Author Archives: Jeff Cain

About Jeff Cain

An Associate Professor by day and father, husband, and avid obstacle racer the rest of the time.
May 22, 2013

Kentucky Stampede Race Review and Recap

By Jeff Cain

“Don’t be afraid to win.”  That phrase told to me by one of the most respected Spartan elite racers, Shane McKay, was the theme of the day.  I scoped the competition before the first wave of the day and quickly observed that winning was going to be a difficult task.  I accurately spotted the ones in my heat that would be fast and there were the other runner and cross-fitter types hanging around that would be racing later.  I burst from the starting gate at full-speed and didn’t look back, building a 20 to 50 foot lead that I maintained for the majority of the race.  My Inov-8 X-talons proved their worth once again as they drug me up and down the continuous muddy slopes and through the countless number of mud holes.  If there is video of me in this race, I’m sure it was unsightly and should not be viewed by anyone who is looking for tips on proper form.  I let my body just carry me down the declines as fast as I could go (probably resembling something along the lines of a 3-legged wildebeest being chased by a lion).  I resorted a few times to knee pushing my way up the hills, bent over, gasping for breath and conserving energy.  I had a couple of awkward spills while maneuvering over fallen trees.  I imagine that I looked like a new-born colt trying to stand for the first time as my legs went flailing in all directions on the recovery.   I didn’t have time to think about form because I was racing for my life.  As bad as I wanted them to, my challengers wouldn’t back off, forcing me to run considerably faster than I was comfortable with.  Fortunately, except for the mishaps with the trees, I didn’t slip up on any of the obstacles.

KY Stampede_ finishWith about a quarter of a mile to go, my primary challenger pulled even with me at the start of a long incline.  My first thought was “Crap!  He’s just been pacing and stalking me this entire race and now he is going to pass me.”  My second thought was of Shane telling me “Don’t be afraid to win”.  I was winded and tired from the uphill climb, but I found just enough drive for one last push to speed up the hill.  I then gave it everything I had left to power through the last couple of mud and berm obstacles.  I didn’t look back.  I was afraid to.  Finally, I came to the final hill sprint to the finish line.  I was the first to it and ran right by the medals, right by the water, and folded myself over with hands 0n knees.  I was done in every sense of the word.  Could barely breathe.  Couldn’t speak at all.  For anyone who tried to congratulate me, I apologize for the breathy grunts and half-hearted smiles.  I was simply trying not to puke.

Win for Team Mud and AdventureThe lead held up over the rest of the waves of the day and the approximately 800 adults who participated.  Kudos to the second place finisher and to Todd Love for pushing me through this race.  My finishing time of 31:27 would have been much greater without their challenge.  Thanks to Shane McKay for his words of encouragement, although he had no idea at the time the difference it would make.   It felt good to get another win under my belt after almost a year of battling injuries at every race.   That brings me to my final thank you to Stacey Pagorek for all the physical therapy and treatment you gave me to get my hamstring in decent enough shape to start the race.  I thought about you every time my hamstring was vulnerable.  Okay, there’s one more shout-out.  I’m pleased that this was not just a win for me, but another win for Team Mud & Adventure, my incredible sponsored obstacle racing team.

RACE REVIEW

KY Stampede_ family2The Kentucky Stampede is a really neat, family friendly obstacle race over some typical Kentucky countryside.  The owners and staff are incredibly friendly and good to work with.  There were massive improvements with course markings and additional obstacles from last year.  The up and downhill terrain is great, as are runs through creeks and over and under trees.  There are few long stretches of flat, straight running, which is good for me.  It’s fun.  It’s upbeat.  The music is outstanding (except for the 2 or 3 girly songs that made their way into the mix)!  The showers are the best I’ve experienced.  Parking is onsite.  There are multiple places to view obstacles and I don’t think twice about letting my young daughter hang around the race site.  At 8 years old, she was even allowed to run the race, which she did alongside my wife.  I had planned on running it with them, but with the hamstring (and the threat of projectile vomiting), I decided to simply enjoy the atmosphere with my friends Kirk, Kelly, Chad, & Jimmy.  I consider The Stampede a race that is perfect for groups of friends who want to enjoy an exercise-filled day in the mud together.  For those of us who just want to race……well, bring your A game because there is competition!    :)

Want to know more about obstacle racing in this region of the country and across the globe?  Then follow my athlete page at:  http://www.facebook.com/onmywaytosparta

 

2 comments   |  tags: , , , | posted in Race Review

May 7, 2013

My daughter, the Spartan blogger

By Jeff Cain

Spartan Kids Race

For those of you who don’t follow the OnMyWayToSparta Facebook page……First, why aren’t you following it?!  (Make sure you read the playful banter into that question.)  Second, if you aren’t a fan of my page, you may not know that my 8-year old daughter recently published a guest post on the Spartan Race blog about her experience at the Indiana Spartan Kids Race.  This little one continues to impress me with her diverse set of talents and skills.  If you get the chance, take a look at it here.

Also, if you haven’t liked my Facebook page, you can do that while you’re at it.  :)

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May 4, 2013

Inov-8 Roclite 295 Review

By Jeff Cain

Simple Brandz Granola and Inov-8 RocliteTwo training runs, 1 race in snowy, frigid temps, 1 OCR boot camp, and 1 day of hiking in my new Inov-8 Roclite 295s.  That should be ample enough wear to give them a proper review.  My first thought when I put them on was ”sturdy, but comfortable” .  Compared to the X-Talon and Trailroc, this was more of a shoe in the sense that it just felt like it had more support and protection.  From the very first training run on a mulch track to an obstacle race in 30 degree weather, the shoes were the least of my worries.  That’s a good sign.  I’m not going to talk about all the specs of the shoe, because you can find them directly from the source here.

In a quick, consumable fashion here are the rest of my thoughts.

  • They are a little heavier than my X-talons and Trailrocs, but not horribly so.
  • There seems to be a little less proprioception, but just a tad bit.  I love using the word “proprioception”…makes me feel smart!
  • Like the other Inov-8s that I’ve worn, these are good at dispelling water.
  • Great traction for coming out of muddy berms and climbing slickery hills.  I am probably not the first person to use this term, but I just coined “slickery” for myself so don’t bother looking it up in the dictionary.  I think you can figure it out.
  • I prefer these shoes more for longer runs and/or hiking than I do for sprint racing.  In fact, they are now my hiking shoe of choice.

Final judgment:  I like these shoes, not so much for racing, but especially for training and hiking.  If you want to try some Inov-8s, but aren’t sure if you will like ‘less of a shoe’, then I would recommend you give the Roclites a try.

Disclosure:  Inov-8 provided me these shoes to review, but there was no obligation to provide a positive review.  This assessment is 100% mine.  I own it.

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April 29, 2013

Indiana Spartan Kids Race Review

By Jeff Cain

Indiana Spartan Sprint AmeliaHands down, no question, the highlight of my race weekend was volunteering at the Spartan Kids Race.  Spartan Race designs a separate obstacle course consisting of obstacles like small walls, cargo nets, and mud holes.  The older kids complete a 1-mile course, while the smaller ones do a half mile.  Let me feebly attempt to provide an apt description of the event from my eyes.  My first experience was handing out medals to the kids as they finished.  Brakken Kraker and Amelia Boone (winners of the Sprint) were at the finish line and I hung back a little further to catch the kids that ran past them.  This gave me a great view of the different range of emotions as the kids crossed the line.  Some of them were all smiles.  Some were utterly exhausted.  One kid puked.  A few of the youngest kids were crying, temporarily traumatized.  Some appeared to be in shock because of what they had just accomplished.  The most peculiar thing I noticed is that as most of the boys finished, they would glance at Brakken and me waiting with medals in hand, but then they turned toward Amelia to receive their medals.  I don’t know what that was all about it!

Spartan Kids RaceMy 8-year old daughter raced in the second wave.  Despite my injuries, I got caught up in the excitement and decided to “rabbit” this race — meaning starting out in front of the kids and leading them around the course.  The emcee got the kids all revved up.  The energy in the little corral was palpable.  When the race started, they shot out like little bullets.  It took effort from Brakken, Amelia, Joe Kauder, and myself to stay in front of them.  Just like their mommies, daddies, older brothers and sisters, these kids gave it their all.  I ran side by side with a couple of the leaders for awhile….both of them from Kentucky by the way, and then dropped back a little to run with my daughter.  It gives me chills just thinking about how proud I was and how heartwarming it was to experience this with her.  After a couple of minutes of encouraging her, I cut the course to get back to the finish line to hand out medals again.  It’s hard to describe the joy of putting a finisher medal on a little child who has completed a hard task and is so happy about it.  You would have thought I was giving them an Olympic gold medal!  I tried my best to make that moment memorable for them by congratulating them and exuberantly praising their accomplishment.  The looks on the mothers’ and fathers’ faces as they gathered to take finishing pictures was priceless.  When my daughter crossed the finish line shortly after the leaders, I could hardly contain my pride as I slipped the symbol of achievement around her neck.  I know it was just a 1-mile race, but it is not a walk in the park, especially for the youngest ones.  Both Brakken and I were sweating after leading them through the course and we didn’t even complete the obstacles! Spartan Kids Race

The final topping-off moment came when I watched a young blind, cancer-surviving boy, Matthias Vescelus,  pop over the crest and cross the finish line with his family beside him.  It was a courageous display of resilience and this young man was a true Spartan.  I was extremely proud to be the one to give him his medal and then step aside as several of the Cornfed Spartans team members cheered his finish.

Spartan Kids RacePlease, please, please, bring your kids to a Spartan Race and give them a story to tell.  My daughter is still bubbly over finishing her 3rd one and eagerly describes the course to anyone who inquires.

More photos and information about the race to follow at the OnMyWayToSparta Facebook page.

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April 28, 2013

2013 Indiana Spartan Race Review and Recap

By Jeff Cain

Indiana Spartan Sprint kneesI went to Indiana and laid an egg.  That sentence almost became the entire post because I simply can’t describe my race performance any better than that.  I know how it happened, but I still don’t know why.   It happened primarily because I failed 3 straight obstacles; two of which I usually never fail and the third that is 50/50.  The traverse wall got me because of the mud on the blocks (should have selected a different wall).  I failed the rope climb because….I don’t really know why.  I just kept getting to the top and slipping down.  I failed the spear throw because…..I don’t really know why.  I just missed it.  That meant 90 consecutive burpees that took lots of time and zapped my energy.  It’s hard to do well at an obstacle race when you fail obstacles that you typically master.  Before that stretch I had moved up to probably 20-25th place in the elite heat, but those failures and the extensive attempts at the final slippery wall dropped me out of the top 50.  I was left with a humbling finish time, 2 bruised, bloodied, skin-bared knees, a severely sore left hamstring, cuts, scratches, and scrapes.   More importantly, though, I was left with a stronger resolve to ramp up my training once the injuries heal.  On the bright side, my Mud and Adventure teammates (Alexander Nicholas, Jillian Kenney, Tonya Graham Stodsgill, and Juliana Sproles) put on outstanding performances, so I’m going to ride their coat tails on this one!

OnMyWayToSpartaBesides the aforementioned egg-laying at Haspin Acres, the rest of the day and the race itself was spectacular.  The 5.2 mile obstacle-dense race designed by my OCR buddy, Todd Sedlak was stellar.  More obstacles than most sprints slowed the pace , but didn’t impede the flow.  The running portion consisted primarily of  fast-paced treks up and down rocky ravines, through narrow briar-infested creek paths, and over and through various hollows and mud holes.  The slick and muddy barbed-wire crawl uphill was especially difficult, as was the slipperiest, slippery wall to date.  There were the standard sets of 6, 7, & 8 foot walls, sandbag carry, Hercules hoist, atlas carry, balance walk over stumps, cargo net climb, and fire jump.  The course was extremely well-marked and there was no guessing of which way to go.  Check-in was smooth.  Volunteers were helpful and well-versed in their duties. Parking was close and plentiful.  Weather was not freezing.  Hallelujah!  Although this was the 2nd Spartan Race at this venue, it was completely different than last year, making it feel like a completely new race.  I look forward to more Sedlak ‘signature’ courses.

Team Mud and AdventureMy wife ran the 10:00 heat with my fellow Cornfed Spartans (who are awesome by the way and notably the largest team at the race) and did really well.  She tackled obstacles with relative ease and finished high in her age group.  My daughter also ran the Spartan Kids’ Race, but I’m going to save that for a second post because it was literally the highlight of my day.  As always, the reunion with old OCR friends and meeting new ones is a special part of these races.  More pics and photos can be found on my Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/onmywaytosparta.

7 comments   |  tags: , , , | posted in Race Review

April 25, 2013

5 things I love about my OCR friends

By Jeff Cain

God bless my OCR friends.  Every single one of them.  Some are uber-competitive.  Some are in it for the challenge.  Some participate just because they have nothing else better to do.  Regardless, they are all just a little bit “off” by contemporary societal standards!  I mean that in a good way and I’m positive that I’m dancing on the fringes of accepted cultural norms.  What do I love about all of them?  Let me count the ways.  I think I’ll count backwards.

5.  They post pictures of themselves doing strange things in odd places.  Burpees in the airport.  Yoga poses on city benches.  Handstands outside of church houses.  Who does that kinda stuff….?  My OCR friends, that’s who!

4.  They post pictures of their healthy meals.  Sure, one of them will occasionally slip in a picture of an Oreo, but for the most part they keep it clean.  The food that is.

3.  They put their bodies through extreme torture and live to tell about it.  The workouts are inspiring, if not a little bit scary.  I’m continually amazed by the new ways that these racers find to push themselves.

2.  They make friends with other OCR racers really easily.  A number of us count our co-racers among our best friends.  Is it a case of “misery loves company”?  No, I think the more appropriate cliché is “birds of a feather….”!

1.  They are giving and encouraging and motivating.  Charitable causes are supported abundantly and immediately.  They love to offer advice and train others.  They live to help the newcomer or the person struggling with health and fitness.  Remarkable people these OCR friends are!

Did you find yourself on this list???

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April 13, 2013

Why I Will Not Create A Spartan Page

By Jeff Cain

I don’t expect people to care what I think, but enough is enough.  If there is anyone who appreciates the power of social media, it’s me, however there comes a point when it is simply too much for one person.  This commentary on social media indicates that my sanity is at stake.  Spartan Race has recently introduced it’s own social media platform termed “Spartan Pages” and is encouraging and challenging athletes to create one.  Those with the most followers get to be part of the ”Dream Team”.   I am not criticizing Spartan Race for doing this.  They are a business and are attempting to generate interest, stickiness, loyalty, and traffic.  I would probably do the same thing if I were in charge.  I also do not fault anyone else for signing up.  There are very good reasons for others to join in and for them, it is the right thing to do.  I am not discouraging anyone else from doing it.  There just isn’t a compelling reason for me.  At least not yet.  If Reebok Spartan Race wanted to sponsor me (which they don’t), then I would gladly do this, but after the fact, not before.

In my professional studies of social media, I am sensing a fatigue on the part of users.  A fatigue that inevitably occurs with extended time processing the massive amounts of media coming to them digitally.  I personally am already tuning out a significant amount of OCR (and personal) information received via social media.  That disturbs me because I LOVE this stuff and find it valuable for a number of reasons.  But, the uniqueness factor has almost disappeared.  When I see repeated or similar information hitting me on blog feeds, FB feeds of athlete pages, Twitter feeds, FB OCR groups, etc… my mind begins to ignore it because it is almost always the same.  I don’t need to follow it elsewhere.  I’ve seen it.  Everyday.  The sameness varies, but rest assured that most of it is one of the following: description of a workout, description of a race, or discussion of the merits/ills of the sport.  Don’t get me wrong, I think the information is interesting and valuable and I contribute to it as much as anyone else.  My mind no longer pays attention to all that information multiple times from multiple sources, so skipping them becomes a heuristic (mental shortcut).  It’s unintentional, but it’s natural.  Outside of a few of my favorites, team pages, and/or close friends, I find myself much more likely to pay attention to the individual or group that posts less frequently.  It is eye-catching.

I personally do not want to add any more than I already do to the digital clutter.  I don’t want to maintain multiple profiles.  I don’t want to sacrifice any more ’real’ time for digital time.  I don’t want to ask others to follow me on yet another media channel.  The audience who already chooses to follow me (for what reason, I have no idea!) on this blog, Facebook, or Twitter is the audience that matters to me.  This might sound grumpy.  I’m not.  This sounds like something from an old person.  I am.  This might sound whiny.  I’m not.  This might sound like exasperation, and I will admit there is some truth to that.  I am currently at my limit for reading and posting to social media.  It may sound like a rant.  It really isn’t.  Read this in the voice of someone who is simply explaining his rationale for not going along with the crowd.  Good luck to everyone participating in these pages because it is a cool idea.  I hope my friends who choose to participate make the Dream Team.  Forgive me if I choose not to join in.  It’s the right decision for me.

P.S.  By the mere fact that I’m writing this makes it seem like a bigger deal than it really is.  Now, it’s back to Facebook, and Twitter, and blog reading, and…………………

6 comments   |  tags: , | posted in Uncategorized

April 1, 2013

Vacation is not a break

By Jeff Cain

Sleep late. Eat out. Read. Lounge on the beach. The list of things that are different on vacation is lengthy Family vacation is crucial for my spiritual and intellectual renewal. It’s a break from routine necessities of life that drain my energies; however, vacation is not a break from training. It is not an excuse to make poor physical and nutritional decisions. Not an excuse!

Vacation is a time to be creative, though. I use vacation to break up my normal routine with something new and completely different. I’m particularly proud of one of my latest vacation training sessions.

Active stretching and foam rolling
1 mile warm-up run offroad to the beach, jumping chain fences & hurdling bike racks along the way
Ten .1 mile interval sprints on the beach. No rest between
Burpees, push-ups, or oblique plank runs at the end of each sprint
1 mile cool-down run back over the bike racks and chains
Short bike ride
Stretching out by the lagoon

Training goes on, but in unique, fun, and energizing ways. #noexcuses

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March 28, 2013

Finish Strong

By Jeff Cain

I don’t like easing out of a training session.  Meaning I like to finish wiped, gasping for breath, shaking, or all of the above.  The reward of the aforementioned agony lingers throughout the day as the endorphins catch on to my little game.  My current regular strength training routine that I’ve been in for the last 5 weeks doesn’t leave me that way.  The workouts are hard and grueling, but the last couple of sets are easier than previous ones, leaving me wanting more.  Because of that, and because of preparations for upcoming sprint-type races, I added a new ’finisher’ to my training.  It’s simple, effective, adjustable, and goes a little something like this:

1 minute of burpees (full chest to the ground, clapping hands up top)
10 second transition
1 minute of jump rope (alternating high knees with straight jumps)
Repeat as many rounds as needed.

I began with 4 rounds, am now at 5 rounds, and will continue to increase 1-2 rounds per week.  When will I top out?  We’ll see.

FINISH STRONG

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March 15, 2013

New Protein Shake Flavor!

By Jeff Cain

I have grown weary of my usual post-workout chocolate protein shakes, so this morning I decided to experiment.  I mixed some unflavored Beachbody Whey Protein Base Mix with some coconut milk.  The flavor was okay, but it needed something else.  I dug around in our cabinet and found some vanilla extract and peppermint extract.  I put a couple of dashes of each in, shook it up, and voila!  I took a quick sip of my newly-invented flavor of protein shake and it tasted familiar.  It took me about 3 more seconds to recognize the taste of Kaopectate!  Fortunately for me, I can tolerate that taste, so I chugged the rest of it.  I probably won’t be making that flavor again though!

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