Monterey Spartan Beast 2013

hi guys- hope you're all having a wonderful week! i got some photos from my Spartan Race today so i finally get to share my experience with you guys. i did the Spartan Beast in Monterey last Saturday with my good buddy Ryan. the Beast is the longest of the 3 Spartan Race distances, aside from the Death Race. it's 10-12 miles (ours ended up being 12.49), over 25 obstacles, and some of the steepest hills i've climbed up/down in my life.

the net obstacle/the entrance to the race!

on race day, my start time wasn't until 2:00pm, which was perfect because i still got enough sleep and had time to put together my stuff in the morning.

here's what i packed:

• towel
• sweatpants
• sweatshirt
• spare shorts
• spare shirt
• spare bra/underwear/socks
• face wipes
• advil
• blister bandaids
• sunscreen
• water and vitamin water
• 2 clif mojo bars, blueberries, cashews

and here's what i wore and what i had with me:

• older pair of Nike Lunarglides
• sweat wicking socks (from my cross country days, actually)
• nike capris
• nike sports bra
• an old nike pro combat shirt 
• a plastic bag with my driver's license, $25, and my headlamp
• 2 hammer gels

i probably brought other stuff, too, but i think that's most of it! i'm actually really happy with what i brought along to this race. i also was concerned about my outfit and debated back and forth between wearing capris and shorts, but in the end i'm glad i went with the capris. more coverage on the rocky/muddy terrain! i ended up ditching my shirt about 1/3 of the way into the race after the first barbed wire mud obstacle, and i felt a lot better after i did. running in a muddy, rock filled, wet shirt is never fun!

tip: BRING money if you do a spartan race. you will be absolutely starving at the end and half a banana is not going to cut it, so i was really grateful to have the money to buy some food. they also were having major sales on reebok apparel so i got a couple of cool shirts for super cheap.

anyway, onto the race! we got to the parking lot about an hour and a half before the start time (running a little behind, the spartan race website suggested being there two hours beforehand), and had no problems getting onto the shuttle that took us the 40 minutes to the race course. when we got there, there wasn't any line for getting our bibs which was really nice - i think it was because we had such a late start time! with our bibs came a timing chip wristband, and a headband with our bib number on it. i think the headband is a genius idea, since a lot of people ended up losing their bibs along the course.

after using the restroom and walking around a bit, it was almost time to go! i was getting really pumped up at this point - i love obstacle course races! and then right around 2:00pm we set off. the first mile or so was nice and flat and the obstacles weren't too bad - a few smaller walls to climb over and under, some mud hills and mud pits, and then we hit the trails.

the entire race was one big HILL! if we weren't going up, we were going down. my friend Ryan and i tried to run as much as we could, but on some of the uphills it just wasn't possible. for the most part we ran all of the downhills though! it was kind of cool because we had a lot of people - mostly these huge buff 20-30 year old men - tell us that they were just trying to keep up with us. it was also pretty funny because we were all swearing and asking why we paid $200 to have someone torture us (but really, you knew that we were all secretly loving it, haha).

as for the obstacles, i absolutely loved them. here's a list of some of the ones that i can remember!

• 6 foot wall 
• bench jumps 
• dragging a rock attached to a chain down and up a hill 
• carrying a sandbag for a little loop
• dragging a tire back and forth
• monkey bars 
• a VERY long mud section with barbed wire. we found the easiest way to handle this was to roll, since you had less chance of getting hit by the wire. however, this section was also uphill, so sometimes it was really difficult! the people spraying water on the mud had a lot of fun soaking us, too. 
• filling a bucket (that didn't have a handle) up with sand and carrying it up a super steep hill and back down <-- HARDEST obstacle of the race. everyone died. 

check out that face.. LOL!

• an inverted wall 
• mud hills/pits with a rope climb at the end - i was pissed about this one because i know i can do rope climbs, but my shoes were super muddy and i just couldn't get a grip, and only made it halfway up the rope. since i couldn't complete the obstacle, i did my first set of 30 burpees. 
• traverse wall - basically a wall with sparse footholds and handholds that you had to make your way across, and it was after the mud pits so of course i slipped right off. second set of 30 burpees! 
• a huge net that you climbed up, rolled across, and climbed down. this one was cool because under the net bridge was the entry/exit for the race so everyone below could see you and was cheering you on! i ended up getting a huge leg cramp in the middle of this obstacle so i'm sure i looked ridiculous to those below because i was practically hitting my leg trying to get it to stop cramping. should have taken that salt that they had at the aid stations!
• a second mud and barbed wire obstacle
• tire flips
• a spear throw - which, of course i missed! third set of 30 burpees.
• carrying a heavy block of cement about 25m, doing 5 burpees, and carrying it back
• a bucket/pulley obstacle where you pulled up a bucket filled with concrete using a rope. my friend wasn't able to do this one, so i did about half of his burpees with him!
• the spartans at the end of the race with this huge toothpick looking like things that were hitting as many people as they could! 

i know i'm definitely forgetting some obstacles but you guys get the idea! i also have to say that the hills in and of themselves were a huge obstacle. i didn't do much trail running and didn't run very many hills before the race, but was surprised at how well i handled them. it was also really fun because we had to go down all the hills we went up, and some of them were super steep - so steep that you couldn't walk down them. everyone was sliding down and it was so much fun! it actually didn't hurt at all - we just put our feet first, hands out to the sides, and kept our butts off the ground a little bit. most of the time these downhills were pretty sandy, which was nice because my hands didn't get too cut up. 

overall, i have to say this is my all time favorite race to date! it was like a combination of a cross country race, a super steep hike, and a bunch of CrossFit style obstacles - some of my favorite things all in one. also, the aid stations were well placed (and they never ran out of water - hallelujah!), and i'm so grateful for the volunteers out there helping the racers out!

we ended up finishing with a time of 3:50:06, which i am really proud of. i was expecting to take around 5 hours to finish this race, and we completely crushed that goal! i also got 3rd place out of 17 girls in my age group, got 77th out of 973 women, and overall finished 721 out of 3697 racers. 

even almost a week later i'm still on a high from this race! i would do one again in a heartbeat. being surrounded by that many people just as insane as i am about doing crazy stuff like this was awesome. it was so incredibly inspiring!

and a huge thanks to my buddy Ryan, who took most of the photos in this post. he was the only person insane enough to do a half marathon and a Spartan Beast less than a week apart with me!

have you ever done a Spartan Race before? 

Scenes from the Weekend

{imagine dragons. freaking incredible live! best concert i've ever been to}

{swimming}

{spicy shrimp and avocado sushi from whole foods}

{playing in the fountain like 5 year olds} 

{pretending to be a photographer}

{love}

{chocolate coconut cupcake with coffee ice cream in the middle from sprinkles. heaven.}

{signed up for the giant half marathon in august! i'm so excited!! it's in one of my favorite cities and you run right along the water to the golden gate bridge and back to at&t park, home of my giants.}

what's the best thing you did/ate/saw last weekend?

Color Me Rad 5K - Los Angeles {Giveaway!}

I've always wanted to do a color run. 

One where you start with perfectly white clothes and end looking like a pack of exploded gushers (anyone else remember loving those as a kid?).

One where you don't see anyone who doesn't have a huge smile plastered on their face having the time of their life. 

Color Me Rad is just that kind of race - it takes something that's already fun and turns it into something even more. It's a "tsunami of color that'll make colored tears of joy run down your cheeks and will renew your will to live". Basically, the 5K is a food fight without the food and lots of color instead. And we all know I love crazy colors! 

{I've always wanted to get a photo like that. Except that I miiiight just fall on my face if I tried. One day, I will master the heel click. One day.}

Check out what they have to say about the race:

"After a 5K of color bombardment, we guarantee your outlook will be brighter, your boyfriend will be more affectionate, your girlfriend will be less needy, the hair on your head will grow back and the hair on your back will fall out, your black and white TV will turn into 720p HD (I know you were hoping for 1080, but we organize races, we're not miracle workers), and your gray outlook will turn green like a spring morning."

These guys are hilarious, and it makes me love them even more! 

When the folks over at Color Me Rad contacted me about the Color Me Rad 5K in Los Angeles on June 22, I was STOKED. I couldn't wait to sign up for the race (and color party that ensues afterwards)! It looks like so much fun, and doing a race like this is something that's definitely on my fitness bucket list. Not to mention that a portion of the race proceeds goes to support Special Olympics of Southern California. 

Unfortunately for me, the race is just a week after I finish finals I move back up to NorCal for the summer. But lucky for you, that means that I have two entries to the race to giveaway to you guys! The race is on June 22 at the Home Depot Center, and it starts at 9am. When you enter, you're entering to win both entries - one for you, and one for a friend to bring along for the fun!
Enter the giveaway below:  
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Virtual Coffee Date {4.16.13}

If we were having coffee this afternoon, I'd tell you about the mud run I did with a friend yesterday. We did the Merrel Down and Dirty 5K and had a blast! All of the obstacles along the course were so much fun - we climbed over walls (one was 15 feet tall!), went through tunnels, practically swam in a lake, and crawled through lots and lots of mud. The course was actually really hilly too, and reminded me of a cross country course I would've raced in high school. I'd also tell you about the amazing volunteers from the armed forces that were all over the course helping out. They were the sweetest and I really can't thank them enough for everything that they do. 

{check out our before photo and after photo from the run!}

If we were having coffee this afternoon, I'd tell you about the {much smaller} Christian group on campus that I recently started going to. I absolutely love it. The speaker is incredible and the people are the sweetest.

If we were having coffee this afternoon, I'd tell you about how excited I am that I got the online reporting/blogging internship at the Daily Bruin that I applied for last week. I'll be writing about a post a week on the Daily Bruin Mojo blog, and I think I'll be writing mostly about food and fitness. I have training the next few weeks - my first one was last Saturday and I learned so much! I'd also tell you that there's no way I would've gotten the internship without this little blog of mine. I'd say thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for reading and sticking along these past {almost} two years.

If we were having coffee this afternoon, I'd tell you how obsessed I am with all the latest country music. I can't get enough of Luke Bryan and Hunter Hayes new songs.

If we were having coffee this afternoon, I wouldn't be able to stop talking about how happy I am to be here at UCLA. Bruin Day was last weekend {that's when all the accepted applicants come check it out here} and I wanted to shout to everyone how much I love this place. I can't imagine ever going to school anywhere else. I've made the most amazing friends, and for the first time in my life I'm being truly me. I finally feel like I'm at home.

If we were having coffee this afternoon, I'd tell you that I'm pretty sure I'm about to do something crazy with a friend of mine sometime soon. And that I can't wait!

If we were having coffee this afternoon, we'd pray for those affected by what happened today in Boston. <3

My Second Sprint Triathlon!

I finished my second sprint triathlon this morning - and had so much fun!! It was a local triathlon 'for fun' so it was geared towards beginners and people who have never done triathlons before. I did it two years ago with my mom and had a blast, so when I saw that one of the dates fit into my schedule this year I had to sign up! {also, my brother is the best - he signed up to do it too!}

Alarm went off wayyyy too early this morning! But I made sure to eat some cinnamon raisin toast with almond butter and coffee in the car (also woke up hungry for some reason.. weird!)

Check in started at 5:30 and we got there around 5:45. Only mistake we made is that we forgot our picture IDs - but luckily since this was a very low-key event they let us get our bibs anyway. I almost thought they weren't going to give them to us which would have been horrible (money wasted, early wake up call, and not getting to participate) but thankfully that wasn't the case. 

We got our bibs, got body marked, and set up our transition stuff. I forgot to take a picture of it, but here's a list of everything I brought/wore:

• triathlon shorts
• sports bra
• dry-wick tshirt
• 2 pairs socks (just in case)
• running shoes
• swim goggles
• swim cap
• bike helmet
• 2 towels - 1 for me, 1 for the ground
• water bottle on my bike 

Then we waited around a little bit for the start, which was at 7am. 

my "i can't believe i'm awake smile"

excited but cold!!

At 6:45 they had a little info session for first-timers - I listened anyway because the last time I did a tri was 2 years ago, plus this was my brother's first one! Then the director of the event organizer that puts on the tris every summer spoke a little bit because this year marked the 25th anniversary of the Tri For Fun.

And then it was time to put our swim caps on and get ready to go! 

They organized everyone in waves - the 1st wave was the 'competitive' wave (aka everyone who knew what the heck they were doing! haha) and then every wave after that was by gender and age. The last wave was for people who were first-timers, especially young or elderly, or who were just nervous about the swim (two years ago that was the wave I was in and it defintely eased my nerves a little bit). This year I went in the women's 17-29 group and it worked out perfectly. My brother was two waves in front of me, so I didn't see him much, but it was nice to know that he was somewhere out there too!

The swim actually went by relatively quickly - it's always a little unnerving when the water's murky and there's reefy things in the water, but I managed not to panic. I swam breaststroke for most of it because it was easier to see where I was going and allowed me to get a little bit more air. 

The bike ride was mostly flat, but definitely was my least favorite part. There wasn't too much scenery and I felt like I had to pay attention all the time to make sure I didn't crash or anything. I'll take running over biking any day!

leaving for the run! 

The run was, of course, my favorite part. I passed a lot of people and it was actually a cross country course that I used to run in high school, so I felt completely in my element. It was also fun because we passed the same water station three times (the course is kind of like a figure 8) and there was a truck there with all the water stuff that was playing country music. I was like 'come with meeee!' haha but just the few seconds of music I heard each time I passed was nice. And all of the volunteers and fellow athletes were so encouraging!! The atmosphere was just so awesome :) 

Headed towards the finish line! 

I finished with an approximate time of 1 hour and 13 minutes (it wasn't chip timed or anything - the clock was just there 'for fun' i guess you could say)! Everyone cheering at the end made me so happy :) 

{Side note: my triathlon shorts I got the other day were AWESOME! dried quickly, really comfortable on the bike and run too. the brand was Zoot if you're curious!}

leg numbers!

My brother said he really liked the race too! Since we were in different waves it actually worked out perfectly for my dad who came to watch - there was barely any time where he didn't see one of us doing something. & a big thanks to my dad who woke up the buttcrack of dawn to put our bikes in the car and then took all of these awesome photos! 

And when I got around to thinking about it.. if I'm doing this at 17 years old - just think what the future holds! I am so excited for the many races ahead :) Doing things like this also just makes me realize how much I LOVE being active and how grateful I am to have a strong body and my health. 

Also, reppin' the body numbers today ;) 

have you ever done a triathlon before? 

weekend countdown {sixth edition.}

{previous countdowns can be found here}
5 favorite pins of the week 

{pin it}

{pin it}

{pin it}

{pin it}

{pin it}

4 current favorite songs

• Payphone (feat. Wiz Khalifa) by Maroon 5
• Up All Night by One Direction (yep, still addicted.....)
• Starships by Nicki Minaj
• I Like It Like That (Goldstein Remix) by Hot Chelle Rae

3 of the latest eats 

{vanilla chobani with almond meal stirred in and sprinkles on top!}

{turkey, havarti, & veggie sandwich with carrots and hummus}

{vanilla ice cream with almond butter, slivered almonds, and toffee pieces..YUM}

2 awesome track races this week!
i ran both the 1600 and 800 at our last dual meet this week and killed both of my races! i didn't run in the scoring heat for either, so i came in 1st in the 1600 and 2nd in the 800 (and in the 800, i passed a girl from our rival school at the last second that i'd been chasing for basically the entire race!). i qualified for the league championship trials next week, which will probably be my last track meet ever. WEIRD! i'm excited, though!!

1 thing i desperately need:
to decide on what hairstyle i'm going to go with for my senior ball! it's next weekend (i'm STOKED!) and i know that i want my hair down and curly, but even after spending lots of time on Pinterest trying to find a good photo for my hairstylist, i don't have anything yet. i want something along the lines of this..

so if you have any good curly hairstyle photos/pins/ideas, let me know!!\
have an amazing rest of the weekend, everyone!

what's your current favorite workout song?