Warrior Dash
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I participated in a Warrior Dash last fall. It was held at a Ski resort which made for lots of hill climbing. Trail running is key as it build strength in your feet and ankles and also lessons the impact of the road on your joints. You might consider finding a partner to go with as these events are more about socializing and having fun with friends than pushing your pace for a time. Not to mention it's easier to get over a 10 foot wall with a partner than it is to do it alone.
You will have fun.
We have a big group going together... I wouldn't attempt it alone, I could see myself being stuck on a wall and not get over it. LOL And we are not worried about what time we make it in, my goal is to make it through all the obstacles.
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Did it last year and signed up again for this year's race.
My tips:
1) Ignore the hype. It's not nearly as bad or as intense as it sounds. That's just part of the marketing.
2) Focus on the running. Although every course is different, there are long stretches of nothing but trail running.
3) And speaking of trail running, do that instead of street running while training. It's easier and better on your joints to use the trail, and it minimizes the chance of injury before the race.
4) There's no shame in walking the course during parts of it. I did it to conserve energy for the obstacles, and so did most of the people around me.
5) The obstacles are not nearly as bad they seem on the pictures. Those are the result of tricky camera angles and lighting! For example, the "inferno" is nothing -- it's just leaping over some Duraflame logs!
6) There will be bottlenecks at the obstacles, so there's no need to rush through them. In fact, those are great places to catch your breath!
7) Take caution when going through the obstacles, but don't be afraid of them. The WD organization isn't trying to kill you
On race day, soak in the party/festival atmosphere. Bring old shoes that you won't mind losing. Bring plastic sheets or tarps to lay out in your car for the ride back, or bring a change of clothes and a large towel to hide behind. Soak some handtowels or wash clothes and put them in plastic bags to wipe your face and clean your ears after the race. Consider bringing a cooler of beverages and food so you can tailgate instead of spending outrageous amounts of money inside the grounds on food and drinks. Take advantage of their gear check-in to check your camera and personal belongings.
Prepare to get soaked and muddy
And if you go with a bunch of people, have a GREAT time!
Very very helpful, thank you!!0 -
Thanks for all the advice! And thanks to OP for starting the thread.
I'm doing one in 2 weeks (Jackson, MS, 21 Apr)! Soooooooo excited!0 -
I'm doing it this year in Oregon, its not till sept. though, but I'm slowly getting myself into training mode, but I'm excited and can not wait!!!
I really would love to do the one in Oregon in September but am very intimidated. I do not run at all yet. Starting C25K this week. Going to also try 30DS to help get me in better shape. I love getting muddy and dirty and love a challenge. My biggest fear is not being able to get up off the ground for some of the crawl stuff! There are several of us here in the Brookings/Crescent City Area that are talking about doing it
Wishing you a ton of fun and good luck with the race!0 -
Thanks so much for this post:) I am doing my first Spartan Sprint in June and am so so excited!! And a little nervous about embarrassing myself lol!! Hope you have a great time!! 0
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Great Info, 1st time for me too - I am doing Warrior Dash in June - Hasting, MN and then another one in August - MudMan which looks a lot harder than Warrior Dash. Super Excited0
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I am gettignose reat tips on this topic. I am doing mine n July in MN. I am pupmed fo it and Wierd fish tanksfothe great tips 0
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As a first timer, I really appreciate all the great tips the veterans are posting. Thanks! I'll be at Warrior Dash in NY in August. Woo Hoo!0
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I'm working on getting ready for the one in KY in June...I'm nervous about it(especially climbing walls since I've never done it before!) I'm pretty proud that I can run 3.25 miles straight
Now to work on speed :P 0 -
First off - you will have a BLAST! A group of us did the Ohio one last June for the first time. We've been signed up for MONTHS for this coming June. :bigsmile:
My biggest piece of advice would be to definitely get some workout gloves that you can ruin! I see somebody else said the same thing. That was a tip someone gave me last year - and I am so glad they did!!! My knees were a little roughed up but my hands were great!
We didn't try for speed - but if you are - DEFINITELY train on some hills. The hills on our course were CRAZY!!!:noway:
The obstacles are great! We seriously had so much fun. And I DO NOT like to get dirty, but at the end I was a complete mud ball and enjoyed every single second!0 -
Doing my first in June in Nebraska this year! Can't wait!! Thanks for all the great tips!0
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I will be doing the Warrior Dash in TN in Sept. A ways out. Let me know how it goes. Its always fun to see what everyone has to say. GOOD LUCK AND HAVE FUN! 0
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Thanks for this thread. I'm doing the one in OH in June and these are some great tips!0
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I did the East Texas one last month:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/530485-my-first-warrior-dash-east-texas-2012
I did it by myself since I couldn't gt anyone to go with me. It was pretty fun actually. I do agree with the previous posters that it isn't as hard as it looks. Everyone helps each other and the obstacles aren't super tough. We got about four inches of rain the week before the race, so a lot of the area was muddy to begin with. Then you add in the muddy areas they felt to include. One part of the course was flooded with water just past the waist. That was tough to run in, especially since you couldn't see where you were stepping.
There were a lot of people working as a team. That looked like a lot of fun as you could assist and motivate the others. Sure, it would slow you down some, but that wouldn't matter. The fire does look a little scary as you approach it since you are tired by then and the smoke gets pretty big. But, it isn't very wide, so it is an easy jump.
I am not a runner, so I did my course in 45:03. I jogged most of it, but did walk a good amount too.0 -
Did it last year and signed up again for this year's race.
My tips:
1) Ignore the hype. It's not nearly as bad or as intense as it sounds. That's just part of the marketing.
2) Focus on the running. Although every course is different, there are long stretches of nothing but trail running.
3) And speaking of trail running, do that instead of street running while training. It's easier and better on your joints to use the trail, and it minimizes the chance of injury before the race.
4) There's no shame in walking the course during parts of it. I did it to conserve energy for the obstacles, and so did most of the people around me.
5) The obstacles are not nearly as bad they seem on the pictures. Those are the result of tricky camera angles and lighting! For example, the "inferno" is nothing -- it's just leaping over some Duraflame logs!
6) There will be bottlenecks at the obstacles, so there's no need to rush through them. In fact, those are great places to catch your breath!
7) Take caution when going through the obstacles, but don't be afraid of them. The WD organization isn't trying to kill you
On race day, soak in the party/festival atmosphere. Bring old shoes that you won't mind losing. Bring plastic sheets or tarps to lay out in your car for the ride back, or bring a change of clothes and a large towel to hide behind. Soak some handtowels or wash clothes and put them in plastic bags to wipe your face and clean your ears after the race. Consider bringing a cooler of beverages and food so you can tailgate instead of spending outrageous amounts of money inside the grounds on food and drinks. Take advantage of their gear check-in to check your camera and personal belongings.
Prepare to get soaked and muddy
And if you go with a bunch of people, have a GREAT time!
This is PERFECT advice. I agree 100% - I did the WD last August. I am hoping to do it again but yes, it is mostly hype. and LOL about the duraflame logs. I was stressing about jumping over that raging inferno, and then saw that little pathetic line of dying flames and was like.... REALLY???
I was NOT expecting the huge steep run uphill when first starting out the race (it was in Windham NY, so I should have known since it is a ski resort!!!) so that took me by surprise, so I tell everyone the same thing - practice your traul runs, and make sure they are steep inclines if you know you are going to be on a mountain!!!!0 -
I am going to be signing up for the one in November for Central Texas and I am so excited about it!! I have talked a huge group of friends and family into doing it with me and it will be our first one so all tips are greatly appreciated.
I did the Central Tx last November and it was a blast. If you don't run trails, I would recommend you start now as there are lots of up and downs around a dry creek bed running through most of the course.0 -
To all the people that did the WD, what kind of shoes did you wear??? I was thinking about buying the five fingered shoes thinking that they would be lighter weight and stay on easier through the mud?!0
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To all the people that did the WD, what kind of shoes did you wear??? I was thinking about buying the five fingered shoes thinking that they would be lighter weight and stay on easier through the mud?!
I just wore an old pair of running shoes (double knotted!) Looking back, I would have opted for something with a bit more traction since you are running up and down muddy, slick hills (mine were pretty worn down). Then again, you don't want too much tread or it will weigh you down with mud. Also, keep in mind, you can donate your shoes at the end (which beats taking them home and trying to clean them!)0 -
I wore my Vibrams, but my tread is about wore off. Like QuickPE said, you want something with traction, cause you is gonna slide.0
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I was thinking the trail ones from Vibrams, do you think they would have enough traction?? But yet, I don't want to ruin them. LOL Oh the decisions. 0
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You won't ruin them. I have KSOs. I've used them on the creek at our camp on the mud trails prior to the Warrior Dash and again this weekend. I just wash them out before throwing them in the washing machine.0
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NM.
I can't get pics to post.0 -
Training for a Mud run or obstacle course race like Tough Mudder, Spartan Race, or warrior dash should include workouts that are focused on strength, cardio, and race specific skills. I have competed in a number of obstacle races, triathlon, and ultra marathon and found this type of training to be most effective.
Your main training goals should be to:
• Increase strength relative to bodyweight, cardiovascular and muscular stamina, durability, and mental toughness
• Learn, execute, and improve efficient biomechanics of functional movements like running, lifting, climbing, jumping, and landing
• Develop core strength and stability through functional, compound movements
• Improve balance, lower limb strength, and muscular recruitment and coordination under weight-bearing loads
Look to include compound, functional movements like kettlebell swings. Train under a weight-bearing load, over an extended period of time completing resisted runs, sprints, hill climbs, and stadium stairs. Finally, train skills specific to the race including relative strength, grip strength, core strength/stability, dynamic, unilateral, and non-linear movement, transfer of force/power, and transport a load.
Some workout suggestions include:
Strength Training:
Bodyweight exercises: squat, lunge, push-up, pull-up, dips
Loaded bodyweight exercise: adding weight/an additional load to pull-ups and dips
Kettlebells: in the strength training category kettlebells are paired with Olympic or compound movements during circuits that incorporate a heavier weight and fewer repetitions
Cardiovascular conditioning: Even if you are not a runner or endurance athlete, cardiovascular exercise still needs to be factored into your training program. In addition to some longer distance efforts try interval training.
High Intensity Intervals: working at or near max effort to fatigue the muscles and lungs. Alternate between periods of all our effort and shorter periods of rest.
Example: 400m all out sprint followed by a rest period that is half the amount of time it took your to complete the 400m sprint. Repeat 6-8 times
Intervals/Hill Sprints/Track Workouts: Mixed work periods from intense effort to low/moderate effort.
Example: Hill sprint that takes 60-90 seconds to complete, then walking or easy jog to start line. Repeat 8-12 times.
Tabata: High intensity working set for 20 seconds followed by 10 seconds of rest. Repeated for 8-12 sets.
Example: Overhead kettlebell swings for 20 seconds, followed by 10 seconds of rest. Repeat 8-12 times.
Try implementing these strategies and feel free to email me at joe@hybridathlete.org for additional workouts.
You can get more info from my free download here: http://www.racedaydomination.com/free-download/
Here is a bodyweight workout to get you started!
Warm-up:
Jog@ 2-5 minutes
Lunge @25 yards
Reverse Lunge @ 25 yards Walking
Broad Jump @ 25 yards
Training:
2 Round
50x Step-up (each leg, add weight vest or resistance if possible)
20x Push-up
30x Bodyweight Squat
50x Step-up (each leg, add weight vest or resistance if possible)
20x Push-up
30x Bodyweight Squat
50x Step-up (each leg, add weight vest or resistance if possible)
3 Rounds @ 50 yards each movement
Bear Crawl
75% Sprint
Plank Crawl
Walking Lunge
Bounding Jump Squats
Do Work and let me know if you have any questions!
Joe Vennare
Hybrid Athlete and Race Day Domination0 -
Do Work and let me know if you have any questions!
Joe Vennare
Hybrid Athlete and Race Day Domination0
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