The Reebok Spartan Race World Championship is Coming!

Coming up on December 7th is the Spartan World Championship! It will be broadcast live on NBC Sports from 4-5pm. The Spartan Race series has always appealed to me because of what it represents. The Spartan series provides a way for anyone to challenge themselves to push past obstacles and fears. I am all about someone taking fear, looking it in the face, and accepting the challenge it represents. Reebok Spartan Races are more than just events - they are life changing moments where you can become the person you always wanted to be. They provide a platform for ordinary people to become extraordinary.

Why am I excited about this race? I was signed up for my first Spartan Beast Race in October, but due to injury after running a marathon the week before, was unable to participate. I fully plan on taking on the Spartan Beast challenge this coming year. Until then, I am going to learn everything I can about becoming a Spartan and cheer on those who are at Spartan Races around the world. The Spartan World Championship race will be inspiring, motivating and riveting to watch. Who knows, maybe someday I'll even participate!

We all have the chance to become more than we are and to constantly challenge and better ourselves. The Spartan Race series has taken the best of endurance races and created a culture that defies odds, pushes barriers and creates champions. Don't believe me? Check out the video below on the journey someone goes through to become a Spartan. 

Do you want to challenge yourself? Do you want to get your office together for a challenge that will bring out the best in them and increase camaraderie and self-esteem? Is your running group ready to take a step in a new direction? Then sign up for a Spartan Race today! And if you want a free race entry it's your lucky day! I've teamed up with Spartan Race to give one lucky reader a free entry to ANY Spartan Race in the continental US! Just enter in the rafflecopter giveaway below! Can't wait to see if you have won? Sign up with this link and get 15% off registration! Good luck and Warrior On!

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Spartan Partners with NBC and a Giveaway!

On October 26, I will be running the Spartan Beast Race in Sacramento, CA. This race happens just six (6) days after my third marathon, the Nike Women's Marathon in San Francisco. At some moments I think I must be crazy and then during others I feel like training for both will help me better accomplish them. Luckily, I convinced a friend to come run with me. Strength in numbers! Now I can't not show up, I have something to prove!

Sometimes when I am training for a long distance event I tend to slack off on my cross training. Since I have both a long distance event and a tough 12 mile obstacle course, I can't afford to slack off. To keep me on track I will be sharing my training journey with you. If you're training for a Spartan Race or a marathon I would love to have you join me and share your training tips with me. So far I am using the daily emails from the Spartan race and trusting that they know what they're talking about.

The Spartan Race series is growing quickly and they just announced that they are partnering with NBC Sports Network to broadcast the World Championship and showcase the sport of obstacle racing. This event will take place September 21-22, 2013, in scenic central Vermont. While it is an event that will showcase elite competitors, ANYONE can enter! Now is your chance to race amongst elite athletes and become the ultimate Spartan Warrior!

"Tens of thousands of obstacle racing competitors and enthusiasts from around the world will converge on New England, where $250,000 in cash and prizes will be on the line. At the World Championship, top-ranked Reebok Spartan Race athletes, Olympians, and amateur athletes alike will compete side-by-side, assuming they have the brawn, guts and intestinal fortitude.

Spartan Race has partnered with NBC Sports Group to chronicle the amazing people and stories behind the race series and the World Championship, culminating in a 90-minute TV special that will air on the NBC Sports Network on October 19, 2013."

Sound amazing yet? Spartan Race will be filming 8 professional athletes and 4 everyday Spartans at the World Championship. Share your story about how Reebok Spartan Race has changed your life, for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to represent Spartan on camera at the World Championship Race in Vermont! If I could go to this event I would totally be sharing my story! Maybe next year...

By now you must be dying for the chance to challenge yourself to a new goal and race. Luckily for you I have a free race entry to give away to any Spartan Race in the continental US in 2013-2014! Just enter my giveaway below! Too excited to wait to see if you have won? Get 15% off your registration with this link: http://bit.ly/spartanwarrior

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Race Training and Getting Out of a Rut!

My race season officially begins the weekend of August 23-24, when I will tackle Hood to Coast with my wonderful Nuun Hydration teammates on Team Lemonade! To say that I'm excited would be an understatement. I even tried to start packing today, until I realized I'm going to need all my running clothes before I leave. Have you ever been this excited about a race? I have to say that the Nike Women's Marathon last year was pretty close. I may have been even more excited because of all the buildup from Nike Women for that women's only event.

Time to add to my race bib collection!

Hood to Coast is an event that I have always wanted to take part in. In fact, this last year I applied in the lottery. I wrote a check, sent in my registration and was rejected. I was so disappointed! I grew up in Oregon and I know how special this event is. Even through I couldn't see it at the time, I was turned down for a reason and that reason was that now I have a chance to run the race with amazing women bloggers, have fun, network and party all weekend long! Thank you team Nuun! Can't wait to run with you this month!

My Hood to Coast training has really just been part of my current marathon training plan for the Nike Women's Marathon in October. I feel pretty strong, but it is getting very hard to get out and go for my long runs! Since I moved, I have not found a place I like to run at yet. I loved my old town and now I feel a little bit lost on my runs. It's getting tough and I don't know what I will do on my first 20 miler! If you have any tips for spicing up a run in a new area I would love to hear them!

I also have a Spartan Race coming up the week after my marathon, so I am trying to incorporate a lot of strength training in with my marathon training. I'm hoping they work together and make me strong in each race. Have you ever trained for two different events at the same time? How did you feel you juggled both forms of training?

One of the recent quotes that I have been trying to incorporate into my training strategy is "Train insane or remain the same." I feel like sometimes when I train by myself I don't push myself as hard as I can and I have really been suffering from this lately! I recently did a fitness assessment and took a few bootcamp classes to mix up my routine. I am definitely not where I want to be (I want to be back to my fit college basketball days) but I am still doing very well. The classes kicked my butt and the trainer made me do advanced moves, so I guess I'm not that bad off, I just have been feeling a little out of my rhythm since the move. Adjusting to a new place and gym takes time and I am probably just being impatient! I am hoping you can all keep me accountable! I am going to focus on giving 100% in all my workouts and getting back on track in August.

Thanks for all your support and I wish you all the best in your training! Have any tips for me? Leave them in the comments below!

~Karen

Iron Girl Half Marathon in My Sights!

I am looking for a winter race and the Santa Rosa, Athleta Iron Girl Half Marathon looks like a really fun race. I love that it's sponsored by Athleta and is a raced focused on women. As the Athleta Roseville sponsored athlete, I really feel like this is a race I could really promote and get behind. I would love to run it with the amazing women from my Run Club!

Check out the amazing amenities at this race:

"Amenities at the Athleta Iron Girl events include: a post-race Breakfast Café, shirts sized for women, personalized race bibs with participant name, custom medals for all finishers, Iron Girl jewelry age group awards from Milestones Sports Jewelry, professional timing, free training programs, local pre-race clinics, event webinars, social media live Q&A sessions with the race team, post-race giveaways and much more. 

Iron Girl empowers women to discover their personal best, embrace strength and celebrate accomplishment in a supportive community of women that will cheer them on. The event is about women with all the touches and amenities developed with women in mind. Whether this is your first or 100th event, there is a place for you at Iron Girl."

This year is the 10th anniversary of the Iron Girl series, so the races are sure to be a blast! I have two races in October, the Nike Women's Marathon in SF (which is also the 10 year anniversary) and the Reebok Spartan Beast 12 mile race, so I'll be plenty busy with training! I might as well add on a shorter, fun race.

Have you raced an Iron Girl event before? What did you think of it? Let me know in the comments below!

I'm Feeling Lucky and Blessed

I have absolutely nothing to complain about this week. If you read my post yesterday then you know I have had a lot of good things happening in my life lately and especially in my fitness and running journey. Today was the day that Nike announced their lottery winners for the Nike Women's Marathon Random Draw. I was lucky enough to be one of the ladies chosen to run the race. Even more exciting is the fact that all of the ladies who I wanted to reunite with, meet and run with got in as well! There will be a Nike Women's Marathon Ambassador Reunion, even though it is missing a few key members (Nerissa and Renisha), but they will be there in spirit! Training begins next week, so after I settle down and wipe this perma-smile off my face I'll have to nail down my schedule. 

Nike has a very fun app this year so you can access your training plans directly from your phone. I am excited to try that out. Did any of my blog readers register for NWM? If so, did you get into the race? Hope to see you there!

I also found out that I won the giveaway for a Spartan Race entry from Sara at Words To Run By. The race in Sacramento is the week after the Nike Women's Marathon so I will be training hard the next 17 weeks! Add onto that my training for Hood to Coast and this girl has a very busy summer and fall. I wish the weather were cooler outside. One hundred plus degree days are NOT OK!

Luckily for me I will be well outfitted and geared up thanks to Athleta Roseville, the sponsor's of Hood to Coast, Nike and Mizuno. I just recently got a new RoadID bracelet too. If you haven't heard of RoadID they make inexpensive ID bracelets and products to protect you on the road. I hope I never need it, but in case something happens to me out on a run, the bracelet lets medical staff know who I am and who to contact. I think it's a must have for any runner out there. Check out their website and pick out one that's right for you. 

My Road ID Bracelet 

That's all from me right now, I'm ready to take on the weekend! What races do you all have on the agenda? How do you train in the heat and stay focused during long periods of training? 

Giveaway! Hint: Spartan Race is Coming to a City Near You!

It's the beginning of June and there are so many upcoming races this summer, I thought now would be a great time to share a free Reebok Spartan Race entry with you all! What is a Spartan Race you might ask? From what I have heard, seen and researched, Spartan Races are one of the toughest races you can run. It's not your typical obstacle run or mud run, it's an incredibly tough race that tests your mental and physical strengths. Running through fire, check. Barbed wire, it's got it! Rope climbs, yep! An endless amount of burpees, most likely. Don't believe me yet? Have a look at this video below and you'll know what I'm talking about.

The Reebok Spartan Race has been voted the #1 obstacle race by Outside Magazine and they are the global leader in obstacle racing since 2005! This is what  Spartan Race is aiming to do: 

"Spartan Race is on a mission to get you active, healthy, excited about change, and return to our ancient roots where running through woods, getting dirty, and facing adversity was part of everyday life. 

Our events are all about challenging today’s perception of normal.
Our events challenge the familiar, today’s perception of normal living and getting you out of your comfort zone! At Spartan Race, we do this everyday and it shapes everything we do. 

Having experienced many different racing events, we wanted to make adventure racing more accessible to everyone, but do not be fooled by the word ‘accessible’, as our events have a challenge for everyone’s needs. 

Spartan Race now introduces a level for everyone beginning with the entry level Spartan Sprint, intermediate level Super Spartan, the advanced Spartan Beast, and the ‘99.9% need not apply’ extreme level Death Race.  

Whatever your level, Spartan Race will test your strength, stamina, and sense of humor."

After reading their mission and their simple desire to create a challenge that aims to get you out of your comfort zone I was hooked! I haven't done a Spartan Race yet, but it is definitely now on my bucket list. There is a race in Sacramento on October 26 that is tempting me! You, my lucky readers, can now have the opportunity to participate in a race free of charge by entering my giveaway below! The entry is good for any of their races so make sure you enter!

If you don't win, or are just too eager to wait for the winner to be announced, you can always use this link to get 15% off ANY Spartan Race entry:  http://bit.ly/spartanwarrior. Good luck!

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