Being pushed to the edge of your ability and beyond is empowering.
It’s a scary ledge.
This weekend I re-learned a lesson in mind over matter. I completed the Resolution Adventure Race, an 8 hour adventure/orienteering race with my cousin, Steven. It was my first time, his 6th. Luckily he was patient with me!
Freezing cold, but excited to go!
The Race
We start the day at 6am (remember I’m a not a morning person). Each team receives an orienteering map that utilize the contours and elevation changes of the course. On the map is a series of 37 mandatory Check Points (CPs). These are the locations we must find over the course of 8 hours with the help of our map and a vague clue (ex: large palmetto in the middle of a field). Each CP has a patterned stamp you use to mark your card to prove you were there. You don’t have to get them all, but each one is worth 1 point. At the end of the race, the team with the most points wins.
The points are separated into 3 categories: trekking, biking, and canoeing. They give you a punch card per leg so you can’t cheat and grab a biking CP when you’re on a trekking portion, for instance.
The first two portions were trekking and biking. We jogged through the first leg pretty easily and grabbed every point in about 30 mins. The biking was a little more challenging. Most of the paths were on sugar sand! I am NOT a strong cyclist (read: I don’t ride at all), so I slowed us down. We took about an hour to gain those points.
Then came the canoeing. The check points were along a lake, and our clues were distances and degrees. For example, on clue might say: 977 meters @ 160 degrees. You must then use a compass to find that point. I was the “engine” paddling the boat while my cousin orienteered. This portion took about 2 hours. Weight lifting pays off – my arms were still feeling strong at the end!
Transition area
From there we had a choice to trek or bike. We were almost half way through our 8 hours, and opted to trek first since I suck at biking that was our strong point. We spent about 2 hours and 15 mins trekking and only left 2 CPs behind. What shocked me is that I was able to jog a lot of it! The goal is not to run the whole thing – there is hiking and climbing involved. You have to slow down when you get near a CP to follow your “clue” to the point.
This was my favorite. We jogged through orange groves, swamp land, forests, and sugar sand. We did some bushwhacking, got some scratches, and emerged covered in cockleburs. It was a BLAST.
Cocklebur aftermath… and I’d picked a lot off already! Had to trash these pants.
The last section was biking. It was hour 6 and I was questioning my ability to continue after we hit a grassy, sandy, uphill trail. I did what I could, walked when I had to, and got a little edgy when my cousin got too far ahead of me. Being exhausted and limited by your lack of ability is frustrating!
We didn’t make it to half of the biking CPs before our 8 hours ended. You must be back at the check-in in exactly 8 hours or they start deducting points, so you don’t want to try to over-achieve if it’s going to make you late. We made it in 7:44.
Survivor!
The Fuel
Last week I posted my concerns about staying fueled throughout the race. Having just recovered from the stomach flu, I was especially nervous!
I started the day with my Morning Cocktail, Starbucks oatmeal, a banana, and coffee. And lots of water. Throughout the race we tried to eat and take an electrolyte pill every hour. I aimed for 100 calories per snack.
Race Fuel
What I Consumed: homemade fuel bars (recipe coming soon – these were a win), 1 Espresso GU, 1 Hammer Gel, 1 peanut butter cracker, 1/2 a Stinger Waffle (I didn’t like this – too sweet), and 3 pieces of gum.
I also drank about 40 oz of water… this is not a lot over 8 hours, but I had a lot the day before and morning of knowing that I can’t take in a lot during races due to sloshing and cramping.
Once we turned in our punch cards, we were award with subs. I don’t like mayo-soaked chicken salad… but I ate this sub like a cave person. Food. Any food. Nom. With Cheet-os. Bonus.
We drive 6 hours back to Atlanta that night. No shower, just a baby wipe cleaning and a quick change of clothing. I’m sure the people at Waffle House appreciated our good looks patronage.
That’s right. After burning 3000+ calories, Waffle House was my race day treat food of choice. I love gourmet food, but there is something about a chocolate chip waffle… with a Strange But Good spin, of course:
I asked that mine be topped with a runny egg. The server thought this was so weird she took a picture with her phone to post on Instagram. The movement is growing!!! Bwhahaha!
Any guesses about what the red stuff is in the last pic? I finished my last couple of bites with some hot sauce.
The Results
Team Halling Ass
We weren’t sure how we placed in the race. There were several very competitive teams that compete for national rankings, so competition was fierce. It turns out we finished 9th overall!
We received credit for 27 our of 37 points. Not a single team “cleared the course” (earned all 37 CPs).
***
Thank you to the Pangea crew that organized the race. It was a well-organized, fair race… a fantastic first experience!
Have you ever done a race like this? Would you want to?
Have you ever been pushed beyond the edge of (what you thought was) your ability?
Wow, so intense! Super impressed with you Laura! That must have been so amazing to finish and realize what ou had accomplished! It sounds like a ton of hard work, but fun in the end! You are incredible.
Thank you so much! It’s amazing what you can do when you don’t really have a choice. Hour 6 I was too far in to quit. LOL!
Awesome! So much fun and a great finish.
I always used to have runny eggs on my waffles and pancakes, too. The husband still does. I didn’t know it was an odd thing!
I haven’t done a broken up adventure race like this, even though it does look fun. I have done a 50mile ultra as my hardest race/event I’ve ever done. I didn’t think I was going to make at many times throughout the process.
I can’t even imagine… that’s some insane endurance you have!
Wow, that sounds crazy!! I did an adventure type race a couple of years ago, only it was 3 hours instead of 8. It was 45 degrees (113F) and we were running in the peak of the heat at 1pm. We covered 15km by foot that day. I was so dehydrated afterwards I couldn’t even think about food!
They ran a “sport” 3 hour race during the second half of this one too. They looked like thay were having a blast!
wow–that sounds amazing and fun! I’ve never done an adventure race. The closes thing, which really isn’t that close, was a mud run. Your race sounds much more intense! Nice work!
sounds like so much fun!!! i’m so proud of you!!!!!
Ninth Place; damn, that’s impressive. Good for you and glad you had a great time, even if your legs were covered in burrs (I hate those things). After burning three thousand calories, I think you deserved some Cheetos and waffles and pretty much anything your little heart desires.
Thanks! I was alittle disappointed they were Baked Cheetos…. but they were suprisingly good!
THIS IS FREAKING UNREEEEEEAL!!!!!! I’m so proud of you, lovie!!!!!!! SO PROUD! And I love the IG story with the waffle and the waitress! BAHA
Thank you, Love! I wish I’d gotten her username. LOL!
This sounds like SO much fun!! I am laughing here about IG story 😉
Very impressive finish! Nice job. I think adventure racing sounds like so much fun. But so hard!
Looks like a fabulous time and nothing like refueling after something like that! I love Honey Stinger waffles during endurance events!
Thanks! Maybe the honey Stinger was just to sweet for me late in the race. I wanted real food at that point!
Amazing job! I can’t even imagine doing something like this so I am super impressed!
Wohoo! I’m so proud of you! I’d love to do something like this but I’ve never canoed before. I think I’ll build my endurance first for the next year or two or three and then attempt something like this ^^ I guess the BadAss Dash that I did back in October is somewhat similar but nowhere near as intense. You truly are fitfluential or I should say fitinspirational 😀
I’d only kayaked once before – it wasn’t hard to pick up!
Awesome job!!! I just can’t imagine doing a race like that at all. I think I’ll stick with maxing out at half marathons 😉 My husband loves those honey stinger waffles for long bike rides. Can’t wait to see this new recipe of yours!
That sounds like such an intense race. Congrats on finishing! And oh god, chocolate chip waffle. And hey, waffles and eggs make for a great combo!
Wow you’re amazing girl! Nice work! And you had a hot dog….it MUST have been a brutal beast 😉
Hot dog?! Nope… I don’t know if I could get that hungry. LOL!
Yup…that’s what I WON’T be doing when I go to Florida! 😉 So proud of you for such a cool accomplishment, Laura. Love that first photo of you and your cousin. Also pretty neat that you got to do it together!
Haha – you’re going to have a great time/ FLA was meant for relaxation. 🙂
mind churning.
blend adventure race.
hmmm.
OMG… YES!!! They do “sport” 2 hour races all the time. Let me know if you want to chat…
You are absolutely unbelievable, Laura! I am do proud of you…and exhausted from just reading about the 8 hours 😉
Awwww… thanks! I was like a weak kitten after!
This is the most badass thing ever! And how funny that the server took a picture of your waffle with the egg. If only he/she read your blog, he’d realize that’s not even that strange!!
My cousin ordered poached eggs and put them on his hashbrowns. That also blew their mind. Adele, GA isn’t excatly the mecca of innvation… 😉
I feel like I’m being pushed everyday! I’m definitely learning how to take these daily challenges, learn from them and hopefully build up some stamina! 😉
This race sounds amazing. I’m not sure that I would do one like this, but it sounds like something Tony would LOVE! He’s definitely more of a checkpoint adventure seeker.
Thank you for talking about your fuel too! Congrats on the race. You guys did an amazing job working together!
Tell Tony if he ever wants to do one, let me know!!!
That sounds like a lot of fun! Well a lot of fun so long as I never actually have to do it!! Hahaha! Well done to you and your cousin, both badass mo fo’s for sho!!!! Ha! Also, I’m not normally one for the stranger food combos but a chocolate chip waffle with a runny egg actually sounds really good to me?!
I wonder if they have them in Europe? That would be fun through the Italian countryside!
Congrats on the race! And I love your hair by the way!:)
Thank you!!
That sounds amazing! Congrats to you guys!
You are nuts and totally incredible! Congrats on the race dear
This is awesome! Congrats!!
WOW! What an awesome experience and way to pull through the biking parts (I am not a strong biker either).
Thanks! It made me realize my quads need big work!
Man, even just reading about all that you had to go through makes me tired. Way to kick some serious butt, girl! Mental roadblocks are definitely something that I struggle with… Oftentimes I’ll shoot myself down before even bothering to try something. Teach me your beast mode ways? 😀
You just have to jump in and do it. Once you’re in the midst there’s no quitting even though it seems impossibly hard!
so freaking fun. cockleburs. funny story, on my bike trip we by accident went to the bathroom in them… let’s say painful painful experience
Oh. Wow… I cannot even imagine. Owwwww!
Holy cow!!! That’s awesome and congratulations! It sounds like you had a blast. Damn, I’d want Waffle House after that too! 🙂
haa, I love that the server took a photo!! she probably told people about it later… “strange but good?”
girl, you ROCK. this sounds like So Much Fun!! I love the idea of checkpoints, like a compassed scavenger hunt! those burrs… good thing you had long pants on, wow!
I love those honey stinger waffles 😉 (which is weird for me, I generally DON’T like overly sweet – must be a need after workouts?)
I don’t know why… I just couldn’t finish my Stringer. Maybe too late in the race and I just needed actual food?
You’re incredible!! Way to go!! Love how you’re still smiling after such a grueling race. Rockstar!
Smiling because I know WaHo was in my future! 😉
what an amazing race!! I need to do something dynamic like that. CONGRATS. Nothing like chocolate chip waffles mmmm. I’m a pancake girl myself. Ha and that egg…never done it but I get it! I like the savory/sweet, liquid/solid contrast 🙂
It was a great way to shake things up – highly recommened it!
Nice job! That sounds like a blast. 🙂
At the end I thought “Calee doesn’t get to say I told you so!” LOL!
haha I am glad it went okay! You look great in the pix, so I figured you felt great too.
Congratulations! I’m looking forward to those refuel bar recipes. Yesterday I went to the gym for an hour long beastly workout, and then came home to pack and move my boyfriend’s roomates stuff (he randomly moved out west and decided to stay). After only a couple hours of that, I was already beat. Your race sounds like more fun, but you’re definitely a soldier!
PS, Eggs + waffles (or pancakes or french toast or anything with syrup, oooh, plus sausage)= so goood, and not really that strange at all. just good. 🙂
Packing is a killer workout! Physically and mentally. I swear I’ll never move again.
I am seriously impressed. As I have said before, I don’t think I have half of the ferociousness in me (perhaps tenacity is the better word?) that you do.
I used to crave mayo when I had had too much to drink the night before. It’s been a helluva long time since that happened–I hardly drink at all anymore–but maybe mayo is like a cure all for dehydration? 🙂
And I’m kind of obsessed with the fact that your server at Waffle House took a photo of your food. Normally I get weird looks for that. Tables. Turning.
Sarah, you are totally ferocious!!! I mean, you’re a ginger!
You are also crazy. The thought of mayo while hung over makes me want to hurl. And I’m not even hung over.
I know!!! What is the world coming to? It happened once before with a drink at a bar. Hell. Freezing.
Impressive! That sounds really fun but really hard too. 3000 is a lotta’ calories!
Nice job! I’d totally suck at the biking part…
LOL at the waitress instagramming your breakfast. Sounds yummy to me though…
It was in a really, really small town. I think the whole concept of a runny egg shocked her.
CONGRATS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Holy crap – I am too tired to type after reading that! 😉 YOU ARE AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!! Honest – I would never do that, even at a young age! AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Jody, I am absolutely confident you could do it. My trainer smirked at the proof that lifting provides enough endurance training to get through something like that.
AH!! That looks like such a fun, fun, hard, insanely challenging race!! You must be so proud of yourself for finishing it. Maybe one day I’ll feel confident enough to try something like this. 🙂
I’m sure you could do it! 🙂
This sounds like SO MUCH FUN!!!!! And you’re amazing for having completed it!
I love biking and kayaking- so does Greg. I’ll have to look out for something like this in the future.
And the burr look is hot. You should’ve totally kept those pants.
Also- a runny egg on a waffle is weird??? Not thinking that’s a great idea is WEIRD. 🙂
There’s a women’s race in Maryland!!!
Way to go, Laura. We should do a combo for a triathlon. I do your cycling and you do my running! 🙂
I’d be all over that! Who’s going to swim? I call not it! 😉
We’ll have to share it. 😉
Wowza, you did so good! Just finishing is an accomplishment… but 9th place?! AMAZING!!
Also, I love that your server took a picture of your waffle to put in Instagram hahahaha
Thanks Allie! I’d be you’d rock one of these!
Oh this sounds amazing, fun, and scary all at the same time. Would love to try one of these one day. Congrats you are AWESOME!
That is the perfect description. 🙂
Wow, great job on the race! You’re a beast!! That thing sounds super intense. Good job & I’m glad you rewarded yourself with a yummy waffle. I LOVE choc chip waffles & think the runny egg would be kinda good… don’t know about the hot sauce part though! 😉
That hot sauce was good… would have been too much to eat the whole thing with it though. 🙂 Thanks!!
I’m exhausted just reading about it!! Dang girl!!! GO YOU!
I’m so proud of you and so glad you had fun! When’s the next one! 🙂 And sounds like the lower calorie planned worked well, score! 🙂
I think maybe April… you should do one after Iron Man. You guys would love it!
Lower cal was the way to go. I wish I’d had something that was less sweet to eat though. Another more savory 100 cal snack would have been perfect.
I do gels and endurance bars for my workout fuels, figs in both so they are sweetish, but I wouldn’t say sweet. Not like those honey stingers – too sweet for me too!
You deserve a dozen visits with a dozen waffles each time my friend, way to go with your intense exercise passion 😀
Brilliant!
Cheers
CCU
I am like LITERALLY bowing down to your greatness right now! Dang girl…dang! And seriously, I LOVE that you went to Awful Waffle afterwards…I don’t know what it is about that place, but I love it! Never tried their chocolate chip one, but their blueberry waffle is incredible! I usually go sans syrup because they’re always good and moi-…humid…but I swear I’m kicking myself for having never thought to top it with a fried egg! Duh!
Awful Waffle is my jam!!! Now I need to go back and have a blueberry. With pecans!!
Wow! This looks amazing- and your persistence and resolve are amazing.
Elena, thank you so much! It was a lesson in mind over body, for sure. 🙂
So seriously amazing! I can only imagine how much fun you had. And 3000+ calories is insane! WOW! I would have gobbled up a waffle too. That is hilarious she got a picture. Haha!
It was a blast1 Time went by suprisingly fast…. excpet may be the last hour. 🙂
Once again, YOU ARE AMAZING!!!!!
It would be so much fun to do a race like this! Glad you had fun and WHOLLY CALORIE BURN! Gotta love the Polar!
Waffles plus hot sauce are amazing. Seriously so.
And giiiirl, you continue to inspire me like nobody’s business! You ROCK for doing this! I can’t even imagine 8 hours of GO, and you just killed it! Now I want to sign up for one…or maybe just read about you doing another one some time in the future 😉
Thanks, friend!!! It sounds crazy, but it really went by fast.
Have fun at the beach!!!
Sounds like a good time, but I might have bowed out when asked to bike through sugar and sand. That is nuts.
That’s where they get you – there’s no stopping once you’re in the middle of the course!