So - this weeks athlete is pretty special to me. I got to know her at the spartan weekends in september 2015. You can say we ran after eachother for three races...She ran in front of me or beside me on the long runs, then an obstacle came and I got a little in front of her...just enough to keep her at a little distance. For three races we competed, and tried to beat each other to the podium. I managed to keep her just a hinch behind me at all the races...but that was just luck! And now, as I follow her at instagram and face, I see that she puts down enormous amount of work both in running and OCR exercises! She is going to be one of my strongest competitors in the uk this season, and still I cant wait to run with her again! As all other OCR members we hugged and kissed up, and are now cheering on eachother - I really hope I get to run with her in England for Toughest in april! I give you this wonderful girl:
Tell us a bit about yourself and your fitness background?
I live in Essex, about 50 miles NE of London. I have only relatively recently got back into fitness and exercise. When I was younger I was very sporty and competed in the NW Essex District Sports. I stopped all regular exercise after leaving school and didn't live a particularly healthy lifestyle. Bad eating habits and no training resulted in weight gain. I started training again in May 2014. In total since then, I've had to take 6 months off due to injury and fractures - hardly any of which were caused by training believe it or not; only 1!
How did you get into OCR and how was your first OCR experience?
I was recommended to world of OCR by friends that I met at bootcamp and was inspired by the results some of them who were already competing were achieving. My first OCR experience was fun, my friends had told me exactly what to expect so I felt well prepared. Two of my friends ran it with me, so they helped make it a great first race for me.
Which event has been the most challenging?
That would have to be Nuclear Fallout in November. I ran a later wave with family and really struggled with the really cold temperature that weekend. I had worn the wrong clothing and that combined with queues for the obstacles, meant that once my body temperature had dropped I couldn't get it back up again. I'm looking forward to running a Nuclear race in the summer!
What has been your most memorable OCR moment?
Coming 2nd at the Spartan South Super last year was amazing and would be my best most memorable moment. Another memorable moment (not for good reasons) would be the Spartan Beast last year, where I had a shocker and ended up doing 180 penalty burpees
What has been the most challenging obstacle that you have faced?
The most challenging obstacle for me is monkey bars or rigs when my hands are wet or muddy.
What are your thoughts about the OCR community and sport?
I have found the OCR community to be extremely friendly and inspiring. I love how everybody takes care of one another. It's amazing to surround yourself with such like minded people. I love the sport and feel that it will continue to grow over the coming years.
What are your tips for the first-timers, beginners?
The best advice I was given - which is what I would pass on to any first timer/beginner - would be not to wait!! Don't put it off thinking that you have to be fitter or faster - get booked up and just start racing. There's so much fun to be had. There are always people who will help you in a race if you need it and the marshals are awesome!
How does your training regime look?
I love training so actually have to be quite disciplined not to over-train. Generally most weeks I train 6 days a week, training 2 to 3 times a day on two of those days. My training is quite varied depending on what events are coming up; I run outdoors, I have running PT sessions with Let's Run, I do obstacle training at The PT Barn or Wild Forest Gym, I go to Essex Bootcamp and I have PT sessions with Wez, one of the bootcamp instructors and I train with BDAC at the track.
What is your favourite piece of OCR kit and why?
I love my VJ Sport Irocks, they are so comfortable as well as being super race shoes. They give me everything I need from a shoe for training and race performance.
What is your inspiration and motivation?
I am naturally competitive so I love the actual racing side of OCR. I'm an extremely motivated person in general so love training and preparing for races - I really don't find it a chore! As I mentioned before, being surrounded with so many like minded people inspires me so much! Seeing what people are doing fitness wise online always inspires me and makes me want to go out there and then to train! There are so many amazing athletic racers out there that truly inspire me. I love seeing the top girls do well, it always makes me hungry for it and want to train harder.
