I have 8 weeks of training plans to post, but thought I i will start by doing it week by week, I will also post my nutrition plan during this period.  I do want to stress that I am an F45 addict and during this training, I will be continuing to what I love doing.  Training at my local F45 club, this for me is something I know will be really sustainable and I know that with everything my biggest failure is my food.  However I am intrigued about how this will work but a little concerned that I will be mixing up my F45 (normal workout) with what I have been prescribed by WHF Fitness Genes.  I guess the results will speak for themselves in 8 weeks time I hope ;)

Please also note that as I am an F45er, I am not a member of any other gym, we do have a small gym set up at home so will have to adapt some of the machine type exercises to suit what I can do at home,

How can I train, what's my recovery, how does my blood flow, these are just some of the results WHF Fitness Genes results provided me.

Your genetic profile affecting blood flow is pretty good, but you could improve it further by adopting some of these recommendations. 

​RECOMMENDATIONS:

• Exercise is the most powerful enhancer of vasodilatory capacity and blood flow, so make sure you are doing regular partaking in some physical activity.
• Foods and drinks such as berries, dark chocolate, apples, teas, spinach and beetroot contain ingredients which are beneficial for improving blood flow. These should be incorporated into your diet.
• Don’t consume excessive sodium. Aim for the recommended daily intake of between 4-6 grams of salt per day.
• Take a high-strength, mercury-free fish oil supplement containing at least 250 mg EPA and 150 mg DHA. Reduce intake accordingly if you consume fatty fish regularly (at least 2 times a week).
• Eating healthy fats improves blood flow. Sources such as flaxseed, walnut and soybean oils have to best ratio of omega-3:omega-6.

You have an above-average susceptibility to oxidative damage. The following strategies can be adopted to reduce oxidation. 

​RECOMMENDATIONS:

• Partake in regular moderate or intense exercise as this increases the body’s natural antioxidantcapacity over time. Do not take antioxidantsupplements (e.g. Vitamin C and E) during training as these can inhibit the increase in your natural antioxidant capacity.
• Ensure regular intake of the most effective antioxidant nutrients like bright-coloured fruit and vegetables, greens, berries, dark chocolate, green tea, coffee, selenium (50 micrograms per day), zinc (at least 10 mg per day) and whey protein (1-3 portions per day).
• Most fat intake beyond that obtained through animal/fish sources should consist of sources such as avocado, fish oil, flaxseed oil, canola oil, walnut oil and coconut oil.
• Avoid large portions of high GL foods.

The website does contain some details on what is protein, what are essential amino acids etc however for my reference these are the results based on my genes.

This is where is gets a little more complex, you would think we all should have a great understanding of food, after all we all do it everyday but the difference being is the types of food we eat.  What, when and how we eat depending on our genes, plus the exercise that we participate in, getting the right balance can be darned right hard, and unless you're an athlete or nutritionist it can be slightly overwhelming.

Interesting my results state that I have a habit of over eating (maybe a little accurate :-})

Since I have got a full diet plan, I am cheating a little bit (I will be working with my F45 nutrition plan and using this as a basis, and then trying to work out my macros using my fitness pal, to keep to the recommendations for my breakfast, meals and snacks.  My fitness pal will also help me try and keep within my macronutrient breakdown.

Again, please note that these results are based on me, my age, height, weight, body type etc.. 

MEALS AND SNACKS
Your daily snacks and meals sizes are broken up by calorie intake. You have the freedom of how your daily macronutrient breakdown is spread between your meals and snacks. Stick to the recommended meal and snack sizes for optimal results.

BREAKFAST: 500 kcal

PROTEIN 125 kcal (30 grams)To help control your appetite you should consume a relatively large breakfast containing at least 120 kcal (30 grams) of protein. Eating fat at breakfast can further help control your appetite by slowing digestion.
​
MEAL: 384 kcal | 400 kcal |384 kcal

SNACK: 292 kcal

Your insulin efficiency is average and as long as you are getting the majority of carbohydrates from healthy sources then you do not need to overly worry about the amount of carbohydrates you are consuming. 

Healthy sources of carbohydrates include whole grain bread, whole grain pasta, brown rice, and whole grain cereal. However, probably the best source of carbohydrates is from both raw and cooked vegetables and fruits. One simple tip when it comes to fruits and vegetables is to try and eat a variety of different colors throughout the week as they also contain other healthy nutrients apart from just carbohydrates. 

If legumes (beans, lentils, peas and peanuts) don’t make up a significant part of your current diet, consider adding or increasing them as these are a great source of carbohydrates and also a great source of protein (especially for vegans, vegetarians and those of you who don't enjoy eating meat, fish or protein supplements).

Hi I mentioned in my previous post that I was lucky enough to have been selected for WHF Fitness Genes participant.  TBH I didnt realise it was a challenge, but I need to take it by the horns and run with it, but I want to share this journey with you.  You may or may not be interested, but JIC you have thought of buying this type of programme or doing something similar, this blog will give you a little insight into what its all about.  But remember this is catered for me, the results may vary from person to person, we all have different habits and our bodies work differently.  

They gave a couple based on your overall frequency level from beginner to advanced.

You should aim to hit all muscle groups three times a week leaving a recovery period of 48 hours before working the same muscle group again. This is fairly frequent and allows the neuromuscular system of beginners to adapt to resistance training rapidly.
An example would be to do three full-body workouts per week on every second or third day. In your training schedule you can also opt to use rest days for cardio sessions to improve your cardiovascular health and boost fat loss. Try not to exceed the recommended amount of resistance training as this may be too taxing and will have a negative impact on your recovery.

Earlier this year, I entered a competition with Women's Health and Fitness magazine.  I didn't really think much about it and just thought I would give it a go.  Some time went past, and I had forgotten that I entered, and then I received an email to confirm that I was one of 25 women chosen to participate, I didnt really know that much about it, and didnt even realise its part of a challenge.

I have always been a little bit fascinated by these types of results, and wondered if my genes do affect my ability to add muscle, lose weight, gain weight etc, but would never of thought about actually having it done, so I have found myself in a really good situation in which WHF have given me the opportunity to have it done.

I received a package in the post, in which I opened up excitedly, I had to spit in a little tube and send it back to WHF, whom then sent it off to be tested.  I have been waiting patiently for the results.  Now that I have them, I am trying to decipher them.  Some things on there make a lot of sense, either that or I am trying to find ways of making it relate to me.  According to my results I have a tendency to store body fat easily (I am sure some of my family members could relate to this), I also have a gene that exhibits more loss of control when eating (may explain the binge eating and why I am always hungry).  I also have a gene for endurance exercises which is quite fascinating considering the sports I love to do.  

Below I have listed my results, mainly for me to refer back to but also for those that maybe interested in having it done.  Be warned there is a lot of info ;)

My health fitness the last few years has put on the ultimate rollercoaster ride, through injuries, depression, highs and lows, I have reached some ultimate goals and then come back to self sabotage (not really caring and eating what I want).   Early this year, I was 120% committed and then I let it go again, lost 10kg, put on 10kg, built up muscle mass, lost muscle mass, built up my endurance and then let my endurance get the the better of me?

See where I am going with this?  It really is a rollercoaster journey and one that I am continuing to learn about. I am now on another journey, and one that I hope I can stay on the right path.  I know I am not the only one that struggles with this, it really is hard work and commitment, and can fill you with so many good points as well as bad.  

However. I was lucky enough to have been selected to be part of Women's Health and Fitness, Fitness Genes group.  Where they test my DNA and identify what genes affect my overall health and fitness.

I am not going to lie, I have always been totally fascinated by this and really excited to be part of it.  

I received my pack, in which I had to spit into a tube and then I sent to WHF, whom them sent them off to be tested.  I have received my results which I can totally relate to (I seem to have a tendency to over eat, hhmmm who would've guessed).  At the moment it's all very scientific and a little confusing so still trying to get my head around it all. 

Based on my genetic makeup they will customise a nutrition and workout plan to help me reach my goals. starting on 28th August, this give me 5 weeks to get focused and Spartan ready for the Trifecta weekend in Bright.

Let us see where this rollercoaster journey will take me.

​F45 Journey 
The start of 2016 wasn’t exactly the best for me, I wasn’t working and finding trouble trying to get a job.  Mortgage payments and general life got in the way, and then to add onto my miserable life, I got injured and that really was the end for me.  I went into my own little shell and hid from the world, allowing my health and fitness to waiver and with that the kilograms just stacked on. 

I am not sure if it’s real or not, but I am sure it could be that the fact that not exercising did impact me not just physically but emotionally too.  I felt like I had some sort of fitness depression.  As I wasn’t doing my usual routine, I wasn’t getting the usual exercise endorphins that I used to get.  

I started to eat badly to compensate and generally becoming extremely sad.  I couldn’t look in the mirror without seeing fat, I wasn’t proud of the person I was becoming, but I was stuck and if I didn't get myself out of it, I could quite easily keep stacking on the kilograms.  My sadness didn’t just affect me, but literally everyone around me and everything that I did.  I was not surprised I was not getting the jobs I was applying for, I was not the usually get up and go person I once was.  I had no energy, no enthusiasm, I wasn’t really living but motoring through the motions. 

I had been a member of Fernwood, and because of moving house I changed to a more specialised gym based in Caulfield.  As I wasn’t working, I could no longer afford the membership fee that came with the gym, so I cancelled my membership.  I now had no routine or schedule to keep me going or motivated, I had every good thought about doing stuff myself but with my injury I quickly became accustomed to making some type of excuse. 
It really was a struggle, searching for a full time, permanent role.  I was doing some consultancy but nothing that guaranteed a regular income. 

F45 Highett announced its opening in June, something new that was definitely creating a lot of hype and having one just around the corner is exactly what I needed.  Unfortunately it came down to cost again, how do I justify something when I had no permanent income. 

Out of curiosity I signed up for a two week trial and found that I absolutely loved it.  It was almost like love at first class.  I loved being able to move, the routine, the schedule and variety of classes. 

At this point the cost didn’t matter, my health was more important and I needed something to keep me motivated.  I joined in July, which writing this now, is one of the best decisions I made during 2016.  I found I slowly started to regain my fitness to the level I was used to.  In the 6 months of being a member I have found my fitness is at a level I can sustain at endurance events.   

My strength improved to a level I never would have thought achievable.  I feel so much stronger that I have done for years (since before the injuries).  The trainers are pushing me to continually better myself, correct technique and make me a better athlete. 

Since being there I can confidently do push ups on my toes either engaging my back or triceps (attempted and succeed at doing a push up clap, which was slightly nerving).  I have conquered both a pull up (never have been able to do before) and chin up.  My rowing I am averaging 1:50 when before I used to struggle to get it under 2:00. 

I can honestly say after all the gyms I have been a member of including the specialised gym, the events I have participated in, including representing Australia at the OCR world champs.  What F45 Highett has done for me, has been amazing.  I don’t think I would have been able to complete a 43km obstacle with 5000m elevation without the training I had done at F45.  The recovery was fast and at no point did I feel like I couldn’t complete the course. 

My fitness confidence is slowly returning, with each session trying to push myself to a new level.  
I would recommend F45 to anyone that wants to develop their overall fitness, get toned up, lose weight, be in a group environment with similar mindsets.  If you want to go and train and not think about what you need to do to get the most effective workout, or if your like me, is to have a routine that I cannot break.  Then you must give it a go, you will find yourself stronger, healthier and happier for it. 

Of course, there are still elements that I still struggle with, mainly being food.  I need to be more accountable for what I eat and when I eat I understand and know the differences between good and bad foods, but I can still eat too much and to much of the bad foods.  My biggest weakness is Nutella and ice cream (not together).  I can binge on fruit.  Any cheat meal is more like a binge day where I seem to consume everything that I can.  I have gotten myself into some really bad eating habits and tried to compensate this with exercise.  Exercise and diet really go hand in hand, and limiting your treats may make you binge (like me), as with life their needs to be balance and I am hoping the F45 challenge will help me do this.  Giving me the focus I need to eat properly, being prepared and organised, stop trying to find quick fix solutions.  Designating some time to this, the same way I designate my time to exercise, the moment I start feeling hungry is the moment I start binging, from fruit, to toast to almonds (it doesn’t always have to be chocolate). 
​
Its funny to think how insecure I really am, I hate my body, my weight, I’m too fat, too short, I see all the negatives when I look in the mirror.  I continue to try to love myself and my body, and I am slowly learning to do this, it has been a very long battle, when you continue to have your own self doubt, compare yourself to others or you never quite feel good enough.  Which is surprising when you are selected for the Australian Team in Obstacle Racing, but even then you don’t feel like you deserve it or are capable, you will let the team down.  I know I will never be an elite / elite but I know that I will give it everything I have.  My own mind is something I will continue to work on and develop, the guilt from the binge eating doesn’t help but once I know that I can do something I can set my mind to, I can achieve what I want to achieve and I know I couldn’t do anything more, is something I am really looking forward to achieving at the end of this challenge

Spartan Bright Trifecta Weekend 
OMG – considering my earlier race events throughout the year, this had to be one of my all time highlights (excluding OCR worlds).  I had the most amazing, incredible, sensational weekend that a race could offer.  Even though the Saturday morning did start off with having no sleep and scraping in a few quick power naps as I nodded off on the way from Melbourne to Bright on Friday night whilst Dave tried to avoid any possibility of kangaroos or any other Aussie wildlife trying to commit suicide during the night. 
The night before 
I was actually thankful that I decided to take my usual 5.15am morning workout off in preparation for the weekend.  Unfortunately there wasn’t much I could do in the way of changing times of R&B Fridays Live concert that was happening the night before.  Any other sensible person would have opted not to go, especially with a full on weekend happening, but this was an opportunity to relive my early years especially with TLC, Montell Jordan and Nelly all playing live.  I was half expecting to come out by about 10.30pm so at least we could get a few hours sleep before the race, but no this had to be one of the longest concerts ever.  Being more like a festival then a concert, having to pick up the tickets from Hisense area at 5pm, this meant that I had to literally rush home from work, get changed and get to Hisense from Highett in a record amount of time.  Surprisingly we did, but I was thankful everything was packed and ready to go in the van, so we didn’t have to worry about it after the concert.  During the night and whilst we were waiting at the start on the concert we then thought about accommodation for Saturday night.  Initially we were just going to stay in the van (which was still the plan), but the problem was the fact we would end up stinking especially after doing the Super and Sprint, so thought we would go for a campsite instead.  The $40 we had to pay for the night was well worth it just to have access to some showers.  
The concert ran late – bloody typical (what concert ever runs late??), instead of finishing at a normal, reasonable hour of 10.30pm it finished at 11.45pm!!! This really was going to be a very long night, especially as I was off my seat dancing for probably 95% of the time.  We got home, fed the cat enough to last until Sunday and started to make our way to Bright eventually leaving home at about 12.51am!!!  Getting out of Melbourne is always the hard part and once you get onto Sydney Road, we are all good to go.  Stopping off at a service station first (no harm in filling up) even with half a tank.  To say I was a little nervous about the weekend was an understatement, I hadn’t ran really since the worlds, so to put in over 60kms was going to be challenging.  The ongoing doubts about doing an Ultra Beast were seriously creeping in, and there were a few times I actually thought about changing from the Ultra to the Beast.  At about 4am we stopped at another service station, I couldn’t quite face a service station coffee and opted for a hot chocolate instead (after all it was the middle of the night), this turned out to be an unwise choice, the service guy thought I might like some extra chocolate sauce in the hot chocolate, which initially was quite delicious but ended up becoming extremely sickly.  To the point, where I actually thought I would need to pull over and throw it all up.  I literally had visions of winding down the windows and this brown (chocolately stuff) would be spewed all down the side of Dave’s van.  Hhhmm nice 
Morning 
We eventually arrived at 6am, the car park was already filling, so we knew we didn’t have long to get our race packs and say our hellos, try and get some food and hydrate a little.  At this point I think I was just a walking zombie, probably not really coherent either.  
Things are never as easy as what they seem, with a couple of issues with our registration packs which quickly got sorted out.  It was time to start the Super, not really enough time to get any sleep, food or hydrate, but I guess I will live with the consequences. 
Again, this year hasn’t been the best year for races for me, so I was happy to enjoy the day and say hello to everyone and when I say everyone I mean everyone.  :) 
Dave and I decided to run together which we haven’t done for years, since Dave had only just done Survival Run the weekend prior, he was happy to go at my pace.    
Super 14km 
We started the Super, 14km course and we would start the 7km Sprint after we finished that one.  It started off well, I wasn’t planning on trying to keep up with everyone, so was happy to start at the back of the pack soaking in the atmosphere.  The first couple of obstacles are always good just to ease into it, but soon after that we came across the balance beams, and I did something I had never done before on the balance beam and I slipped off!!! WTF, ok 30 burpees not much I can do but get on and do them.  The whole event actually ended up with me failing a lot of obstacles that I usually just get through, so resulting in a hell of a lot of burpees for me.  Oh well I guess I got some extra time on course, it was fun when you do see people to get a quick hug and chat as your running down the hill (never mind about cutting across the course), just love this about OCR.  We were sent on our merry way, and the sun was shining brightly, and now it was starting to get warm.  The views trek up to Mt Mystic was long and hard, seeing Matt Murphy just fly down, with Lachie not far behind, gave you a little seed of doubt (we were taking our time) so if they have only reached the bottom, how high was the top!!! It wasn’t long until we found out, wow that really is an arse burner which just went on and on and on (a bit like this post). 
When we bumped into Lexie at the tyre drag we ended up staying for a little while having a good old chat and gossip.  Seriously we were not racing hence the long stop overs and chats, we were just enjoying where we were.  Throughout the Super I kept failing obstacles, but would power through others (very strange), maybe the lack of sleep would have had something to do with this but I still enjoyed being there and being part of this amazing event.  The best part was just running with Dave, it had been so long that I had almost forgotten what it was like to actually enjoy being on course together.  More hugs from The Compound chicks–it really was an event filled with burpees and hugs and some obstacles.   
During the net climb, I got a little stuck with both calfs cramping!! To be honest it would have looked extremely amusing, especially as I couldn’t go anywhere.  Dave was shouting for me to either go up or come down, but I actually couldn’t do either.  After forcing some stretching on the net, I was able to get up and over the container and down the otherside to carry on with the rest of the course.  Being a little cautious of the cramps and tears. 
Sprint and cramps 
The last section of the course was the rope traverse (Failed), Fortress (Failed), barbed wire crawl (didn’t fail), with a quick feed and meet up the awesome OCR crew, we thought we would run out with Ponts.  Now this was a little interesting, both making me run the 7km so it wasn't really that long when cramps started to kick in.  The usual twinges and muscle fatigues that started to destroy my legs, this time round we had no Mt Mystic to climb so at least we had a little leg rest break.  Dave was starting to get seriously worried about me doing the Ultra, seriously if I cant even get through 7km without cramping up, how on earth was I going to get through the Ultra.  It went relatively quickly even with the set back of cramps, it was time for some well earned food and rest. 
Sleeeeppp 
We were supposed to meet everyone for dinner, but first we had to find the campsite, have a shower and pick up some supplies.  The campsite was located on the river, it really was beautiful and tranquil.  The kids were a little noisy but it was still set in just a beautiful location.  We sorted the van and Dave converted it into a little camper for us to get some sleep, we managed to have a shower and walk to the little town to grab some food.  We were just too tired to do anything else, so we engulfed a burger, and it was absolutely amazing. 
This was probably the earliest night that we have had in a long time, we went to bed before it even got dark, kids were still running around outside, but exhaustion had really it us by then. 
Ultra Beast 
After so many talks the day before about changing to the Beast, I was still unsure that I was going to be able to do it and if it was better for me to just to do 21kms instead.  More mind games, in the end I decided to go with the flow, see how I feel after transition and if I wanted to carry on I would.  The cut off points were really daunting and I did wonder how I was going to complete it, but I will never know unless I tried. 
We seemed to have to much stuff for transition, with everyone else having small tubs.  I think I packed everything including the kitchen sink.  The usual racers bum kicked in, so I ran to the bathrooms for the fifth time that morning whilst the Beast got ready to leave.  Little did we know that it wasn’t just the Beast that were leaving but also the Ultra Beast, after 10 minutes in the bathroom I came out with Dave frantically letting me know that they have already started.  No time to think, Max let us through the starting position.  Now I did crack the shits a little the day before, failing on obstacles that I don’t usually fail on, so this time round I was determined not to make the same mistake twice.  Approaching the balance beams, the negative thoughts were creeping in, but I took it slow and steady with one point nearly going arse over tit, but somehow making a miraculously recovery.  Safe from the burpees ;) we found by now we were starting to catch up (this is not fun trying to recover 10 minutes), especially as were supposed to be taking in our stride to ensure we can do the full distance.  Never mind that went out the window, I guess we were running. 
Actually feeling quite comfortable with the pace and distance, and with the hydration pack and a good nights sleep, I was having the most amazing time.  Even after missing the ball throw at the top of Mystic Mountain.  The burpees had the most amazing, breath taking view, so I was happy.  At this stage we were level with another couple, but for some reason they took a break at the top of mystic, for me I thought it was best just to keep on going without stopping.  The run down of course was the fun part, taking a little care with footing, but trying to let go as much as possible.   
This run was not going to be filled with 20 minutes stop and chats, but to ensure we get to each cut off point.  There was no way if we were doing this that I was going to DNF.  After getting to the mid section of Mystic, we had to do the spear throw, and to my surprise and astonishment I actually got it!!! This was turning into the best day ever… Big happy dances all around, especially when I got the next one and the one after that.  I did miss the last one as I probably got a little cocky, but I was just over the moon to get 3 out of 4 spear throws. 
The whole event was tiring, exhilarating, rewarding, emotional, hard work plus so much more.  I was so happy to achieve something with Dave by my side, and when we got across the finish line, surprising flood of emotions overcame me.  It pretty much took everything I had to stop myself from bursting into tears.  I knew then that I had made the right decision to do the Ultra, I would have most definitely have regretted it if I hadn’t.  Plus I got the biggest piece of race bling ever!! ​

​Wow I have to say after months of preparation and discussions it is hard to believe that TRIAD is over.  I am not sure if I am being a little biased, but I feel that the whole day was a great success.  Especially as just choosing a date and name seemed to be a difficult task to start with, it was great to open up suggestions to everyone, we could have ended up with all sorts of names including ………. have Ruth Whittam come up with the name that will now be known as the very first TRIAD event.  The date was definitely interesting, especially as we had to consider different factors including weather and other events.  Yes we thought of other OCR events that were happening and didn’t want to clash with them, however none of us actually thought of it being the day after Grand Final (I actually think that this worked out for the better), especially considering the weather.

What can I say about the bloody weather, seriously did it want to rain any more? Yes rain is great and we all need rain, but when it could potentially rain out an event (really not fun), the damn kept increasing in height and the car park kept getting bogged.  It’s a weird thing to think that such a small element can have a massive impact, but I don’t think we could have been any luckier on the day, when the sun shining brightly on what turned out to be a fantastic day.

Clem and Allyson @thecompound did an amazing job with the successful running of the day, with the points systems running smoothly, collecting all the teams points and inputting them throughout the day.  Organising everyone and ensuring that everything was set for the day.  Coordinating one event can be hard enough, but to try and organise three in one day is just asking for trouble. 

I think that everyone that participated appreciated their competitor packs, that our amazing sponsors Jimmy Blacks, Fisiocrem and Bulk Nutrients kindly supplied for everyone to enjoy and I am positive that the volunteers enjoyed their Volley packs as without them, it really could have gone topsy turvey.
The hard work and hours of work that went into the smallest things to help make this event as success is unmeasurably, each medal was handcrafted with a multitude of people help craft each and every one.  From cutting the trees, to cutting them down, sanding them, branding them, adding the transfers, oiling them and of course adding the ribbon to them.  The wood had to dry, the image transfers were left overnight and once oiled had to be left again overnight before doing a final sand.  The TRIAD image had to be created, and there were a few designs to choose from before finally all agreeing on what was created on the t-shirts, trophies and medals.  Jen Selmore did a great job with the overall design from Clem’s initial sketch (who would have thought that this would have been the final design), which represented each event of the day.

The competitors packs all had to be packed (thankfully we were not talking about an event for 1000’s), each bag was hand made by Dave, every tag written on, and of course each bag filled with goodies and a TRIAD finishers t-shirt.  Even the smallest things were a debate as do you include the finishers shirt within the competitors pack that you are distributing at registration or do you distribute at the end of the race.  Logistically it made sense to organise the t-shirts with the packs which had the name tags and shirt size on. 

Each trophy was hand crafted by Dave, something that with the cutting, deigns, transfers, oiling took hours of labour to get done for this event.

I really feel that this was a truly unique event that brought friends and family together in the ultimate team event that tested all attributes.  The true spirit of team work really came out, everyone out on course get it everything and finishing off with the Armburner showed real determination and strength.
Everyone that was involved really made this event what it was and I am thankful that I got to be part of it.  My OCR journey has been an amazing one, and I cant believe from one small event that both Dave and I attended last year, that our OCR family has grown so much.  I know I do love being part of these events and love catching up with everyone.  It really is an incredible community that no matter what, will help each other out when needed.
​
Thanks to Clem and Allyson for another amazing day @thecompound and asking me and Dave to be part of it.  The Compound is an incredible venue and the people really do make it what it is, their family is simply amazing and their contributing is undoubtedly what makes The Compound what it is.  ​

OCR Worlds 
With another calf tear recovery I knew I had to take it extremely easy, I was being hard on myself (again I knew I wasn’t good enough) and also knew I had my calf as an excuse.  OCR worlds was fast approaching and knew I wasn’t in the best possible shape not where I wanted to be, but I was determined to enjoy being part of one of the most incredible events. 

It was a full weekend of races, and I was still contemplating racing the main day or not especially as it would be up and down a mountain!!  I thought I would test out the waters with the 3km race to see how my calfs felt, but I knew that my own stubbornness wouldn’t keep me from doing the main race.  It would have been serious FOMO!, at the end of the day if I tore my calf again, at least it would be doing something worth while. 
​
As it happened it was all good, I had no major issues with my calf or any other part of my body, excluding my head which I managed to smash carrying the sandbag up and over some steps.  I wasn’t fast or strong but I still got through it with the help of the most awesome team.  
I had a new lease of life, and knew now I could start pushing myself harder especially with Spartan Trifecta weekend coming up. ​

Wow, how you can easily underestimate the difficulty of walking 100km.  Its doesn't sound too hard, especially compared to what we usually endure, but this event really tested us both physically and mentally.   To be honest, the closer we were getting to the date, the more I just wanted it to be finished, especially as the whole team were coming back from sort of injury or major operation.  Training had been minimal and of course this is something that we would not normally do (no obstacles to break up the course).

The main difference apart from being a walk is that you had to complete this as a team of four and not as individuals, you also had to raise a minimum amount of money that went to Oxfam in order to participate.

It was a nice early wake up call with the alarm going off at 3.15am to make sure we leave enough time to have that coffee boost and a short 2hour 45 min drive to an event that Im not even competing in the elites devision and am only really there to support the rest of Obstacle Racing Victoria and maybe get a pottering lap in.

The elites set off first and we thought we would try something new and broadcast live on periscope, both the start of the event as well as the elite finishes.  Mad Cow was a great event to test these new fangled technologies.  It was weird receiving messages from all over the world including France, America and the UK.  It was a great testing ground and one that I hope we will be doing for future OCRL races across Australia, just trying to figure out all the little bit and pieces first, in which I thought I actually saved but obviously not when going back to them now (lesson learnt).

Weirdly I always like to get to an event nice and early (at least an hour before we start), especially when you suffer from runners bum and need to go to the bathroom at least 500 times before you run.  The time you get through registration and saying your hello's, before you know it, its time to run.  So you could imagine the morning I had, giving myself half an hour to get up and out the door, this didn't give me enough time to wash, get ready and have breakfast (I am seriously going to regret this later), so as I woke up Dave and started to run out the door, I grabbed the only quick thing on hand (a banana), not my usual sustainable breakfast of oats, that would allow me to have enough energy throughout a short course race this of course in-conjunction with a couple of Vfuel gels (seriously if you haven't tried these, get on it - they are the best, no dodgy tummy or sickly sweet flavour).

Ok, you may have to be a little crazy for signing up to something that is called the SUCK, a 12 hour overnight event, nothing like an obstacle race, so going into the complete unknown.  Maybe I signed up because of the bloody hand on the website or the fact that it had the words extreme in the title that makes you want to sign up to these things?  Maybe as with most things, I am just damn stupid.  I like to think its about testing my own strength, abilities and endurance, to see how far I have come and of course to find out if I can actually do it.  It could be because I was brought up with my dad in the Marines.  I will probably never really know why I want to do it, except that I really do love it.

I had a little fun with this one, the intention of this race was to never race but to have a hell of a lot fun with some amazing people.  It was such a great day out, and an amazing course.  So instead of doing my usual write up, I thought I will do it comic book style (of course all the obstacles that were on the course have been included, so if you plan to do the Winter Warrior Challenge, you will still have some idea of what to expect).

Hope you enjoy reading it.

Four words that I will probably not forget in a hurry, along with the 100 other participants that participated in the 2nd ever overnight Spartan Hurricane Heat.  A 12 hour overnight event starting at 8pm, that will be testing me both mentally and physically, but of course it's not just the event that tests you, its everything around you too.  Am I brave or just stupid for signing up, still a question that I will continue to ask myself, and will continue to ask myself until the next one.

Why, why, why the beep do you sign up to an event that you know that will be testing you at every opportunity, there will be no room for pussy footing around, you will be pushed to beyond your own capable limits, and its down to you whether or not you continue or tap out.  Emotionally and physically it will be challenging, can I handle it? what the hell am I doing? what if I can't keep up? what if I can't do it? what if what if what if... There were many what ifs, but how am I to know what I am truely capable of without even trying. How far could I get to push myself?

The title says it all really, why would we sign up for something that actually has the word HURT in it.  Stupidity maybe? or the fact that we had the chance to test our own abilities as well as train with 4 of Australia's leading trainers and this was not an opportunity to be missed. 

Cant believe the time had come finally, but first we had to get up to Sydney which included a few special treats along the way.

A treat to start with... 

The journey started early, with a 10 hour drive from Melbourne to the Central Coast on Saturday morning.  It's a pretty easy route from Melbourne to Sydney, just sticking to the Hume Highway for the entire journey until you hit Sydney.  Of course as we were driving past Albury, we had to make a quick stop to visit some old friends at their most fabulous patissier.  It always such a great feeling when you catch up with someone you haven't seen for years and it only feels like yesterday that you last spoke, even with all the significant changes that have happened within our lives.  Both Jenny and Geoff have done an amazing job in setting up and establishing Geoffrey Michael Patissier, Geoff is an amazing patissier chef, so we couldn't wait to have some of his mouth watering cakes, the last time we had the pleasure of having these was when we were all working on Hayman together over 5 years ago.  Unfortunately we just missed Geoff but it was so good to see Jenny and catch up.  It had only been intended to be a flying visit due to the drive but ended up being nearly two hours.  I just wish we had longer, and it wasn't just a quick visit, also if we could have caught up with Geoff and Ethan too.

The coffee was well and truly needed, preparing us for the trip ahead however the cakes were just heaven.  We shared two between us, a Vanilla Slice with a caramel flakey bottom that just crumbled as soon as you put your fork into it and a Ferraro Roche dessert, again was just amazing.  This was also a great pre Hurt Camp treat, and had set us off for the rest of the journey ahead.

The journey is never that simple, and as predicted as soon as we hit Sydney, things started to go wrong, taking a few  wrong turning and getting in a bit of a muddle and with a few U turns, we eventually got back on the right road, and eventually arrived at the hotel at 9.45pm, a little later than anticipated especially as I wanted to get up early, have breakfast and ensure we arrive on time without any possibility of a burpee penalty.  With some well needed rest, we were then as ready as we could be for todays Hurt Camp sessions.

Hurt Camp

Arriving at the Central Coast School, we pulled up at the same time as Amanda and Rin, so at least we had some familiar faces to talk too, plus it was great seeing them both since the last time was actually when we all were overseas for the World Champs.

There were some seriously fit and beautiful people at this event, and already I started to feel a little self conscious that I was a little out of my depth, but as always I was just going to give it my all and enjoy the day.  Introducing ourselves to Andrew Papadoupoulos (Pap) and saying hi to Matt Murphy whom had only recently returned from WTM (Worlds Toughest Mudder) in Vegas.

After signing our death waivers, we then set off for an introduction on the days events, which will be set out in 6 x 55 minute intervals with a 45-50 min break for lunch.  PSE provided an electrolytes and protein station, so we could consume some well needed calories through out each of the sessions. ​ The sessions will also be incorporating some of the exercises as seen from Matt Murphy's show Search 4 Hurt, so it was definitely going to be a day full of hurt! The weather was at least being kind, with it not being too hot nor cold, and with some cloud coverage, which helped with not over heating too much.  

By this stage the nerves were kicking in and expectations were running high.  Starting off with a warm up session from Chad and Matt which involved some stretching, high knees and kick backs to mobilise the muscles in preparation for a fun day of intense exercise.

The groups were then split into 3 of between 20-25 people per group and then it was time to go, without really knowing what we were going to be dealing with exception, all we knew that there will be a world of hurt coming to us.  I teamed up with the amazing Amanda during each of the sessions, as we are probably similar height, plus, I was really looking forward to having a training session with her, especially as I don't get a chance that often.  

It's time to get started...

Session 1 - Matt Murphy

Session 2 - Chad Mackay and Leah Richardson

Approaching this station, you knew it was going to hurt just by seeing the line up of rowers, wall balls and kettle bells.  Chad and Leah split the group up into half, one group started off with Leah and the other team started with Chad.  There only seemed to be a couple of girls in the overall group, so we all tried to stick together (Jade, whom represents NSW OCR (Obstacle Course Racing) and Jane, whom was from Abbotsford, Vic, of course there was also myself and Amanda.

​Next up was Leah's AMRAP (As many Reps As Possible)  kettle bell workout, I had opted for the 12kg kettle bell with the option of 8kg close by.  After the first set, I changed over to the 8kg (it was going to be a long day).  

After getting burned out from the rower and wall throws, doing Leah's workout was then a complete leg burn.  4 minutes started feeling like a very very long time.

Session 3 - Andrew Papadopoulos

Wow - I seriously think I was going to snap my leg muscles during this sessions.  This had to be the longest hour, with a combination of punishing workouts using the Ankorr Training System and Assault Bike.  Still working in pairs of two, we got strapped up with the Ankorr training system, where you attach different straps and systems to you, giving you the most ultimate workout.  

This included bear crawls, squat jumps and some zoo exercises too.  A true killer session with my legs were seriously burning especially doing the backwards bear crawls.  The assault bike was a little more difficult, as due to the rotation, the seat always seemed to be a little to high each time I got to it (I guess thats the pleasures of having little legs, everything is usually too big)

We also had some hit pad work, of course we were still connected to the Ankorr system.  The system is designed to provide an all round resistance workout, you get as much out of it as you put in.  Plus you can attach it to anything, working with a partner or wrap it around a tree or pole/

Nearly 3 hours in and I could start to feel it, especially when you are bungee tied to your partner, and while one was holding a plank, your partner was doing a combination of decline pushups and increased front and back bear crawls.  These seriously started hurting, but with gritted teeth and tears of sweat, you eventually get through it.  By this stage I was grateful for the mid day lunch break, having some time to recover and also change into a nice fresh, clean set of gym gear.  

Matt and the team were seriously not lying when they said we would be in a world of hurt.

​The team put on a magnificent spread for lunch, filled with a selection of chicken, salmon and salad, only problem was that you really couldn't eat too much unless you wanted to see it again over the next 3 hours.  The pain wasn't gonna end at lunch.

Session 4 - Matt Murphy

There was no way we were getting out of some sprint training, combining it with some ball throwing.  Matt talked us through how important developing our perceptual skills are, especially if we are fatigued or our vision is impaired by the light or any other obstacle.  So we had some sprint sessions and then we had to throw and catch a couple of tennis balls.  Sounds nice and easy, but to develop our skills and especially after 5 shuttle runs, we had to use our weakest arm to catch and throw, as well as cover up one eye, this called for a recipe for disaster, with some balls  flying everywhere, this also allowed for a sufficient amount of recovery time to get ready for the next set of sprints.

I personally love this type of training, but having already done 3 hours you soon discover how much affect it has on your body and your ability to produce your usual high intensity training, a few people around us started to feel the effects with a cramp and fatigue kicking in.  

Dave teamed up with Matt, which I still find it amazing that not even a week ago, he was competing in WTM and he can still match the rest of us.  It reminds you what a true athlete is capable of.

Session 5 - Leah Richardson

More than half way through all the sessions and we moved onto Leah / Chad.  First up we had Leah with a combination of ropes and body weight exercises with a recovery run in-between.  We were still in our teams of two, while one was on the rope, the other was doing some body weight exercises or exercises with the slam ball.

Not sure why, but slam ropes always end up just feeling hard, especially as your arms start to feel tired and exhausted. Leah was not gonna be nice. It was good to get some arm work in. 

There were 5 rounds of 1 min of each exercise, after completing the first set it was either a jog or lunges for recovery around the ropes.

Of course, our world of hurt was not quite finished there, and with our arms now feeling like jelly, it was Chads turn to destroy us.  

Session 5.5 - Chad Mackay

It was never going to be easy, and when you approached the second half an hour we knew we had some more hurt coming our way.  Box jumps, there were 3 different heights available, with my short legs, we opted for the middle one.  Of course it wasn't just a matter of doing some box jumps, after each jump we had to do a burpee (YEAH)... I think exercise brain was starting to kick in, as we were unsure how many we were supposed to complete, so we just keep doing rounds of 10 each until we got told to stop, after that Chad still wasn't finished with us.

I already had a small hatred for the rower, and now have an even bigger one.  In teams of 3, one person was on the rower, another was on the kettle bell carry (around a circuit, down a slope, up a set of stairs and then around and down some stairs to the finish).  It took a little while to get a rhythm going, and after doing the ball hold above the head, and  kettle bell carry your forearms were burning.  Your grip started to fade, as you gritted your teeth just to hold on for that little bit longer, of course the rower was there to just completely fatigue you, so you had no energy to disperse throughout the whole session.  Between the 3 of us, we actually managed to complete the course twice each. 

Final Session - Andrew Papadopoulos 

Hooray the last and final session!!!  I think we have left the worst of it til last, with a combination of ZUU and the beep test, all energy that was left was well and truely gone.  There was definately no fuel left in the tank, as Andrew put us through our paces with a few different ZUU exercises including yet more bear crawls, armadillos, frog squats, cobras, gorillas and everything that really does hurt.

ZUU training is based on high intensity primal movements patterns mixed with high intensity, endurance body weight exercises.  Basically putting your body through some evil, gruelling excerises, that every piece of you was just screaming to stop.

If this wasn't bad enough, after each set we then had a beep test (not starting off at level one, but starting off at level 8 - 12.  Then it was straight back into some more ZUU, and then another round of beep tests from levels 10 - 14 and yet another round of ZUU movements and then back into the final beep test, levels 12 - 16.  At this point, nearly 6 hours in, you just had to grind and get through it, annoyingly didnt quite make the final set of beeps, as my legs were starting to burn like a beep beep beep.

6 hours of hurt

The whole event was so well executed, structured and organised.  All the team took their time with everyone participating, and accomodating for different skill levels and any injured parties. It was great to have the encouragement as well as get shown how to do specific exercises, the whole day was filled with some serious exercises but encouragement was delivered.  The flow of each session was great, and the variety of exercises for each session kept it fresh and interesting.  

Having PSE supplements and salt tablets available throughout the day, also showed consideration of peoples needs with an intake of calories that would have been needed to participate in the whole day.  Protein was also available for those that needed it.  There was never a lack of electrolytes and ice available for use.  

Lunch was also an added bonus, with a great selection of food available (only concern was not to eat too much as the thought of seeing it a second time round (as some people did) was not very appealing).

There are no real negatives to the day, the trainers were just amazing, the day was fantastic, the venue was great, and the food that was provided also a bonus.  

The gift pack that was received was also a great added bonus, and I can't wait to catch up with my Search4Hurt DVDs.  I have already taken advantage of the discount voucher provided by Barefoot Inc, it was also a great opportunity to check out the new range of inov8 on offer.  The protein shakers from PSE which also incorporates a storage part for your protein powder and supplements is ingenious.

If you were wondering if I would do it again, Yes in a second.  Would I drive 20 hours again to it, absolutely.  It was such a great, humbling experience training with some of the fittest and most positive people in Australia.  Having an opportunity to train with the best does not come along every day.  Yes, it would be nice to bring it to Melbourne, but yes, I would do all again tomorrow if I could.  Loved every minute of hurt...

Thank you to everyone that participated in hurt camp, it was an awesome day with some awesome people.
Cant wait until the next one.
​Sign me up now, wouldn't miss it for the world.

The Hurt Camp Team

Matt Mu​rphy

Andrew Papadoupolos

Leah Richardson

Chad Mackay

There is a common theme with all these amazing trainers, is that they're hardworking, committed and inspiring.  They really did give so much during the days events, it was a pleasure to be trained by the best of the best...  These are the reasons why I love this sport so much, that you find yourself in the most incredible situations, that years ago I would have never had dreamed of.

Just to add to the weekend antics, it was time for City to Sea, after my complete failure last year, I signed up as soon as I finished the race last year.   This is when I was suffering from all my knee issues so was struggling to finish towards to end.  This year not so much but then again, I did roll my ankle the day before.  I just tried to keep at the same pace throughout the entire race, I was hoping to do it within 1hr 15min and managed to complete it within 1hr 23mins, to say I was a little disappointed would be an understatement.  Dave as always provided that little extra encouragement especially when I am my own worst enemy, reminding me that I bag was still suffering from the car accident, I rolled my ankle the day before and I am only just recovering from knee issues.  So apart from getting older and generally falling apart I shouldn't be too hard on myself (this is definitely a lot easier said then done).

For some reason I always feel so much worse when I do these running events than I do obstacle races, although I still get the nervous twitches during OCR, it was nothing compared to what happened today.  I still don't know if it was just nerves or if I had picked something up from the water at Summit yesterday, so most of morning was spent visiting the bathrooms.  This really doesnt help as the queues for these are damn right ridiculous, and I guess desperate times calls for desperate measures.  So after a few visits, it was nearly time to start the race (not good timing on the tummy again), so we headed off to queue for the toilet again.  At this point I noticed that the last bathroom door was left open, and no one from the queue was going into it.  So I stomped to the front and asked what was wrong with it, the person at the start said they thought it was blocked or something, so no one was using it.  (At this stage I dint care, plus I had been to many toilets in worse condition than that, so I went in to the dismay of the people in the queue).  Seriously 1. I was not going to wait and 2. I bet you anything that the rest of the toilets were in just a bad of condition.  I admit it wasn't pleasant but I guess you do what needs to be done.  Of course this wasn't the end of it, and throughout the entire 15kms I probably had my butt cheeks clenched together (this however is a great butt workout).  You would also have thought that this would have made me run that little bit faster but no top many things were going on so waiting until I got to St Kilda, crossed the finished line and headed straight to the bathroom.

Apart from the butt cheeks clenched together, the run itself was as always enjoyable, taking in the sights and sounds of the city, but I did feel myself dropping back from the group a little bit, but was comfortable with my overall pace.  

It is fantastic that City2Sea does organise free public transport for those running in the event, however for those that live some stupid distance away and need to get the train, its kinda of inconvenient, as the times of the train starts running doesn't allow enough time to get from Flinders to the MCG and get to the race, so we still had to drive.  You would think that if you are going to offer a service for a particular event, you would at least have the trains running at earlier times (ok little transport rant over).

It doesn't end there - next up was the Eureka Climb

Luckily at the end of City2Sea there was a collection of bananas, apples and water, so I had a chance to refuel on my way back to the city.  I was meeting Dave at the Arts Centre, so we could walk down to Eureka.  At this stage I was starting to feel a little cold, and was glad for the jacket that I brought with me.  I couldn't quite remember the time I was running so had to check, and discovered I still had over an hour to wait until my wave time.  Which gave me more than enough time to visit the bathrooms again, and have a quick banana, top up with my fluids and chill out.  

Eureka is a great event when your calves just burn trying to reach the top of the stairs, for the first few floors you power run up and then after that your tactics have to change, as your calves start to burn and your start to breath that little bit heavier.  You slowly pass the people that are waiting on the stairs just to catch their breath.  For me, I always find it easier just to keep powering through and not look at the floor number, knowing that each one is getting me closer to the top. 

I always find it amazing how the group splits up, and unless you are overtaking people or someone is overtaking you there is no real traffic jams which could be expected.   The stairs are always a little clausorphobic and gets a little bit dusty, so you find yourself dry coughing by the time you reach to the top, it ends up feeling like an ongoing tickle.  

There really isn't too much you can say about going up 1642 steps to get to the 88 floor, expect that next year, I will be getting under 15mins and maybe I need to visit the 1000 steps a few more times before next years event.

Previous race results, I am always interested to see where I came in comparison to years done prior, so I have got the results for the last 4 years.  To be honest, I am totally surprised that I had actually completed in these events for the last 4 years, and hopefully many more to come.

2014 was when I was having my knee issues and 2013 was probably when I was at my absolute fitness, 2012 is when I first started tying to do something healthy.  I think I just get a little disappointed in myself, especially as I want to improve on the overall times and not get worse.  Next year I hope to smash them all.  

Looking at these results, I know that 2013 was my fittest year, I was lighter and in a better frame of mind.  My nutrition was on par as well as my exercise, unfortunately life did get in the way, I let me nutrition slip and my exercise was reduced because of the knee issues.  I hope that I am now on the mend, with some niggles but definitely a lot better than last year.  I am in a more positive mind frame, and know I can get better and better.  The good thing is, there really isn't too many variants, with a new 2016 goal to smash them all...

What better way to start off your weekend by first heading up to Glengarry, thanks to Jenny and Paul for putting up with us for the night and for being such amazing hosts.  It made it a lot easier to get to the event in the morning, and was such a great location.  The bonfire and stars just added to the experience, plus the unexpected pasta dinner on arrival. 

I think we took it for granted that we weren't that far away, so took our time getting up and ready and then realised we still had to get to the event, park and register, so what was supposed to be a nice relaxed morning, turned into something a little more frantic, especially as we weren't 100% sure on where we were going.  Opps

We did actually make it with a little time to spare, but no one thought to mention about the hike to the event after parking, as we were in such a rush i ended up leaving half the stuff that I usually have in the car, which you only realise you've done when your on the hunt for it, when your half naked getting changed after the event.

Getting ready at the start line, we noticed that fashionable late Clem and Allyson from The Compound were not there yet, I think they just like the additional push by turning up late.  I guess it works for them, as they always catch up, and it wasn't long until Clem had overtaken me and Allyson was soon after.

The Summit is a short 5km course with 36 obstacles, but I was conscious of the fact that I was running city2sea the following day as well as doing the stair climb, so I was really pushing as hard as I could have.  I wanted to enjoy it and not stress about placing, also to minimise any possibilities of any potential injuries.  This of course did not happen when I managed to roll my ankle not long into the course.

I went around again with the beautiful Compound Chicks, as well as Allyson, Clem and Michael P, as always having a little bit more fun with it.  There is a definite change when you do go around again, as you are all experiences it and having fun with it, when you race on your own, your own your own and no one else to share it with ;( Now I try to enjoy it as much as possible, and race for myself and against no one else.  I also felt a little guilty on the second lap, as Dave had a little visit to the first aid tent after he hit his ribs against one of the obstacles that was similar to the Sternum Checker at the Worlds.  There wasn't  a lot I could do, until he got checked out and cleared.  Unfortunately with the rush of getting there in the morning, Dave heading off to first aid and me setting off for another run, I forgot the camera.  It wasn't even forgotten in my bag that I took with me, but in the car, so I couldn't take any photos on the second round, instead I had to steal them for The Summit website ;(  Hopefully it will help with the explanation of the obstacles.

Dave did catch up with us as the Spectators areas, apart from a little battered and bruised, everything seemed ok.  Will have to keep an eye out, but it doesn't look like an broken ribs, the worst part would be, even if he had, there really isn't a lot that can be done about it.  I was more worried that he would end up over doing and pushing a little too hard especially with the numerous amount of events we have over the next few months.

They weren't kidding, the first time I think I had a little panic moment trying to crawl under.   It was such a weird feeling, but with the rush of people and the shock of the cold water, it was bound to happen.  The cage really did seem like it just kept on going and I couldn't wait to get out.  The next time round it wasn't as bad, as I juts kept myself up and went a little slower, so the water didn't have a chance to rush around me.  

Climbing up a small side of a rocky/muddy face, with rope. A quick clamber up, plus it was easy enough to find your footings within the face.

Down a fireman's pole and into a foam pit, you may as well jump jumped in, as you couldn't really grip hold of the pole with your hands all wet and slippery.  

The name probably says it all, climbing up 5 wooden beams which is set up and over an A Frame.

A few walls set up that you had to traverse along with a variety of difficulty levels, the expert one had no foot holds (wasn't quite ready to attempt this one), so I went with the one that was the most similar to what was at The Compound, remember to 'hug the wall' to stop any possibilities of imbalances.  

This had about 5 hanging tyres that you needed to get across, the second time round was definitely a lot smoother than the first, feeling I had a little more control with momentum on the second attempt.

First impressions would be a log carry, but this was more of a tyre drag.  I didnt even think about actually just picking it up and running with it until I saw some pictures.   

Using the wooden blocks up the side, you needed to climb up and over the reels, I was grateful that they actually had some sort of foot hold so you could actually get yourself up and over.  The second time round, Ponts (Michael) was saying about climbing up both sides, getting your foot hold on one side and then on the other, and walking up using both sides (this is so much easier to demonstrate then to explain), for me it was a little harder as I have smaller legs so the reach was a little longer, at least I got a good stretch with it, as I practically was doing the splits as I tried to clamber my way up.  I love having these opportunities to get to try and do the obstacles, and to also get other peoples perspectives, that may help you over for next time.

Climbing up and over the tyre, which was probably made of about 4 tyres high.  The next block of sections was all about the tyres.

Next up was the first set of tyre jumps, similar to the sternum checker, you needed to get up and over, try and hit it with your hips, or just try and jump over like any other wall.  Not so simple, i'm afraid and would have to say I probably cheated on this a little as I actually climbed over instead of jumped over, getting a footing inside the tyre and using the wooden reel that was holding the tyres.  

Pushing yourself through a tyre tunnel, with the tyres above crushing you down.  I always find that if I go length ways and then use my legs to propel myself along and through has always been the easiest option.  The hardest part is getting through it initially but once you can get a rhythm you can just about squeeze through it.

The second tyre jump was definitely a lot harder than the first as it was a little bit higher. This is also the one that Dave managed to crack his ribs on, having some height here I think would have been advantageous as well as having  that additional spring in your jump, which for me I don't have either.

A small net that you had to climb up and over, on the second round was another opportunity to practice all those things you don't normally have a chance too, including flipping over the top.  I really need to start doing this more, although I haven't quite worked out if this is quicker or not.  In theory it should be quicker as your not actually climbing over the top of it but flipping over it.

You had to weave yourself through a bunch of lines, of course you get taught the best way of doing it the next time round.  Don't weave through it but roll under it, so once Allyson demonstrated, you went aarrggghh of course.  This is also where Clem caught up with me, since he was so fashionably late.

Jumping over the a pit of water and trying to land on a net, you wanted to get as high as possible without landing in the water.  This again is a lot easier said then done, if you landed in the water, it just made it that little bit harder to climb up, but once you got your footings, it was just like climbing any other normal net.  Once on the top and you traverses along the net, you then made your way down another fireman pole.

Not quite the same as Mudderella, especially when you can see all the mosquitoes and midges flying all around the mud infested waters.  Apart from the smell and the insects, you could easily run through the knee deep water and up and over the mounds. 

Up and under the walls, no major high walls to jump over and you just rolled underneath (3 over and 3 under).  

Crawling under some barbed wire whilst crawling through all the mud.  It wasn't that bad on the first round as there wasn't that many that have gone through it, the second time, the mud was a little bit more churned, there was definitely more mud involved.

Straight after crawling under the barbed wire, you hit the wall, so you were nice and wet and slippery.  You did have a rope to help you up, and the Icebugs did hold there grip whilst getting up and over.

You had choice of a teeny tiny claustrophobic tunnel or a larger one that you could easily climb through, in which I choose the larger one.  For some reason at this event, the smallest of fears were kicking in, not really sure why but I was just having those moments.  

Balance across a plank of wood to the other side, over some more muddy water.  First time round easy enough, second time round, actually slipped off at the end.

Lesson learnt and of course the second time I actually used my feet to get across, in which I did make it across (I should have done this the first time round, but now have definitely learnt my lesson).

A high wall that you had to get over, I found out later that most people went through the top section instead of going over the top.  The hard part was getting back down, you couldn't jump (especially with a rolled ankle) as more than likely I would have rolled it again.  The logs were a little too far apart for my short legs, so I had to hang and drop to each one.  It was a lot more slippy than it was in the morning, so you had to hold on a little tighter.

Another balance beam, but it was a see sore as you walked down you needed to have that balance to push it down on the other side.

Across a wire crossing through the damn, you did have some additional hand holds so you could keep your balance.  The only thing was that you could see where you were putting your feet so it would have been easy to misjudge and fall, but as long as you put one foot in front of the other you were fine.  The second lap, saw a few more people at this obstacle so making it a little bit more difficult by bouncing up and down on the wire.

I think from now on I am just going to run on top of the tyres instead of through them, there doesn't seem to be any real rules on how you actually conquer these obstacles so for me it makes more sense to go on top, rather than try and find my footholes especially with little legs.

Weirdly another freak out moment, when I didnt actually want to do this obstacle, especially if I couldn't see the end.  Again not sure why I had that moment of doubt, so it took me a few seconds to compose myself, only then to realise you can actually see the other end and it wasn't that bad.  However it did look that at some stage the centre will collapse inwards, horrible feeling so the best way through it, is to get through it as quickly as possible.

There seems to be an ongoing theme of water pits during this course, so you really just had to pretend that your tarsal and swing across using a rope above yet another water pit.  After a few failed attempts at previous obstacles courses, I think I have eventually found my groove, hold on tight and keep your legs up, not forgetting to let go at the other end.

Oh how  I hate monkey bars and these ones the bars seemed to be wider apart.  I am hoping that I would have made it across if they were closer together, both attempts I fell off.   Still need to work on these monkey bars (one day I will be able to get through it).

More muddy water, under the net and across the other side.  There was no smooth or easy way to getting this done, maybe a commando crawl through it and keep your head up like a normal commando crawl, but I think it may have even been a little too deep to do this.

Really??? I hate this one, I think they should just ban it... We did have the option of going round, but with some hesitation I did actually go through it twice... Stupid obstacle, you can feel the zaps as you went ran it.  Jen for some reason found this one  a lot of fun, crazy women (not sure why anyone would find this one fun).  It was like have little heat electric bolts going through you at any given time, plus it always got you on the same spot - the calves...

You had to get over the water with the tyres in the way, there really does seem like a lot of water in this race... Nothing like getting wet to make you feel nice and cold.

More water... not your normal water crossing, but this time you had to get across using the net.  Another one that is designed to slow you down.  No quick or easy way of getting around it, you just had to keep close to the side and hope that you got your footing in the right place.

Going past this one, my first thought was ice bath, especially as I saw both Allyson and Dave slowly getting in.  Once I got to it I realised it was a pit filled with plastic balls, with the same principle as the ice bath, you still needed to duck under the centre section to get to the other side.  It was weird feeling, as you almost forget that you can actually breath underneath the balls since its not filled with water.

Stupid waterslide, this for me was the slowest waterslide that I had ever been on, as it slowly took me down the slide, I keep getting stuck and then having to push myself down.  The Volunteer at the bottom had to give me a push just so I could get off the slide.  The second time was a little bit more fun, as I shared it with Jenny, we actually went down with some speed, the way it was supposed to be done.

I am sure I spent the majority of the course wet than dry and there seems to be water every where.  However the course was a lot of fun and quite short.  It would be good just to double it up and go round the course twice, 5km just wasn't enough.  The obstacles held a definite mixture of difficulty levels that would test all abilities, and was held at great location, as always just wish the sun had shined for that little bit longer, but at the moment it seems that every time there is an ocr event on, the clouds want to cover any chances of the sun shining throughout the day.

This one is also great for teams, just to get together and help each other along.  A fun one for those new to obstacle racing with it not being too long, plus you receive an awesome medal at the end which is always a bonus.

Thanks to Fiona from Obstacle Racers Victoria for all the photos, and the ones that I kinda borrowed from Summit ooppss.

I am so incredibly honoured and lucky that I got to race as part of the official Australian team, all of my team mates are so incredibly amazing and inspirational.  I loved every moment with these fantastic people, in which I have gained so much from them, as they shared tactics, advice and best practices.  I had the most fantastic and fun trip, and loved how everyone just got together, supported each other, encouraged and cheered each other on.

I have made some amazing life long friends on this epic trip and cannot wait to hear all about everyones OCR journeys.   

Rina R Quistadio
​Founder, Team Manager

Strong, talented, hardworking and vibrant, a person who seriously just gets shit done.  She has been amazing in getting everything organised and getting us all to the OCR World Champs.  If it was not for this women, some of us would not have had the opportunity to be here, she really is full of life and laughter, and is one of the most real and genuine people you could ever have the pleasure of meeting.  I wish I knew how she does it, with little or no sleep, she is the heart and soul of OCR Australia and she puts everything she has into doing this for us, alongside having a full time job and family.  She really is just amazing.

Michael Casey
​Wildcard Elite VIC

Michael is one of the nicest people that we have ever had the pleasure of meeting, and he has so much potential to go really, really far within the OCR world.  Being from VIC we have met Michael a few times at previous events.  Michael was the other person that accompaning me around the Spartan Sprint course in September, after my mental breakdown during The Beast and refusal to go back out there.  He really did provide support and encouragement, but also reminded me why I love OCR, the fact that you don't have to know someone on a daily basis and had only met them a few time before, but they are still willing to provide you with support and encouragement when you have hit the bottom.  Michael really is a genuinely nice person, I cannot wait to see him conquer the OCR worlds next year and really dominate the competition.

Brad Cook
Top Male SA

I don't think there are any really words to describe Brad, apart from his brilliant can do attitude, fun to be around with a wicked sense of humour.  Luckily for me, he spent most of his time in Jeff's car, so I think I got off a little lightly in regards to my driving.   Brad and I had crossed paths at previous OCR events, but I only really got to know him during this trip.  Brad has that natural ability just to fly through the obstacles, and I have no doubts that he will be competing in next years OCR World Champs, however before then, I suspect we will cross paths again soon.

Michael Gleeson & Gemma Rolfe
Top Male NSW/ACT & Wildcard Elite NSW/ACT

Unfortunately I didnt get a chance to spend much time with these two sporting pro's, so unable to say to much about them.  Maybe next time I will get the opportunity to say hi.

Amanda Lamb
Top Female NSW/ACT

Amanda and her husband Kevin are so down to earth that I wished we could have spent a little more time with them, unfortunately for us they were staying closer to the venue.  I cannot wait until we have the opportunity to meet up with them both in the near future.  I hope that I also have the opportunity to train with Amanda, I feel that I can learn so much from this strong, inspiring women, meeting her you can completely understand why she is the top elite female.  

Not only that she also managed to complete every obstacle, keeping hold of her band as well as having a similar finishing time as some of the Aussie guys, putting her right up there.  I hope that I will also have the strength and endurance, so I can at least try and keep up with her at some future OCR Events (thats a try), especially as she has a host of 1st places under her belt. Dave is also truely envious of Kevin's man-cave apparently!!!

Vanessa Letts
​Top Female WA

I had been following Vanessa on Instagram @mudrungirl for some time, so I was quick to spot her at the airport and introduce myself.  Vanessa was staying at a different location, so we didnt get a chance to spend the same amount of time together as with the rest of team.  

Vanessa I would say is probably an OCR fanatic and has pretty much travelled the globe participating in OCR events.  This girl has some serious heart, and just won't give up as she got through the OCR Worlds.  She showed heart and spirit and just sheer determination to cross that finish line and collect her medal.  Unfortunately she did lose her band at the Sternum Checker too, but she also conquered obstacles that she feared such as the Dragons Back, plus many more.  

Click here to read about her round the world OCR ventures...

Jeffrey Malone
Wildcard Elite SA

This man is truly incredible, his journey is amazing and will inspire so many others to follow his lead.  I was lucky enough to meet Jeff at True Grit in Adelaide earlier this year, as we prepared for the 24 hour endurance event, and I don't think for one moment that either of us would have thought that we would be catching up again, competing on the same team across the globe.  I am truly honoured to be part of his team, he is such a dedicated and hard working individual that inspires me every time I see him doing something equally amazing.  At no point would I have ever believed the journey he has come on nor that he was ever unfit, as you look at this man today and you can be really inspired by his growth and strength.

Every time I get the opportunity to meet him, he just gets better and better, and was so happy when he came out of the OCR Worlds with his band in tact.  If you ever get the chance to say hi to Jeff, do so and ask him about his incredible journey.

Click here to be motivated by Jeff.

Lucas McLean
​Invitational Ambassador NSW/ACT

I have been fortunate enough to meet Lucas on a few occasions, usually he is promoting the great range of obstacle racing shoes offered by Icebugs, plus the benefits of SOS rehydrate.  However I never really realised what a contender in the OCR community he is.  Never really having the opportunity to run with him at previous events, he is definitely a silent achiever, with some major skills.

I think Lucas will probably have the most rememberable experience of his life, as during the OCR WC team event, as he ruptured his achilles, whilst running up the warped wall.  As we all stood witness to this unforeseen event, we actually thought he got cramp until he slowly lowered himself to the bottom as he said that he felt a pop.  Cant believe that this happened, and felt for Lucas immensely, however I have no doubt that after some rest that he will be back up and as strong as ever in no time at all.

Matt Murphy
Invitational Ambassador NSW/ACT

This man is a true legend in the OCR World, and to be on his team is the most humbling experience.  There is just so much to learn, and when you listen to his stories, advice and experiences, you realise that you are really only training a minimal amount and there is just so much more to learn and do.  Having won numerous Obstacle Racing events as well as coming 2nd at Spartan Race World Championships in 2013.  If there was ever an opportunity to learn from the best, then this was the time.  Literally soaking up any advice that he was offering, including having more gels during the course to keep your glycogen levels high.

Having watched and followed ESPN's Search4Hurt, it was just amazing to have the opportunity to spend so much time with him.  He is such a generous man with his knowledge, willing to share best practices and answer the 1001 questions that were fired at him during the course of the week. He also had a comment or two on driving in America, particularly mine!!

A truly committed, hard working and family oriented individual and have no doubts that Matt and his team of elite OCR racers will be coming first at the Worlds Toughest Mudder event on the 14th and 15th November 2015.  The weekend before Dave and I undertake Hurt Camp, an all day event that will most definitely test our fitness abilities, and just coming back from the WTM I don't think there will be any sympathy to be had.

Laura Newton
​Top Female QLD/NT

Laura and her husband Gary were just awesome, helping build and set up the course, but also providing some great tips since they both competited at the OCR World Champs last year.  Laura just showed us why she is at the top, coming 3rd in her devision.  Spending time with these awesome women, inspired me that I can in fact do so much more than what I think I can, especially reading her write up about her race.   

We have previously crossed paths at True Grit Enduro, but I think with the overwhelming nature of the event it got hard to remember everyone you met on course.  I am however looking forward catching up with both Laura and Gary at the next event.  Laura has encouraged me to keep looking forward, and even though I failed some obstacles this year, there is always next year to improve and get better.

Richard Williams
Top Male Vic/Tas

I am proud to call Richard one of my trainers and friends, over the last few months Richard took me on as part of the Highlander project, to enable me to become a better obstacle racer, so to be on his team was a real honour.  Richard's continued patience, teaching, skill (both as an OCR racer and an stunt man) and generosity has taught me so much about racing and about myself (I am slightly inpatient, who knew!).  His knowledge, enthusiasm, strength and capabilities are paramount.  His drive and commitment to the sport enables him to be a real threat in this sport, and I can only see him getting better and better.

He takes time to show his continued support and encouragement, talking you through each element and breaking it down to a more manageable tasks.  I am sure there will be a few elements we will be working on once we get back to Australia.  

Matt Wisniewski
​Top Male WA

Since Matt is from WA, which for us, is like another country, we had never had a chance to meet with him before, so the first time was on the flight over to the USA.   I found Matt to be one of the kindest, considerate and thoughtful people that we had met, even though he did have somewhat of a crazy, adventurous, adrenalin fuelled side, that at times I thought he wanted to try and kill us whilst driving a bicycle quad bike!

Matt demonstrated why he got to the top with his speed and agility, coming first at numerous obstacle races in WA.  His beautiful nature comes across whenever he is talking about his wife and two wonderful boys.  I can't wait to catch up with him and hopefully will get the chance to meet his beautiful family.  

It was not just us representing Australia...

Of course the Australian team were not just made up with the above, there were so many other elite Aussie athletes that were also at the OCR Worlds representing their  country.  I have met and spent some time with some, as well as having heard of others.  All of which I find truly amazing people, what they do is just amazingly strong and incredible, each and everyone making me feel so incredibly lucky that I had the opportunity to be part of this amazing country.  The opportunities that we have had since coming to Australia have been so surreal, it does make me wonder what we would have been doing if we were still in the UK.  I can most definitely say that we would not have been here, representing such a welcoming and heart warming country.

It was during the OCR Worlds that I found myself surrounded by the most incredible, amazing, talented, inspirational and strong women.  I am so honoured that I had a chance to catch up with them, having met some on a few occasions prior and of course already hearing about the legends that they are. 

It is so inspiring following their OCR journeys, with both Deanna and Amanda competing in the Worlds Toughest Mudder.  Tiffany another inspirational women and place holder at True Grits enduro 24 completing 85kms, Sim is also an amazing competitor, placing at numerous OCR events.

I wish I had the chance to meet up with everyone that travelled so far from Australia, but we were all there cheering each other on in spirit.  You are probably fed up with my repeating myself with the same words, but that is the world of OCR.

Maybe I didnt place as high as I would have liked to, nor did I complete all the obstacles, ideally I would have finished still with my OCR band still in tact, but hey I have to remember where I had come, and the achievements and hurdles that have been conquered this year.

The thought of actually being able to do the simplest of obstacles, used to send shivers down my spine, from monkey bars, climbing walls, rope climbs and especially the rope traverse.

During the OCRWC race I completed obstacles that I never ever thought possible, most I had never even seen before never mind actually tried!.  I have to be proud of my achievements and just work harder to getting and completing the next set of obstacles.  The OCR Worlds really did highlight a few of my weaknesses (which if Im honest I already knew that I would possibly fail, especially knowing that these are not my strongest skills sets, but I know now what I need to work on, and I know that if I qualify next year, I will be better and stronger.  

I would never have thought I was good enough to be part if the Australia team, especially when it took me double the time to complete the course compared to some of them.  This was such an amazing opportunity and one I would have never have said no to, I don't know if and when I will ever have a chance like this again, I hope with some hard work and dedication that the opportunity will present itself again.

I did underestimate the severe difficulty of the course, the terrain, hills and obstacles and I personally thought that it would take me about 3 1/2 hours to complete, and was truly surprised that it did take me an additional 2 hours.  Time had no concept and I think I just got completely lost in the moments in and around the course.  There is nothing I would change, even  the obstacles that I failed.

​I had an amazing experience, and went into it with the most positive attitude and still came out smiling.  I loved every moment of every minute, the people, the course, the obstacles.  It truly is something that will be embedded in me for the rest of my life...

This has to be one of the most fun obstacle course runs that there is.  If you are looking to have some fun with a bunch of amazing women, get down and dirty and do something healthy, then hit a winery, not to drink wine but to run an obstacle course.

If you ever wanted to introduce your family and friends to the world of obstacle racing, then get them to do Mudderella, it didn't matter how young or old you were, how fit you are, or how many obstacle courses you have previously done.  You can do this course with your best friends, gym friends, work friends, your daughter, sister, mother or even grand mother, this was really suited to everyone.  

I had so much fun today with the beautiful ladies from The Compound, I loved meeting up with friends that I wouldn't expect to see there, finding that they loved the course, especially since they have never done one before.  It would be great to see them at future obstacle runs and future Mudderalla events.  I hope that my mum is over visiting next time, as I would sign her up in a second, I would hear the complaints until we had finished but I know that she would absolutely love it.

It was a real womens day, and with no men on course, you could just get through each and every obstacle without feeling that you were incapable, and there was a small feeling of accomplishment once you did a obstacle you used to be afraid of, I saw no one give up or use the by pass lane, I saw women conquer their own fears of heights and get up and over walls with a final leap of faith at the end.  Even with grey clouds above, with segments of blue all you could see was an array of women, smiling, having fun and having the time of their lives.

The course was 8.6km which was a great distance for the amount of obstacles included, 5km would have been too short and 10km a little too long for those that had just started.  Allowing for about an hour and half to finish it was the perfect amount of time to enjoy a morning outside of Melbourne's CBD. 

The morning started off with a great warm up from enthusiastic fitness instructor Sara from Fernwood Fitness, St Kilda, ensuring that everyone was warmed up and ready to start out on course.  There were a few grapevines thrown in as well as some high fives.  Once finished we thought we had already started as everyone, did a jog around the corner, over some hay bails and then we huddled inside the actual start line.  Oopps I guess we hadn't quite started...

After reciting the Mudderella pledge, we were off, with a jog for about 1km we hit the first obstacle, now it would not be called Mudderella for the precise reason that there will be mud at the very first obstacle.  'Down to the wire', had you crawling in a mud bath that would have gotten 100 times muddier thanks to the excess rain we received on Crown Oaks Day, 2 says prior.  Hands, knees, belly were gonna get covered in mud as you crawled underneath wire fencing. 

They were a little nicer to us for the next obstacle as we tried to clamber over some chest height hay bails covered in wet tarpaulin, just to make it nice and slippery.  Also to ensure that we were not staying nice and clean, and with a squelchy run to the next obstacle 'Surprise Party' had us down some mud mounds and into the water, the uneven bottom had you tripping in the water, so you had no hope at trying to stay dry, unless you proceeded with caution.  If anyone was trying to stay dry at this point, it wasn't going to happen.

Remember giving piggy backs as a kid?  It used to be so easy just running around and playing, but when your an adult and weigh a little more than you used to, this got a little harder.  'Got Your Back' saw you give your team mates a piggyback, you also didn't quite get an easy ride if you were being carried, as half way you had to swap over. 

'Step by Step' was next, accompanied by the song Step By Step by New Kids on the Block (for those old enough to remember NKOTB), had you going over the balance beams, up onto some wooden posts and back onto the balance beams and then it was up and over the wall.  

Not long until you were back on your hands and feet for the 'Break the Glass Ceiling' a cargo crawl that saw all sorts of techniques to get through it, from a commando crawl, to ducking down, doing a weird monkey swing with your arms straight above your head and walking underneath to walking backwards and crunching down. 

By this point we had obviously got somewhat dry, so it was time to get wet again, going up a mud bank and then sliding down into a muddy pit pool, (best tactic here was to keep your eyes closed and your mouth sealed shut, otherwise you would find yourself swallowing the water).  Wading through the water and up and over the other side, helping each other get up and over, as you slid back down into the next muddy pool.  

Back on your hands and knees for Skinny Jeans, with some more mud, dirt and mud, that got you crawling through a tunnel and out on the other side into more mud.  If you weren't careful, you found your team mates throwing mud at you as you exited the tunnel.  No where to turn and no where to hide, you had to accept the fact you were going to get mud in your face!

'Dirty Downward Dog' had you in an awkward position, as you shuffled your way across another pool of dirty water, one wrong move and you would have been heading straight in.  To make it a little more difficult there were some indents in the lines you were taking, so you could have easily slipped in, by misplacing your hands or feet.

'Disco Downunder' was just so much fun, with a smoked filled chamber, that you crawled through on your hands and knees, however it had a little twist as the music was pumping and the disco balls were illuminating inside, a couple of drinks and you could have your own little private party.

For a brief moment as we had finished obstacle 11 and only had 4 to go, we thought we had got off lightly with the mud, but it was just about to get 10 times worse with 'Aint No Mountain High Enough' with muddy mountains that slid down into deep watery pits! This would have to be one of the highlights of the whole course, women were just sliding everywhere, there was no room to be graceful, and if you had managed to keep your hair clean throughout the event, you were going to get it dirty now.  The best thing was, you had to work as a team, helping each other up and over the obstacles, with a knee to climb on, or a hand on the backside for a quick push, there was no room for being shy as you bombed down the other side. 

Its times like those that remind you of why you love the sport, the smiles of achievements and self fulfilment, that these amazing women achieved something today that they may have only ever dreamt of.

​Once you crossed the finish line, you were congratulated with your own Mudderella purple head band and a glass of Moscato thanks to St Anne's Winery, where it was located.  

The atmosphere in the village was truly electric, and not filled with usual male testosterone, women were laughing, smiling and cheering as they finished the course and others were getting ready to start.  Up beat and funky music had you dancing, and not feeling embarrassed to act so silly.  The temporary tattoos were a great addition, with the Mudderella logo and the word STRONG being tattooed on faces, arms or any place visible on the body.  

The course map, also included a Spectators route that husbands, sons and fathers could bear witness to their wives, daughters and mothers achievements, take some amazing photos and cheer their loved ones on.  There were also plenty of water stations that kept your hydrated on course, plus a few additional toilets that you probably wouldn't see at any other race, the bonus oranges also had some extra sweetness along the way.  It was great to see that the organisers had really thought about who the participants were and what skill level they would be at and catered specifically to that.  I can't wait for the next one and hope that I can persuade a few more OCR virgins to the sport.  

After an early dark start, and probably not having the best nights sleep with the mix of emotions and fears that raced through my head for one of the biggest events that I have ever attended.   Thoughts of strategy, fear , expectations and so much more kept running through my head last night, plus watching youtube videos of last years obstacles, would really not have helped in trying to get some sleep, and minimising any of  the nerves.  This is not the best thing to do when all you need a decent nights sleep before the big day.  Have I got everything? Am I ready? How do I get over that? When should I have the gels?  How do I stop feeling so cold?  What if I disappoint everyone? What if disappoint myself? If there was any a time to shut the f up, this would have been it!!!

​Grabbing a quick bite to eat (which consisted of the usually pre race brekkie, oats and bananas) and meeting the rest of the team in reception, it was time to head off for the big day.  I can hardly believe that the day is already here, I don't know where the time has gone, I feel so unprepared, there is still so much that I need to learn and do, but now there is nothing I can do about it.  I guess the nerves were slowly kicking in, plus my sleep deprived state of mind. 

As designated driver, I drove half the team to the Kings Domain, a beautiful, stunning location in which the natural beauty of the surrounds really did take your breath away (the cold didnt help either).  We got lucky with the parking space, and snagged a spot right next to the entry, which I know I was pleased about on the way back.  (For a bunch of healthy/fit people, you would think we would be happy to park as far away as possible, but no we paid the $25 for onsite parking).  I guess we were going to do some healthy shit later to compensate.

I remembered to pick up some hand and feet warmers from Dicks Sporting Store, as well as an Under Armour thermal top just to help with any possibilities of feeling cold (so friggin glad I bought these).  There was a definite chill in the air and frost on the ground.  Cant believe (actually I can believe it), that a cold front came through the night before, was going to last the whole weekend and then get warm again on Monday.  I seriously had been watching the weather for the last few weeks, and every day the temperature went down an additional degree, only to get down to -1 the day before (this was going to get cold).  I am not the greatest person when it comes to being cold, and was really unhappy to see it drop so low (if I had it my way, all OCR races would be on glorious sunny days!).  I guess all we could do is deal with it and just be grateful that it wasn't also raining.  I couldn't let a simple thing as being cold affect me and I just tried to stay as warm as possible for as long as possible,

I knew I wasn't the strongest nor fittest person on the team, but I wanted to give it my all, and have a continued positive attitude.  I wanted more than anything to enjoy this journey, and I wasn't going to let a simple thing as being cold affect that.  At the end of the day, it's not everyday that you get to compete against some of the most amazing people in the world.

The guys hit the start line at 8am and the girls at 8.30am, all I could do was cheer the team on, keep calm and warm by the fire until it was time for me to line up.

It was then time to walk up to the start, again I took a deep breath and just took everything in.  The MC was fantastic and motivating, with each speech being customised for each qualifying category, although everything that he said now seems like a blur and then we were off.  No time to think, just go!.  I started at the back of the pack, but was happy with this, I wanted to maintain my pace throughout the race and have a completion time of 3 1/2 hours.  Thinking that this was more than achievable.

You started within the main arena and then it was up a hill and around the corner, the legs were feeling a little heavy and just needed some time to warm up, but I easily got distracted with the scenery, it was just so beautiful and almost took your breath away (that could have also been the cold).

I completely under estimated the terrain and the gradients, and I swear I was going up a lot more than going down.  You can't even call them hills, more like mountains, the goat tracks made meant that you really needed to be quick on your feet just to navigate your way on the course, it really was a twisted ankles dream.

But before we hit all the ups and downs, we got to the first set of obstacles #1 and #2 consisted of some wooden steps and sponsors walls, it was then another short run and onto obstacle #3 the monkey bars.  The wreck bags were #4, in which you had to carry a 30kg bag around a miniature course without dropping it.  At this point I did feel the weight on my lower back, and was annoyed that I am still having some issues with it after all this time, but all you could do is just get on with it (either that or lose your band at this stage).  The wreck bag had to be carried up a hill, under  a bridge, up and down some more hills, some high steps and over the wall.  Once completed you have finished the wreck bag course, you dropped the bag and went onto #5 Pipe Dreams, a pole attached to a frame in which you had to traverse across.

No obstacle race would be the same without having water included, especially when its so cold.  The water crossings were most definitely fresh, making everything muscle and bone go numb.  After getting out of the water, I then hit some hurdles #6 and then came another water crossing.  I am trying my hardest to find some pictures of this this scenery, as words really cannot describe the mist that was coming off the water, the whole thing just looked like it was from a movie.  I am sure even if I do find some pictures, it will never do it justice, it really was just so magical and peaceful.  You could easily get lost in the moment, and forget the reasons why you were there.

The next water crossing required a little more than just a crossing, being slightly longer, keeping the bank to the left, you just kept going along the river, some points hitting waist deep, other parts you nearly lost your shoes, and others just trying to find an easy way along without having to actually swim.  Getting to the part where you actually had to cross the river, I had caught up with a guy from the Mens elite wave, and at the point he mentioned that he twisted his ankle, I went down like a tonne of bricks and twisted mine.  Eeerrggghhh, so frustratingly annoying, especially so early on, but what do you do? Just keep going, its not like I was going to turn around and go back. 

The worst thing I could have done was spent the night watching videos, prior to doing the obstacles.  I am a logical person, so knowing that I will find the most logical way around it, so I can't tell you my technique, or how I did it, I just did it.  I wish all obstacles were that easy to conquer (but I was secretly so pleased that I had done it, a little happy dance happening).

I guess it wouldn't be the Worlds without them hitting you with more obstacles that I have never even seen before, testing you mentally and physically.  Next up was #12 Dragons Back, in which you had to make a leap of faith across a gap  and grab hold of the bar on the other side.  Doesn't look too bad from the bottom, and looks a lot worse when you are up there.  If you started to think about it for a moment, you could easily just not doing it.  The problem I had was when I got to the top, a girl was hesitating a lot, and just freaking out.  I just had to turn around and not let it get to me otherwise I probably would have freaked too.  Once I knew she was gone, I just turned round, took a moment (so I didnt rush) and jumped.  The relief that washed over me, when I got hold of the bar was unreal, luckily there was only two jumps.

Next up was #13 the tyre jump, not sure how I got over it, but pretty certain that it would have been in the most ungracefully way possible, more than likely it would have been a stumble over top.  Really, they do not design obstacle courses for short people, #4 Irish Table was next, the first jump wasn't too bad, next wasn't as easy.  In principle and theory it sounds quite simple, jump up, hook your arms over, swing your legs forward and back (like a podium) and use the momentum to get up and over.  Yeah right.  My way (the ungraceful way), was to hook onto the bottom, swing one leg over the top and somehow get around that way.  Not the most energy efficient way, but at least I got over.  Some hurdles were next and then it was another obstacle that featured in my nightmares #16 Monkey bars.  All I wanted to do was make it, and luckily after looking at the obstacle yesterday, discovered that the bars in the middle were closer together than the ones on the side, so it was the middle I headed too.  I didnt trust my abilities just to using my arms, so I used my legs too to stabilise myself as I went down and then back up.  This just gave me that extra reassurance if I slipped I had something else attached to the bar.  The hardest part was trying to turn around at the bottom, keeping hold of the bar and getting off at the top.  I think I was holding on for dear life, there was no way I was falling off this section (another happy dance I got off).

At this stage I wasn't even sure how long I had been on course, or how far I had come, I was just so happy to get over the obstacles that were haunting my dreams.  I think the adrenalin started to warm me up, so I had given my gloves to Dave, and unfortunately soon regretted it, as the adrenalin left my body and I started to feel the cold again.  Not much I could do about it at this stage.

There were some more mountains to climb and goats trail, my feet were definitely not that nimble to navigate through, then some more obstacles including cargo net, high steps, inverted wall and balance beams, some more mountain climbs and then it was over under the 4ft / 2ft beams. 

Soon after this was the first Sternum Checker #24 or the rib breaker, jumping from one log to another and getting over, this doesn't sound too hard, but trust me it was so much harder than I initially anticipated.  I gave it 4 attempts before admitting defeat, each time I would reach the next log, and then just cling to it, it would have been fine if I could just get my leg over and twist myself around but unfortunately this was not the case, and with every attempt came a fail.  It seemed that this particular obstacle did get a few people, so when I admitted defeat and said to the volunteers about cutting my band.  They were so apologetic that they had to do it, and I think they were more upset for me than I was.  I was still happy, I knew I tried and that was the main thing.  I was in such a great place that I didn't want to get too upset and get to hard on myself especially on what I could and couldn't do.  I was just so extremely grateful and happy to be there, so after a quick hug from the Volunteers I was on the move again to enjoy the rest of this most epic day.

My hands were still feeling cold and I had lost all sense of time and energy on the Sternum checker, so when I got to the #25 Platnum Rig within the main arena I just kept slipping off.  The weird thing was that this obstacle was somewhat similar to the #5 Pipe Dreams with a mix of bars, rings and pipe to get through, so I know I can do it, but for some reason every time I got from the ring to the pipe I would just slide straight off, after a few more attempts and waiting in the queue, getting colder, I knew it was time to more on and keep warm.  Unfortunately this was penalty number 2 for me (you accumulate a 4 minute penalty for every obstacle you fail, at this stage that was an additional 8 minutes to my final time).

They had changed this obstacle from the original #27 balance beams to under/overs in the water, and this obstacle would have to be the most perfect place to get cramp, cramp hit as I stretched my leg up and over the beam out of the water.  I had to have someone pull me to safety so I could stretch out my leg.  Stupid, stupid, stupid cramp, I was even more frustrated as I knew my water intake this week has been quite limited, when I should be well and truly hydrated.  The cramp took a little while to overcome it and then I set off again but at a slower pace.  I was also hoping that this wasn't the start of things to come, I still had no idea on time or distance, so really didn't know how far I still had to go.  I had already taken one Vfuel gel to help minimise the possibilities of cramp, plus ensure that I had enough fuel to keep going despite the cramp.  I was still loving every moment, even with the cramp, the experience I can never truly reflect in words the whole experience, it really was so unreal, it doesn't feel like it actually happened to me, even as I sit here and reminisce about the course.  (I don't really think that this would have made much difference, I would have still got cramp at some stage, I just wouldn't have been as wet).  I thought I was all good to go and over the cramp until I hit the #28 Weaver.

It was all going well, weaving under and over the beams until I got to the top section, as I reached over to the next beam with my leg, yep cramp set in again.  I screamed a few apologies to the group of guys that were behind me (at this stage the next wave had already caught up with me), as I needed to wait it out, stretch out my leg (now imagine this, on top of a beam, in which you actually can't go anywhere, after a few moments, some deep breathing and stretching, I was again all good to go after a few more screams of apologies. 

I have to say, at this stage things were not looking good with a twisted ankle and cramp, I was really slowing down, and I was seriously at risk of not finishing the course at all.  I was even more conscious of going down hill and where I was placing my feet.  I stopped at every water station, to ensure that I was hydrated, and some guys helped me out with the cramp by giving me mustard (this apparently helps with cramp), would have definitely tasted better with a hot dog and a salt tablet (really need to buy some of these) from one of the guys we met at the fire pits that morning.

Next up was the quarter pipe #29 and then at the top of the mountain (I am gonna keep saying mountain, not quite but some seriously steep slopes were involved, in my mind it was a mountain).  I knew that I wasn't going any higher and would be making my way down hill again very shortly.  ​#30 Platinum Rig no 2 was located right at the top and unfortunately it was as another fail, which was a little disappointing, but I did keep trying, but knew that this was probably one of my weakest obstacles so wasn't overly surprised that I kept falling.

Another strength obstacle #31 was next, with a 20kg bucket carry, no handles on the bucket so you just had to squat and lift.  Not the most comfortable of carries, but got through the first 100 metres without having to put it down, the next 100 metres I had to put it down a couple of times to reset.

#32 Pinnacle junior was next, a climb up a rocky face, and then up another rocky interface, and then crawl under the net, which I didnt think was going to end.  It felt like the whole course was designed to slow you down, probably not everyone, but it definitely slowed me down, at this rate I felt I was going at snails pace.  Keeping your footing was key to continuing your momentum and speed, and I wasn't really do a very good job of this.

Another nemesis of mine was approaching #34 Tall Walls, weirdly fear set in, not sure why especially as I had already climbed over #9 Castle which was a lot higher.  AsI had lost my band, I could have help getting me up and over, thank goodness as it would have definitely been another penalty.  At this stage my mind is wondering all over the pace, I kept going dizzy and was not quite thinking straight, probably a combination of lack of food and also being a little dehydrated.  I was still not going to let this stop me.

You had to head down the side of a cliff for #35 Baby Rope Burn.  It was then a small run to the next obstacle #36 Hoist.  Having done this type of obstacle a few times before, I was expecting a tighter pulley, so I went in with all my might, only to find that it was probably one of the easiest Hoist's that I have done with a 30kg bag.

After feeling quite satisfied with the Hoist I headed off and got to the rope climb, not sure what happened here, but I could not get my head around it.  The Rope Climb #37 was hanging out of the water, so I guess this is was threw me, more frustrating then anything as I didnt complete, and annoyingly the rope climb wasn't even that high...

Not long after that I headed down towards #38 Sneaker Thief, a long muddy valley that if you hadn't tied your shoe laces properly, then you were certain to lose your runners along this stretch.   The baby rope burns daddy was next #39, heading down hill, after which you hit the trenches #40 that were filled with water and you needed to go underneath to get past, then it was onto #41 Blackout, which was a dark tunnel (light was shining through) so was easy enough to navigate

The Polish Traverse #43 was an interesting one, as you had to straddle a very large / wide pole and slide your way along the bar. There was probably a more efficient way of doing this, but for me it was definitely easier to straddle. 

Its funny what you mind does, and how you can quite easily forget or blank out or not notice about whole sections of the race as you are so completely engulfed in the task ahead.  This is what happened at #44 the Tyrolean Traverse, this obstacle was above those running underneath, so I hadn't even noticed earlier when I passed below it, that people were traversing above me.  Only one person at a time was allowed on this obstacle, it was completely safe, as if you fell there was a large net underneath.  Basically you had to get across a traverse wire line, it probably sounds a lot more difficult than what it was, as you had the added bonus of having an additional wire above you, so it wasn't like you were tight rope walking across the valley.   All you needed to do was keep your balance.

This got you to the top of the slide #46, which apparently you could reach speeds up to 35mph (56km).  I was especially looking forward to this one, so went full speed ahead and found that about half way down I started to turn, and ended up going down backwards.  I can't remember landing, can't even remember getting out of the water.  At this stage the end was so close, with only  7 more obstacles to get through and through to the finish line.   After getting out the water through the #47 reunion tunnel, it was up and over the 12 foot wall #48.  This one not as daunting as the 10ft one, as there are some variables that didnt make seem as bad, 1. It was slanted and 2. there was a rope that you could get hold of and use at the top.

Another sternum checker #49 was straight after the wall, this one was a baby in comparison to the last one, and was definitely a lot easier to get over.  Another leap of faith, grab and over onto the next obstacle.

At this stage I knew that were no glamour, elegant shots getting over the obstacles (not like the Swedish team), my main objective was to get it done, especially with my terrible form and arse sticking out. 

#50 Tip of the Spear is similar to the one that we had tried at TM Beta Testing, you needed to get across the slanted boards just using the rope.  OK, I didnt complete it then, and I didnt hold much hope with completing it this time, especially as I was still getting cold and tired.  At this stage I was weighing up the options on what I was doing, everyone was watching and cheering, and after a few more fails I admitted defeat.  

Another ramp wall, I tried to stay focused and looking at the wall, all I was thinking about was running up the wall and not through it.  After a couple of attempts and a lot  encouragement from the team, I actually made it to the top and up and over.  I was so pleased, that I could just feel myself beaming with pride.  This didn't last long as I slowly approached #52 Skull Valley

I eventually made it to the third skull, but kept falling off, lack of confidence, fear and not being able to feel my fingers were all contributing factors.  The warped wall was up next #53, the final obstacle before the finish line.

​The funny thing about this obstacle, was that some of the Australian team actually constructed it, watching it being put together, it didnt look as daunting, but standing in front of it, completed, looked a lot scarier.  The walls seemed to be getting me every time, but with a little bit of persistence and few more attempts, I eventually got hold of the top, clambered my way up, across and down the cargo net and across the finish line.

I didnt keep my band and nor did I compete every obstacle.  In an ideal world, I would have breezed through the whole course.  It would have been easy to get up and over each of the obstacles, but at the end of the day I am just soooo happy to have been there, to be part of the most amazing team in the world, and have one of the most incredible, amazing experience.

I have new goals and objectives, I have come so far in the last 10 months, that I know if I qualify for next years OCR Worlds, I will be able to conquer those obstacles that defeated me this time.  I know and understand my weaknesses and where I need to improve, and I have a year.

There were so many amazing, inspiring people that I have met along the way, and having only just started my OCR journey, I looking forward to whats next.  This whole trip, reminded me so much of why I love this sport and the people, community and the challenge.

 Conquering your fears and working through them to become a better, more wholesome person.  I am so proud of what I have achieved especially as I would have never thought in a million years, that I would be participating in the World Champs.  That is something dreams are made of.  I would be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed in myself for failing, but all I can do it learn from that and grow. ​