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Main Goal Over nine days at the end of October, I'll be tackling over 50 miles of Spartan Race obstacle course: Spartan Race Ultra in Glen Rose, TX on 26 October Spartan Race Trifecta (Super and Sprint Saturday, Beast Sunday) Background because I've been scarce for the last twelve months: In January of 2013 I weighed 235 pounds, which was down from my high of about 260 in May of 2011. I joined a gym, I lost a bunch of weight, and I started to plod my way through some 5k races. Then @Teros flexed his 20 Seconds of Courage, did the Boston Spartan Race, and inspired me to try something I didn't know I could finish. I ran my first Spartan Race, the Chicagoland Sprint, in 2014. Turns out I could. Over the next four years I completed over 60 Obstacle Course races, including about 40 Spartan Races of almost every distance, including a 5x Trifecta in 2016. Mr. T starter kit, for all you 80s kids. In 2017 I trained my over-50 ass off, got a bit faster, learned better technique on a couple of the most difficult obstacles, and qualified for the OCR World Championships. I competed in the over-50 age group in Toronto. It was a slippery, muddy mess for nine miles up and down a ski hill. I loved it. I finished in the bottom 5% overall, but I had earned my right to be there and be judged with the best old men in the world. I qualified again in 2018, but due to other priorities (I bought a house) I was unable to afford to attend the trip to the UK. I lost my momentum, more or less stopped working out, gained some weight, and wasn't sure I could still do this anymore. This year I have been doubting myself. I've been out-of-shape or injured or both for a good part of the year. But I committed to the Greek Spartan Trifecta Championship weekend, where I will run three races and nearly 30 miles in two days, starting with the Spartan Super with @DarK_RaideR. I've been re-dedicated to training - strength and strength endurance twice per week and getting back to consistent running, though both were thrown a curve in August when I came up with a moderately-sprained right ankle. It's healed now. I'm running for distance, and though not fast, I just need to keep moving forward. Moving Forward is also a theme, now, because our family was thrown a huge curveball this past weekend. Content warning: emotional trauma, don't read it if you're not in a good place. So, I'm going to train as well as I can make time for between now and the end of October, I'm going to keep my expectations appropriate, and I'm going to enjoy three days of pain wrapped around seven days of a great vacation. I'm going to leave Dallas with a Buckle. The Nerd Ranger Commander can hopefully show me some of what makes Athens great when he had some time, and then he and I are going to tackle 7-10 miles of the terrain in Sparta. And I'm going to go home with a big-ass Greek Trifecta medal. This is how I'm going to get there. Run I had a good running plan put together for me by a coach two years ago. I'm nowhere ready to commit to the kind of speed I was able to get then, but I can commit to the effort. Goal: Run 3x per week, including one long run. Strength Training From 2013 to 2018, I was a gym rat. I started with Boot Camp twice per week and progressed to working out up to six days per week. I made huge strength gains. I've lost a lot of it, but people have been telling me "It will come back fast" and so far they're not wrong. Goal: Boot Camp or Weight Training 2x per week. Self-Care This is going to be the most important one going forward for now. With the major emotional trauma to our family, we're going to need to put that first and foremost. I won't have any tangible up-front goals here, but I need to do something, daily, to care for my mental and spiritual health. I'm five weeks from 30 Spartan miles and 60+ obstacles in Dallas and six weeks from Sparta. I've got to keep moving forward.