Obstacle Race Training: How to Beat Any Course, Compete Like a Champion and Change Your Life

181 Pages·2014·9.28 MB·English

by  Margaret Schlachter

OBSTACLE RACE TRAINING
dedication
This book is dedicated to my family—a special thanks for raising me to always
follow my heart and chase after dreams. It is your encouragement and
unwavering support that has allowed me to always go my own way. A special
thanks goes to my mother who instilled in me from a young age a love and
appreciation of the woods—a love that continues to this day. She is an amazing
woman in a long line of amazingly strong women who have broken boundaries
and left their mark on my world.
Thank you to all who have contributed to the book: Chris Rutz, Andi Hardy, Juliana
Sproles, Chris Davis and Shelley Koenig for sharing your stories; Brent Doscher of
Nuvision and Jennifer Sullivan for your photos; Minna Urrey and Vanessa Runs for
your editorial help. Thank you to those who have read and continue to read
DirtinYourSkirt.com, supporting my endeavor as it has grown over the last couple
of years.
My thanks to you, the reader, for picking up this book.
Finally, my thanks to Forest Call. This is book would not have been possible
without all your help, hard work, and standing by me along the way. You are my
biggest supporter, and truly the unsung hero in my life.
To my mother. Thanks for teaching
me the virtues of nature, and giving me
a lifelong love of the outdoors.

Published by Tuttle Publishing, an imprint of Periplus Editions (HK) Ltd.
www.tuttlepublishing.com
Copyright © 2014 Margaret Schlachter
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval
system, without prior written permission from the publisher.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data for this title is in progress
ISBN: 978-1-4629-1414-2 (ebook)
Distributed by
North America, Latin America & Europe
Tuttle Publishing
364 Innovation Drive
North Clarendon, VT 05759-9436 U.S.A.
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
[email protected]
www.tuttlepublishing.com
Japan
Tuttle Publishing
Yaekari Building, 3rd Floor
5-4-12 Osaki, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 141 0032
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
[email protected]
www.tuttle.co.jp
Asia-Pacific
Berkeley Books Pte Ltd
61 Tai Seng Avenue, #02-12
Singapore 534167
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
[email protected]
www.periplus.com
First edition
17 16 15 14 6 5 4 3 2 1 1401TWP
Printed in Singapore
TUTTLE PUBLISHING® is a registered trademark of Tuttle Publishing, a division of Periplus Editions (HK) Ltd.
CONTENTS
FOREWORD – by Hobie Call INTRODUCTION
SECTION 1: Introduction to the Sport of Obstacle Course Racing (OCR)
Chapter 1 – Obstacle Course Racing Explained
Chapter 2 – A Brief History of the Sport
Chapter 3 – Types of Races & Runs
SECTION 2: Where Do You Start
Chapter 4 – Choosing the Right Race
Chapter 5 – Starting A Training Program & Creating A Balanced Training Plan
Chapter 6 – Creating A Winning Diet
Chapter 7 – Mental Preparation
SECTION 3: Mastering the Course
Chapter 8 – The Obstacles
Chapter 9 – The Great Burpee Debate
SECTION 4: How to Get Through Your First Race
Chapter 10 – Pre-Race Essentials
Chapter 11 – Race Day Morning
Chapter 12 – The Race
Chapter 13 – Stories from the Course
SECTION 5: What’s Next
Chapter 14 – Post-Race Expectations & Advice
Chapter 15 – Recovery
Chapter 16 – The Next Race
Chapter 17 – Insider Tips
Chapter 18 – Continuing The Journey
APPENDICES
Foreword
By Hobie Call
I
first met Margaret Schlachter at the 2011 Spartan Death Race. She liked to
study people’s workout routines and philosophies in training for this new sport
of Obstacle Course Racing. She was intrigued with the rock workout I used to
train for the Death Race, said she had tried it a few times, and was wondering
how I came up with it, why, and did I think it worked well in preparing me for such
a race. I had joined the obstacle course racing world that spring and was
undefeated going into the Spartan Death Race. She had watched me enter the
sport and was eager to learn more about my background and training.
Margaret has a unique perspective on obstacle course racing. She raced in the
very first Spartan Race, held outside of Burlington, Vermont in 2010, with only
about 500 participants. She truly has been involved in the sport since its
beginnings. She lived close to Joe Desena, the founder of the Spartan Race series,
worked and trained with him for a couple of years, getting to know the behind-
the-scenes side of the sport. She also really enjoys getting to know the elite
athletes in the sport, exploring their backgrounds, how they train, their diets, the
gear and shoes they choose to wear, and why. We became friends quickly after
the Death Race and we often talk about training, diets and nutrition.
In the last three years, Margaret has also built up quite the racing resume
herself. She has participated in almost 50 obstacle races from the Warrior Dash,
to Superhero Scramble, Spartan Race, Rugged Maniac, Tough Mudder, Spartan
Death Race, Worlds Toughest Mudder, Fuego y Agua Survival Run, and many
more. Her experiences led her to starting a blog called DirtInYourSkirt.com, which
was named the sports blog of the year by Sports Weblog for the 2012 Weblog
Awards. Today she is one of the top-ranked women in the sport and enjoys
sharing her knowledge with new racers. You’re sure to fall in love with this sport
as so many of us have, as Margaret shares the challenges, uniqueness and fun of
obstacle racing.