Issue 3
February 2018

By Kim Collings

0-firebeast

 

1. Beast Profiles

2. Nutrition

3. Looking Ahead

1. Beast Profiles

Articles and interviews dedicated to reporting on the amazing people and stories of Your Beast Team!

Full of spunk, smiles, and joy…It’s Miriam McCormick!

1

What was your first OCR race and what made you decide to try it?

My first OCR race was the Warrior Dash in 2016. This was my first time doing a race like an OCR event and I was excited and nervous at the same time. I was excited to do the obstacles and was thrilled it was not just a race that involved only running but I also got to climb on things and wade through the mud. I was nervous; I had not trained and had bought a pair of shoes just for the race. I took them out of the box just before the race.

A coworker, JD, had been telling me about OCR races and activities, and I wanted to give it a try. A couple of other coworkers, JD, and Virginia ran with me. That first mile was rough and my feet were already sore, after the first few obstacles I was feeling young at heart. JD and Virginia Talked about various races they had done and things they were doing in OCR. I was beat by the time I finished the race, my feet hurt, but I absolutely loved the mud pit. I crossed the finish line and was hooked. OCR gives me a chance to cut loose and run through the woods. I had planned on doing a 5K, with positive peer pressure I did 10K and was looking forward to the next race. I signed up for my first Spartan race, Washougal.

 

I made a goal for 2017, to get my first Spartan trifecta and to do some other races. With help and support by friends I traveled to many new places and I was even able to get double Spartan trifecta.

The OCR community is a wonderful group of people who are there to get each other over hurdles and give a positive nudge and push ourselves further.

How has OCR helped you overcome challenges?

One of my challenges was getting out and traveling, OCR helped me with taking a jump and getting out of the mundane weekly routine I was in. I am glad I started doing obstacle course races, the OCR helped get me out of my comfort zone. With the help from friends I was able to do a race in Sun Peaks, Canada. Me, Jodi, Ted, and Brandon did the race together, I am glad they were there too, that race was tough and they made it a wonderful fun day. While training with Ted, he has helped rejuvenate my zest for the outdoors and hiking, and travel.

What do you love most about the OCR Community?

4

There are a lot of organizations, activity groups, and fitness options available to us and we are all lucky to get to try out different ones. It is true what they say, when you find a group of people who all really enjoy doing similar things, it makes you feel bonded and like family. The OCR community and Beasts OCR team have made me feel unstoppable and that I can do so much more than I think I can and I have been having fun doing it.
I had a lot of fun Doing the Beasts workouts, WCO events, and the various team members workouts and gatherings. Going to the workout events helped me get through the races better and I learned various tips and techniques and got to do some extra practice, and meet great people.
Washougal 2017 was my one year Spartan anniversary. I had improved my time and performance from the year before and I am happy about that, The race was much more for me, I was going for the second part of my first Spartan trifecta, and it happened to be my birthday weekend. I still get choked up and teary eyed when I re-play the team singing Happy Birthday, Thank you all for making me feel so special.

Who inspires you?

Jane Goodall is my biggest inspiration since childhood. On a daily basis I am inspired  reading about everyone’s stories. A lot of us in the OCR community are battling scars both visible and invisible and we are going through our own transformations.
Virginia Nickelson is someone from my very first race who has inspired me to keep going all through the 2017 season Virginia made me smile with her sheer determination to complete and surpass her own goals.

What is your favorite OCR memory?

3

My favorite OCR memory is climbing the rope during a race at the Seattle Spartan beast 2017. This is also the race to complete my first Trifecta; the rope climb has been my nemesis. Ted worked with me at the gym, I Finally got up the rope. I even stayed at the top and hung out for a minute. It was just really nice to know I could finally do it. Getting down the rope gracefully took a few more tries.
Climbing the rope during a race is more intimidating than in the gym, it took me a few races and a few tears to finally get it. When I was able to get to the top of the rope during a race it was a huge accomplishment for me. When I was at the top of the rope all the reasons for doing these races came flooding in.

Tell us something about yourself that few people know, whether OCR related or not.

You may not know it, but I really enjoyed the Spartan Sun Peaks Beast. It had been a very long time since I had traveled that far and it was the hardest race I have done. The third summit in the race was incredibly steep. I had always wanted to climb a mountain like that, but it was always very and intimidating to do something like that climb on my own. Doing that climb along with the other racers gave me the inspiration to get up that mountain. It took me about an hour to make the climb and I went through just about every emotion and when I was at my most tired I question why I was even doing this. Ted stayed with me; it was rough, physically challenging, the elevation changes, and it was completely worth it. When I got to the top and looked back, I just stared. I was so proud of myself and happy.

What are your goals for 2018?

My goals for 2018 are to continue training, increase my speed, and do as many races as I can. I have started crossfit to help with training, it is a good fit for me. I’ve done some training, but I’ve noticed some good personal improvement with myself since I started crossfit. I am increasing my Spartan trifecta goal to three. I’d like to travel more in 2018 and I plan on doing races in various States.

 

2. Beast Nutrition

Cashew Fun Facts*

5

  • April 21st is National Chocolate Covered Cashew Day.
  • November 23rd is National Cashew Day.
  •  Unlike other nuts and seeds the cashew does not grow within the fruit but instead on the outside of it, hanging from the base of a crab apple, called a “cashew apple.”
  • The United States consumes over 90% of the world’s cashew crop.
  • The colloquial name for the cashew nut comes from the Portuguese name for the nut, caju.
  • Cashews are in the same family as poison ivy and poison sumac, and thus why cashews are never sold in their shells.
  • Oil from cashew nut shells is used in insecticides, brake linings, and rubber and plastic manufacture. The milky sap from the tree is used to make a varnish.
  • There are 8 people in the U.S. listed on whitepages.com with the last name ‘Cashew’

Lemon Cashew Cream Recipe:

20180105_095935

This is so amazing! If you are lactose intolerant, this makes a wonderful creamy addition to fruit (works as a great fruit dip at gatherings as well). I’m OK with dairy, so I like to add it to the top of yogurt and fruit. The lemon absolutely pops in this, but you can leave it plain or use other flavors as well like lime, orange, grapefruit, vanilla…..yum!

  • 1 cup cashews
  • 2 Tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp lemon zest (or more…I zest the outside of an entire lemon)
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 Tbsp maple syrup
  • 1/2 cup water

Place cashews in a bowl and cover with water. Soak for at least 2 hours or overnight. Drain. Mix all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. Store in a glass bowl or jar. It will still be thin, but will thicken in the fridge. It will last for 5-7 days refrigerated, but you will probably gobble it up before then!

**6.JPG
Photo Credit: Miriam McCormick, Kim Collings, http://justfunfacts.com/interesting-facts-about-cashews/
*https://mobile-cuisine.com/did-you-know/cashew-fun-facts/
**http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/calories/homemade-cashew-cream-551220257

 

3. Looking Ahead

Feb. 3 – BeastWOD: Marysville, WA

Feb 3 – BeastWOD: Kent, WA

Feb 4 – BeastWOD: Portland, OR

Feb 17 – BeastWOD: Seattle, WA

 

The Beast Report: February 2018
Tagged on:             

You May Also Like

The Spartan Race helps athletes improve their mental health

The Beast Report: March 2019

The Beast Report: March 2019

Weekly BeastDays Challenge Week 15

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *