Wednesday, September 24, 2014
Thursday, September 18, 2014
Update : E's EEG Results
It came back all normal!! E has not had any episodes since the school incident and there is no detection of anything out of the ordinary. We most likely will never know what exactly happened, but that's okay. She is doing fine, all the tests are normal, and she is completely herself, and that is what matters. Thanks for your thoughts!
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
Recap : Spartan "Beast From Hell"
Now that this is all said and done and all the forums are buzzing with "what happened when", we know the full extent of the race we ran in. Ryan and I were the lucky ones (or unlucky ones... depending on the perspective) to have had an early start time and opportunity to run the full course under full heat conditions.
A summary update from the race director:
This race quadrupled the number of casualties, or DNFs (Did-Not-Finish), than the hardest Spartan race course in Wintergreen, and has been labeled as the "Beast From Hell". Not so much in the course itself, but mainly because of the heat. There were a total of 6.5K Beast racers that day with only 800 full finishers (including Ryan). Everyone else was either cut short (including me..11 out of 12 miles) or DNFs (people that pull themselves out of the race for various reasons.. medical, etc.)
Elevation map, bottom left corner, green line is the Beast.
Ryan and I had different strategies going into the race. Ryan knew the temps would only get hotter the longer we were out there on the course. His plan was to go fast and get to mile 8 ASAP. From the course map, mile 8 looked like it was in the trees and foliage which meant shade. My strategy was to go conservative. Consistent, slow stride on steep uphills or difficult terrain, and run all the easy stuff - flats, not-so-steep downhills/uphills. At every 2-3 miles, I would make sure to drink water, eat a GU/snack, and drink a couple packets of mustard.
Ryan and I at the back of the pack for the start of our 9:15a heat. Temps were around upper 80s/low 90s now. I'll lose sight of him in like 30 seconds after this.
The trail starts off with a warm-up hill. It took a bit of zooming in to find, but Ryan is all the way at the top of this hill already. The backside of this hill flattens, has a nice view of the lake, and then continue to go uphill around a bend. The first two miles were not easy with a significant steep hill in Mile 1 which were already sidelining people. I kept a consistent pace and really couldn't go faster since the trail often were single track, goat trails packed with people.
Then there is a steep drop down a billy goat trail, and then back to an even steeper hill climb up on the left side. We're still only halfway to Mile 1.
Between Mile 1-2, we get a little bit of flatter trail running along some of the hilly ridges, as well as more hills to climb up, then down, then up, and then down again (notice the tiny people running down on the other ridge in the photo below.)
At mile 2, I was already feeling the the difficulty of the terrain and heat. I stuck with my strategy though and kept with a conservative approach... water, food, mustard. I stopped two times, mile 4 and mile 7, to intake extra food, apply sunblock, and socialize (also passed out mustard packets). =) The strategy worked out great as I really had no issues and maintained energy for the whole course.
There were a few obstacles passed up to this point which I didn't take pictures of.. Over-Unders-Over-Under and Over-Under-Throughs. (Listed in map.)
Here is the Atlas Carry, a Spartan classic. The womens weight ball felt very doable.. maybe 45-50 pounds? You had to carry it to the opposite flag, drop it and do 5 burpees, and then carry it back. The initial lift off the ground was the hardest part because it was awkward to grasp.
Back up a hill somewhere. Lost count as to which mile this is now.
Then back down a single track billy goat trail.
Tractor tire flip - 4x. They had various weights, though I picked the smaller one and found it quite easy.
Cargo net up and across.
So far, all obstacles up to here have been easy. These Log Hurdles looked like they would be easy, but turned out not. The logs did give Ryan some battle scars, and I required help in reaching the logs.
Log Hurdles.
Inverted Wall. Rock climbing techniques made climbing over any of the wall obstacles easy. (6/7/8 feet walls and this inverted wall) Most people use their arms to either mantle or chicken-wing their bodies over the wall. I use a leg-hook technique which uses less arms and more core and leg. Much easier.
Lattice Bridge.
Mile 7 and on, I came across people that were cramping bad on the side. By this time, it was probably at max temps..according to the race director..116-118 in the sun, and there were a lot of people sidelined. Most people were walking, not running.
Traverse Wall. Rock climbing techniques rule! No problemo.
A very wicked hill climb right before mile 9. The steepest hill I encountered on the course, and with soft sand easy to slip on.
The top of the hill was scenic. You can see the staging Start/Finish area below, on the left of the photo. And see the hills behind and to the left of my head? Those were the hills we were running in from Mile 1-4.
The last hill took a young guy out. I found him on the side of the trail gripping his leg in pain. So I stopped to help him out, gave him a couple of my mustard packets and a GU. I have full faith in the mustard packets, and he said he would be okay and I went on my merry way. Little did he or I know, but the Mile 9 aid station was just a downhill away.
And Mile 9 trail marker.
I was starting to feel tired around mile 9. Ate an extra mustard packet and snacked on pepitas and cranberries, and continued on.
Somehow Mile 10 disappeared, and I was well on my way to Mile 11. Little did I know, they had cut off mile 10 part of the trail due to a rattlesnake. Rumor has it that someone was bitten. Again, hearsay. No confirmation. Ryan says Mile 10 had the worst hill of the course. I am bummed I missed it! Seriously.
Sandbag carry.
At mile 11, my energy came back. It was the realization that the finish was near...Phase 4 out of The Five Phases of SUCK. A gal that I ran past commented to me "How is it that you can keep running?". I was thinking, "The end is near. How is it that you're not running?" Haha! Mile 11 was a flat run along the lake and then to the "fun" obstacles finale.
We had to crawl through portions of the muddy lake and, just like fireworks, there were a bunch of obstacles grouped together at the end - spear throw, barb wire crawl, Hercules Hoist, Rope Climb, Fire jump, etc.
Barb wire crawl.
Rope Climb.
And lastly.. the famous fire jump.
Ryan finished all 12.1 miles in 4:04, placing 3rd in his age group for the Full Open course. I finished 11.1 miles in 5:22, placing 50% for my age group. All in all, it was a satisfying race given the conditions. I'm not too thrill about my race time, but then again, I knew I was going about it conservatively.
I was so happy at finishing! But later I found out that I did not complete the full course and that I had missed mile 10 from closure due to a rattlesnake. I did complete the shorten course and received a medal, but my race would not be eligible for a Beast recognition.
While Ryan and I had the opportunity to race all or most of the course, there were so many heat related medical issues going on (516), rattlesnake bites, even two cardiac arrests (hearsay), Spartan decided to call off the races mid way through. Only 800 people were able to complete the full course. The rest of the racers were cut off at different points for various reasons.. 11 miles, 10 miles, and less than 9 miles. Spartan has decided to hold a repeat/make-up Beast race January of next year. So... I get to do this again and aim for a better time! But Ryan doesn't... =( He would have had a much better time too, but his legs cramped at Mile 10, which slowed him down significantly. (He does not believe the magic mustard packets!) He did make it to mile 8 in under 2 hours! Either way, I am proud of him placing 3rd in his age group!
A summary update from the race director:
This race quadrupled the number of casualties, or DNFs (Did-Not-Finish), than the hardest Spartan race course in Wintergreen, and has been labeled as the "Beast From Hell". Not so much in the course itself, but mainly because of the heat. There were a total of 6.5K Beast racers that day with only 800 full finishers (including Ryan). Everyone else was either cut short (including me..11 out of 12 miles) or DNFs (people that pull themselves out of the race for various reasons.. medical, etc.)
Elevation map, bottom left corner, green line is the Beast.
Ryan and I had different strategies going into the race. Ryan knew the temps would only get hotter the longer we were out there on the course. His plan was to go fast and get to mile 8 ASAP. From the course map, mile 8 looked like it was in the trees and foliage which meant shade. My strategy was to go conservative. Consistent, slow stride on steep uphills or difficult terrain, and run all the easy stuff - flats, not-so-steep downhills/uphills. At every 2-3 miles, I would make sure to drink water, eat a GU/snack, and drink a couple packets of mustard.
Ryan and I at the back of the pack for the start of our 9:15a heat. Temps were around upper 80s/low 90s now. I'll lose sight of him in like 30 seconds after this.
The trail starts off with a warm-up hill. It took a bit of zooming in to find, but Ryan is all the way at the top of this hill already. The backside of this hill flattens, has a nice view of the lake, and then continue to go uphill around a bend. The first two miles were not easy with a significant steep hill in Mile 1 which were already sidelining people. I kept a consistent pace and really couldn't go faster since the trail often were single track, goat trails packed with people.
Then there is a steep drop down a billy goat trail, and then back to an even steeper hill climb up on the left side. We're still only halfway to Mile 1.
Between Mile 1-2, we get a little bit of flatter trail running along some of the hilly ridges, as well as more hills to climb up, then down, then up, and then down again (notice the tiny people running down on the other ridge in the photo below.)
At mile 2, I was already feeling the the difficulty of the terrain and heat. I stuck with my strategy though and kept with a conservative approach... water, food, mustard. I stopped two times, mile 4 and mile 7, to intake extra food, apply sunblock, and socialize (also passed out mustard packets). =) The strategy worked out great as I really had no issues and maintained energy for the whole course.
There were a few obstacles passed up to this point which I didn't take pictures of.. Over-Unders-Over-Under and Over-Under-Throughs. (Listed in map.)
Here is the Atlas Carry, a Spartan classic. The womens weight ball felt very doable.. maybe 45-50 pounds? You had to carry it to the opposite flag, drop it and do 5 burpees, and then carry it back. The initial lift off the ground was the hardest part because it was awkward to grasp.
Back up a hill somewhere. Lost count as to which mile this is now.
Then back down a single track billy goat trail.
Tractor tire flip - 4x. They had various weights, though I picked the smaller one and found it quite easy.
Cargo net up and across.
So far, all obstacles up to here have been easy. These Log Hurdles looked like they would be easy, but turned out not. The logs did give Ryan some battle scars, and I required help in reaching the logs.
Log Hurdles.
Inverted Wall. Rock climbing techniques made climbing over any of the wall obstacles easy. (6/7/8 feet walls and this inverted wall) Most people use their arms to either mantle or chicken-wing their bodies over the wall. I use a leg-hook technique which uses less arms and more core and leg. Much easier.
Lattice Bridge.
Mile 7 and on, I came across people that were cramping bad on the side. By this time, it was probably at max temps..according to the race director..116-118 in the sun, and there were a lot of people sidelined. Most people were walking, not running.
Traverse Wall. Rock climbing techniques rule! No problemo.
A very wicked hill climb right before mile 9. The steepest hill I encountered on the course, and with soft sand easy to slip on.
The top of the hill was scenic. You can see the staging Start/Finish area below, on the left of the photo. And see the hills behind and to the left of my head? Those were the hills we were running in from Mile 1-4.
The last hill took a young guy out. I found him on the side of the trail gripping his leg in pain. So I stopped to help him out, gave him a couple of my mustard packets and a GU. I have full faith in the mustard packets, and he said he would be okay and I went on my merry way. Little did he or I know, but the Mile 9 aid station was just a downhill away.
And Mile 9 trail marker.
I was starting to feel tired around mile 9. Ate an extra mustard packet and snacked on pepitas and cranberries, and continued on.
Somehow Mile 10 disappeared, and I was well on my way to Mile 11. Little did I know, they had cut off mile 10 part of the trail due to a rattlesnake. Rumor has it that someone was bitten. Again, hearsay. No confirmation. Ryan says Mile 10 had the worst hill of the course. I am bummed I missed it! Seriously.
Sandbag carry.
At mile 11, my energy came back. It was the realization that the finish was near...Phase 4 out of The Five Phases of SUCK. A gal that I ran past commented to me "How is it that you can keep running?". I was thinking, "The end is near. How is it that you're not running?" Haha! Mile 11 was a flat run along the lake and then to the "fun" obstacles finale.
We had to crawl through portions of the muddy lake and, just like fireworks, there were a bunch of obstacles grouped together at the end - spear throw, barb wire crawl, Hercules Hoist, Rope Climb, Fire jump, etc.
Barb wire crawl.
Rope Climb.
And lastly.. the famous fire jump.
Ryan finished all 12.1 miles in 4:04, placing 3rd in his age group for the Full Open course. I finished 11.1 miles in 5:22, placing 50% for my age group. All in all, it was a satisfying race given the conditions. I'm not too thrill about my race time, but then again, I knew I was going about it conservatively.
I was so happy at finishing! But later I found out that I did not complete the full course and that I had missed mile 10 from closure due to a rattlesnake. I did complete the shorten course and received a medal, but my race would not be eligible for a Beast recognition.
While Ryan and I had the opportunity to race all or most of the course, there were so many heat related medical issues going on (516), rattlesnake bites, even two cardiac arrests (hearsay), Spartan decided to call off the races mid way through. Only 800 people were able to complete the full course. The rest of the racers were cut off at different points for various reasons.. 11 miles, 10 miles, and less than 9 miles. Spartan has decided to hold a repeat/make-up Beast race January of next year. So... I get to do this again and aim for a better time! But Ryan doesn't... =( He would have had a much better time too, but his legs cramped at Mile 10, which slowed him down significantly. (He does not believe the magic mustard packets!) He did make it to mile 8 in under 2 hours! Either way, I am proud of him placing 3rd in his age group!
UnOfficial First Day of School
Backtracking on late posts --> Liam's first day of school was an unofficial first day. We sent him to part time summer school prior to the start of the school year to see how well he would transition. So, these are the photos from his unofficial first day of school.
Emilia is a great big sis to him, and I'm sure her presence there helped him be at ease. He had absolutely no problem being at school, especially after he discovered the tons of cars they had in the play area. He didn't even pay attention when the parents left.
First thing he did with the cars, was line them up in an orderly fashion of course. He is, after all, Ryan's kid!
When I left, I did see another little boy walk up to the line of cars and take one from the middle. Liam did not throw a fit and instead said a few words to the kid and seemed to be okay. At dinner time that night though, he mentioned "Samson took my car and that is not nice." haha. School is a different environment!
He adjusted very well and likes school! Mama was more apprehensive and emotional seeing my lil' big boy on his own!
Emilia is a great big sis to him, and I'm sure her presence there helped him be at ease. He had absolutely no problem being at school, especially after he discovered the tons of cars they had in the play area. He didn't even pay attention when the parents left.
First thing he did with the cars, was line them up in an orderly fashion of course. He is, after all, Ryan's kid!
When I left, I did see another little boy walk up to the line of cars and take one from the middle. Liam did not throw a fit and instead said a few words to the kid and seemed to be okay. At dinner time that night though, he mentioned "Samson took my car and that is not nice." haha. School is a different environment!
He adjusted very well and likes school! Mama was more apprehensive and emotional seeing my lil' big boy on his own!
Monday, September 15, 2014
Update : EEG
A few weeks back, E was sent to the ER for having an "unresponsive" spell at school. We're not sure what exactly happened since she was fine and acting her usual self when we got to her. It was a hot day with lots of excitement at school since they were having a themed-carnival day (hence the face-painting).
The standard tests were done and came back normal. The pediatrician recommended to have an EEG done for a piece of mind, and that is what we did. Poor kid was required to be sleep deprived, going to bed at midnight and then wake up at 4am, and then stay awake until test time, 8am.
They placed little electrodes all over her tiny scalp while she stayed still watching Strawberry Shortcake.
They did an awake test where they flashed intervals of bright lights and then had her blow a pinwheel for 3 minutes. Then they did a sleep test where she needed to fall into a deep sleep. She was great and did everything the docs asked of her!
I owe her a treat now for being such a champ! No results til next week, she has not had anything unusual except for that one incident. I used to zone out a lot as a kid, so maybe she's just like me. Anyhow, the test will give us an ease of mind, so we just wait for now.
The standard tests were done and came back normal. The pediatrician recommended to have an EEG done for a piece of mind, and that is what we did. Poor kid was required to be sleep deprived, going to bed at midnight and then wake up at 4am, and then stay awake until test time, 8am.
They placed little electrodes all over her tiny scalp while she stayed still watching Strawberry Shortcake.
They did an awake test where they flashed intervals of bright lights and then had her blow a pinwheel for 3 minutes. Then they did a sleep test where she needed to fall into a deep sleep. She was great and did everything the docs asked of her!
I owe her a treat now for being such a champ! No results til next week, she has not had anything unusual except for that one incident. I used to zone out a lot as a kid, so maybe she's just like me. Anyhow, the test will give us an ease of mind, so we just wait for now.
Saturday, September 13, 2014
We BEASTED the BEAST!
It's been a LONG day. Ryan and I are officially Spartans! Made it through with a few scrapes here and there. Manage to be able to withstand the heat and finish the course!
There was a definitely concern about the heat. We didn't know what was going on at the time, but the race was cancelled mid-afternoon due to too many heat related issues - overheating, heat exhaustion, I heard even a heart attack.. but that's hearsay. The rest of the race weekend is cancelled due to what happened today. It is too bad. There were many people that were prepared for the heat, and the race coordinators did a great job having lots of water stations. But there were also a lot of people that did not heed to any of the heat warnings and recommendations (no water, no sun protection, no food, etc.). I stopped several times to help out people that were cramping on the side. Passed off several mustard packets and GUs. Luckily our heat time was early enough that we were able to do the whole course and finish!
More detailed summary to come at a later time...
There was a definitely concern about the heat. We didn't know what was going on at the time, but the race was cancelled mid-afternoon due to too many heat related issues - overheating, heat exhaustion, I heard even a heart attack.. but that's hearsay. The rest of the race weekend is cancelled due to what happened today. It is too bad. There were many people that were prepared for the heat, and the race coordinators did a great job having lots of water stations. But there were also a lot of people that did not heed to any of the heat warnings and recommendations (no water, no sun protection, no food, etc.). I stopped several times to help out people that were cramping on the side. Passed off several mustard packets and GUs. Luckily our heat time was early enough that we were able to do the whole course and finish!
More detailed summary to come at a later time...
Friday, September 12, 2014
SPARTAN TIME
This week has been a whole mix of unexpected emotions. From nervousness and anxiety looming for race day, to feeling guilt for being consumed and obsessive about such a small, insignificant, even silly event in life. Sept 11th just passed. Obama addressed Syria issues. Emilia's EEG is upcoming... and some difficult news about a family member we love very much. With all things to worry and stress about, this is even more so why I need to race.
"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away." Mary Lou Angelou
Gratitude is also is on my mind lately. Gratitude for being able to live life and enjoy it. Right now. Gratitude that all things past have lead to the present. Gratitude to my parents for immigrating, working hard, and giving me this life. I truly understand how it feels to be a parent now that I have kids. Gratitude for my kids and hubby for being my joy. Gratitude that I live in a country where I can live life in a way where I can have these moments that "take our breath away".
With that said, so this race, yes, it is just a race. It is also an analogy to life. At times when it's difficult, I will focus on one step at a time and remember that I am grateful for the ability to live life to its fullest and take a step for those that cannot due to various reasons. I'm starting to understand why people race for charity. When we feel helpless, we do what we can to at least give empathy.
Back to the race... I have been monitoring all the chat forums and event information sites throughout the week and getting peeks of the course setup. Here is one the race director posted!
The lake pictured above, that may be race day salvation! Race is 99% sold out with over 10K racers. Lots and lots of nervous racers all around, especially with the weather forecast. This may be the hottest race in Spartan history with temperature high predicted to be in the 100s. 104 to be exact, with a heat advisory warning.
Let the fun begin! Less than 1 day to SPARTAN TIME - five stages of SUCK, physical exertion, the mind overcoming the body, camaraderie, and hopefully, triumph!
Sunday, September 7, 2014
Laguna Seca : Day 2
Here are some videos from our time at the races. The first one is a good view of the start/finish line and a wider view of the race track. The end of the first video is where the bikes start heading towards the corkscrew part of the track, which we captured in the second and the third video. The corkscrew usually gets a lot of action there since it has sharp turns.. like a corkscrew!
Top of the corkscrew.
Bottom part of the corkscrew.
Rest of the photos from Day 2:
Emilia made herself a more "comfy" ride..
Top of the corkscrew.
Bottom part of the corkscrew.
Rest of the photos from Day 2:
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