2018 has finally ended, for me as a racer anyway. Been thinking a lot about this season and how things played out.

I was able to complete all the races I signed up for. Despite never doing a race over 14 miles, I was able to complete the New Jersey and South Carolina Ultra, as well as 6 laps at a Bonefrog Endurance race. Never considered myself a long distance runner at all, but attempting these challenges has been a fun way to step out of my comfort zone.

I completed 25 Spartan races, 3 Savage Races, 2 BoneFrogs, and a Tough Mudder. It was fun trying out different race organizations and seeing what they had to offer. Some of them I don’t like as much as others, but it is nice to have such a wide variety of options available. All of the races I did were within driving distance, so I know I’m pretty lucky with the available race selection.

The distances were not easy on my legs however. Think I didn’t train properly, and I ended up dealing with some pretty severe IT band issues for most of the year. Some of the races I was almost walking the entire thing because I was in so much pain. Very humbling experience and it made me realize the importance of rest, recovery, and stretching.

I fractured a finger on one of the Savage Race rigs, and that has been a slow recovery as well. Luckily it hasn’t prevented me from still being able to race at a good level athletically. Lastly, I fractured one of my toes when I smashed it against a wall at a BoneFrog race, but I was fortunately able to still race the SC Ultra 3 weeks after that.

I ran in the new Competitive Age Group heats all year, and didn’t have the same success I had last year. This year my Age group was much larger, as I went from being in the 35-39 to being in the 30-39 Age group. With twice as many younger racers, I only had one finish in the twenties, despite having several last year. Obviously my injuries slowed me down, but I also need to work harder in my training. I can’t allow Age Group changes to be an excuse for not finishing well.

This year was big for me with Ambassadors and Sponsorships. I was chosen to be a part of the LegendBorne Squad team. After a few short weeks of consistently promoting LegendBorne, they bumped me up to the Ambassador team! Such an amazing honor to represent a great American company. I’ve also been chosen to help lead the team as a Captain in 2019, so I’m excited to see all the great things we can do.

I was able to become a Spartan Race Brand Ambassador, and this afforded me the oppurtunities to do Social and Media work for Spartan. This was a a ton of fun, as it allowed me to get close to the racers and film their successes and triumphs in the races. It helped me meet a lot of people and I discovered that talking with people about their races and race strategy was something I really enjoyed! I need to figure out a way to do this more!

Also partnered with some OCR apparel companies. Clinch Gear, the makers of the best OCR shorts on the market. Fit Four, with their amazing racing gloves. Hardkour Performance with their great OCR and workout teams, as well as some really cool apparel. I only race in gear I believe in, so being able to represent these great companies felt like a big honor.

Now it’s the off season which means working hard on my issues and getting better for 2019. I am going to add some new things to my workouts to hopefully see some positive results. Also, I quit my part time job so I could focus more on myself, my family, and my training. Not having to work 60-70 hours a week will also be a big benefit as I can spend more time doing what I like!

Looking forward to seeing everyone at races in a couple months. As always I am available for any questions or comments! Always looking to help other racers! 🦁👍🏽👍🏽