Can I Register The Day Of The Spartan Race

I am what you would telephone call a "Weekend Warrior." Let's only say that I signed up for the Elite Oestrus once (placing 212 out of 219), and I will never make that error once again.

I'm a guy, not an athlete. I spend 12-xvi hours per day living in front of my figurer editing televisions shows (past credits includeEmpire, Glee,andFire Notice). But to keep my mind sharp and develop "obstacle immunity" (click here to listen to my podcast with Spartan Race founder Joe de Sena), I try to sign up for a Spartan Race at least ii-iii times per year.

If you're a desk-bound jockey similar me and yous're getting prepare to participate in your first obstruction grade race, you're probably asking, "What the heck should I bring?" There is no right answer, merely at that place are certainly some standard items you want to make certain you take.

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Before jumping into this list, permit me warn you: I'm VERY 'Type A.' I'g big on lists and planning. That being said, I hope this list helps you set up and pack for your next Spartan Race, Tough Mudder, or Rugged Maniac.

THE ESSENTIALS

Below I accept gone into great detail with what I bring and why, but here is a super short list of the basics to go you started:

Salubrious dinner for the nighttime before
A proficient night'south slumber! (A minimum of viii years if you can)
Cash (almost races have ATM's, simply when carrying all your gear information technology's sometimes easier to purchase food/swag with cash)
Hydration pack or belt
Non-cotton wool clothes (aka "Performance Gear")
Towels ( for post-race)
Change of clothes
Garbage bags (for the nasty post-race dress)
Extra pair of shoes
Sunscreen

At present information technology'due south time to dig into the nitty gritty…..

THE NIGHT Earlier

If I've spent months training and preparing for a race, the last thing I want to do the night earlier is eat mystery food at a eating place I've never been to before. And so I e'er bring my dinner with me. It usually consists of a protein (salmon, grass fed steak), vegetables (greenish beans, broccoli), and a starch to provide some carbohydrates (usually sweet potatoes). I bring it in tupperware and microwave it. Oh…everything is drenched with grass fed butter.

The number ane matter that volition almost likely dictate your operation on race mean solar day is the quality of your sleep. Then I bring the following to ensure I become a solid night of deep sleep:

Sleep Mask. The amount of light you're exposed to when sleeping can adversely impact the quality of your sleep. So rather than accept to embrace the windows and endeavour to cover every single tiny dark-green and blue light in the room, I just wear a sleep mask.

Epsom Salt.I soak in a magnesium sulfate bathroom for 15-20 minutes before bed. And here is why.

Bulletproof Slumber Mat. I can't travel without this. Spending 15 minutes on this slumber induction mat and animate securely before bed knocks me out. I laissez passer out before my head even hits the pillow, and I wake up fully rested.

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RACE DAY

In the morning I avoid whatever solid foods and fuel myself with a smoothie. Which brings me to my #i detail to bring:

Nutribullet. It's then easy to travel with a Nutribullet and will alloy just about anything you put in it. I brand a smoothie consisting of Shakeology, kokosnoot h2o, almond butter, Brain Octane Oil, and Vital Fuel. None of these items require refrigeration and are piece of cake to travel with.

Clothing. What y'all wear for the bodily race is personal preference. But one absolute is that you should NEVER WEAR Cotton wool. Yous volition get wet. A lot. So brand certain you have performance or compression gear. And while the dice difficult racers become without a shirt, I wearable a compression top. Some people wear elbow and or knee pads as well for all the crawling.

Gloves. This is a controversial topic amidst "elites." I've done races with and without gloves. Both have worked out okay for me. However after my almost recent experience at a Spartan Sprint where I didn't vesture gloves and they didn't provide water under the ropes obstacle, I'll Always vesture gloves. I couldn't hold my grip coming back down…and in order to avoid breaking my leg, I ended up ripping off a practiced portion of the skin on my hand and making the final several miles of the race intolerable. Be safety. Bring gloves.

Footwear. This is some other option that will be unlike for everyone. Reebok has designed an entire line of shoes specifically for OCR, merely my personal preference is Vibrams. I'm in the minority, and beware it takes a long time to adapt your body to minimalist running shoes. Whatever selection you go with, make sure you take trained in your shoes. Don't strap on a new pair of shoes you've never worn before the solar day of the race. And don't wear cotton socks! Your anxiety will become concrete blocks past the stop of the race otherwise.

Hydration. The type of hydration pack you wear depends on the length of the race. If you're doing a Dart, you probably don't crave anything every bit there are plenty of aid stations. For longer races similar the Super and Beast, you may want a hydration pack. I've used a Camelback in the past. And while I can't vouch for them firsthand, Ben Greenfield highly recommends Source hydration packs. My personal preference is a running chugalug with minor h2o bottles fastened that I have my racing fuel in.

Racing Fuel. The nearly common fuel for most runners is Gel packs. I avoid processed sugars and prefer to fuel with amino acids and fats instead. So my racing fuel is very elementary. I take an 8 oz water bottle per hour of the race consisting of coconut water, Vital Fuel, chia seeds, and honey.

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POST RACE

When you're washed with the race, make certain y'all accept the following items ready to go in your backpack (y'all tin can check bags near the race entrance for $5):

Towel. Bring the largest beach towel yous have. You're going to be dirty, wet, and grimy. They won't provide towels, and yous'll kick yourself if you have to change into your clean clothes while still being drenched in mud and water.

Change of clothes. They should exist lite, piece of cake to put on, and comfortable. You're going to be sore and tired, so anything complicated is a bad idea.

Garbage bags. Your race clothes are going to be NASTY. So bring a large garbage bag to put all your muddied stuff in. Your bulldoze home will be miserable (and smelly) if you lot forget this admittedly essential detail.

Shoes. If you're lucky enough that your shoes survive the race, y'all won't want to article of clothing them dwelling. And so brand certain you take a comfortable, make clean pair of shoes to slip into post-race.

Best of luck on your side by side race. If I missed anything vital on this checklist, please permit me know in the comments beneath!

Zack Arnold (ACE) is an award-winning Hollywood picture show editor & producer (Cobra Kai, Empire, Burn Observe, Unsolved, Glee), a documentary director, father of 2, an American Ninja Warrior, and the creator of Optimize Yourself. He believes we all deserve to honey what we do for a living...but not at the expense of our health, our relationships, or our sanity. He provides the education, motivation, and inspiration to help aggressive creative professionals Practise amend and Be better. "Doing" better means learning how to more effectively manage your time and artistic energy so you tin can produce higher quality work in less fourth dimension. "Being" improve means doing all of the in a higher place while even so prioritizing the most important people and passions in your life…all without called-for out in the process. Click to download Zack'southward "Ultimate Guide to Optimizing Your Creativity (And Fugitive Burnout)."