Warrior Dash

I'll let you know after I run it on Sunday!

Cardio is the main thing. Make sure you're comfortable running a 5K. Work on push ups, pull-ups, core exercises for the obstacle portion. Good luck and have fun.

Agreed on the hills training, or running up and down stairs. I didn't do Warrior, but have done countless other mud runs, including Spartan which is harder than Warrior dash from what other runners told me (also depends on location of race, but for the chicago area, Spartan is harder than Warrior.)

Some of these races have WOD you can sign up for if you want something sent to your inbox for your training each day. Some of the read like this:

warm up with jog or jump rope session
10 burpees
20 lunges
5 pull-ups
1/4 mile to 1 mile run interval
(repeat 3-10 times)
cool down with a good stretch

Other days you may change it up by pulling heavy objects across the ground, if you have it. Maybe a spare tire and some rope. Sledgehammer to a large tire. Rope climbing, monkey bars as some of these races have those. But also know, you don't have to do every obstacle, at least try it, but if you can't you can't. The Spartan will make you do 30 burpees as a replacement for an obstacle you cannot do.

As for clothing, i know you didn't ask but feel my obligation to share what i know - NO COTTON. This seems like common sense but I sitll see people wear it. When it gets wet, it gets heavy. Wear clothing that is made with that wicking material so it releases the water. Shoes, light shoes, tied close to your feet. A lot of people will duct tape them on, but I never needed to and I have gotten stuck in mud plenty of times and haven't lost a shoe. Make sure they have great traction as those rocks can get slippery. The hills, when muddy are slippery. I have heard some people say they wear track shoes.

Agreed on the hills training, or running up and down stairs. I didn't do Warrior, but have done countless other mud runs, including Spartan which is harder than Warrior dash from what other runners told me (also depends on location of race, but for the chicago area, Spartan is harder than Warrior.)

Some of these races have WOD you can sign up for if you want something sent to your inbox for your training each day. Some of the read like this:

warm up with jog or jump rope session
10 burpees
20 lunges
5 pull-ups
1/4 mile to 1 mile run interval
(repeat 3-10 times)
cool down with a good stretch

Other days you may change it up by pulling heavy objects across the ground, if you have it. Maybe a spare tire and some rope. Sledgehammer to a large tire. Rope climbing, monkey bars as some of these races have those. But also know, you don't have to do every obstacle, at least try it, but if you can't you can't. The Spartan will make you do 30 burpees as a replacement for an obstacle you cannot do.

As for clothing, i know you didn't ask but feel my obligation to share what i know - NO COTTON. This seems like common sense but I sitll see people wear it. When it gets wet, it gets heavy. Wear clothing that is made with that wicking material so it releases the water. Shoes, light shoes, tied close to your feet. A lot of people will duct tape them on, but I never needed to and I have gotten stuck in mud plenty of times and haven't lost a shoe. Make sure they have great traction as those rocks can get slippery. The hills, when muddy are slippery. I have heard some people say they wear track shoes.

Great advice! Thank you for posting that! I run the Dash in September!

I did the one in KY in June. I agree with the hills training...I was not prepared for them endurance needed for that.

I did one last month. It was awesome. Training wise, I didn't do any. Wear old clothes and something that is comfortable wet. Wear old shoes and tie them tight so you don't lose them. Have fun and enjoy it!

Great luck in your Warrior Dash!! I am longing to do one eventually!

I'll let you know after I run it on Sunday!

Is that the one in Michigan? If so, I'll be there too.

Basically my only training has been running, because that's what I struggle with the most. Maybe practice some high knees and mountain climbers for training too.

I did one last year. What training you do depends on what you want to get out of it. I completed it, including all obstacles, with absolutely no training other than walk-jogging 5k a couple times to get an idea what that distance feels like. This was a year ago when I was still quite sedentary and not fit at all. I was in it for the mud and the fun, didn't care about my time. So is training *necessary*? Not really, no.

That said, if you want to take it more seriously, I'd say that some upper body strength would make the obstacles easier. So maybe some pushups? I'd also suggest that if you're not used to off-road running, do some before the race. Running over natural surfaces is very different from running on pavement.

A couple other things, in addition to what others have mentioned:

There tends to be backups at the obstacles. Unless you're one of the fastest in your heat and get to them first, you will be waiting in line to start most of the obstacles. Pace your run accordingly.

The obstacles aren't as fierce as they look on the web site. If you're nervous about them, you probably don't need to be. If you want a better preview, do a google search for warrior dash videos and you'll find some helmet-cam type videos from actual races.

You can pull up satellite images and terrain maps of the race site on google to get an idea of the terrain - hilly vs flat, woods vs fields, etc. Personally, I felt better knowing what to expect.

Wear shoes with good traction even when they get wet. Some of the obstacles become much harder with slippery shoes!

Wear a costume! It's just more fun that way!

Consider bringing a jug of water and a few old washcloths or towels in the car to clean up a bit afterwards (if you care about that). Yeah, they hose you off there, but you can only do so much, and there's people waiting, etc.


Good luck and whatever you do, HAVE FUN!!