Tag Archives: OCR

Beast, Super, Sprint

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Continuing my Spartan Race series, today I would like to chat a little bit about the difference in preparation between a Sprint, Super, and Beast. I’m going to break this down by preparation step so you can really see how my process changes depending on the Spartan distance I’m bracing for. Please note that I am not a coach, this is just my experience (which hopefully will be helpful to future Spartans).

Training Plan

The real difference between a Sprint, Super, and Beast is length of course which translates to amount of time an athlete will spend on the course. This means that your training plan is going to have to support you differently as you prepare for these races. For a Sprint, you’re probably looking at a 2-3 hour course time (unless you’re REALLY FAST or it’s a very long/tough Sprint). For a Super, you can be out there more like 4-6 hours. You can plan for anywhere between 5 and 10 hours on a Beast depending on your level of fitness and the length of the course.

Western Mass Super: 2016; Photo courtesy of Spartan Race

Western Mass Super: 2016; Photo courtesy of Spartan Race

For all of the races, you’ll want to do a good combination of trail running and strength training in your training regime. There are some good training plans out there online you can dig up, or talk to a certified SGX coach who can help you craft one. Sprints, for me, don’t actually mean any difference in my regular training; Crossfit combined with a rigorous running schedule prepares me no problem. When I know I’m prepping for a Super, I make sure to mix in a couple 6-8 miles trail runs and some extra hill training. Beast prep involves long trail runs, lots of hill training, and lots of sled work (to get my quads and hams ready for the brutal ups/downs that a Spartan course entails). I also do fatigue or brick training when I prep for a Beast; back-to-back workouts with little rest between to get my body ready for the endurance aspect of the race.

Nutrition

No matter what race I’m on, I make sure to take in about 100 calories every hour, on the hour. I also take in a salt tab every hour (and one hour before I hit the course) particularly if it’s a very hot day. This means calculating approximately how long I’ll be on the course to prepare my nutrition packs. I am a slow, steady OCR racer and I can generally bank on my slowest miles being around 45 minutes on a Spartan course. As a result, I pack enough fuel for that time (since I want to make sure I have enough, and taking a little extra never hurt).

On a Sprint, I may or may not pack fuel. If I think I’ll be off the course in 2 hours or less, I’ll throw a Gu in my pocket but I won’t sweat it other than that. A Super requires a Camelbak so by then I’m in full nutrition prep mode. I pack everything in double-bagged ziplocks so my pack can be submerged without damage to the fuel and/or salt tablets. For a Beast, I basically pack a picnic. I will take “Frankenfuel” (Gu packs, Cliff Shot blocks, etc.), but I will also take real food like jerky, Rx bars, and trail mix. I don’t assume I will be off the mountain in less than 10 hours to make sure I have ample fuel, and I take anything I think might sound appetizing. IMPORTANTLY I don’t take any fuel that I haven’t previously trained with. The last thing I want on a Spartan course is a GI issue.

What’s in the Pack

As I mentioned, I don’t usually do a Sprint with a Camelbak, though I have made exceptions for exceptionally hot days, exceptionally long routes, or if I’m racing with a group who hasn’t done a Spartan before and might not be able to anticipate their own hydration/fuel needs. I do make sure I have a water-resistant watch and a pair of gloves (I use batting gloves; they really save my hands when I have to do burpees). For a Super, I pack all of my fuel, my sodium tablets, gloves, watch, full Camelbak (that I refill on course every chance I get because you NEVER KNOW), and travel sunscreen. Since I am generally on the course for a while, and since the course generally involves getting wet/sweaty/dirty, I want to make sure my skin doesn’t pay the price for being outside. This has been a marvelously effective way to avoid getting a dorky headband sunburn from the headband bib numbers you wear during a Spartan. On a Beast course, I pack all of this (more fuel, obviously), PLUS a few extra salt tabs (I have often been asked for extra by other racers, and I like to have one or two on hand beyond my own needs for this reason), and a spare long sleeved tech shirt if it’s likely to get breezy/cool down as the day wears on.

What I do After

Honestly, not much changes race to race. I eat more calories on a Beast day than on a img_3089Sprint day, but I couldn’t tell you how much more because I make it a rule not to track my nutrition on race day. I take the same victory pictures. I drink the same amounts of victory beers. I smile with the same amazing feeling of accomplishment. I take the same awesome victory showers (…though I may wash my hair one or two times more on Beast day than on Sprint day). I wear my medal all day long (race day tradition). A Spartan is a Spartan and it’s an incredible thing to achieve no matter what distance you’re racing, so I stay proud any way I slice it.

So, Spartans, anything I’m missing here?

My Spartan Go Bag

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Alright; so you’ve signed up for your Spartan race. You’ve trained, you’ve thought about what you want to wear, you’re ready to go. But what should you pack? While some things in my Spartan kit are mainstays, there are definitely race-specific items that I need as well. Today I want to break it down a bit and go through what’s in my race bag and what I definitely don’t bring to the start village.

The Spartan Go-Bag

My first few Spartans, I was still developing the habit of what to load up in my go-bag. This is the duffel that I will take from the car into the starting village, check at bag check, then have immediately after the race. As such, it has to have all of my indispensible items in it. A couple years of racing have made this a science; here’s what I generally bring:

*A Towel
Self-explanatory; Arthur Dent style.

*Flip Flops/Shower Shoes
The Spartan shower is just a bunch of hoses on planks to keep you from getting your newly-clean feet overly muddy. You need a pair of shoes that can go through the water unharmed. I use flip-flops, but I know others that use Crocs.

*A change of clothes
A FULL change of clothes; socks, underwear, the works. Include fresh shoes if you don’t intend to wear your shower shoes off the course. I generally just wear my flip flops the rest of the day.

*Several plastic bags/garbage bags
You’re going to need something to store your muddy, sweaty, disgusting clothes in so you

I'm telling you. You will be muddy.

I’m telling you. You will be muddy.

can get them home and washed. I usually shove two garbage bags in my go-bag and leave a few in the car in case I need to cover the seat on the way home.

*Hairbrush/kerchief/hat
I have curly hair and it tends to get nuts when left to its own devices. As a result, between the finish line and my shower at home my hair becomes kind of scary. I pack something to stick on top of my head so that I can at least put the hair away until I have the opportunity to wash it.

*Shower wipes
I discovered these for my Beast this year and I’m not looking back. While Spartan does provide a place to hose yourself off, it’s basically in a field amongst mixed-gender company. You get the top layer of grime off, but there’s still definite grunge underneath those clothes you feel too bashful to remove in mixed company. I find that I generally want a second pass at being clean when I peel those muddy clothes off. Enter the shower wipe: you can get them pre-packaged with one wipe that will do your entire body. You could also just pack a bunch of baby wipes; but my household doesn’t tend to go through those fast enough so they dry out in the interim between races. You can find these sweet puppies on Amazon.

*Sunscreen
I have a big bottle of sunscreen that I keep in the go-bag, and I take a travel size bottle in my Camelbak on the course. Because I am serious about skin health.

*A pouch for necessities
There are definitely things that I don’t want rolling around in my duffel because I just won’t find them when I need them. Cash, credit cards, ID, etc. All of these go in a little pouch like this one that goes in the duffel. That way, I have the important stuff together in a place that I know I can grab it if I need to.

Things I have in the Car just in Case

Since the car will be parked a fair distance from the starting village (sometimes a whole shuttle ride away), you won’t have access to these items immediately after the race. That said, they will be there when you need them.

*An extra set of clean clothes
We learned this the hard way last year when I accidentally dropped my fiancé’s clean pair of after-race undies in a puddle of dirty water while he was hosing off. Bring a spare set of clean everything, you seriously never know when you might need it. Leave it in the car so that nothing can happen to it. You may not use it every race, but it only takes one underwear-drop to feel grateful that you have it.

*My wallet and phone
Since Spartan bag check is not generally a secure affair, I only bring the bare minimum of what I need in my go-bag (generally an ID and a debit card with a tiny bit of cash). The rest stays in the car. Locked and secure.

make sure you take lots of "before" pictures; they're great for compare and contrast later!

make sure you take lots of “before” pictures; they’re great for compare and contrast later!

*Water. Water water water.
Yes, there will be water at the finish line; but generally you’re going to have a long drive home from these races. I keep at least a bottle of water, if not a case of water, in the car for after the race. It has definitely improved my next-day comfort (and my ride home comfort).

*Snacks
There will also be snacks at the finish line; but calorie deprivation turns me into a cranky hunger beast. In order to protect my driving buddies from the wrath of the beast, I throw a protein bar, trail mix, or (if it’s a big race) a sandwich in the car so that I have immediate food should I need it. Trust me. It’s a necessity.

Things I leave at Home

There are things that I just don’t take on the Mountain. Period. Here is a short list of them.

*Anything that might get broken, drowned, wrecked, or stolen.
Spartans are why we can’t have nice things. Don’t be dumb; you’re about to encounter extreme situations involving water, mud, dirt, physical activity, and other people. Leave your valuables at home.

*My fitness tracker
As much as I would LOVE the HR data from a Spartan, I really don’t have the confidence that my Fitbit won’t get broken or fall off during the race. I actually tend to leave it in the car just so I can wear it before and after, but it definitely goes nowhere near the starting village.

*Basic first aid supplies
Spartans come equipped with a first responder tent. Things like ice, ibuprofen, ace bandages, Band-Aids, antiseptics, etc. can all be found at the starting village. You don’t need to bring them. Extra points for being a boyscout, but it’s not a necessity.

*My camera
There will be professional photographers on the race and race pics are free. Your device will just get damaged and ruined. Leave it at home. The exception to this rule is a GoPro when it’s got an appropriate case; GoPro footage of Spartan races is awesome and there should totally be more of it in the world.

There ya have it! The basic necessities of starting village comfort. Next time on Spartans with the Dani Beast I’ll chat about the differences in what I bring on the course for a Sprint, Super, and Beast. Until then; stay strong!