Know your WHY, Train Hard, Challenge Yourself, & Conquer
By Laura Stetser
SYC Member & Spartan Obstacle Course Race Athlete
We often hear the term “know your why” when it comes to fitness and physical training. If you’re like many, you may have heard this statement and worked to come up with something deep and profound. But what if the best answer was the simplest answer? What if your why was simply to be better every day? Monica Reyes, SYC member and accomplished Spartan Obstacle Course Race (OCR) Athlete says, when it comes to her training, “I always want to do better than my last race.” This mission drives her to train hard and show up to each race ready to outperform her last.
HER DRIVE…
In 2011, Monica did her first obstacle course race Tough Mudder. She was an endurance athlete who enjoyed triathlons, long distance road biking, running and mud runs, but she wanted a greater mental and physical challenge. She enjoyed the challenge of Tough Mudder so much that she went on to compete in her first Spartan Race in 2018 and hasn’t looked back.
If you’re not familiar, Spartan Races offer an opportunity to push out of your comfort zone and truly test your fitness with a mix of running and obstacles typically hosted outside and in all weather. Spartan races are listed at 5k, 10k or 21K, but Spartan has what they call “Spartan Miles,” so a 5K is 5 miles, 10k is 8 miles and a 21k is 15 miles plus obstacles. Those obstacles include things like spear throws, A-frame cargo climb, atlas carry (heavy stone), swim dunk wall, fire jump, barbed wire crawl, monkey bars, rope climbs, hurdles, wall climbs…just about any strenuous and challenging obstacle that can be imagined – it has, and it is hosted by Spartan Races. *If you’re curious what these obstacles look like, you can check them out here on the Spartan website.
“I am a competitive person, more so with myself, but I do like to pass people. I will get someone in my sights ahead of me and push to pass them, and then move on to the next person. Spartan racing keeps me on my toes. I have run in the heat, cold, rain, snow, wind, thunder and lighting, Spartan has taught me I am stronger mentally and physically than I ever thought!”
When asked about some of her most challenging races, she relays a story about a race she did in 2021, the Spartan Tahoe Beast which is 15 miles and 35 obstacles.
“I had been fighting off a migraine all week and of course on race day I had a full-blown migraine. I didn’t want to take my medication because it instantly dehydrates me, but I didn’t have a choice. My first 7 miles were great, but the next 8 were literally a fight. I have never been so close to passing out or having that “out of body” experience in my life! I fought so hard, the medical team wanted to pull me from the race, but I said no and kept going. I don’t know how I did it, but I finished the race and bettered my time from the last time I did the Tahoe Beast. One thing about me is I will fight to the end; I am determined to complete any challenge that I am faced with, and I will always give everything I have.”
ON JANUARY 30TH MONICA PLACED 1ST IN THE OPEN AGE GROUP (OPEN AGE GROUP IS WHERE ALL AGES RACE AT THE SAME TIME BUT SPARTAN TRACKS WHERE ATHLETES FINISH WITHIN THEIR AGE GROUP).
HER GOALS…
"I’m going to be 55 this year. Spartan has taught me to expect the unexpected and to never underestimate myself. I am way stronger than I ever thought I could be. Spartan racing is definitely good for my mind, body and soul.”
Her goal by the end of this year is to race in her official “Age Group” category which is much more competitive and starts in its own heat (versus all ages racing together). She would also like to become a Spartan Brand Ambassador.
HER TRAINING WEEK
How does one train to be a Spartan OCR athlete?
A typical week includes six days of training. She does CrossFit Monday, Wednesday, and Friday with Rowan at 6am (she highly recommends his classes!) followed by a quick weight set. She runs Tuesday and Thursday 4-6 miles and weight trains on Saturdays. When she’s prepping for a race (some weekends include 2—3 races), she will also run Monday and Wednesday after work 4-6 miles making sure to get in a lot of hills (Spartan organizers love venues with hills). On race week, she will do CrossFit on Monday and run on Tuesday and then rest until race day.
A member at SYC for 10+ years, she raves about the management and gives Mike credit for running a great gym and being extremely approachable and open to listening to the members.
And what does she love about training at SYC?
“I love the trainers! Those I have worked with know I train for Spartan races, and they really push me to challenge myself – sometimes they have me add weight or ask me to give a little more.” Not to be left out “I also enjoy the members, especially those in the 6am class – they all give 100% and motivate me!”
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