The REEBOK Spartan Race™, global leader in Obstacle Racing since 2005, was designed by seven insane ultra athletes and a Royal Marine…. So as you can imagine, it truly takes that ‘next leap’ that other Mud Runs and Adventure Races just don’t quite reach.

“It is in you, I promise. BUT you must LET IT OUT”

I’ve always believed that fitness should be truly FUN but it should also test you and push you to places you never dreamed of. The Spartan Race is bringing all of that to the table, in one

There are three different ‘levels’ of the Spartan Race that you can run. The Spartan Sprint, The Super Spartan, and the Spartan Beast…. Which, to be fair… They are all entirely beasts of their own, believe me!

The Spartan Sprint  - 3+ miles of muddy, hilly terrain accompanied by 15+ obstacles along the course. Beginners to hardcore warriors, and marathon runners alike come out to test themselves on the insane obstacles!

The Super Spartan – 8+ miles with over 20+ obstacles on the battlefield to test not only your physical, but also mental strength. This mud bath will test your limits and push you further than you knew you were capable of!

The Spartan Beast – 12+ miles with 25+ obstacles from HELL.  If you have done any race anywhere in the world: whether a mud run, fun run, olympic run, bike race, death march or any kind of event claiming to be the “toughest race on the planet” you will be happy to know that this is where it ends..THIS IS THE SPARTAN BEAST… Top 3 male and female finishers of the Spartan Beast get a free entry into the… (drum roll please..) DEATH RACE!!!

Look like a hellaciously good time?!?! I sure think so!! I have been itching to run a Spartan race for a couple of years now. & believe you me, now that I live in a large city, It is happening in the next year!

LUCKY FOR YA’LL!!! the bad ass folks who make the magic happen with the REEBOK Spartan Race™, have been kind enough to let one of y’all walk away with a FREE entry into any Spartan Race in the Continental US (I’m sorry my loves to the north!)

On top of all that exciting jazz, even if you don’t win.. They are offering a 15% discount to any qualifying Spartan Event!! Just head over to this link.

Giveaway Time:

Here’s the rules folks! You have until Next Wednesday, May 29 to enter the giveaway. All you have to do is:

• Follow @SpartanRace on Twitter
• Follow Me On Twitter @Char__Latte
• Tweet About the Giveaway (You can do this once per day)
• Leave a comment on the blog telling me which Spartan Event you would attend, and why you would like to run one!

Leave a separate comment for each one, and remember to come back each day to up your chances of winning!! Winners will be announced next Playlist Thursday!

Anyway, New to Playlist Thursday? Here’s how it goes… Each week our friend Pavement Runner picks a theme and we all make a post with three songs that fall into that theme. Something Old (a song 5+ years old) Something Current (a song released within the last year) and Something to Consider (consider this one your wild card)

This week’s theme? Songs by artists or bands that are related. Ya know, Jackson 5 where everyone is related. Oasis. Kings of Leon… That kind of thing. So, lets get this show on the road, shall we?!

SOMETHING OLD:

Artist: Ace of Base

Title: I Saw the Sign

Side Note: …. Yeah, I went there. Don’t act like you don’t know every line to this song. Don’t even try! Ace of Base was originally made up of two sisters; Linn and Jenny Berrgren and two of their friends, Niklas and Johnny.

Quoteable: I saw the sign, and it opened up my eyes; I saw the sign.

SOMETHING CURRENT:

Artist: Radiohead

Title: Lotus Flower

Side Note: First off, Radiohead always has and always will be one of my favorite bands of all time. Every album has a different sound. They are all so talented it makes me want to cry because I’ll never be as good at anything as they are at making music. haha. Moving on… Most people automatically think of Thom Yorke when they hear the name Radiohead.. But there is so much talent behind the front man. Including, brothers Jonny and Colin Greenwood.

Quoteable: There’s an empty space inside my heart; Where the weeds take root. And now I’ll set you free. I’ll set you free

SOMETHING TO CONSIDER:

Artist: Arcade Fire

Title: Neighbourhoods #1 (Tunnels)

Side Note: Another fabulous husband and wife duo hitting it big time with their talent. Its things like this that give me hope that there is someone out there for all of us. Our exact other halves.

Quoteable: You climb out the chimney, And meet me in the middle. The middle of the town. And since there’s no one else around. We let our hair grow long and forget all we used to know

What are some of your favorite bands that have family members in the group?

Thursday evening over 1,000 Austinites met at Austin High School to embark on a run in honor of the Boston Marathon Explosions victims; with love and grief in our hearts.

The night started off with Amazing Grace being played on bagpipes while so many runners, both friends and strangers alike, held hands. The moment was so overwhelming it moved me to tears.

A sea of blue and yellow set off down the trail to honor those killed and injured in the explosions, and celebrate the safe return of the hundreds of Austinites who ran Monday’s 117th Boston Marathon. The quick response to Monday’s tragedies was beautiful. A run that typically has no more than 100 runners quickly became a mass of over 1,000 compassionate souls. It was the perfect reminder that no matter how much evil is out there, the good will always trump the bad. We will always stand together and stand tall.

Running with a group in silence, I heard things that I don’t normally notice.  I heard my own breathing, for example, and the breathing of the people next to me.  I heard each and every step clearly as well as the steps of those around.  Paying attention to these easily ignored sounds around me, I couldn’t help but embrace the connection.  You start breathing with the people around you.  You start keeping pace with them if they’re not that much faster than you.  Suddenly, the group is in a very real sense running together as one.

Runners run together.

That’s why I know that we will move forward and continue to run high profile marathons, and that the Boston Marathon will be sought after like never before.

“Good or bad, we’re all in this together — just taking one step at a time” 

It didn’t seem real, the events of Monday’s Boston Marathon. One moment I was taking a break at work, receiving mass updates from all of my friends who were running the event. Full of so much joy for all of the runners. The next instant, I was inside watching the news poor in, the images spreading across every TV channel…

How? Why? Who? The questions are endless. The reasoning will never be understood. One thing is for certain though, as many times as bad things happen… I am reminded of the compassion that humans can have for one another. The news showed so many videos where you saw people running TOWARD the chaos to help in any way possible, even if that meant putting themselves in danger.

This is why I run races. This is why I believe that people in the running community are some of the most incredible, selfless human beings you will ever encounter…. Exhausted ahletes who just tested their endurance for 26.2 miles coming to the rescue as a makeshift medical team. The reminder we needed that this is NOT what our world is coming to.

I know that we as a community, will (and already have) come together hand in hand and move FORWARD. We will all still strive to some day toe the line of The Boston Marathon. Boston will continue to celebrate Patriots Day with pride and love.

So, instead of looking back and dwelling on this tragic moment. I propose a toast.

Cheers to each and every one of you. Cheers to everyone who toed the line yesterday morning at the 117th Boston Marathon. Let us look forward with hope, love and strength. Let us always run out of love, passion and dedication, NEVER out of fear.

When I realized how long it has been since I actually sat down night after night and pounded out pages of writing, it really made me sad. I adore writing. It is a true passion of mine…. Something that has always felt very therapeutic for me.

Writing was once something I did on a daily basis. I would do it out of both the love of writing and necessity. I’d get out of bed in the middle of the night after the ex had fallen asleep and sit on the couch in the otherwise pitch-black living room; with the only sound being that of my fingers hitting the keys and his light snoring in the background.

It really makes me truly sad that I haven’t been taking the time to blog recently. I have been in a constant cycle of running (I have been training for SFM still. Training update to come soon), work, having an amazing time in Austin: repeat. I’ve realized recently why I started my blog in the first place…. I originally started because it’s so therapeutic… To release everything…. However, the incredible, strong, beautiful people I’ve met through blogging are the reason Wild Things RUN Free ever got to where it was.

That’s why, I’m so sorry… not to you guys as my readers, but AS MY FRIENDS.
I’m sorry for disappearing. I promise I am back in full force, not only as a writer, but as an active and good blend

I remember the conversation from that very first night, when he said that one of the most incredible things he has ever done was when he went skydiving in Switzerland… Free falling with a straight shot of the top of the Alps. Can you even imagine such an incredible view? He later showed me the video from the jump and I was blown away. I decided then and there skydiving was high up on the list of things to do before I die.

Fast forward several months and one random day in February, Jake called me all excited that he had found a living social deal on skydiving out of Texas Skydiving Center, which is about an hour drive from Austin… Obviously, we jumped on the opportunity. It was also a relief to know my first jump was going to be with someone who has done it multiple times.

As the date approached I started to get super nervous. Thinking of all those (very rare, and mostly only in movies) stories you hear about the parachute not opening. Being typical Charlotte….

The night before almost felt like the night before a big race. I was a jumbled mix of anxious/terrified/excited/doubtful/over-the-moon… I couldn’t sleep worth a darn… But as soon as we hit the highway I was snoozing in the passenger seat on the way to TSDC.

Before doing a high-altitude jump you have to sit in a 5 hour classroom before, where you learn all about the equipment used for skydiving, aircraft procedures, skills demonstration, steering and landing… I decided last minute that I felt better doing Tandem (where an instructor is harnessed to you and he has one huge parachute on his back) So we only had to do the ground classroom for about an hour….Jake as a trooper and sat through the classroom with me even though he’s a veteren. Then we were boarded onto our aircraft where all the gear was strapped to us and it was time for lift off….

Once in the air and the equipment was on, I started to panic a little. I have no fear of heights or anything… But I had one of those “wtf am I doing with my life right now?!” thoughts. Ya know…. just gonna go jump out of a plane and free fall for an entire minute and hope to god that the stranger on my back deploys the shoot… and here I am sitting on the ground of a tiny plane between the legs of a man I just met who is attached to my back….

Jake on the other hand, was easy breezy. Smiles and sunshine like we were just going to jump off of a 2 ft step or something.

A few people go before us, then Jake jumps….. I’m up next. I’m standing in the door of the plane… So much wind gushing at me. Suddenly my instructor yells “GO!” I must have looked absolutely petrified because the camera dude next to me waiting for us to jump smiled a little and said “just remember to breathe” and nudged me forward. Welp, I was at the point of no return, I could jump… or I could let my instructor jump, at which point I would just fall with him. So, I leaped out of the plane.

The first 50-60 seconds of free-fall went by so fast. I didn’t even have time to register “holy fuck I’m plummeting at free-fall speed toward the earth” before the parachute pulled. I did have time to close my eyes for a few of the 60ish seconds and I remember thinking “I’m just a bird….that has no wings and can’t fly, but right now, I’m still a freakin’ bird”

Once the chute pulled, I tried to soak up the experience as much as possible. Time seemed to just disappear, though… The teeny-tiny houses in the distance grew larger and closer. My instructor let me do a few turns to try steering, and before I knew it, it was time to prepare for landing.

I wasn’t sure what to expect with the landing. I expected it to be rough, maybe even a little painful…. But, it really wasn’t at all. The ground was grassy and soft, and while the landing wasn’t “soft”… It didn’t hurt at all.

I still am having trouble putting into words just how incredible the experience was. It was scary, but honestly taking the jump out of the plane was the worst part. The adrenaline rush was unlike any I’ve ever experienced, and the view was extraordinary….

If I ever get the chance, I will certainly be jumping again in a more exotic/gorgeous setting!!!

After jumping Jake and I hung out for a little while and watched other jumpers while the sun set. It was quite beautiful and relaxing! Met so many interesting people from all over the world that were jumping while on holiday in the states

All in all, I highly recommend tandem jumping to anyone who has considered skydiving!! It is an incredible adventure that I wish more people experienced!!!

So, yes… It’s playlist thursday y’all!

New to Playlist Thursdays? Here’s the scoop… Each week our good friend Pavement Runner comes up with a music theme for the week. Then on Thursday we all make a post on our blogs with three songs that fit that week’s theme. Something Old (A song 5+ Years old) Something Current (A song released within the last year) and Something To Consider (A wild card. Any song within the theme that you want!)

This week’s theme??? (drum roll please)

Guilty Pleasures!  “and this week we will be admitting to some songs that “may” be on our playlist. You know, the songs that we might not admit to everyone exist on our playlist, but we love them anyways.”

SOMETHING OLD:

Artist: Ace of Base

Title: The Sign

Side Note: COME ON!!!! Who doesn’t remember and love this song? Not even kidding my friends and I played Ace of Base for like 2 hours straight the other night after work. I was so happy. haha

Quotable:“I saw the sign, and it opened up my mind, and I am happy now living with out you”

SOMETHING CURRENT:

Artist: Macklemore

Title: Thrift Shop

Side Note: so, I would have chosen this song EITHER WAY, but I totally waited on him at work last night. No like, I’m 100% serious. Macklemore played SXSW on Tuesday and came to Pluckers on Wednesdays and sat at my table…. and yes, his t-shirt was at least $50 He’s a really good tipper though so I’ll give him a pass on not buying from the thrift shop

Quotable: “I’m gonna pop some tags, only got $20 in my pocket. I’m. I’m. I’m huntin, lookin for a come up, this is fucking awesome.”

SOMETHING TO CONSIDER:

Artist: Icona Pop

Title: I love it

Side Note: I LOVE ICONA POP AND I DONT CARE. I LOVE IT. ahhhhhh… Stay tuned for my SXSW 2013 posts next week

Quotable: ”You’re on a different road, I’m in the milky way. You want me down on earth, but I am up in space. You’re so damn hard to please, we gotta kill this switch. You’re from the 70′s, but I’m a 90′s bitch. I DONT CARE. I LOVE IT”

What are YOUR guilty pleasure songs?

okay moving on! Thursday means one thing over here at Wild Things RUN Free… and I’m sure most of you know what it means. PLAYLIST THURSDAY!!!

New to Playlist Thursdays? Here’s the scoop… Each week our good friend Pavement Runner comes up with a music theme for the week. Then on Thursday we all make a post on our blogs with three songs that fit that week’s theme. Something Old (A song 5+ Years old) Something Current (A song released within the last year) and Something To Consider (A wild card. Any song within the theme that you want!)

This week’s theme? Songs by artist’s you’ve seen live! LOVE THIS. So many to choose from so lets get this show on the road, shall we?!

SOMETHING OLD:

Artist: Radiohead

Title: Just

Side Note: while living in Florida, I took my ex Dan to see Radiohead for our birthday (we share a birthday) in 2008 in Tampa. It was such an awesome show. Easily one of the best live performances I have ever seen. Not necessarily because of any crazy awesome things they did or anything, but their level of talent and skill live just blew me away. Thom York is the only man with a lazy eye I can say is absolutely dreamy

Quotable:” You do it to yourself, you do… That’s why it really hurts, cause you do it to yourself. You and no one else.”

SOMETHING CURRENT:

Artist: Cursive

Title: Drunken Birds

Side Note: Oh Cursive. One of those bands I have loved since their first album was released in what… 1999? Yeah, pretty sure it was ’99; and grows with me. I was fortunate enough to be at Lollapalooza in 2006 the year they were performing. We missed 90% of that show sadly… but that same Summer we caught them when they hit Buffalo for their Happy Hallow tour. This song is off of their most recent album, released last February called I am Gemini (oh heyyy me too ) It’s not one of my favorites by them, but still a great jam and on my running playlist!

Quoteable: “Drunken birds weaving through sycamores… How to teach your parrot to speak… A couple more drinks, hear the jailbird sing. How a lifetime cooped up has left him cagey”

SOMETHING TO CONSIDER:

Artist: Christine Donaldson

Title: Love Me Crazy

Side Note: Okay, so I’ve never seen her perform with her band… however she has sang for us before. So talented!!!! Christine is one of my Oakley sister’s, and not only is she an insanely talented singer/musician… She’s an incredible skier and all around wonderful person!!

Quoteable: “Some are afraid to love the restless. Those of us drawn to the places we have never been and the hands we have never shook. The memory of love aches like a growing pain. The more you love, the bigger your soul gets; and if love ends, every ounce of space you made for it is filled with possibility”

What are some of the best live shows you’ve been to? Or better yet, what’s one artist/band you absolutely MUST see live?

Which has left very little time to sit down and write a blog post. Okay, that isn’t entirely true… I’ve had time but I’ve instead enjoyed the brief moments of relaxation or socializing. Sue me

With 15 weeks left of training there are only 2 more weeks of base building before my mileage starts entering territory I’ve never been…. Quite frankly I’m getting a bit nervous about it! My body is still adjusting to running 25-30 miles (and only increasing) and working 50+ hours on my feet a week. There are days that I really don’t know if I’m remotely cut out for running 26.2 miles. But I just tell myself that the time on my feet is going to benefit me in the long run so long as I rest properly and don’t get injured.

This is what happens when your feet are always in work or running shoes…

I’ve been playing with my training and rest days the last several weeks. Trying to find something that works for me and my schedule. The last thing I want is to have my long runs set for the day of or before I work a double shift or have to close the restaurant at 3 in the morning….(Which is typically the weekends… when normal people do their LRs ) Something tells me when I start hitting those big scary numbers the last thing I’m going to want to do is work on my feet for 12 hours after. 

With a majority of my training still in front of me, I have still thoroughly enjoyed and learned a TON from these early weeks of marathon training… It’s also a huge adjustment to run in the warmer weather… I lived in Dallas for several years, but I wasn’t a distance runner at the time. Heck, I wasn’t a runner at all back then… So adjusting to the increasingly warmer and humid weather is fun. While it certainly got warm in Maryland, it was a lot more dry. After this weekend’s 90 degree and humiiiiid 10 miler I solemnly swear to never go out for more than a few miles without wearing body glide between my buttcheeks.

Life lessons you learn during marathon training, y’all.. Life lessons.

I may cross the finish line on June 16 and decide that marathon running isn’t for me. However, I’m going to put every ounce of passion and energy I have into the next 15 weeks and push through all of the pain, because after the pain comes the euphoria. I’m going to train hard, have fun, and come my birthday I will be a marathoner!

Are you training for anything right now?

Playlist Thursday.

New to Playlist Thursdays?? Here’s how it works… Each week Pavement Runner comes up with a theme. Then all of us in the blogosphere put together a list of our favorite songs (I typically choose ones on my running playlists) that fall into the theme. Something Old (A song 5+ years old) Something Current (A Song released roughly within the last year) Something to Consider (A wild card. You get to pick!)

This week’s Theme…. Songs that make you wanna DANCE! Oh yes…. Drum roll please….

SOMETHING OLD

Artist: the Jackson 5

Title: Dancing Machine

Side Note: eeeee! Look at little michael!! Those moves are fly… Probably the birth of the robot craze right there

Quotable: ”She’s moving. She’s grooving dancing until the music stop”

SOMETHING CURRENT

Artist: Calvin Harris Featuring Florence Welch

Title: Sweet Nothing

Side Note: Florence Welch and Calvin Harris? How can this not be absolutely genius. I love love love love Florence!! ahhh. I may have a girl crush on her! Such a hauntingly beautiful voice. Mixed with Calvin Harris’ beats…. ‘Nuff said.

Quotable: And it’s hard to learn. And it’s hard to love. When you’re giving me such sweet nothing

SOMETHING TO CONSIDER

Artist: Skrillex Featuring Sirah

Side Note: This is my jam to run to. Straight up Electronic Bad Assery. I love the Duo between skrillex and sirah. They do a few songs together and they’re all great jams.

Quotable: not realllly the best song to quote, haha.. but… “Shout out to all my lost boys”

What songs make YOU just wanna get up and dance?!