Run in Mud obstacle Race Training-Savage Race Georgia Fall 2016 Review

I awoke at 545 am to eat and prepare for the Savage Race. I ate a banana, a mixture of old fashioned and steel cut oats and chia seeds. I felt like I ate too much, but still had a few hours to burn it off before the race.

I arrived at 745 am in preparation for the Savage Pro Heat. The Savage Race is one of the few events that offer a 9 am start time, allowing me to sleep in a bit. The packet pickup doesn't open until 8am, so there is no reason to arrive too early. I promptly picked up my packet which included the timing chip, bib number, and Savage Pro wrist band. After getting dressed, putting on my wrist bands and bib number, I checked my bag in and waited until the race start. The fest ground was festively decorated and the port o johns clean. I greeted racers I met at past performances, drank water and continued to wait. About 15 minutes prior to the race time, I gaged down a caffeinated gel pack and made my way to the start.

The race announcer got us all psyched and when time for the national anthem, called we few active duty and veterans to the front to honor during the national anthem; very cool.

 

These spinning wheels

I had participated in one Savage Race Georgia Spring 2015 and won in my age group and was looking forward to another win. With the release of purple smoke, we were off. I had put the memory the entire course, but looking at a map is nothing compared to running on uneven terrain. While I visualized running the grounds, I couldn't really feel the thick grass, rocky trails, or the intense heat. Soon, I didn't care what came next as my resolve to quickly over take the obstacles melted to thoughts of "I hope I just get through them".

 

Good ol' Sawtooth

Savage Race peppered our cores, arms, and hands with increasingly difficult and challenging obstacles. The standard climb over and crawl under obstacles were challenging while our hearts raced at 180 bpm. But the cruelty of On The Fence, Pole Cat, Wheel World, Kiss My Walls, Saw Tooth, and Tree Hugger, exhausted our grip strength along the way to the Savage Rig.  I felt like the piece of meat a chef pounds with a mallet before adding spices and putting it into the oven.

 

Finally through and ready to slap the bell. Ok, my feet are two feet off the ground.

The rig was set up rope, rope, rope, ring, nun-chuck, shovel handle, ring, shovel handle, bell. See the rhythm there? Well I didn't; it took me six tries over 45 minutes. My goal of winning in my age group left with that other guy who made it through pretty easily. So my goal then was to keep my wrist band. My strategy was to attempt, rest, and attempt again. I had given up too many wrist bands at other races to quit now. Finally, I made it through and finished.

While my performance was not where I wanted it to be, the Savage Race Georgia 2016 did not disappoint. This time there was stiffer competition, more savages, and a much tougher course. The volunteers were awesome and I look forward to doing it all again next year. I may even plan for the syndicate medal.

Thanks Savage Race.

What I wore; a review

Mudgear Compression Socks-These socks not only looked great, but they provided protection, comfort and a snug fit for my calves. I pulled them high to protect my knees during the crawls, they protected my shins from the thorns during the trail runs, and helped prevent friction burns from ropes and pole climbing.

Salomon Speedcross 3 - These shoes were the best I've ever worn for a mud run. Some reviews I read also said they were well padded but clunky and didn't drain well. I need extra padding and these shoes delivered. My priorities are traction, padding, and that's about it. I decided to risk the draining and the clunkiness is of no consequence. 

To handle the draining problem I drilled a few small holes in outside front area (near the M&S letters) and that provided good drainage. These shoes tie well with the speed laces and no mud or sand found their way inside.

The traction was awesome, even in the dry conditions. I didn't slip on the hilly terrain; muddy or hard packed. The padding provided a comfortable run and with no blistering. I actually wore the shoes straight to the Savage Race and onto the 6 mile route with no time to break them in.

The only downside was I could not get my toes in the chain link fence for the "On the Fence" obstacle. No worries, I don't think anyone else could either. Great shoes and I plan to buy and other pair.

Lululemon-Don't let the name fool you, these shorts are tough. I have T.H.E. Short 9" 

LUXTREME LINER. These are equipped with compression liners that do the job. These shorts are great for obstacle course racing as they stood up well to barbed wire, crawling through mud, over walls, down water slides, and through many insane conditions. I just ordered another pair in a different color.