Tomorrow I run the 10k Gladiator Rock ‘n Run at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.


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Launch time: 0800 PST

Systems Check:

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Footwear in place. Vibram Bikilas. They are the trusty steeds upon which I shall ride into battle, faithful to me through 4 other races in the last year. Stained and spotted with mud, dirt, blood, probably some other stuff none of us want to know about. They have served me well in competitions from Temecula to Lake Elsinore, from Pomona to Malibu. And they stink. My wife makes me leave them in the laundry room. But they’re battle shoes and aren’t supposed to smell like sunshine and roses. They will gird my wheels as I grind over trails and churn over fallen bodies. They are magnificent.

Feet: Arches high, nails freshly pedicured. Yes, you heard that correctly, I get pedicures from time to time. My heels get very dry and cracked during the summer and I need someone brave (who is not my wife) to get down there with a hoof knive and go to work. I draw the line at buffing. There’s no call for shiny nails. Unless they will help me run faster.

Achilles tendonitis is alive and well, just have to deal with it. Current method of treatment; ice, stim, ignore. Recommended method of treatment; give up running for a while. Preposterous. I have decided that if I ingore the doctor’s advice and keep running it will just eventually go away at some point….right?

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Legs; chicken-like. A friend once referred to them as “getaway sticks.” Everyone laughed. I did not. Yes, I have chicken legs, but I do hundreds of squats, split jumps, lunges and box jumps in Spartan Sport class and the yield is…nothing. My legs are immune to growth. But they get me from place to place pretty damn well, so while they don’t look like much I like them. Have stepped up my running game since I implemented it a year ago. Four to six mile runs at least once a week. Legs are strong, ready to go.

Board shorts. Why? Because they cost $15 at Target and there’s no sense in wasting good money on pants you’re going to drag through the mud. Plus they have the mesh liner that holds stuff properly in place when you’re climbing over walls. The ladies don’t need to see that. Not even my wife. This is the fifth race I’m wearing these shorts in. They are part of the uniform.

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Core strength present and accounted for. I hate the term “core.” I feel it has been beaten senseless by the fitness community. Nonetheless, I have two classes at my own gyms with the word “core” in them. Don’t ask. I take the Spartan Core class at least once a week. I hate it. Not because the class isn’t good, the class is amazing. I hate it because I’m a guy and my core strength and hamstring flexibility are pathetic and the class is torture. But it works, so I’m good to go. These abs are not mine. And the guy in this pic wasn’t naked, it just looks like it.

Long sleeved Nike Pro Combat compression shirt. Color; grey. Stays in place while belly crawling through the mud that someone ahead of you probably peed in. Sleeves protect the elbows from raspberries. Makes me look much more muscular than I actually am. It’s my Bat Suit. I may opt for the short sleeved version if it’s hot, and protect my elbows with kinesio tape. But only if it makes me look as muscular as the long sleeved version.

Upper body strength: Confidence is high; Repeat, confidence is high. Spartan Strength class has steeled me against weakness and a battery of burpees, push ups, pull ups, spider walks, bear crawls and caterpillars have endowed me with plenty of strength to scale walls, carry stuff, rope climb. But I hope there’s no javelin throw in this race. The javelin is my Waterloo.

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Head. Hair has been cut short. One day I will have the courage to buzz it off as I will someday be bald. That day is not today. Just enough stubble on the face to make me look cool and menacing on the race course. I’ve been considering a headband to keep the sweat out of my eyes, but while it worked for John Travolta in “Staying Alive,” I fear it’s a look I cannot rock. I will not be wearing sunglasses. Or a tie. This photo was taken by a professional photographer and bears no actual relevance to this post. But it’s my Tom Cruise pose and I like it.

Mental State: Solid. I’ve been training like a madman in preparation for this event, and for subsequent upcoming races like the Spartan Beast on November 17th. I’m not running this one with a team, I’m flying solo. I love leading a team onto the course, helping people over walls, shouting encouragement, I love that part of what I do. But this one is for me. This one is for me to run flat out, like my hair’s on fire, not having to stop to pick up a fallen comrade. This is for me to let it all out and test myself against the younger guys. I am imagining myself as Daniel Day-Lewis in “Last of the Mohicans,” running through the forest. And I can’t wait.

Mission Control, all systems are go.

Let’s do this.

 

Jonathan Aluzas is the owner of Arena Fitness, a personal training, semi private training and group training facility with locations in Northridge and Encino.