Basic rope climb setup

My MudGear Challenge - 5 burpees 5 rope climbs for time video prompted some questions about my rope climb setup.

Thankfully, it's pretty simple. Here's what you'll need:

• Two 4 in. x 4 in. x 16 ft. Pressure Treated Timber
• One 4 in. x 4 in. Pressure Treated Timber cut to 54 in.
• Two 1/2 in. x 8 in. Galvanized Hex Lag Screw
  
  Note: I think the screw is a 1/2 in. and was at least 8 in.
   
• Two washers (one for each lag screw)
• Two bags of concrete mix
• Rope (see details below)

Once you have the parts, start digging. I used a post hole digger to dig a hole 2 ft. deep and maybe a foot in diameter for each of the posts. The posts are roughly 46 in. apart, so you could eventually make a salmon ladder out of it also.

To secure the three pieces of timber, drill through the short 4x4 into the center of the top of long 4x4s. You'll screw the Lag Screw through the short 4x4 into the long 4x4. I did the drilling on the ground. Here's what the screw looks like when assembled...

Now that you have the holes dug and the two holes drilled, assemble the frame on the ground. If you have two people, you can probably lift the fully-assembled frame into place. Unfortunately, I was working alone, so I took one screw out and lifted each side of the frame into place individually. Then I climbed a ladder to screw the second screw back in.

Level the frame. I used some extra gravel from my bucket carry gravel to level up the bottom of the holes. And then I added a few supports in each side to keep the frame in place (remove the supports before you start training).

Finally, dump the concrete into the holes and mix while adding water. (This was the first time I mixed concrete on my own...considering the frame is still standing, I think it was a success.)

After the concrete has hardened, throw your rope up there and start training. Here's what it the frame and rope look like:

The Rope

I ordered the rope from Knot & Rope Supply near Toledo, Ohio. The order included 20' of 1.5" Polyester Combo Rope, 3 Strand Eye Splice (which used up a few feet of the rope), and Heat Shrink End.

Questions? Comments?

Feel free to post questions below or contact me on Twitter.

The Video

Finally, here's the video...I need to work on my time...

OCR Strength and Conditioning Group Training at Ignition APG

Ignition APG in Mason, Ohio (just north of Cincinnati, Ohio) is starting an OCR Strength and Conditioning Group Training class on Tuesday, December 16. The class is offered three days a week.

First session is free.

More information below...

EFS Liquid Shot...yep, I recommend it!

Another First Endurance product review for you...

Introducing EFS Liquid Shot. Many of you runners have probably tried a "goo, chew, or block" while running. I have and let's just say those runs don't end well. Thankfully, EFS LS is different because it's not a gel and doesn't mess with my stomach.

EFS Liquid Shot comes in a refillable flask that’s easy to carry. A full flask contains 400 calories, amino acids, and electrolytes. One flask was even enough to get me through Spartan Race’s Vermont Beast this year.

Anyways, if you've got some long training runs coming up, consider EFS Liquid Shot. You may end up feeling like you can run a lot farther than planned. That's usually how my training runs ended. Enjoy!

http://firstendurance.com/nutrition/efs-liquid-shot.html

BODYPUMP for OCR Training

Les Mills recently asked me about my BODYPUMP training for obstacle course racing (OCR), and they've posted the first article (in what I hope becomes a series of articles):

"After four plus hours, 16 plus miles, 8000 plus feet of elevation gain and 25 plus obstacles, Chris Schapman jumped the fire and crossed the finish line of the 2014 Spartan Race World Championship race in Killington, Vermont on September 21, 2014. At any given point in the race, he was either running, crawling, rolling, slipping, swimming, climbing, hiking, jumping or falling or doing one of 95 burpees. 

In the end..."

Read the full article here: http://fitterplanet.co/2014/10/03/bodypump-for-ocr-training/

Chicago Spartan Super...I like burpees obviously

What happens when you fail the spear throw...the traverse wall...and a new balance obstacle? You end up doing 90 burpees and trying to chase people down. Ugly race on my part. ("U G L Y you ain't got no alibi, you're just ug, ugly ugly")

Tip: Spartan has started tethering the spears, so racers can pull a thrown spear back. Don't step on the rope/tether when you throw the spear. It won't go as far. Lesson learned. (I actually thought the rope was short, so I threw it again...nope, plenty long. I'm an idiot.)

I ended up 5th, but I had climbed back to 3rd after missing the spear. I was with Brakken, his brother (who didn't finish for some reason), and one other dude at the spear throw. Brakken was in the lane next to me. Like bowling, I should have let him roll (err: throw) and then taken my shot.

And of course the traverse wall was the first obstacle my family got to watch me complete after running the first five miles. And I fail about half way. I'm not sure what happened, but I had to make a reach that I shouldn't have tried. I'm going to cross that wall again tomorrow. Things will be different.

The balance obstacle (see picture) can be done. The dude in front of me did it. I didn't. Things will be different tomorrow here also (but that's because the Sprint doesn't have this obstacle...ha!).

Beautiful day. Sara, my kids, and my parents were there. My kids killed the Jr. Spartan course. And one of them lost a shoe in the rolling mud and still finished the race! (The volunteer later helped find the shoe and my son gave her a big, muddy hug.)

Mud, Guts, and Glory ROUND FOUR!

Mud, Guts, and Glory #4 is this Saturday. And it looks like this will be the biggest event to date. I'm excited for them and glad to see the event has continued to grow each round.

Even though this is a "fixed" location, the race is never the same. And it looks like MGG is busy putting some final touches on the course (thanks to my buddy, Mark Doney, for the pics)...

Cleaning up the UOUOU and tubes. Likely relining the pit (they had to bring in five tankers of water during the first race)...

Cleaning up the pit below the monkey bars...

What the...? I'm not sure what this is, but I'll find out on Saturday. Maybe this is part of the "cinder" obstacle that OCR Championships mentioned.

Bottom line: This will be a great day of racing and all-around fun. My brothers are racing in the elite heat with me. And my wife is in the challenger wave (I need to catch up with her after I finish my race).

DC Spartan Sprint Race Summary

Wow, what a race the Washington DC Sprint was on Saturday, July 26. I spent most of the race running scared, because I was in third place after the OUOUO (Over, Under, Over, Under, Over...there might have been a "Through" in there also) obstacle near the start.

Third place in a Spartan Race?!? A goal for this year is to make a podium, but I set that at the beginning of the year when I was naive and didn't realize the amazing athletes and competitors that run these Spartan Races.

That said, I came in fourth.

My grandma told me to start on the front row, so I did (see below...I'm on the left). I usually start two or three rows back, so I don't go out too hard. But I noticed I would be well behind the leaders just a short distance into the race. Starting in the front row did make me go out harder. And there's no way I could have held that pace for a Super or Beast.

The race was going fine (relatively speaking). The only major delay was the barbed wire, because I went to climb over the A frame cargo thing instead of running under it and through more barbed wire. After the second set of barbed wire, you circle back and then go over the A frame. And my legs weren't working on the rope climb for some reason.

Moving along, I had a decent lead on Kevin Donoghue when I reached the Traverse Wall--which I slipped off of. Ugh...how did this happen?!? I think I mentally failed the obstacle before I started, because I noticed one of the foot holds was chipped (lesson learned: pick a different wall). A couple steps in and my foot slipped. So I went over to do my burpees and found McCauley Kraker doing burpees also. He finished and took off. Kevin made it across the wall and then made the spear throw, which--thankfully--I made also. McCauley finished about 30 seconds in front of Kevin, and I was 30 seconds behind Kevin.

David Magida won, which I thought was great since it was his "home" course and he had his Elevate clients there running their first race. Congrats to David and his Elevate clients.

Kevin ran a great race, and he was great to talk with after the race. He even got to bring his dog onto the podium. No complaints here about a fourth place finish.

My placing fourth is the beauty of obstacle racing. Had this been just a trail run, I likely would have finished third and McCauley would have been a good minute ahead. Had I not fallen off the wall, I would have passed McCauley and been in second. These races truly are not over until you reach the finish. Maybe that's another reason Spartan Race has the trademark "You'll know at the finish."

Pennsylvania Spartan Sprint Summary

Thankfully, I ran a clean race. Yep, no burpees. The spear throw stuck right in the middle. The rope climb was quick. And the bucket carry felt "light" compared to the bucket I used for training (different rocks, I guess). Finished 6th in Saturday's Elite Heat filmed by NBC.

As usual, I start a few rows back. One, I don't feel like I belong on the front line. And, two, I can go out at a slightly easier pace and work my way up. However, after the first mile, most people up front were spread out, and I found myself alone most of the time. At that point, I was comfortably in 8th.

To my surprise, I caught up with David Magida on one of the climbs/hikes and was able to keep a very short lead. He sprinted by me on the sandbag carry going downhill, and I took the lead again on the way back up. Brutal sandbag carry area. David just ran the Death Race a couple of weeks ago, so I'm sure he'll put me in my place at the next race.

I held 7th place until the bucket carry, which is where I caught up with Glenn Racz and was relatively close to Junyong Pak. Both had to do burpees on the log hop, which was the only reason I caught up to them. And I almost lost it on the log hop.

Pak easily stayed in front of me thanks to his speed and endurance and finished almost two minutes ahead of me. Glenn was a close 7th and only about 10 seconds behind me.

Injury? Something popped/tore in my right shoulder when I started the monkey net / cargo bars obstacle just before the finish. Will have to baby it for awhile.

Shoes blowout? Yes. They're shot. But Reebok is going to refund me for them, since this was only the third race, and they're designed to hold up to these races.

Next up? DC on July 26.

Ready to race...PA Sprint this Saturday

Saturday is my first race since May's Mud, Guts, and Glory race. I'll be at the Pennsylvania Spartan Sprint at Blue Mountain Ski Area in Palmerton, PA.

The Athlete Guide says the course will be 4.9 miles with 2000 ft of elevation gain. It is a ski area after all. Mud, Guts, and Glory was 5.3ish miles with 1200 ft of elevation gain.

Since I've not been racing, I've had a chance to get some quality workouts in...hope they pay off:

• 20.2 mile long run on trails
• 18.2 mile long run on trails
• 9.75 mile long run with 20 lb vest
• 12 x 400 workout
• 3 x mile of a hill
• 5 x 1000 workout
• 43 mile ride
• 56 mile ride

And a number of "Hunter" workouts (8x100, 6x200, 4x400). I think my speed is improving, which is cool for someone that's always been not speedy.

And--maybe more importantly--I've added obstacle training to my workouts, which includes:

• Spear throwing
• Bucket carrying
• 60 lb sandbag carrying
• Rope climbing

I feel more confident about the spear throwing, but you still only get one chance. 

The rope climb should be cake this time and allow me to not lose any spots.

Support LOVE146 and train at Mud, Guts, and Glory on June 28

Come support LOVE146 and get some OCR training in Saturday, June 28 at Mud, Guts, and Glory.

LOVE146 is working to end child trafficking and exploitation. Obstacle racer and personal trainer, Patrick Harner of NRG Fitness, is organizing the training session and asking that participants donate to LOVE146. Patrick will hand out the donation links for his team's fundraising page during the training, so no need to feel like you need to donate now.

Training starts at 9:00 a.m. Patrick will discuss how we can help LOVE146 overcome child trafficking. And I've been recruited to demonstrate how we can overcome MGG obstacles.

Get registered here for training: http://mudgutsandglory.com/#theTraining

The training session fee is $10 if registered for Mud, Guts, and Glory's race on August 16 or $30 if not registered.

- Chris

P.S. Why 146?

Mud, Guts, and Glory Race Recap

Well, it wasn't Hunter McIntyre. It was David Magida.

Another amazing Mud, Guts, and Glory event with 500+ participants. Being a spectator was free again, and the "Glory Village" offered spectators and participants plenty to do.

I didn't hit my sub-59 and went about 2 minutes slower than last time due to the following reasons:

1. Failed to hit Goliath in the head with a paintball using a slingshot (later learned I could have hit any part of his beard and face..doh!).
2. The "carry five pieces of firewood" obstacle was replaced with a "carry two 5 gallon buckets filled with something" obstacle along the same path, but the path was twice as long.
3. The Start was pushed back about 100 meters, which was a good thing.

While I'm thinking about it, rumor has it the OCR World Championship version of the course will include 3 more miles on top of this already challenging ~5.3 mile course.

Jeff Bent and another guy took the pace out quickly, but I hung back with Pak and Magida. Magida probably thought I was just following him, so I ran along side and then pushed ahead a bit at the top of the first hill. Within the first mile, I found myself in first, which I held until we reached the mud crawl before the monkey bars. It's probably a good idea to reach the monkey bars in the top 5, so you can be first in line for one of the rows of bars.

Someone remembered to connect the battery to the wires above the mud crawl, because they got me this year. It took a few shocks to slow my roll down, and then finally crawl out. At that point, the mud was thick. This nice coat of mud made the monkey bars even more challenging, but I was able to get most of the mud off of my hands and cross without any issues. Pak took over the lead at this point, and I think Magida and I reached the other side of the monkey bars at the same time. We went through the gauntlet together and traded 2nd and 3rd through the second stage.

Things went downhill when we reached Goliath at the top of stage 3. But I must say, I knocked out my 30 burpees with ease. However, Pak and Magida were gone at that point and 4th, 5th, and 6th arrived. 4th and 5th hit Goliath, so we left together for the log carry. At that point, I was 6th. We hit the traverse, which uses old light poles (they can be harder to wrap your legs around). When my feet hit the ground (successfully making it across), I was off like a mad man (looking back, I'm not sure what was going through my head since I was running down hills you probably shouldn't run down). From the traverse, you head down a hill to the creek again and make your way to the rope climb. Up the rope I went (glad they put 1.5" ropes on) and then started trekking up the first of three major climbs. (The second time I ran the course on Saturday--yes, I ran it twice--I didn't use the rope on this first climb and it almost felt easier or at least faster.)

I held 3rd from that point to the finish. Scaled the walls. Weaved through the Weaver. Repelled down the cliff. Climbed back up the cliff. And slide down the water slide. Boom. 3rd place. 1:01:55.

Pak was 1st in 56:28. Magida 2nd in 59:08.

In other news, Jeff Cain of OnMyWayToSparta.com invited me to be on his team a couple days before the race. I'm completely humbled by this invite and was honored to be on the team. The team was stacked (usually "Schapman" and "stacked team" don't go in the same sentence) with Magida, Boone, Banawa, Kauder, and I. We won the fastest team award.

The next Mud, Guts, and Glory race is Saturday, August 16. Sign up early. And run lots of hills before then.

- Chris

Mud, Guts, and Glory...round 3 this Saturday

Mud, Guts, and Glory's third race is this Saturday (May 24). Rumor has it that they've recruited Hunter, and I think Magida is signed up. And Pak will be back. So...my chances of a repeat 2nd place finish are slim to none. But I'm excited they're able to attract this level of OCR talent to Cincinnati. It's great for the sport, so who cares if I don't come in second to Pak...for a third time.

http://mudgutsandglory.com

The course should be about the same, but I'm expecting at least a few changes. I've not run the full course since the last race, so who knows what surprises are out there. They were planning to make it longer. The goal is to get it up to 7-8 miles for the OCR Championships, but it's been in the 5-6 range.

My plan is to go out with the lead pack and hang with them as long as possible. If I can nail Goliath in the head with a paintball, then I should avoid any penalties.

My goal is to run sub-59, which would be an improvement on my 59:45 from last time. After I finish, I plan to run it again with my wife and brothers. Nice cool down.

We'll see how it goes.

Rupee For Humanity 10K...great course, great cause

Ran the Rupee For Humanity (RFH) 10K this morning in Cubbon Park (Bangalore, India) with about 550 other people! In addition to the 10K, they also has a 3K and 5K distances start at the same time.

The 5K winner and I had the lead after about the first mile, and we helped each other navigate the course until he turned to finish the 5K. I completed another lap for the 10K. My GPS watch said the distance was closer to 5.95 miles instead of 6.2. My time was 38:20 (6:34, 6:15, 6:22, 6:28, 6:31, 6:09). I feel good about that time given the altitude (3000+ feet) and having this race cap off a 46+ mile week (last week was only 31.5 miles).

The course started at an engineering college across the street from the park. The street was probably a good 100 meters across. No police to stop traffic, so...the volunteers just walked out and stopped traffic.

The course wound through the park nicely. Most of it was on the roads within the park, but part of the course was on a cement path through the trees. Thankfully I had studied the map, because the course wasn't marked clearly and some volunteers had not reached certain turns to help direct runners. The race director was eager to hear my feedback, so better markings was one suggestion along with marking each 1000.

Karan Rayadurg and I hung out after the race. He came in third and is training for next month's TCS World 10K. (Carl Lewis is going to be there.) People were disappointed when I told them I was not going to be in town for that race.

I enjoyed how people asked to have their pictures taken with me. And I hope to see some more pics taken from photographers on the course. Here's one I finally had someone take with my phone:

India treats its runners well. They had good snacks, finisher certificates (all individually signed by the president of RFH), gifts for the sponsors, and awards for the top 3 male and female runners in each of the distances.

Bottom line: I'm looking forward to running another race in India.

Rupee For Humanity 10K course in Cubbon Park

Just received the course map for Sunday's Rupee For Humanity 10K in Cubbon Park. I like that it stays within the park, but it's basically two loops with a couple out and backs.

This should be a fast, flat course (minus the 3000 ft. of elevation that I'm not used to).

First 10K (outside the U.S.) this Sunday

Sunday morning (which will still be Saturday night for those of you in the states), I am running my first 10K outside the U.S. The race is at Cubbon Park, which is in the heart of downtown Bangalore, India.

The race is sponsored by Rupee For Humanity. They work to provide education for children and food and medical supplies to the poor and needy. This weekend's race is dedicated to supporting literacy needs.

I plan to map the route using MapMyRun and also track it with my GPS watch. My plan is to be conservative and shoot for a sub-43:30, which is roughly 7 min/mile pace. But if someone is there to push the pace, then I'll gladly follow.

Expect an update following the race.

Added Week 2 to the training plan

Added Week 2 to my India training plan. Pretty much the same, but I'm going to skip the elliptical and the bike and just run an easy 3200 on Tuesday and Thursday instead. Also, I plan to increase from 3200/4000 to 5000 for my Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning runs.

http://schapness.blogspot.in/p/training-in-india.html

810 ft of elevation vs. 3,020 ft...does it make a difference?

Maybe it's the miles to kilometers conversion or the jet lag, but my pace has been slower here in Bangalore, India. It's likely the altitude...but how much should an extra 2,200 feet make?

Mason, Ohio (just north of Cincinnati) sits at 810 feet above sea level. Bangalore? 3,020 ft.

Joe Friel's article on Altitude and Aerobic Performance includes the following chart showing results of two studies and how aerobic power decreases at different altitudes:

So at roughly 1000 feet above sea level in Mason, my aerobic capacity is basically 100% since I'm acclimated to that elevation.

In Bangalore, I'm not acclimated (shoot, I barely know what time of day it is!), so at best the chart says I'm at 95% capacity.

If I do my math correctly, a 7:00 mile in Mason immediately becomes a 7:20 mile in Bangalore given the same effort.

Let's test it out. On Sunday, April 27, I'm running a 10K (first race outside the U.S.). I don't see many people running in this area, so I'm curious to see if I can hang with the fast runners. A few recent tempo runs have been around 6:45 pace, so I guess my time should be around 7:04 pace (assuming I give the same effort as my tempo runs).

However, how acclimated will I be after three weeks? Will it be enough to move me to the "acclimated" column? In which case, my pace should be closer to 6:56.

We'll see how it goes.

"Training in India" page added...

Work took me to India, so my usual routine is going to be way off. No spinning bike available. I do have access to a recumbent bike, but it didn't feel right. Oh well, my routine could use a change, and this trip gives me a chance to try out the Insanity DVDs my wife gave me for my birthday.

Below is a link to my plan for the first week...keep me honest. But we'll see how the hours go at the office. It gets dark in India about 6:00 p.m., so running outside is not really an option (have you seen the traffic?!?).

http://schapness.blogspot.in/p/training-in-india.html

Heart Rate Training page added

So I have a quick reference, I added a Heart Rate Training page that has my target heart rate training numbers for running, cycling, and rowing.

The formula, Miller et al, I think is accurate. Check out the page for details on the formula.

Post-race review of Reebok All Terrain Sprint

Bottom line: The Reebok All Terrain Sprint shoes performed at Saturday's Charlotte Spartan Sprint. I didn't.

That said, I ended up 8th in the elite heat after failing the traverse wall and the spear throw, so that resulted in probably 4 minutes of burpees. Oh well, that's all part of the fun and uncertainty when it comes to obstacle racing.

Back to the shoes...

The terrain around the festival area was a muddy mess. Things weren't nearly as slick as they looked later in the day, but the mud never clumped on the shoes to the point I could feel any extra weight. Other parts of the course were smooth, gravel roads. And other parts were paths through the uncharted woods or pastures of tall grass.

• The shoes gripped well. There was only one slip where the shoe slid back a few inches before catching.
   
• The shoes drained well. I specifically ran through (instead of jumping over) a shallow creek to see if the shoes would hold much water. They didn't. And I kept on going without missing a step.
   
• The shoes are light. Because of the light weight, I never felt like they were holding me back, and I was able to make up ground after failing those obstacles.
   
• The shoes have short laces. Because of the Salomon QUICKLACE™ system, I had concerns about going back to regular laces. And the laces on the Sprints are short. They were just long enough to double-knot them. They did not come untied, so I'm over that concern.

Finally, I didn't notice any damage to the shoes after cleaning them off in the shower. (Yes, I usually jump in the shower after a race with my race shorts and shoes on still.)

Looking forward to racing in them again.

Pre-race review of Reebok All Terrain Sprint

The Georgia Spartan Sprint killed my Fellcross shoes about a mile into the race. (Thankfully, the Fellcross design allowed the shoes to stay on my feet still!)

The shoes had 100+ miles on them mainly from snowy trail races, Spartan races (including two Spartan Beasts), and two races at Mud, Guts, and Glory (home of the 2014 OCR World Championships)...

I replaced them with the Reebok All Terrain Sprint shoes when I found a pre-order, 30% off discount code. I was planning to get a pair of Inov-8 X-Talon 190 shoes, but I couldn't pass up the deal and there was all the hype about Reebok's OCR-specific shoes.

While I'll probably get the X-Talon eventually, the All Terrain Sprints cost less (even before the discount code) and weighed less (by about an ounce).

Concerns:

• Traction? The hills at Mud, Guts, and Glory require serious traction like the Fellcross shoes provided.

Well, I guess that was my only major concern while looking at the shoes online. The lugs are tough, so I doubt there will be any slippage issues.

We'll see how they work on Saturday at the Charlotte Spartan Sprint.

Post-race update to follow...

Reference: Reebok All Terrain Sprint

My "secret" to recovery: Ultragen by First Endurance

[Originally posted to Facebook on January 11, 2014]

Some of you have called me "crazy" (like my buddy Tim) or sent me Facebook messages asking about my OCR training, so I thought I'd share my "secret" in case you want to try something new in 2014. In addition to getting enough sleep and (mostly) eating right, I've been drinking Ultragen by First Endurance after my morning workouts (which last about 2 hours).

I'd been looking for a post-workout/recovery drink...water wasn't cutting it and figured Gatorade wasn't enough. That's when I found Ultragen. The research and science on their site sold me over other products.

I'd say it's working. My times are close to what they were in college (even after taking most of my 20's off). And I'm "crazy" enough to work out in the morning, get another workout in later in the day, and still be ready to go the next morning—at 4:30 a.m.

Anyways, check out Ultragen if you're looking for a post-workout/recovery drink. Message me with questions.

http://firstendurance.com/nutrition/ultragen.html

140 characters isn't enough sometimes

Sometimes you need more than 140 characters, so this blog is where I plan to elaborate on my OCR activities when a simple tweet won't cut it.

Also, you'll find my race schedule (subject to change) and other plans.

You can follow me on Twitter at https://twitter.com/schapness (@schapness).

Thanks for your interest and support.

- Chris