Last Saturday I did my first Spartan race. Without a doubt one of the best experiences of my life. Was it what I expected and was looking for? Totally!
What exactly was I looking for? I wanted to transform me, I wanted to be uncomfortable, to be afraid and to know what it feels like to demand from the body, that combination of mind and body working together. Because today I want to try myself! I want to do difficult things! Because the way to define who I am is to prove it to myself, to no one else, to me. I was wondering since it crossed my mind to sign up to do it, will my body respond? And a few days before the race I read a post by a long-distance runner, Hillary Allen, about how she prepares for her race week and she said, "trust your body."
All week I felt a combination of nerves and excitement. The days passed slowly. Without a doubt I was more demanding with my habits, I took care of what I ate, I exercised very consciously, I went to bed early (except when my husband wanted to watch a movie on Friday night thinking that the race was on Sunday and not on Saturday! And called me exaggerated!). Amazing those days when something big is coming, I want more of those days in my life!
And I got to the race, my race started at 8:45 and I arrived around 7:15, the vibe I felt was one of great emotion and strength. Many very athletic bodies, very! Many just like me with their first race, many repeated. I picked up my package and that emotion when I see my band, that number that says nothing and is suddenly super familiar, this is my number!
My husband and children arrived for my start because my son Santiago also ran at 11. I called my husband to tell him how everything was going and I left my backpack. Now to wait for the moment, the earlier departures began to happen. Me stretching myself and simply saying to myself, "you're ready, trust yourself and enjoy."
The time has come, to line up at the starting line you have to jump a board a little over a meter, I loved that it starts like this!! From the beginning, the doubt begins, will I be able to skip it without making a fool of myself? And i did it! Much easier than it seems.
Before you start the motivational speech is awesome! The energy increases! My heart to a thousand! I'm ready! I'm ready!
This is the part of the speech that I loved:
Never surrender! Failure is no option! Who am I? I am Spartan! Today is your day, no tomorrow, no next week, but here and now, in South Florida you define yourself! Who am I?! I am Spartan! Who am I? I am Spartan! Who am I? I am Spartan! Arru, Arru, Arru!
And so, to start, to run, to start with the obstacles, one by one. I couldn't make the monkey bars or climb a rope suspended from a tube. Those are my challenges for the next one!!
Without a doubt you have to train the mind and the body, it is a combination of the two, only one is not enough. And I think that's how everything is in life.
But something very powerful that was revealed to me was: physically it was very challenging but not mentally, why? Because I was 100% determined to do it. I had not a single doubt that I wanted to do it. And I feel that when I do things from that clarity there is nothing to stop me.
The last obstacle is a line of fire, a very simple but very representative jump, everything I want is on the other side of my fears!
I'm ready for the next one! Because what counts is ACTION! not perfection.