I had a grueling schedule last week with a rare 3 late nights that took a toll on me. I was not able to work out and prepare very well for this race. Then back spasm hit me midweek until the day before the race. I thought I wouldn’t make it. (I thought about asking for a refund already.)
But what I lack in physical, I did in the mental and spiritual. I used the months of constant running as my motivation that I have enough to at least finish the course. Praise God, with prayer and meditation, I was able to condition the mind.
The obstacle challenges
But it’s NEVER EASY. I went through thirty-three obstacles that test your endurance, agility, physical strength, mental stamina – including challenges that were built to test the toughest 4WD vehicles. Throughout the 6K course around XQuarry, we navigated through rocky terrain and up and down the steep climbs. We moved rocks, scaled boulders, trudged through a mud pit, and moved swiftly through a barrage of obstacles.
I found myself walking after those hikes, catching my breath and thirsting for water. This was different. What was I thinking for signing up? One voice tells me to give up I cannot do it, but a sound mind encourages me that I trained enough for this and I can make it.
So I keep going, with good pacing and mindfulness that I’m not stretching it too much.
And yes indeed we did! Though not too fast, it was the best finish I ever had. My first OCR in the books.
The feeling of finishing this tough one transforms the mind that yes indeed, similar to life’s toughest challenges – with the right motivation and reliance on God-given strength, we can make it through. Definitely, a lot more takeaways from this activity (I’ll make a vlog soon)
As they say, if it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you.
Thank God I defeated the voice of discouragement because I felt much much better after crossing the finish line. Except for small knee bruises, everything went well.
Here are some other photos from the Gladiator Challenge:
