For Better or Worse

So a short time ago, good friend Doug Lewis put me into contact with a man. A man who is either one of my greatest assets, or possibly the death of me. Joe DeSena is an ultra runner/endurance athlete who is plainly a maniac when it comes to pushing the bodies limits. I myself am of the opinion that we as humans rarely realize our own full potential.

So many people have come up and asked me, (thanks to my more aggressive approach to conditioning this summer) if I have reached the peak of my physical capabilities. Reached the peak? A lot of the books I have read are about these incredible athletes, mostly endurance runners who push themselves to breaking, and then go 5 times harder and 100 times longer. The full potential of human capabilities is so far untapped, especially for me personally, that I really cant begin to fathom where “peak” is. It’s somewhere I would like to go, but maybe not something that I have had the will to test.

Well, about a week ago all that changed. I originally sought Joe out to ask him for financial aid. I am always looking for new sponsors and with only about 1/3 of the funds I need to race next season raised I was branching out for any ideas that would help me continue my passion of alpine ski racing.

Joe is one of the 7 masterminds behind the famed “Spartan Races“. These races, which are basically an obstacle course on steroids, are designed to test you physically, mentally, and emotionally. In short they are designed to kick your a**. There is the classic “Spartan Beast” which most people do. One lap of a 13 mile course. And then… then there is the Ultra Beast. Consisting of two laps and roughly 26.2 miles, this thing is just not pleasant in any way shape or form. This thing also has reward money…

So it was not too long ago that Joe and I hatched a plan to go ahead and win this race. Sure, it is a long shot in a very dark place but it is a shot. And if I am not giving it everything I have then why would I do it? So since then I have been training. Vigorously.

A normal day has me up at 4:30AM making breakfast, stretching, and trying to keep my eyes open. Training starts at 5:30. Carrying a 100 LBS sandbag I trek up and down a mountain 3 times for a total of 11miles. It takes me somewhere around 5 and a half hours.

After my fun trek

After lunch and a quick nap I head out for a 10 mile jog to get my legs use to distance running.

My pace seems alright (besides the chronic cramping at times!) and I learn I need to eat more calories!

Which is then followed up by an ice bath in the river and another 5 mile hike through the woods.

I do all these things and yet it still doesn’t compare to the athletes I am surrounded by, helping me in this bid to win this one crazy race. Ultra runners and ex CrossFit athletes alike I am humbled by these great people and how far away from “peaking” I really am. If I were to succeed in this I am confident that I have the best people at my side.

In any case I am extremely thankful for the support I have and am looking forward to continuing my training tomorrow. 6:30AM start tomorrow! Looks like I get to sleep in!

If you would like to follow my progress you can obviously always check back in here. We are also launching a Spartan Blog that will help promote me which I will let you know about when it is ready. Other than that the race is next Saturday! Hoorah

One last thing,