hour wait in the ER throwing up into the cardboard caps they give you and finally was given some anti-nausea medication.  Ended up waiting 3 hours in a chair hooked up to an IV then put into a hospital bed around 2:30am! Yes 2:30am!  They wanted me to stay overnight so the doctor could check me in the morning to make sure my stitches were still ok from the pressure from throwing up.  I was checked and discharged Monday at 10:30am.

My birthday boy:) Kinda funny two years to THE DAY I was in the hospital just in a different ward;)

**Side note: I have suffered stomach aches off and on for a couple months along with fatigue which I posted about a little while ago.  By the sounds of it ~ it is most likely connected to what was happening internally with my appendix.  I just assumed it was my anxiety causing the stomach aches ~ with returning to work and all coming up but pretty sure it was my body telling me something wasn't right:)  Thank you body:)

Monday was a bad day.  Tuesday was a very bad day.  I was feeling so horrible and mentally, emotionally I was exhausted.  Have anxiety quite bad as it is and this exacerbated it.  Was feeling extremely blue about everything that was happening.  Luckily I have support and am now feeling much more positive and hopeful about recovering.  My husband Paul was super dad/nurse and helped me tons.  He took Tuesday off and came to look after the kids so I could rest a little.

The last painkillers I took were on Sunday morning so from then on I have been healing up without painkillers.  I decided I would rather just wait it out and not have a foggy head, risk getting sick again, etc.  So here we are!  A little over a week and a half ago and healing up:)  Training at Excel has been put on hold ~ my surgeon said between 3-4 weeks I can jump back in so very excited for that.  I am able to more stationary things like walking, spin, etc. so hoping to do a spin class next week.

What have I learned?
Oh man ~ this has been a hard couple weeks ~ throws you thru a huge loop especially when you have a 2 year old and a 3 year old at home depending on you.  In addition, I am returning to work right now so I had a ton of prep to do but, of course, being so sick and tired really puts a dent in how productive you can be.  Life already had some gigantic changes and it for sure was horrible timing.  But now that I am healing up I am feeling much more positive and so appreciative of not being in constant PAIN.  Don't take your health for granted folks.  Something I think everyone knows but we easily forget until something like this happens.  This sure slowed me down which probably wasn't a bad thing and it resets your focus.  I am so grateful for my husband - Paul, my kids, my family and my friends that helped babysit while I was in hospital.

What's next?
I will get back to some training next week and see how it feels.  Everything is looking pretty good from the surgery (it was laporscopic so there are 2 small incisions on my pubic bone area and one larger one - like 2 inches long - down from my belly button).  Getting my digestive systems working again after so many chemicals in my body has been a challenge and the headaches and shoulder aches from the CO2 have been bad but are getting better.  If I wake up in the morning and I am not hurting then I am smiling!  Tell you what if you are not in pain or recovering from an injury right this second ~ get up and go do something physical!  I can't wait to get back to Excel.  Fingers crossed I will get the go ahead in a couple weeks to run the Spartan Beast (if my body is ok with it I for sure can use that for my mental health!)  Doc thinks I will be okay to do it but will check and confirm whether or not in a couple weeks.  Right now it is time to help my babies get into the rhythm of childcare, get back to working, eating right, staying hydrated and enjoying the time I have with Paul, Marley and Jonah.  Hopefully I will see some of you at Excel next week y'all!  Now tell your body you love it and that you are thankful for all the things it does for you;)  Cheers!