Spartan Race Workout Tour

In case you haven't heard, I'm signed up to run the Spartan Super in Red Deer in September, courtesy of Becky and her giveaway she had on her blog a few weeks ago. The super is 13+ km and I think I'm in denial about how hard it is going to be! The Spartan Sprint, which is only 5km, is in Calgary in August and I'm on the fence about registering for that one. On one hand, I think it would be good practice for the Super race, but on the other hand, I'm nervous it will scare me off even more from it. Sometimes it's better not to know what you're getting yourself into, ha!

But I digress. I didn't even know there was such a thing as a Spartan Race Workout Tour, but thanks to Laura, I found out that Calgary actually had the tour coming through. The workout is an organized event that occurs over two hours and is meant to teach you "exercises to help you over the toughest of obstacles while you train with like-minded Spartans". Registration was only $10 and that included a "I'm Training for a Spartan Race" t-shirt! And even better, partial proceeds went to charity, in this case, the charity being Huntington Society of Canada. So really, there was no excuse not to attend.

 

I was terrified to go alone, so luckily I was able to convince my Aunt's step-daughter Kate, and her husband Dan to go with me (they're already signed up for the Spartan Sprint in Calgary). I just didn't know what to expect. I was worried it was going to be very hardcore, and like a military boot-camp style class, where we'd be doing pushups and burpees in the mud with a trainer leaning over us yelling us to push harder! and, do ten more! Thankfully, it was nothing quite like that, but it was still a TOUGH workout.

 

For most of the gruelling two hours, we stood in one spot spread out over the large field and we're put through HIIT style circuit training. The class was led by David Wilkinson, the owner and head coach of Rooted Fitness Crossfit here in Calgary. The exercises he put us through were supposed to mimic a lot of the movements and body positioning that will be required of us during the Spartan Race. There was also some running/sprinting involved, and of course, a TON of burpees. And let me tell you, Spartan burpees are so much harder than "regular" burpees. The penalty during a Spartan Race for not completing an obstacle is 30 burpees. We were timed for three minutes to see how many burpees we could do, and I was only able to eek out 25. Seriously, I better not have to do any during the race or I'm screwed!

{photos ℅ of Spartan Race Facebook page}

Of course, in hindsight, I would have been fine showing up to the Spartan Race Workout Tour on my own. The camaraderie was fantastic and there were a lot of other people there on their own. Plus, the age range was huge, from kids (you had to be at least 13 to participate), to adults of all ages and fitness levels. So, if you have an opportunity to attend a Spartan Race Workout Tour and you don't have anyone to go with you, do not be afraid! I promise it will be a fun and memorable experience! And, hey, you don't even have to be registered for a Spartan Race to attend.

{photo ℅ of Spartan Race Facebook page}

I'm so glad I went and got my butt kicked for two hours - let me tell you, I was exhausted and sore the next day, but it was so worth it! Two hour workouts are no joke, but it reminded me that I'm stronger than I always think, but I also could stand to throw some burpees into my training. Thanks Spartan Race for organizing such an event! All of the photos from the workout tour can be seen on Spartan Race's Facebook page here.

Are you signed up to run a Spartan Race this year? 

Have you ever run a Spartan Race before?