Adventure Racing 2012

As some of you probably noticed, last year was the year of the "adventure race." This new trend has been around for some time, but it didn't take off until just recently. My first adventure race was only 2 summers ago when my roommates and I signed up for the Filthy 5K Mud Run featured in Dominion's Riverrock weekend here in RVA. Now there are hundreds of adventure races all over the country, and of course one of the most renowned races - Tough Mudder - one of the most challenging.

But this year isn't about conquering the toughest adventure race or surpassing some type of endurance goal. No, my resolution was to try new races and new workouts to keep up with my fitness standards. Which is why I want to share with you a few new adventure races that I will be participating in this year. Time to get down and dirty all over again...






One of the first new races of the year is called Hero Rush. It's a 5k+ firefighter-inspired obstacle course race full of ladders, poles and lots of fire. I'm a little nervous about this one, but I think I can do it. Plus, I get to pretend I'm a firefighter for the day. Event better, the event supports the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, a national charity that supports the families and fire departments of fallen firefighters. I always try to sign up for races that support a good cause and this one is one of my favorites.


Hero Rush is offering a DC-Maryland area race on April 28th this year. To sign up, go to www.herorush.com and register. Sign up before February 3rd to beat the price increase!!! I'll be there with my game face on!

The next adventure race I signed up for is the Mud Warrior. Thanks to Livingsocial, I was able to snag a pretty cheap race ticket to this 8k military-style obstacle course race. Supposedly this one is like a "mini Tough Mudder," plus it's in mid-April near Charlottesville, VA, so I imagine it will be quite chilly. Again, this is another race that supports a good cause - the HOPE Foundation, that helps to fight poverty and reduce homelessness by building stronger and better communities. It's also local - based out of Charlottesville, VA, my old college stomping grounds (wahoo-wah!!!). Check it out... and sign up for the race while you are at it.

I look forward to participating in these events. Any new adventure is worth it to me and I can't wait to conquer two new adventure races this year. I also plan to race the Merrell Down and Dirty 10K mud run since I signed up for it last year and then skipped it due to a back injury. So technically it's a "new" race for me. Fingers crossed I don't miss out again this year!

New Year, New Resolutions

Finally, the holidays are over and I'm back to a normal schedule. No more holiday parties and baking loaves of pumpkin bread. I just got back down to my normal weight that I've maintained for the past 2 or 3 years, thankfully. All is right with the world. 

So what's next? I conquered Tough Mudder, passed my PMP exam, completed 14 races in 2011 (2 more than my original goal) and migrated to a full-time apple user with my new mac book air and iphone 4s (thank you John!). It was a good year and I'm very pleased with my accomplishments. What made the end of 2011 even better is my new years promotion at work! I'm now a Project Manager / Process Engineer in Human Resources at my company.

So now that it's 2012, I need to set a few more goals. When I list resolutions, I really means goals. I think that word sends a better message. Goals are more motivating to me and I tend to stick with them, plus they can be super small and repeated. So below I've listed my goals for 2012. Hooyah!

1. Become proficient in my new role. While I have managed many projects in my career, leading projects that really make a business impact is what I want to achieve. I want to be comfortable with PM terminology like it's the back of my hand, and become meticulous with my documentation by using the right tools. I am nervous of the unknown, but excited to take on the challenge.

2. Try new workouts and races. I've already signed up for a "barre" class and I bought the living social deal to Crossfit here in RVA. Two new things already on the list for 2012! I want to continue trying new things when it comes to physical activity. For the past several years I've been a consistent run/bike/swim and weight trainer. I threw in a few Bikram Yoga classes here and there, plus a SEAL team course, but that's about it. I also want to sign up for new races. I didn't get into the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler unfortunately, but I signed up for a "mini Tough Mudder" race in Cville for April, plus I plan on racing Cville's 10 miler too.

3. Discover new recipes and restaurants. I'm the type of cook that throws everything into a pot and hopes for the best. I love discovering a new meal just by mistake. But I also need to try a few new recipes too. Everyone knows I LOVE to go out to eat but this year I want to try new places. I went to Roosevelt down in Church Hill before the new year, so that doesn't count. I want to try Pasture, Kenn Tico, Stella's, and Ironfish for sure. There are so many more - thank god there's plenty of days in the year!

I'll leave my goals at that for now. I noticed my "new things" theme when writing this post, hence the title. There will be plenty more I'm sure. So with that, I wish you all a Happy New Year and good luck in your goals as well!